Hellebuyck, Kuemper, Vasilevskiy named finalists for 2025 Vezina Trophy
Three of the best goaltenders in the NHL are up for one of the league’s top individual awards.
On Monday, the NHL announced that Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Los Angeles Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper and Tampa Bay Lightning backstop Andrei Vasilevskiy are the finalists for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie.
Connor Hellebuyck, Darcy Kuemper, and Andrei Vasilevskiy are your Vezina Trophy finalists! #NHLAwards
The Vezina Trophy is awarded every year “to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position". 👏 pic.twitter.com/q2ssOI7egJ
The winner is decided by votes cast by the league’s general managers.
Hellebuyck is the odds-on favorite to take home the Vezina once again. The Commerce Township, Michigan, native won the award last season, marking the second time in his career that he had accomplished the feat. He’s looking to become the first netminder in New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur in 2008 to win the trophy in consecutive seasons.
Hellebuyck led the NHL in wins (47), goals against average (2.00) and shutouts (8), finishing the regular season second in save percentage (.925) among goaltenders who played over 30 games, right behind Anthony Stolarz of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Hellebuyck would become just the fourth goaltender under the current criteria to win the Vezina for a third time. Only Brodeur, Dominik Hasek and Patrick Roy have ever won the award as many times.
Kuemper quietly had the best year of his NHL career. In 50 games with the Kings, the 34-year-old went 31-11-7 during the regular season, with his 2.02 GAA placing him second behind Hellebuyck. His five shutouts placed him tied for fourth in the NHL, while his .922 SV% was third among qualified goaltenders.
With Hellebuyck’s star singing so brightly, Vasilevskiy also had a stellar season in Tampa. His play helped take the Lightning from Wild Card contenders to a second-place finish in the Atlantic Division. The Russian backstop finished tied for second in the NHL in shutouts with six, ending up second behind Hellebuyck with 38 wins on the year. Vasilevskiy also posted a 2.18 GAA and .921 SV%, which were among the best in the NHL.
The 30-year-old won the Vezina in 2018-19, when the Lightning tied the then-record for most wins in a regular season with 62.