Many Stanley Cup contenders are built from the net out, and the Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the goalie who does the best job of putting his team in position to win it all.
Many Stanley Cup contenders are built from the net out, and the Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the goalie who does the best job of putting his team in position to win it all.
The latest: Linus Ullmark has rightfully earned his spot atop the odds leaderboard and his lead is still growing. We're interested in the value that Jake Oettinger holds — despite a recent bump — and we're putting out a word of caution regarding Tristan Jarry.
Check out the latest Vezina Trophy odds.
Check out the latest odds to win the Vezina Trophy. Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip.
| Player | Odds (Jan. 26) | Odds (Jan. 16) |
| Linus Ullmark | -195 | +105 |
| Ilya Sorokin | +500 | +350 |
| Connor Hellebuyck | +600 | +375 |
| Jake Oettinger | +650 | +1,000 |
| Igor Shesterkin | +1,000 | +850 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | +1,700 | +1,500 |
| Tristan Jarry | +3,000 | +3,000 |
| Alexander Georgiev | +3,500 | +3,000 |
| Logan Thompson | +3,500 | +2,500 |
| Juuse Saros | +3,500 | +3,500 |
| Pyotr Kochetkov | +5,000 | +3,200 |
| Ilya Samsonov | +5,500 | +3,500 |
| Carter Hart | +7,500 | +4,000 |
| Vitek Vanecek | +7,500 | +3,500 |
Odds as of 3:35 p.m. on 01/26/2023.
The favourite: Linus Ullmark (-195)
Early in the season, it felt like only a matter of time before Ullmark ascended to favoured status. He's done that and then some, rising into the top spot and building a decent lead.
As the No. 1 puck-stopper on the league's No. 1 team, it makes sense to see Ullmark with the shortest odds on the Vezina market. He's a true starter for the first time in his career and he's not letting that opportunity go to waste.
In 29 starts, Ullmark has an NHL-high 25 wins. He leads the league in GAA (1.82) and SV% (.938). For context, no one else has a GAA better than 2.20 or a SV% better than .925. His strong play, combined with the efforts of the team in front of him, has prevented him from facing a bunch of top-notch chances.
But when he's called upon to stop high-danger shots, Ullmark's save percentage at 5-on-5 (.888) is second in the NHL, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Ullmark is coming off a career year, although his numbers last season (.917 SV%, 2.45 GAA) didn't earn him any Vezina consideration. He was solid in his final two seasons in Buffalo, too, but the shift to a stronger team has given his numbers a boost.
Best value: Jake Oettinger (+650)
Oettinger is on a really nice post-Christmas run, with a 1.82 GAA and .935 SV% in his 12 games. After holding at 10-to-1 for a while, we've unfortunately seen a chunk of his value drop off. But that's expected for a goalie this hot.
After assuming starter's duties for the first time last season, Oettinger became the standout of the opening playoff round. He carried the Stars through a seven-game series loss against Calgary, amassing a .954 SV% while stopping all but 13 pucks.
Right now, he's a top-three goalie in GAA (2.24), SV% (.924) and goals saved above average per 60 (0.55). Doing that on one of the largest workloads in the league will keep you in the conversation.
Player to watch: Tristan Jarry (+3,000)
Jarry recently returned from a two-and-a-half-week absence, and he's headed back to the shelf.
Mike Sullivan said Tristan Jarry, who is dealing with an upper-body injury, is not going to play until after the All-Star break. So he'll miss Thursday's game in Washington and Saturday's game versus San Jose.
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) January 25, 2023
"We think that'll be productive time for him to be at his best."
If Jarry is able to come back shortly after the break, he could still make sense as a dart throw for this market. But if you're bullish about Jarry, you might as well wait and see if his price moves during his period of inactivity.
Jarry ranks sixth in the league in save percentage (.921), and he's made enough starts that another short absence shouldn't hurt him too much. Each missed game, however, is a missed opportunity to make up ground on the field.