The Vezina Trophy is awarded to the best goaltender every year. The 32 general managers in the NHL decide upon the award. In this article, I will predict the winner of this trophy.
The New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin has the best odds to win this award at 500. Sorokin helped lead the Islanders to the Playoffs last season, but they lost in the First Round. Even though the Islanders did not experience much success in the Playoffs, Sorokin still had an incredible season.
He played in 62 games (60 starts) and finished with a 31-22-7 record. I realize that record does not look excellent on paper, but the Islanders’ offense was often stagnant and not scoring enough goals. Sorokin, however, excelled in his role and only allowed 2.34 goals per game on a .924 save percentage. I expect the Russian netminder to have another incredible season.
The New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin has the second-best odds to win the Vezina Trophy at 600. Shesterkin’s numbers dipped a little bit last season, but he was still a premier netminder. The 27-year-old started 58 games and finished with a 37-13-8 record.
Shesterkin’s save percentage dipped from .935 to .916, but he still performed well enough to be a top-ten player at his position. The Russian native will continue to get the most starts in net for the Rangers this season, but I do not see him being named the best goalie.
The Nashville Predators Juuse Saros has the third-best odds to win the Vezina at 700. Saros was an absolute workhorse for the Predators last season. He appeared in 64 games (63 starts) and faced over 33 shots per game. Even though Saros was quite active in net, he only allowed 2.64 goals per game. The Predators will continue to depend on the Finnish veteran heavily, and I anticipate he will have another incredible season.
The race for the Vezina Trophy will be tight this season, but I would bet on Juuse Saros. Saros has started every Predators’ game this season and will likely get over 60 starts. Since he plays so much and still excels, he will win the Vezina.
Ilya Sorokin or Igor Shesterkin?@MarkDParrish and Devan Dubnyk debate the best active goaltender in the league.@JamieHersch | #NHLNow pic.twitter.com/jRVMh6qZq1
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) October 26, 2023
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| Title: NHL Vezina Trophy Prediction
| Author: Max Heering
| Date: Nov 7, 2023