Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has been named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, along with Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and Los Angeles Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper. The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the goalie deemed the best at the position.
This is the fifth time Vasilevskiy has been named a finalist for the Vezina, but the first time since he finished second in voting behind Marc-André Fleury in 2020-21. At the time, it was his fourth consecutive year as a finalist. Should Vasilevskiy win the Trophy, it would be the second time in his career. He first won it in the 2018-19 season.
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Vasilevskiy, 30, finished the season with a 38-20-5 record, a .921 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.18 goals-against average (GAA). He also had six shutouts and 29.2 goals saved above expected. It was his best season in years, earning his best SV% since 2020-21 and the best GAA and goals saved above expected of his career.
This impressive season comes after one of the worst of his career. Coming off surgery for a herniated disc last season, he had a .900 SV% and a 2.90 GAA, both career lows. He came into 2024-25 and immediately showed he could still be a star goalie when healthy.
Along with the 2019 Vezina Trophy and being a five-time finalist, Vasilevskiy has won the Stanley Cup twice (2020 and 2021) and won the 2021 Conn Smythe Award as Playoff MVP after winning the second of back-to-back Cups.
