Igor Shesterkin Dominant Season Will Lead To The Vezina to cap off a great season.
A team’s most valuable player in hockey is by far a goalie, if you do not have a good goalie, you will not win games. The Vezina Trophy is awarded to the league’s most valuable goalie every year. Last season, Andrei Vasilevisky from the Tampa Bay Lightning won the award after dominating in all areas of the goaltender position.
This year the Vezina Trophy is up for grabs and I believe we are in for a very tight race between several high-level goaltenders. The Vezina Trophy has been extremely hard to award in previous years as there are several elements you need to account for when handing out the award. But this year, I believe the race is narrowed down to two contestants, Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers and Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames.
Igor Shesterkin vs Jacob Markstrom
As the NHL season is starting to come to an end, the running for the Vezina trophy has narrowed down to two in my opinion, Igor Shestrekin, and Jacob Markstrom. When voting for the Vezina winner you have to take wins, save percentage, goals against, and several other attributes into consideration. It has been a tight race and I am excited to watch both of these goalies lead their teams to the playoffs.
Igor Shesterkin is having a phenomenal season and has taken the NHL by force this season. Shesterkin who is currently playing in only his third season in the league has helped propel the New York Rangers to a second place spot in the very tight Metropolitan Division.
Shesterkin currently leads the NHL in save percentage with a .934. Shesterkin is also second in the league in goals-against average with a 2.09 and sits fifth in the league for wins with 34.
Jacob Markstrom is also having a phenomenal season and has really elevated his game from seasons prior. Markstrom who is currently playing in his twelfth season in the NHL has helped place the Calgary Flames into the top spot in the Pacific Division.
Markstrom currently leads the in shutouts with a very high 9 shutouts. Markstrom is also third in the league for goals against average with 2.19 and is fifth in save percentage with a .924
Why Shesterkin Will Win The Vezina Trophy
This year’s race for the Vezina Trophy is extremely close and both goaltenders are having career best seasons, but only one can come out on top. As stated above there are tons of elements to take into consideration, but I believe Igor Shesterkin deserves to win the award.
There are many reasons why I believe that Shesterkin deserves to win the Vezina, but a significant one is that it is only his third season in the league. Most goalies have to adjust to the pace of the NHL and usually start off as a backup for several years, but not Shesterkin, he jumped right into the deep waters and has proven he is a generational talent.
Shesterkin leading the league in save percentage is the most impressive stat in my eyes and the fact he has obtained this while playing in arguably the best division in the league is extremely impressive. I also believe he should win because his goals against average is also phenomenal and I believe the Rangers without Shesterkin would not be a playoff caliber team.
Jacob Marktrom is having a heck of a season, but due to pure dominance and age of Shesterkin, I believe Shesterkin should win the Vezina Trophy this season.
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