Vezina Trophy 2023: Who's the NHL favorite to win best goaltender award

Modified Mar 31, 2023 06:38 GMT

Winnipeg Jets v Los Angeles Kings — Vezina Trophy 2023: Who's the NHL favorite to win best goaltender award

The NHL’s Vezina Trophy is an annual award given to the best goaltender in the National Hockey League as voted on by the league's general managers.

The award is named after Georges Vezina, a legendary goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens who died of tuberculosis in 1926. With the 2022-23 NHL season underway, let's take a look at the top contenders for the 2023 Vezina Trophy.

NHL goaltenders with best Vegas odds to win Vezina Trophy in 2023

Here are the six goaltenders with the best odds:

Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins (-3000)

He's the best goalie in the league, and unless another contender jumps ahead down the stretch, the NHL leader in GAA, save percentage and wins should take this award.

Ullmark hasn’t been recognized this season, as you can easily attribute his success to the juggernaut that is the 2023 Boston Bruins, but come awards season, Ullmark could be the last goalie left standing.

Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders (+1800)

Ilya Sorokin has been elite for the New York Islanders this season and sports a GAA of 2.36 and a saver percentage of .924.

How many of those numbers is due to the Islanders' defensive system is up to the eye of the beholder. There’s no doubt, though, that Sorokin has been instrumental in the Islanders' playoff push. He has worse numbers this season than last, when he came in sixth place.

Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers (+4000)

Igor Shesterkin won the whole thing last season, and he has reason enough to do it again. Shesterkin has been the A1 goaltender once again, which was widely expected.

Shesterkin’s .914 saving percentage doesn’t really compare to his outstanding .935 tally a year ago, and his GAA of 2.54 isn’t even close to the 2.07 he had in 2022. If the Rangers close out the season in a more dominant fashion, Shesterkin could sneak in and get some votes.

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets (+5000)

The Winnipeg Jets haven’t looked great in any area on the ice this season outside of the net.

After a couple of down seasons, Connor Hellebuyck is having a career renaissance in 2023. The American-born goaltender has a .917 save percentage, his best since 2019, and a GAA of 2.60, his best since 2020. The Jets' lackluster record may make Hellebuyck more of a long shot.

Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars (+5000)

The fact that Jake Oettinger has these few odds tells you everything you need to know about how much Vegas pays attention to hockey.

Oettinger has been a machine for the Dallas Stars this season. The Stars can directly attribute their point total to how Oettinger has been able to turn losses into ties and ties into wins. He’s had to be responsible for more than any goalie on this list due to a struggling Dallas blue line.

Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild (+6000)

Gustavsson has been the surprise of the season in the NHL. The Minnesota Wild goaltender entered the season as the clear backup to Marc-Andre Fleury, but started out hot and ended the last two months hotter.

Gustavsson has only lost an NHL game in regulation once since Feb. 9 and has given up more than four goals once since early October.

Edited by Bhargav