Andrei Vasilevskiy Vezina Trophy win from the 2025-26 season is a tremendous accomplishment. He knocked off the likes of Ilya Sorokin and Jeremy Swayman, who each joined Vasilevskiy in the top three of voting for this year’s award. Let’s discuss the significance of Vasilevskiy’s honour from this past season.
Credit Image: © Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire
It is starting to get to the point that Vasilevskiy will go as one of the best goaltenders of his generation. Perhaps Sergei Bobrovsky is a bit of a comparison, in that he has sustained a high level of play, for a long stretch of time. Bobrovsky won his first of two Vezinas, way back in 2013, and didn’t add Stanley Cups to his hardware case until 2024. Vasilevskiy has the two Lord Stanley Cup championships to his credit.
If we go back to the 2017-18 season, that is the span of nine NHL seasons now, Vasilevskiy has led the NHL in wins an incredible six times. Even with the shortened seasons of the COVID-impacted years, he has managed a string of nine consecutive, 30-win campaigns during the stretch is he currently on. Those nine seasons of 30 wins, tie him with Ed Belfour and Marc-Andre Fleury for the fourth-most, 30-win seasons by an NHL goalie, ever. In 2025-26, his 39 wins did lead the NHL in that category.
The 30-win-consecutive season streak is a bit complicated, as Patrick Roy won 31-or-more games in every season from 1991-92, through to his last year in 2002-03, save for the lockout shortened 1994-95. Furthermore, King Henrik Lundqvist won 30-or-more games from his rookie year 2005-06 until 2016-17, except for the reduced schedule of 2012-13. However, that season he actually led the NHL in wins with 24.
Credit Image: © Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire
It is starting to get to the point that Vasilevskiy will go as one of the best goaltenders of his generation. Perhaps Sergei Bobrovsky is a bit of a comparison, in that he has sustained a high level of play, for a long stretch of time. Bobrovsky won his first of two Vezinas, way back in 2013, and didn’t add Stanley Cups to his hardware case until 2024. Vasilevskiy has the two Lord Stanley Cup championships to his credit.
If we go back to the 2017-18 season, that is the span of nine NHL seasons now, Vasilevskiy has led the NHL in wins an incredible six times. Even with the shortened seasons of the COVID-impacted years, he has managed a string of nine consecutive, 30-win campaigns during the stretch is he currently on. Those nine seasons of 30 wins, tie him with Ed Belfour and Marc-Andre Fleury for the fourth-most, 30-win seasons by an NHL goalie, ever. In 2025-26, his 39 wins did lead the NHL in that category.
The 30-win-consecutive season streak is a bit complicated, as Patrick Roy won 31-or-more games in every season from 1991-92, through to his last year in 2002-03, save for the lockout shortened 1994-95. Furthermore, King Henrik Lundqvist won 30-or-more games from his rookie year 2005-06 until 2016-17, except for the reduced schedule of 2012-13. However, that season he actually led the NHL in wins with 24.
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