Vezina Trophy 2022-23: Way-Too-Early Rankings for the NHL's Top Goalies

At the end of every season, the Vezina Trophy is awarded to the NHL's top goaltender as voted by the 32 general managers. Jacques Plante, Terry Sawchuk, Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek and Martin Brodeur are among the greats to win this award. The New York Rangers' Igor Shesterkin took home the honor last season.

Shesterkin is among the favorites this season to win the prestigious trophy. Former winners, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy, finalists from last season, such as the Calgary Flames' Jacob Markstrom and promising netminders, like the Dallas Stars' Jake Oettinger, could also be in the running.

Read on to find out where these goaltenders stand in our early rankings for the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy. Past and present on-ice performance factored into this listing. Last season's leaders for goals-against average and save percentage are based on 25-or-more games played, as per NHL.com.

If you agree or disagree with our choices or feel we skipped someone, let us know in the comments section.

Winner of the Vezina Trophy in 2019-20, Connor Hellebuyck has been the NHL's busiest goaltender since taking over in 2016-17 as the Winnipeg Jets' starter, facing 11,060 total shots. He's also played more games (358) than any other goalie and sits second in shutouts (26) and third in wins with 190 over that period.

A workhorse between the pipes, Hellebuyck played in the second-most games (66) among NHL goalies last season. Despite a porous defense that sat eight in shots-against per game with 33.2, he finished with a record of 29 wins, 27 losses and 10 overtime losses with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

The Jets' hiring of defensive-minded Rick Bowness as head coach should reduce Hellebuyck's workload to a more reasonable level. He has a 2-1-0 record thus far with a 2.66 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. If the Jets can avoid burning him out, Hellebucyk could get back into the Vezina conversation and help return the franchise to playoff contention.

In just his sophomore NHL season, Jake Oettinger took over the reins as the Dallas Stars' starting goaltender in 2021-22. He put up solid numbers, sitting 10th in goals-against average (2.53) while sporting a record of 30 wins, 15 losses and one overtime loss.

It was Oettinger's performance against the Calgary Flames during the opening round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs that pushed the 23-year-old into a brighter spotlight. He finished with a .954 save percentage and a 1.81 goals-against average before the Stars bowed out in seven games, making 64 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 7.

That performance earned Oettinger a three-year, $12 million contract with the Stars. The 6'5", 220-pounder began this season where he left off last spring. He won his first three games, sitting among the top-five goalies with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage. This is a young goaltender worth watching in this season's Vezina race.

Handed the duties of the Pittsburgh Penguins starter in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, Tristan Jarry won 25 of 39 games played. However, a disastrous performance in the 2021 playoffs raised concerns over his ability to handle the pressure of the role.

Jarry bounced back with a strong effort last season. The 27-year-old netminder was sixth overall in save percentage (.919) and goals-against average (2.42) while finishing eighth with 34 wins and four shutouts.

A lower-body injury suffered on Apr. 15 sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season and limited him to just one postseason game.

Healthy and feeling "awesome" entering this season, Jarry has shown no ill effects from his injury. He won his first three starts with a 1.67 goals-against average and .952 save percentage. With good health and his 2021 postseason play fading into memory, he has a good chance this season to silence his doubters and play his way into the Vezina Trophy conversation.

The Washington Capitals hadn't had a reliable starting goaltender since Braden Holtby backstopped them to the Stanley Cup in 2018. With Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek unable to seize that role, the Capitals parted ways with the duo last summer and signed free agent Darcy Kuemper on July 13 to a five-year contract.

Kuemper was fresh off a memorable 2021-22 season with the Colorado Avalanche culminating in winning the Stanley Cup. The 32-year-old finished fourth among goalies with 37 wins and five shutouts and was fifth in save percentage (.921).

With two wins in four starts, Kuemper appears to be still adjusting to his new club. His 3.04 goals-against average and .902 save percentage aren't his usual standard, but those numbers should improve as the season progresses. Kuemper does have an injury history, but if he can stay healthy this season, he should remain among the league's top netminders.

An injury-hampered 2020-21 season saw Frederik Andersen post up career-worst numbers in wins (13), save percentage (.895) and goals-against average (2.96) with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Losing the starter's job with the Leafs, he accepted a two-year contract worth $4.5 million per season with the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2021.

