NHL Awards Rankings: New No. 1 in Vezina Trophy race
By Sion Fawkes
6. Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins
Linus Ullmark may have heard his name called for the Vezina last season, but so far in 2023-24, you can argue Jeremy Swayman has been the better of the two goaltenders. While Bruins coach Jim Montgomery recently pulled Swayman during a loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, this shouldn’t affect where the star goaltender stands.
The 25-year-old still has an 8-1-2 record, a 2.17 GAA, and a 0.930 save percentage, entrenching him just outside the top five in our current rankings. Swayman also has two shutouts his season and is on pace to at least tie the four he attained last year.
5. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
The 2021-22 Vezina winner once again finds himself in the hunt to snag one of the NHL’s most coveted awards despite still searching for his first shutout. The fifth-year goaltender has a 9-4-0 record so far this year to go with a 0.915 save percentage and a 2.54 GAA.
While Shesterkin was on the wrong side of a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres earlier in the week, it’s one of just a few blemishes on what is turning out to be yet another stellar year. Look for Shesterkin to stay in the mix for the Vezina all season as those bad games don’t occur often.