Getty

Andrei Vasilevskiy is the frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy.

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is the frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy after he was officially named a finalist for it.

On Wednesday, the NHL officially announced that Vasilevskiy, Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins, and Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders are the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded annually to the league’s best goaltender as determined by the league’s 32 general managers.

Andrei Vasilevskiy is the Frontrunner to Win His Second Vezina Trophy

Vasilevskiy had another big season in goal for the Lightning, once again leading his team to a playoff spot. The former Vezina Trophy winner in 2018-2019 led all NHL goalies with 39 wins this season, while finishing second in GAA (2.12) and fourth in save percentage (.912) among all goaltenders who played in at least 20 games. Vasilevskiy is a six-time finalist for the Vezina Trophy, as well as a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Lightning, who drafted him 19th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The 31-year-old Russian has been with the team since the 2014-2015 season, while playing in four Stanley Cup finals, winning two Cups with the Bolts.

According to Kalshi, Vasilevskiy has a 91% chance of being awarded the Vezina Trophy winner. For much of the season, it was Sorokin who was viewed as the frontrunner for the award, but after the Islanders faded down the stretch and missed the playoffs, it became obvious that Vasilevskiy stood at the top of the pack. That’s not to say he’s a lock, however, as we have seen many times over the years, upsets at the NHL awards. But based on his strong numbers this year while leading the Bolts back to a premium playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, you have to think that he is the leading favorite to take home this award for the second time in his career.

Ilya Sorokin, Jeremy Swayman Had Big Years for Islanders, Bruins

Sorokin is also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, the second time in his NHL career that he has been up for the honor. He led the league with 7 shutouts, while also being first in high-danger saves (452) and high-danger save percentage (.864). The 30-year-old Russian was drafted in the third round in 2014 by the Islanders, joining the team in 2020-2021. He has been the Islanders’ starting goalie for five years, while consistently being at the top of the league in numerous statistical categories. Sorokin is given a 5% chance of winning the award by Kalshi.

As for Swayman, he is a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time in his NHL career. Swayman finished in a tie for fourth in goalie wins with 31, and he was fifth in total saves with 1,426. Swayman was drafted in the fourth round by the Bruins in 2017 and first joined the team in 2020-2021, becoming the team’s full-time starter last year after Linus Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators. The 27-year-old American is one of the NHL’s most talented goaltenders, and this honor of being a finalist shows that his hard work is paying off. Kalshi gives him just a 4% chance to win.