How does Andrei Vasilevskiy compare to the NHL’s all-time greatest goalies?
With a 4-1 victory Thursday over the historically-hot Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy became the fastest goalie in NHL history to hit the 300-win mark.
The 30-year-old goaltender takes the record from Hockey Hall of Fame member Jacques Plante, who reached the mark in 521 games. Vasilevskiy became the 40th NHL goalie all-time to reach 300 wins.
The Lightning’s netminder has been a model of consistency since being originally selected in the first round of the 2012 NHL draft. Through 490 career NHL appearances, Vasilevskiy has posted a 300-148-31 record, including 35 shutouts, and a career 2.56 goals against average, and .917 save percentage.
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli discussed Vasilevskiy reaching the 300-win mark, and examined where he stacks up against the all-time greats.
Seravalli: (McDavid reaching 1000 points) That wasn’t the only milestone night. I mean, look at Andrei Vasilevskiy getting to 300 career wins. This stopped me stone cold in my tracks.
Yaremchuk: Andrei Vasilevskiy, like you said, joined the history books yesterday as well. 300 regular-season wins and he shatters a 61-year-old record by Jacques Plante…He beats the record handedly, Frank. One, it speaks to the quality of goaltender, and also, the quality situation he’s in. Getting to start his career basically as that Lightning dynasty got rolling.
Seravalli: Look, so much of goaltending as we know can be team dependent on what happens in front of you, but I think the larger question for me is, when it’s all said and done, where will Vasilevskiy end up ranking among the all-time greats? And, I don’t necessarily mean it in terms of wins, I mean, if you start to put his overall career in perspective, still a long way from that being over, are we going to be talking about him in the same category as Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, that same group? Is that the esculent Andrei Vasilevskiy is rising too?
Yaremchuk: I think so, and just considering the fact he should still have a decent amount of runway left here, Frank. He’s already 39th in wins, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to get five more seasons out of him winning at least 30 games a season. 150 more wins puts him all the way up at 450, which is a top-10, top-7 goalie in terms of wins at that point. And, I think the individual numbers will always be there. It is a select group of guys you can look at, at this point in their careers and go, stone cold first ballot hall-of-fame guy. I’d be willing to go there for Vasilevskiy.
Seravalli: Yeah, I think that’s a lock. Add in the Conn Smythe’s, the Stanley Cups, all that is unbelievable.
For more on Vasilevskiy’s climb up the record books, McDavid’s milestone, and all the very latest from around the NHL, watch the full episode here.