Elliotte Friedman Unveils Astonishing Choice as His Vezina Winner
Despite Linus Ullmark delivering an outstanding season, potentially one of the best for a goaltender, insider Elliotte Friedman has suggested a rather unexpected Vezina choice.
What Else Must Ullmark Do?
Ullmark currently tops the league's goalies in wins (40), GAA (1.89), and SV% (.938), and is set to be the first goalie since Carey Price in 2015 to claim the NHL's unofficial Triple Crown. (He is also the only goalie to score a goal this season).
Nevertheless, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman offered a surprising opinion on who should receive the award for the league's top goaltender during The Jeff Marek Show on Wednesday morning:
Hellebuyck, aged 29, has had a fantastic season and could be considered more valuable to his team than Ullmark in some ways. However, he ranks 11th in GAA (2.49), 5th in SV% (.920), and third in wins (37).
Per moneypuck.com, the Jets' goaltender is also 4th in Goals Saved Above Expectations (GSAx), a highly indicative goalie stat, while Ullmark is in second place.
It is peculiar that an impressive 13-game streak is deemed more deserving of the Vezina Trophy than an entire season of record-breaking and milestone achievements by Ullmark. It seems almost unjust that he is somewhat "penalized" for being part of the league-leading Boston team, while contributing significantly to their success.
This isn't meant to diminish Hellebuyck's incredible season, but other goalies like Ilya Sorokin and Juuse Saros may be more deserving.
Hopefully, the NHL GMs who cast the actual votes for the winner don't share Friedman's perspective!
What do you think?
As read on Bruins Insider - Elliotte Friedman Shares Shocking Vezina Winning Pick.
| POLL | ||
12 AVRIL | 537 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman Unveils Astonishing Choice as His Vezina Winner Who SHOULD win the Vezina this season? | ||
| Ullmark | 502 | 93.5 % |
| Hellebuyck | 22 | 4.1 % |
| Sorokin | 8 | 1.5 % |
| Saros | 5 | 0.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
