Vezina Trophy Rankings: Thompson making admirable push

Welcome to the fourth edition of theScore's 2024-25 Vezina Trophy rankings, a monthly look at the top goaltenders across the NHL.

Jacob Markstrom made his debut on our list last month but is out of the picture due to a long-term injury. Filip Gustavsson, who's been a staple in our rankings all season long, fell from second to outside the top five due to a putrid .880 save percentage over a 2-5-0 stretch.

The margins are razor thin at this point in the season, but here's how things shake out for February.

GSAA = Goals saved above average
GSAx = Goals saved above expected

5. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning

Previous: Unranked

Vasilevskiy has fallen progressively further to the fringe of the Vezina conversation since winning the award in 2019 and was off the ballot entirely last year for the first time in six seasons. He's still a long shot to win in 2025 - especially with the Lightning battling for playoff qualification - but the two-time Stanley Cup winner has looked great lately.

Vasilevskiy ranks top 10 in all our criteria aside from GSAx, where he sits 13th. He's second to only Connor Hellebuyck in GSAA and is the sixth-most valuable goalie in the league by Evolving-Hockey's goals above replacement (GAR) metric. Vasilevskiy's posted a .926 clip and 2.19 goals-against average since our previous rankings Jan. 8, and while the wins aren't piling up like they were in the Lightning's glory years, he's showing he has plenty of gas left in the tank.

4. Joey Daccord, Kraken

Previous: Unranked

Daccord won't take home any hardware this season on account of the Kraken being a lottery team, but his individual performance has been impressive. The 28-year-old ranks no worse than 10th in any of our key statistics despite Seattle being porous defensively. Daccord is also second in the league in GAR, further emphasizing his importance to the club.

Daccord has posted a .923 save percentage in a league-leading 13 appearances since our last rankings. He's proving to be a workhorse early in his career as a starter, but goalies outside the playoff picture rarely win the Vezina. Daccord's case likely won't be special enough to buck the trend come season's end.

3. Dustin Wolf, Flames

Previous: Unranked

Wolf has jumped to the front of our Calder Trophy race and is back in the mix in our Vezina rankings after missing out last month. The rookie is among league leaders in all criteria and has registered a strong .914 clip since our January edition. Perhaps most impressively, his .937 five-on-five save percentage ranks second in the NHL.

Wolf's numbers trail some of his peers, but carrying the Flames to the playoffs would go a long way in earning some voter recognition. Calgary was widely expected to be rebuilding this season, but Wolf's emergence as the starter has transformed the state of the franchise. The Flames rank 29th in all-situations expected goals against per-60, but Wolf has been there to weather the storm time and time again.

2. Logan Thompson, Capitals

Previous: 3rd

Thompson moves up a spot on our list as he keeps refusing to lose hockey games. He's in tough to usurp our leader, but Thompson appears well on his way to at least being a Vezina finalist in his first year with the Capitals.

The 27-year-old - who was inexplicably spurned by Canada's brain trust for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off - slots second in save percentage and GSAx while also sitting third in goals-against average, GSAA, and wins. He was recently rewarded with a six-year contract extension and should be recognized with a trip to the NHL awards later this year.

1. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets

Previous: 1st

Ho-hum, just another month for Hellebucyk, who went 8-1-0 with a .922 save percentage since holding the top spot on our previous rankings. He's leading the league in every major statistical category - including a mind-boggling six shutouts in 42 starts - all while the Jets are competing for the Presidents' Trophy.

We're running out of superlatives to describe just how good Hellebuyck has been this season, but he's on the fast track to becoming only the 13th goalie in NHL history to win the award three times. The only netminders to accomplish that feat since the league changed the criteria for the award in 1981 are Dominik Hasek (six), Martin Brodeur (four), and Patrick Roy (three).

Keep an eye on:

• Ilya Sorokin, Islanders
• Igor Shesterkin, Rangers
• Darcy Kuemper, Kings
• Mackenzie Blackwood, Avalanche
• Jake Oettinger, Stars

(Analytics source: Evolving-Hockey)