Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks, and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers are this season's Vezina Trophy finalists, the NHL announced Monday.
The Vezina Trophy is voted on by the general managers of all 32 NHL teams at the conclusion of the regular season. The honor is awarded annually "to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position."
Hellebuyck is widely considered the front-runner for the hardware. He topped all netminders in goals saved above average (29.35), goals saved above expected (39.35), wins above replacement (6.8), and goals above replacement (41.5) by a wide margin.
The 30-year-old was once again the Jets' backbone and the driving force behind the second 100-point campaign in the franchise's history. Hellebuyck racked up a 37-19-4 record and trailed only Colorado Avalanche workhorse Alexandar Georgiev for the most victories in the NHL. His .921 save percentage was the highest of all netminders to make at least 25 starts this campaign.
Hellebuyck was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy last season, and he won the award in 2020.
Demko's case to win the honor was weakened after he missed 14 games late in the regular season with a knee injury, though his body of work was strong enough to make him a first-time finalist.
The 28-year-old was a force for the Canucks this campaign, posting a career-best .918 save percentage, 2.45 goals-against average, and five shutouts. Despite the missed time, he still ranked second in GSAA (18.51), fourth in GSAx (25.83), and fifth in both WAR (4.3) and GAR (26.4).
Demko went 35-14-2 on the season and tied for the sixth-most wins in the NHL, though he played in nine fewer games than Hellebuyck and 12 fewer than Georgiev. The California native finished seventh on the Vezina ballot in 2022.
Bobrovsky's fantastic play during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs carried over into the regular season. He posted a sterling .915 save percentage and 2.37 goals-against average to go along with a 36-17-4 record, while his six shutouts were tied for the most in the league.
The 35-year-old placed fifth among all goalies in GSAA (15.4), 17th in GSAx (15.76), and fourth in both WAR (4.3) and GAR (26.5).
Bobrovsky won the Vezina in 2013 and 2017 as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets and is the only active player to be awarded the trophy twice.
Boston Bruins stud Linus Ullmark took home the honor last season.
Details surrounding the 2024 NHL Awards have yet to be finalized, but reports indicate it will be held June 27 in Las Vegas.
(Analytics source: Evolving-Hockey)
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The Toronto Maple Leafs signed winger Nikita Grebyonkin to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning this season, the team announced Monday.
His deal has an average annual value of $875,000.
Grebyonkin, 21, chipped in with 19 goals and 41 points in 67 regular-season contests as a member of the KHL's Metallurg Magnitogorsk this campaign. He added six points in 23 playoff games to help his team win the Gagarin Cup.
The Maple Leafs selected Grebyonkin in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
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Just like last year, the Bruins hold a commanding 3-1 series lead entering Game 5 at home. Can they finish the job vs. the Leafs?
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We finished last week on a high, going 3-0 with our player props Friday.
We'll look to pick up where we left off with three more props for Monday's pint-sized card.
Tkachuk has four assists in this series and picked up at least one in three of four games. This sort of playmaking success is nothing new for Tkachuk, who's feasted on the Lightning the past couple of years.
He recorded 13 assists over his past 12 games versus the Lightning and managed a 75% success rate in that span. He also picked up an apple in seven of the last eight against the Lightning overall.
Tkachuk has great chemistry with Carter Verhaeghe, one of the league's most underrated scorers, at even strength. He's also a focal point of the Panthers' top power-play unit, getting a lot of touches from below the dots and distributing the puck effectively into high-danger scoring areas.
The Panthers have scored at least three goals every game in this series. I expect them to extend that streak further while playing at home with a chance to put away their rivals. If they do, Tkachuk has a great chance of getting involved with an assist.
Odds: -110 (playable to -130)
One of Stars head coach Pete DeBoer's adjustments after Game 2 versus the Golden Knights was moving Johnston up to Dallas' top line alongside Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. He responded with a two-goal, eight-shot performance, which is par for the course based on his regular season.
That line was unstoppable in their time together: They played 110 minutes at five-on-five and outscored opponents 9-1 while posting a plus-56 scoring chance differential.
Of the nine goals the Stars efficiently scored in those minutes, Johnston picked up a point on eight. He wasn't just a bystander; he was a driving force on the line.
Johnston leads all players in the series in shots, shot attempts, and scoring chances despite ranking ninth on his own team in five-on-five ice time.
With an uptick in minutes playing alongside the team's top two point producers, Johnston has a great chance to make some noise offensively.
Odds: -132 (playable to -145)
Hanifin's been a regular point target in recent weeks and with great success. He picked up a point in six of his past eight games, finding the scoresheet nine times along the way.
He's logging heavy minutes at even strength and, perhaps more importantly, skating on the top power-play unit.
Since he joined Jack Eichel on the No. 1 power play, the Golden Knights have scored at a rate of 15 goals per 60 minutes. We're still dealing with small sample sizes, but it sure looks like they're going to be productive over the long haul.
The Vegas defenseman is seeing optimal usage for point production: He's getting a ton of ice, he's on the top PP, and he's playing with great players in every situation.
Look for him to convert that into results in Game 4.
Odds: +110 (playable to -115)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
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