Leading Vezina candidate Hellebuyck in Hart Trophy consideration
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Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is in the driver’s seat to win his second straight Vezina Trophy and third overall, but he has also now put himself firmly in the conversation to be the NHL’s MVP.
Hellebuyck has the opportunity to be the first goaltender to win both the Hart and Vezina trophies in the same season since Carey Price achieved the feat in 2014-15, when he went 44-16-6 with a .933 save percentage and 1.96 goals-against average.
Jacques Plante (1961-62), Dominik Hasek (1996-97, 1997-98) and Jose Theodore (2001-02) are the only other goalies in NHL history to claim both trophies in the same season.
Hellebuyck is pacing ahead of his previous Vezina-winning seasons so far this season.
The 31-year-old is first among NHL goaltenders in GAA (2.00), tied for first in save percentage (.927) and leads with six shutouts. He was also honoured earlier in the month for reaching 500 games played, 300 wins and 40 shutouts.
In comparison, his first Vezina season came in 2019-20, where he went 31-21-5 with a .922 save percentage and 2.57 GAA. Last year, he had a .921 save percentage with a 2.39 GAA.
The Jets have a lot of players having strong seasons with the team scoring a league-high 184 goals, but it’s the play of Hellebuyck that has propelled Winnipeg to second in the NHL.
He has backstopped the team to wins in seven of his eight past starts, with his most recent outing turning aside 25 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
FanDuel has Hellebuyck as the favourite to win the Vezina at -2400, edging out Washington's Logan Thompson at +2200 and Colorado’s Mackenzie Blackwood at +5500.
For the Hart, Hellebuyck is third at +350, behind only Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl at +170 and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon at +260.