To me the criteria involves who is going to be the best next year, not who just had the best season. Goalies are such rollercoasters. I’m going with a huge bounce back season from Sorokin, who I have to image was #1 or #2 on this list a year ago (feel free to fact check). Up until his puzzling year last year, he was neck and neck with Shesty…and I don’t see any obvious reason this past year won’t have just been a blip on the radar.
I’d have him #2 with a bullet. I feel like Saros is getting a (justified) pass here but Sorokin for whatever reason, isn’t.
Last 3 years vezina finishes (Newest first):
Sorokin: 8 - 2 - 6
Vasi: 6 - 5 - 2
Bob: 3 - NA - NA
Swayman: 7 - NA - NA
Ullmark: 6 - 1 - NA
Otter: NA - 5 - NA
He's the arguments for each:
- Sorokin has arguably the best relevant/recent overall body of work
- Vasi is slightly under Sorokin but more hardware
- Bob just won a cup and also has 2 vezinas
- Swayman has the loveable combo of stats/potential
- Ullmark won a Vezina recently (unlike anyone remaining)
- Otter is a little like Swayman but has played actual full seasons
Here's the counter-arguments:
- Sorokin just wasn't that good last year
- Same thing as Sorokin
- Bob is wildly inconsistent year to year
- Swayman was a tandem goalie who's never played enough games
- Ullmark was a tandem goalie and is on a new (worse) team
- Otter hasn't really peaked as high as the others have
Different strokes for different folks is all it is...