Connor Hellebuyck of the Jets, Darcy Kuemper of the Kings, and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Lightning have been selected as the NHL’s Vezina Trophy finalists as the league’s top goaltender for the 2024-25 season, the league announced today (X link).
Hellebuyck backstopped a Jets roster that faced some question marks at the beginning of the season to the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy, posting a league-best 47-12-3 record in his 62 starts and one relief appearance. It’s Hellebuyck’s third consecutive Vezina nomination, and it comes in conjunction with his second straight Jennings Trophy for tending the goal of the league’s stingiest defensive team on the whole.
Playoff performance so far notwithstanding, Hellebuyck’s regular-season numbers have him as the clear favorite to win the Vezina for the second year in a row and the third time in his career. That’s certainly a long way off from Jacques Plante’s record of seven, but he could be the first one to join the three-time club since Martin Brodeur won his third of four in 2007.
Hellebuyck led the league in goals against average (2.00), shutouts (eight), and goals saved above expected (39.6, per MoneyPuck). That’s the best figure a goalie has posted in a season since Juuse Saros posted a remarkable 46.7 GSAx in the 2022-23 campaign. Hellebuyck’s .925 SV% also ranks second among goalies who played 25 or more games, just one tick behind the Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz. He’s not a finalist, but he will almost certainly be in the top 10 when the voting results are announced next month.
Vasilevskiy will likely finish as Hellebuyck’s runner-up. The Big Cat had a resurgent 2024-25 campaign after an unusually pedestrian showing in 2023-24, logging a .921 SV%, 2.18 GAA, six shutouts, and a 38-20-5 record in a league-high 63 starts. That .921 mark was Vasilevsky’s highest in four years, and the now five-time finalist also finished second in the league behind Hellebuyck with 29.2 goals saved above expected. That’s also a career-high for the 30-year-old.
Kuemper, 34, also exploded for a bounce-back season. After struggling over the first two seasons of the five-year, $26.25MM pact he signed with the Capitals in free agency following his Stanley Cup win with the Avalanche in 2022, Washington traded him to the Kings in a swap of anchor contracts for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Now a clear win-win deal, Kuemper posted a 31-11-7 record in 50 starts for L.A. and posted a .921 SV%, 2.02 GAA, and five shutouts for his best numbers since his Cup-winning campaign. He’s a Vezina finalist for the first time in his 13-year career after finishing fifth and seventh in voting in 2019 and 2020, respectively, while a member of the Coyotes.
Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.
Just name one finalist. Shouldn’t be any confusion this year :P
Kuemper should sue for lack of support after last nights game.
I blame Hiller for the last 2 games, his 3rd period game plan is brutal!
Dominated the 3rd period all year long…WTH is going on??
Known stars of the 2025 playoffs.
Wish Logan Thompson had made this cut but not enough starts and rough end to season.
I have to admit I thought the Dubois-Kuemper trade was horrible for LA. At least if they both stank, it’s easier to hide an overpaid skater than an overpaid goalie. Good to see it worked out pretty good for both teams so far.
Hellebuyck’s regular-season numbers have him as the favorite to win (it’s to be expected) especially in the win-loss column as it’s no argument there but the runner-up likely being Vasilevskiy based on the metrics though, would tell you that Hellebuyck wasn’t that much more better then Vasilevsky.
One thing is certain, Hellebuyck & Vasilevskiy are easily the two premier goalies in the league. I would, however, give Vasilevskiy the advantage over Hellebuyck because his postseason numbers are much better.
Your bias and lack of knowledge is showing again.
Vasilevsky has had the better career so far, but at this moment Bucky is clearly the best.
@Jakeattack – I’m bias & lack knowledge? LOL! No stupid, I’m technically correct in what I’m saying which actually shows your lack of knowledge & utter stupidity so why don’t you stop being an ignorant buffoon. I’ve never even seen you on here before, so I assume you’re someone using multi-usernames which is even more pathetic. Troll.
@VegasMoved – I’m not taking anything away from Hellebuyck as he’s going to win the Vezina as I stated in my OP.
Hellebuyck, Vasilevskiy, Sorokin, and Shesterkin are the only goalies that I think can drag a mediocre team to the post-season. I think these four are clearly the best and have been for the past half decade.