You can almost never get NHL award predictions right during the preseason, so it is always smart to check in during the season and see just how dumb your predictions turned out to be. As always, you will have a couple of surprises but you will also have the normal stalwarts performing ahead of the pack.
Which goalies are starting to pull ahead in the hunt for the Vezina?
The Leaders
Henrik Lundqvist
It may come as a surprise to some, but Lundqvist has only won the Vezina once in his illustrious career. While playing on the hyper competitive New York Rangers is no easy task, he makes it look like an absolute cake walk. Lundqvist this year leads the league in wins with eleven, save percentage with .943 and total saves at 492. Many have described the early start of the Rangers season as unsustainable but if anything is certain with the Rangers it is that Lundqvist has the ability to sustain something like this all season long. Life is easy when you are the king.
James Reimer
A surprise entry onto this list, Reimer is second in the league in save percentage for players who have played more than 10 games, a great mark for a player who was slotted as a backup to start the season. Reimer plays on the lowly Leafs team that has been described as cellar dwellers by analysts, long before the season started. One of the reasons why they haven’t sunk deep down into the lower depths of the standings is because of Reimer. If the Leafs contend in any fashion (which may prove to be a longshot) don’t be surprised if Reimer’s name is front and center come awards time.
Dark Horse
Cory Schneider
Schneider plays on a Devils team that is currently fourth in the Metro Division, much to the surprise of many around the league, and already has 11 wins on the season. All but one of those wins happened with Schneider in net and it shouldn’t shock anyone that he is the main reason why they are succeeding this early. He is tied for second in wins and eighth in save percentage at .928. These are all numbers that can be sustained as Schneider has performed right in line with them his entire career. If the Devils continue their upward swing in the standings, Schneider will have a large claim for the Vezina especially considering the expectations that were given to the team coming into this year.