Full Breakdown
Vezina Trophy Finalists Announced for the 2025-26 NHL Season
4/30/2026, 11:39:25 PM
Core Announcement and Candidates
The National Hockey League disclosed on April 29 that the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy—awarded annually to the league’s top goaltender—are Ilya Sorokin (New York Islanders), Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning). The shortlist was determined by ballots submitted by all 32 NHL general managers at the close of the regular season. The award will be presented at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs.
Statistical Overview of the Finalists
- Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL) – 39-15-4 record in 58 starts, league-leading 39 wins, 2.31 GAA (some reports list 2.12 GAA), .912 SV% (other sources cite .911), two shutouts, 35 games allowing <=2 goals, 1,353 saves (10th overall).
- Ilya Sorokin (NYI) – 29-24-2 record in 55 games, 2.68 GAA, .906 SV%, league-best seven shutouts, 452 high-danger saves (league-best) with a .864 high-danger save %, 16 games with >=30 saves, 1,386 saves (8th overall).
- Jeremy Swayman (BOS) – 31-18-4 record in 54 contests, 2.71 GAA, .908 SV%, career-high 31 wins (fourth in the league), 1,426 saves (5th overall), five shutouts, top-10 in 30-save performances (17) and mid-range save % (.928).
Historical Context and Significance
Vasilevskiy captured his first Vezina in 2018-19 and is a six-time finalist, joining Martin Brodeur (9×), Patrick Roy (7×) and Dominik Hasek (6×) as the only goaltenders with six or more finalist nods under the post-1981 format. Sorokin, a 2022-23 runner-up, seeks to become the first Islander winner since Billy Smith (1981-82). Swayman, a first-time finalist, could be the seventh different Bruins netminder to claim the trophy, following Linus Ullmark’s 2022-23 win.
Official League Statement
The NHL announced, “Here are the Vezina Trophy finalists! ? #NHLAwards The Trophy is awarded annually to the League’s top goaltender.” The league’s press release reiterated that the award is decided by general-manager voting after the regular season.
Criticism and Fan Opposition
The finalist list sparked immediate backlash on social media. Fans argued that advanced metrics favored other netminders:
- “Thompson robbed and the old and fat GMs are just going to give it to Vasi because he had the most wins.” — Nooserac, fan on X
- “Logan Thompson had by far the best GSAx (+61.32) and is not even a finalist ?!??” — anonymous fan on X
- “Scott Wedgewood being snubbed makes this year’s Vezina worthless. Dumbasses at the NHL.” — anonymous fan on X
Critics contend that the voting system over-emphasizes win totals while undervaluing metrics such as goals-saved-above-expected (GSAx), where both Thompson and Wedgewood posted league-leading figures.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on Vasilevskiy’s goals-against average (2.31 vs 2.12) and save percentage (.912 vs .911). Additionally, while Sorokin’s high-danger save % (.864) is highlighted, the league’s official voting criteria do not disclose weighting for such advanced statistics, leaving a gap in understanding how these metrics influenced the final ballot.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We have an extremely high competitive group,” Swayman said on Monday following being pulled the night before. “We have a standard we carry ourselves to. It wasn’t met. So that was just emotion. It’s moved on now, and we have a job to do, going to Buffalo.” — Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins goaltender
- “Thompson robbed and the old and fat GMs are just going to give it to Vasi because he had the most wins” — Nooserac, fan on X
- “Logan Thompson had by far the best GSAx (+61.32) and is not even a finalist ?!??” — anonymous fan on X
- “Scott Wedgewood being snubbed makes this years vezina worthless. Dumbasses at the NHL,” — anonymous fan on X
What’s Next
The Vezina Trophy winner will be revealed at the NHL Awards ceremony slated for the summer following the conclusion of the postseason. The announcement will close a season in which goaltending performance, both traditional and advanced, remains a focal point of league discussion.
