The NHL announced that Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins are finalists for the 2023 Vezina Trophy.
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the league’s top goaltender. NHL general managers vote on the honor, which New York Rangers goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin won for the past campaign.
Hellebuyck is now a three-time finalist of the award, losing out to Pekka Rinne in 2018 before winning it in 2020. He was a big reason why the Jets qualified for the playoffs this season, posting a 37-25-2 record with a .920 save percentage and four shutouts. Hellebuyck has one year at $6.16 million left on his six-year contract.
Sorokin has never been a finalist for the award, but had a 31-22-7 record with a .924 save percentage with the Islanders this season. He led the league with six shutouts while helping the Islanders clinch the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Sorokin could become just the second goaltender in Islanders history to win the Vezina Trophy, joining Billy Smith (1982).
Ullmark had the best season statistically of the trio, recording a 40-6-1 record through 49 games. Together with Jeremy Swayman, the pair won the Williams M. Jennings Trophy while allowing the fewest regular season goals. The Bruins had 65 wins and 135 points this year, the most in a single NHL season. Pete Peeters (1983), Tim Thomas (2009 and 2011) and Tuukka Rask (2014) have won the Vezina while members of the Bruins.
Jacques Plante holds the NHL record with seven Vezina Trophy wins, with Dominik Hasek and Bill Durnan both winning six.
The winner will be revealed live during the 2023 NHL Awards in Nashville on Monday, June 26. The league still has one more batch of finalists to name, with the final three for the Hart Trophy set to be announced tomorrow evening.
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