Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is on his way to having his best NHL season yet.
With the Jets’ win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, Hellebuyck became the first goalie to tally 40 wins this season. He’s now the 14th goalie in NHL history to bank multiple 40-plus-win seasons. He reached 44 wins in the 2017-2018 and is on pace to crush his own personal best.
There’s no doubt Hellebuyck is the reason the Jets (48-18-4, 100 points) are on top of the Western Conference. Outside of his wins, his goals against average (2.06) and save percentage (.924) lead all NHL goaltenders.
All discussions of the Vezina Trophy for the league’s best goaltender are starting with Hellebuyck in mind.
Jets coach Scott Arniel told NHL.com he knows what they have in Hellebuyck.
"He's a special goalie, and he can win hockey games for you," Arniel said. "He's such a prepared guy, just how he goes about his business, whether it's practices and games. He doesn't like to get scored on. And he really wants to be the best."
However, anything can happen in the final stretch of the NHL season. There are at least two other goalies whom general managers could have in mind when it’s time to vote for their Vezina Trophy winner:
Logan Thompson | Washington Capitals
While Thompson only has 30 wins compared to Hellebuyck’s 40, he’s still boasting a respectable goals against average on the year (2.29). Thompson (30-4-5) has been sharing the load with his counterpart Charlie Lindgren (16-11-3), so he’s only played 39 games this season.
The Capitals netminder earned his 30th win on Tuesday and has lost only four games this year. According to NHL PR, this ties Tiny Thompson in 1929-30 (30-4-1), Linus Ullmark in 2022-23 (30-4-1) and Bill Durnan in 1943-44 (30-4-7) for the fewest regulation losses by a goaltender by the time they win their 30th game.
Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning
Coming off of his third straight win on Thursday against the Dallas Stars, Vasilevskiy is having one of his best years since the Tampa Bay Lightning (40-23-5, 85 points) last won the Stanley Cup in 2021. His save percentage (.920) is just about on par with Hellebuyck, but he’s only won 33 games this season.
A big run in the playoffs could give him a leg to stand on in the final Vezina voting. But as Jesse Grander at The Athletic points out, Vasilevskiy has started 54 games this season, which is one more than Hellebuyck. Both men are carrying their team’s workload, so it’ll be interesting to see which one runs out of steam first.
Any others?
Two goalies who could also make a case for themselves include the Los Angeles Kings’ Darcy Kuemper and the Dallas Stars’ Jake Oettinger.
Kuemper is currently second in goals against average (2.13) and third in save percentage (.919) amongst the active goalies. And Oettinger has 31 wins, just two behind Vasilevskiy. A Stars run in the stretch could pad Oettinger’s resume for his chance at the Vezina Trophy.
