Elliotte Friedman Reveals His Shocking Pick For the Vezina Trophy
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S. Harper
April 12, 2023 (3:50 PM)
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When it comes to staying up-to-date with the latest news and insights about the National Hockey League, no one is better or more reliable than Sportsnet's Hockey Insider Elliotte Friedman. Not only is Friedman usually the first to break breaking news, but he also shares his thoughts and opinions on the 32 Thoughts podcast with his co-host Jeff Marek. Recently, Friedman made a surprising pick when it came to the NHL awards, specifically the Vezina Trophy.
Friedman's Surprising Pick
Regarding the Vezina, Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark seems to be the consensus pick. The 29-year-old has emerged as one of the league's top goalies this year, with a 40-6-1 record, 1.89 goals against average, and .938 save percentage.
However, Friedman has revealed that he believes Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck should also be considered as a candidate for the Vezina trophy due to the significant role he played in helping the Jets make the playoffs.
«The Vezina winner this year should be Connor Hellebuyck. I don't care what anyone says. He just played 13 games in a row and got the Jets into a playoffs»
- Elliotte Friedman
Although Hellebuyck's statistics aren't as impressive as Ullmark's, with a 37-35-7 record, 2.49 goals against average, and .920 save percentage, they are still impressive in their own right.
I'm sure Friedman isn't taking anything away from Ullmark what he did this season was amazing helping the Bruins set a new record for most wins all time. But if it wasn't for Hellebuyck the Jets wouldn't of made the playoffs.