The 2024-25 NHL regular season is drawing to a close and the major Stanley Cup contenders have come into focus. The Winnipeg Jets clinched the franchise's first-ever President's Trophy on Sunday, awarded to the team with the most standings points in the regular season, and will be the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference bracket.
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was a major factor in the team's success. He's racked up 46 wins, with a shot at 47 on Wednesday, and averaged just 2.02 goals against with a .924 save percentage. He tops the league in all three categories among goalies with at least 50 starts.
Without Hellebuyck, the Jets would hardly be in the position they're in nor had the dominant season they've been on. That's an MVP-caliber player. The NHL awards the Hart Memorial Trophy to the most valuable player across the entire league but no goalie has won it since the Montreal Canadiens' Carey Price in 2014-15.
Carey Price wins Hart Trophy, awarded to NHL's MVP. He is 1st goalie to win award since Jose Theodore in 2002. pic.twitter.com/iCWxzbhAzw
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 25, 2015
In fact, only eight netminders have earned the prestigious honor. If Hellebuyck were to win it, he'd be just the second goalie in the last 20 years to do so.
Why Jets' Connor Hellebuyck deserves to win NHL MVP
When you compare Hellebuyck's numbers to Price's from ten years ago, the comparisons are rather striking.
Category | Carey Price | Connor Hellebuyck |
|---|---|---|
W-L (GP) | 44-16-6 | 46-12-3 |
GAA | 1.96 | 2.02 |
Save percentage | .933 | .924 |
Price has the edge individually but Hellebuyck makes up for it in wins, which might actually help his case when the decision has to be made between the other potential finalists.
The Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl leads the league in goals (52) and is third in points (106). He trails Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon in the latter category (116) points and both have been instrumental in their team's playoff-worthy seasons.
However, Hellebuyck is the one player that if he were to be plucked off the ice at any point, Winnipeg's chances of winning plummet more than if Draisaitl or MacKinnon were to miss time for their respective squads. That's the definition of an MVP player, and Hart Trophy voters should take serious notice, especially after the Jets clinched the President's Trophy on his back.