The NHL has announced the 2023 Vezina Trophy finalists. The award is given to the top goalkeeper in the league as voted on by NHL general managers. Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers won the award for his work last season, becoming the ninth different winner in the past ten seasons.
This year the finalists for the honor are the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck, the New York Islanders' Ilya Sorokin and the Boston Bruins' Linus Ullmark.
Hellebuyck is looking to become just the second goalie in the last ten years to win two Vezina Trophies. The Jets netminder earlier scooped up the award in 2020. He could have an interesting calendar year if he is able to grab another Vezina, as the 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Hellebuyck posted elite numbers for the 2022-23 campaign, in what was a bounce back season for the Michigan native after he struggled the previous year. This time around, Hellebuyck logged a 37-25-2 record with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Sorokin can also become a free agent in a year’s time, as he is entering the final year of his current three-year contract with the Islanders. He would no doubt love to pad his resume with a Vezina Trophy after playing on a below-market contract for the past two campaigns. For 2022-23, Sorokin posted terrific numbers, including a sparkling .924 save percentage to go along with six shutouts and a 31-22-7 record.
The award favorite, though, must be Linus Ullmark. The Swedish netminder posted wild numbers while tending twine during his team's historical regular season. Ullmark had a 40-6-1 record with a .938 save percentage and a 1.89 GAA. He also led the league in goals by a goaltender, having potted a tally into an empty net in a game against the Vancouver Canucks. When he scored that goal, Ullmark became just the 13th goalie in NHL history to accomplish the feat.
The Vezina Trophy will be awarded in June at the NHL Awards ceremony in Nashville.
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