Trophy Tracker: Hellebuyck of Jets unanimous pick to win Vezina as top goalie

To mark the first quarter of the 2024-25 regular season, NHL.com is running its second installment of the Trophy Tracker series this week. Today, we look at the race for the Vezina Trophy, given annually to the top goalie in the NHL as selected NHL general managers.

Connor Hellebuyck leads the NHL in wins, save percentage and shutouts, relying on top-notch skill, positioning and athleticism.

But if you listen to his Winnipeg Jets teammate, defenseman Josh Morrissey, Hellebuyck's best attribute might be his self-confidence.

"From the first time I met him, he's always had a plan and was very confident," Morrissey said. "I remember my probably rookie year (2016-17), he got pulled in a game and came out and said in the media that his game is good enough to win a Vezina and everyone laughed at him.

"Sure enough, here we are two Vezinas later and it could be more."

Hellebuyck is the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy for a third time at this point in the season, with the goalie receiving all 15 first-place votes from the NHL.com panel.

Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild was second with 36 voting points. Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers, who was the pick of the NHL.com staff in a preseason poll, was third with 32 points.

Hellebuyck's play allowed the Jets to set an NHL record by becoming the fastest team to reach 15 wins in a season (16 games). The 31-year-old is 13-2-0 with a 2.20 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and three shutouts in 15 games. He leads the NHL in wins and shutouts, and among goalies to play at least 10 games he's third in GAA and fifth in save percentage. His. 931 even-strength save percentage is sixth in the NHL despite facing the second-most shots at even strength (364), and his 10 starts with a save percentage of at least .900 is tied for second in the NHL.

He also set a Jets/Atlanta Thrashers record for longest shutout streak at 191:47, including back-to-back shutouts against the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 5 and the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 7. The streak ended in the third period of a 4-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Nov. 9.

The game against Colorado provided a little extra motivation considering it was the first time the Jets and Avalanche played since Colorado's five-game win in the Western Conference First Round last season. Hellebuyck allowed at least four goals in all five games, and 24 in total (.870 save percentage).

In the rematch, he made 35 saves in a 1-0 victory.

"There's no sugar coating, it wasn't our best game," Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi said that night. "I mean, [Hellebuyck] won that game for us. It's that simple. ... It's just, we got the best goalie in the world."

After winning the Vezina in 2020 and again last season, Hellebuyck could become the first goalie to win the award in consecutive seasons since Martin Brodeur in 2007 and 2008, and join Dominik Hasek (six), Brodeur (four) and Patrick Roy (three) as the only goalies to win the Vezina at least three times since 1981-82, when the criteria for the award was changed from the goalie or goalies on the team that allowed the fewest goals to a vote by NHL general managers.

"He's making incredible saves and ... making those big defensive plays like that, it goes a long way," Jets forward Alex Iafallo said. "He pushes us forward. I think he's having a hell of a start, and he's got to keep it going. It's pretty fun to watch."

Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1- basis): Connor Hellebuyck, Jets 75 points (15 first-place votes); Filip Gustavsson, Wild, 36; Igor Shesterkin, Rangers, 32; Anthony Stolarz, Toronto Maple Leafs, 23; Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars, 22; Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers, 7; Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey Devils, 7; Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks, 4; Cam Talbot, Detroit Red Wings, 4; Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning, 4; Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks, 3; Joey Daccord, Seattle Kraken, 3; Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders, 2; Dustin Wolf, Calgary Flames, 1; Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina Hurricanes, 1; Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals, 1.