NEW YORK -- Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning is the 2025-26 recipient of the Vezina Trophy, awarded “to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position,” as selected by NHL general managers.
Vasilevskiy was leaving Benchmark International Arena when he was surprised with the trophy by Tampa Bay police and a member of their K-9 unit who were investigating suspicious activity near his vehicle.
Vasilevskiy recorded his second career Vezina win and first since 2018-19 in his sixth season as a finalist. He placed second in 2024-25 and 2020-21, and finished third in 2019-20 and 2017-18. His six appearances as a Vezina finalist are matched by just three goaltenders under the trophy’s current selection criteria (since 1981-82): Martin Brodeur (9x), Patrick Roy (7x) and Dominik Hasek (6x).
Vasilevskiy received 17 first-place votes and was named on 28 ballots for 114 points, outdistancing the other two finalists locked in a tight race for second place. llya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, who collected eight first-place votes and 51 points, edged Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins (two first-place votes, 46 points) for runner-up honors.
Highlighted by an 18-game point streak from Dec. 20 – Feb. 25 (17-0-1), Vasilevskiy topped the NHL with 39 victories in 58 starts (39-15-4, 2.31 GAA, .912 SV%, 2 SO) to guide the Lightning to their ninth consecutive postseason appearance – tied for the longest current run in the League. He became the sixth goaltender in NHL history to post at least nine 30-win seasons, with his active run of nine straight such campaigns the second-longest in League history behind only Brodeur (12 from 1995-96 through 2007-08). Vasilevskiy, the 19th overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft, additionally placed among the 2025-26 League leaders in games allowing two or fewer goals (t-1st; 35), goals-against average (2nd; 2.31), save percentage (3rd; .912), starts (t-3rd; 58), minutes played (4th; 3,430:45), high-danger save percentage (7th; .844), mid-range save percentage (7th; .912) and saves (10th; 1,353).
