Vezina
In the NHL, a goalie is a funny thing. On one hand, it’s by far the team’s most important position. One reason I hate letting goalies win the Hart Trophy is that, technically, a goalie should probably win it every year.
The Washington Capitals won the Cup last year and they beat out the expansion team to do it. Neither of those teams is playing without their goalie putting up close to all-time numbers.
Had you picked either team to finish top ten in the standings or play for the Cup you would have been mocked mercilessly. But no one could have predicted that Holtby and Fleury would play like that.
Same with Freddie Andersen last year. The Leafs were one of only three teams to finish bottom-ten in shots against to make the Playoffs, and they finished sixth over despite being a negative possession team that allowed way too many shots and scoring chances.
Truthfully, Andersen’s numbers weren’t great last year in comparison to Hellebuyck or Vasilevskiy, but he played on a much worse defensive team. With Matthews missing 25% of the schedule, the Leafs could easily have missed the playoff completely last year if not for Andersen.
If he repeats last year’s play and the Leafs tighten up their defensive game even just a bit, he’s got a great chance to win the Vezina. The Leafs could very easily lead the league in wins, so Andersen has to be seen as, at the very least, one of the pre-season favorites to win this award.