Andersen then regained his form in his role as the Hurricanes' starter. He finished second overall with a 2.17 goals-against average, third in save percentage (.922) and seventh in wins with 35. Those stats might've been even better if he hadn't suffered a season-ending lower-body injury in April.

The 33-year-old Andersen has so far shown no lingering effects from that injury. He won two of his three starts and has a 2.35 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. A strong performance from Andersen this season will be crucial to the Hurricanes' hopes for a deep playoff run next spring. It should also put him in the running for the Vezina Trophy.

The Calgary Flames' turnaround from an also-ran in 2020-21 to third overall in the Western Conference last season can be attributed in part to Jacob Markstrom.

While now-former teammates Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk dominated headlines with their 100-plus point performances, Markstrom enjoyed his best season as an NHL starting goaltender.

Markstrom, 32, finished among the league's top netminders in 2021-22. The 6'6", 207-pound Swede led all netminders with nine shutouts. He also finished third in goals-against average (2.22) and fourth in save percentage (.922) and wins (37).

A finalist for the Vezina in 2021-22, Markstrom won two of his first three games despite a 3.43 goals-against average and .862 save percentage. Considering his strong performance last season, his current stats should improve as this season rolls along.

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros toiled for three seasons as the full-time backup for Pekka Rinne before taking over as its starter in 2019-20. With the former Vezina Trophy winner's retirement in 2021, Saros still had big skates to fill in the Predators' crease.

Saros' performance last season was overshadowed by the franchise-record offensive exploits of Roman Josi, Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg. Nevertheless, he was among the league's top goalies and helped the Predators clinch a playoff berth. He finished first with 67 games played and sat third with 38 wins, while his .918 save percentage was eighth overall.

One of the NHL's smaller goaltenders, the 5'11", 180-pound Saros was a Vezina finalist last season. While his stats for this season (3.00 goals-against average, .897 save percentage) are well off last season's numbers, it should only be a matter of time until he settles back into the form that made him among the league's best in 2021-22.

Since taking over as the Tampa Bay Lightning's starter in 2017, Andrei Vasilevskiy has established himself among the NHL's dominant goaltenders. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2018-19, was a finalist in three other years, took home the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2020-21 and helped the Lightning win two straight Stanley Cups.

Vasilevskiy's stats were down a bit last season, finishing ninth in goals-against average (2.49) and 12th in .916 save percentage. Nevertheless, the 6'4", 220-pound Russian led all goalies with 39 wins and backstopped his club to a third straight Stanley Cup Final.

The Lightning are off to a slow start this season, with just two wins in their first five games. Vasilevskiy has put up good stats (2.52 goals-against average, .922 save percentage), but he must regain his usual superb form if the Bolts hope to remain Stanley Cup contenders. Given his history, he could become a Vezina finalist once again.

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin's Vezina-winning performance last season overshadowed that of the New York Islanders' Ilya Sorokin. However, the 27-year-old Russian stands a good chance to unseat his countryman as this season's top netminder.

Sorokin was among the few bright spots in an otherwise forgettable 2021-22 campaign for the Islanders. The 6'3", 195-pounder finished second with a .925 save percentage and seven shutouts. He was also fourth in goals-against average (2.40) while posting a respectable record of 26 wins, 18 losses and eight overtime losses.

Considering the Islanders' struggles last season, Sorokin's performance was all the more impressive. Now in his third NHL season, his play will be crucial to their efforts for a bounce-back season. While he has one win in his first three games, he sports a solid 2.05 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.

As pro wrestling legend Ric Flair said, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man!" The man to beat for the Vezina Trophy this season is the New York Rangers' Igor Shesterkin, who took home the award for the first time in 2021-22.

Shesterkin was outstanding last season. In just his third NHL campaign, the 26-year-old Russian led the league with a .935 save percentage and a 2.07 goals-against average. He was also third with six shutouts and sixth in wins with 36. The Rangers netminder was even named a finalist for the 2021-22 Hart Memorial Trophy.

With three wins in his first four games, Shesterkin is off to a good start to this season. While his 2.75 goals-against average and .901 save percentage are lagging behind last season's stats, it shouldn't take long for him to bring those numbers back into Vezina-worthy contention again.

Stats (as of Oct. 21, 2022) and trophy information via NHL.com with additional info via Hockey-Reference.com.