Last Word On Sports is doing our annual awards nominations and predictions. We’ll be giving you our nominations and predictions for the Selke Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Calder Trophy, Norris Trophy, Jack Adams Trophy, and the Hart Trophy.
The Vezina trophy is awarded each year to the one goalie who has been voted by 30 NHL GM’s for his outstanding play throughout the season. Today we’re looking at three solid candidates and two honourable mentions.
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
First up, we have one of the best goalies in the 2014-15 campaign, who has been one of the most consistent goalies in the league. He has made out of this world save after save, night in night out. His numbers just don’t do his overall play justice, a line of 44-16-6 with an astonishing .933 SV% and a GAA of 1.96 through 66 games. The fact that he was able to keep a GAA below 2.00 while playing the average goalie’s full season is nothing short of spectacular. Usually one or two goalies are able to accomplish that feat per season, but Price is the only full time goalie with a GAA that low in 2014-15, save for Andrew Hammond who has played 40 less games. He either leads the league or is in the top five for almost every goalie statistic, including wins, shutouts, shots against (1,953), but he is 18th in goals against with 130. He also broke the Habs franchise record for wins in one season, the record being 42 held by Jacques Plante (2 times) and Ken Dryden. He has also won the William Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the season.
As stated above, his numbers simply do not tell the full story of just how excellent he has been for the Canadiens this year. Even though fans hate to hear this, the Habs would not have this success if Price was not playing this year. The playoffs would be much tougher to qualify for. When the team is tied for the 19th ranked offense and allows the 10th most shots in the league, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Habs have relied heavily on him to win games, not that it’s a bad thing. Price has definitely been a blessing for the Habs this year.
For Price’s efforts this season, deep playoff run or not, he definitely deserves the Vezina, as biased as I am. He has been one of the most outstanding goalies this year, if not the best.
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Holtby has come a long way since being a fourth round pick in 2008 to battling former Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth for the starters job, which he won. Now he finally got the opportunity to really show the Caps organization that they made the right choice. After two consecutive 23 win seasons, he was given the reigns and responded with a 40 win season for the Caps.
The Caps put a lot of faith in Holtby, playing him for a career high and league leading 72 games. Only having Justin Peters and Phillipe Grubauer as the backups will force the team to play him 72, but he has really shone bright. Having a dominant record of 41-20-10, GAA of 2.22, and SV% of .923, he’s atop the league for numerous statistics. He has faced the most shots of any goalies (2,044) and has allowed the 6th most goals with 157, but playing that many games is bound to raise some stats and not tell the true story.
Holtby has played phenomenal for the Caps and a nomination at the very least is deserving for the 25 year old who will be a brick wall for the Caps for years to come. This nomination should be the first of many.
Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
From the start of the 2014-15 season until mid February, Rinne was playing like an immortal. He never had a losing streak. He would go on a winning streak, lose one, then get back at it, and he did all this with unrealistic numbers. This kind of play had everybody giving Rinne the Vezina before the season was even over, despite Price playing just a tad worse (if that is possible) and had some losing streaks, while Rinne had no losing streaks until February 21st. Then it all came crashing down for him and the Preds.
After suffering the first two game losing streak of this season, he got a win back in the column, a 5-2 win over Colorado Avalanche. The next five games were forgettable for him though, as he posted five straight losses. Since the start of his first losing streak (Feb 19th), Rinne has been a mortal-like 7-10-4. He did find some redemption, posting a four game winning streak, but he ends the season on a four game losing streak.
Rinne’s numbers are still highly respectable with a record of 41-17-6, GAA of 2.18, SV% of .923, 4 shutouts, and 140 goals against on 1,807 shots, in 64 games. However, his recent streak of losing has definitely made his stock drop and his chances of leapfrogging Price, or even Holtby.
Honourable Mentions
Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild
If any hockey fan remembers the old Dubnyk, they would definitely laugh at me for including him, but he has seriously earned the honourable mention and if he had played over 60 games, I’d put him as a full candidate. He has done a full 360 since leaving the toxic career killing Edmonton Oilers.
His record of 36-14-4 is truly remarkable coming from a goalie that went 11-18 just a year ago and was on the edge of not having an NHL job anymore. But once starting the year with the Arizona Coyotes and having a good 9-5 record, he ended up being traded to the Wild for a third round pick (Did Chuck Fletcher hold a gun to Don Maloney’s head?), he emerged as one of the top goalies in the league. His astronomical SV% of .930 and GAA of 2.04 is second in the league, behind Price.
Prior to picking up Dubnyk, the Wild were 18-19-5, hardly in a playoff position. They have turned that around to 46-27-8 and that is largely due to his stellar play. It’s also worth noting that this is his first winning season, his next closest came with a 20-20-3 record in the lockout year. He could be an underdog to win the Vezina.
Andrew Hammond, Ottawa Senators
I know, I know. He’s only played 24 games, that is hardly a good sample size, and his record may not be consistent over a 50-60 game period, but the fact remains that Hammond’s stat line of 20-1-2 is absolutely record breaking if it was to be played over a 50 game period. These are video game numbers. His GAA of 1.79 and SV% of .941 is jaw dropping, even over just a 24 game span.
The Hamburgular (nicknamed by Sens fans) has been such a great impact for the team after both goalies Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner were injured. Not many guessed that Hammond could pull through and steal as many as games as he did for the Sens. When he stepped in, the Sens were a bubble team, much like Dubnyk and the Wild. Now the Sens have punched their ticket to the playoffs and the Sens and their fans have Hammond to thank for that. Throwing burgers may not be the best tribute, but I’m sure he knows how loved he is.
It would be extremely tough for a goalie with only 24 games this season, 25 in total, to win the Vezina, but his marvelous record makes it hard to not at least give him a mention for being so stupefying.
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