SPECTOR’S NOTE: Saros has occasionally surfaced in the rumor mill this season as some pundits have suggested he could become trade bait given his contract status and the current state of the Predators. The Islanders made sure he's not going anywhere, either, signing him to a $66 million, eight-year extension that begins in 2024.Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (NHL Images). Sorokin finished second in Vezina voting to Ullmark last season after leading the league with six shutouts. He was the first name that came to Chicago defenseman Seth Jones' mind.

Shesterkin's good friend and countryman who plays not far away, down the Long Island Expressway, is also in the discussion. Shesterkin won the Vezina in 2021-22 when he led the league with a 2.07 GAA and. The hockey community knew he was capable of that. He stopped 189 of 203 shots and allowed under two goals a game. “Some of the saves he made, he was pretty impressive,” Quinn Hughes said.Įven though New York lost that series, Shesterkin was not to blame. When the Vancouver defenseman watched his brother Jack and the New Jersey Devils play the Rangers in the playoffs, Shesterkin stood out. Quinn Hughes knew Shesterkin was a good goalie. General managers aren't far off that assessment, as Saros finished fourth in Vezina voting last season.

Predators teammate Filip Forsberg, for all the praise he gave Vasilevskiy, believes Saros is the best right now. “But from what I see, it looks like he’s really good at anticipating where the puck is going to be.” “I don’t know anything about goalies, so I’m not going to pretend I do,” Thompson said. Thompson likened Saros' ability to read plays to longtime NHL goalie Craig Anderson. He’s pretty undersized, and just how much of the net he somehow takes up for being a little guy, and just the athleticism he has, is pretty amazing.” The 29-year-old Finn is listed at 5-11.īuffalo center Tage Thompson, who scored 47 goals last season, said Saros has his number. The goalie who got the most love from players outside of Vasilevskiy is Saros, who comes in on the polar opposite end of the spectrum from a heigh standpoint. Dating to 2020, Vasilevskiy is 11-0 in potential clinching situations with a 0.76 goals-against average and. Larkin in particular marvels at Vasilevskiy in games in which the Lightning can eliminate an opponent and win a playoff series. You get him looking at the puck squared up to you, it’s hard to score on him.” “Just how big he is and how he moves - his positioning as well,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said. Vasilevskiy's size - 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds - makes the 29-year-old Russian a perfect example of modern goalies. It’s frustrating as a shooter, but you’ve got to beat him off the pass almost every time.” “That’s what makes him so special - that he’s still able to move and be quick in that way, too. “You look him and you see no net,” Montreal forward Cole Caufield said. He will get a chance this season to put his name among the goaltenders most often mentioned as elite.ĭraisaitl was far from the only player to name drop Vasilevskiy, who backstopped the Lightning to the Cup in 2020 and '21 and earned playoff MVP honors for the second title run.

Last year, that honor went to Linus Ullmark of Boston, who put up a spectacular season with a 40-6-1 record along with a 1.89 goals-against average and a. That's a major headache for Tampa Bay and could open the door for Nashville's Juuse Saros or one of the two goaltenders in New York - the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin and Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin - to win the Vezina Trophy. One problem: Vasilevskiy is expected to miss the first two months of the season after undergoing back surgery. “What is he capable of? Winning a Stanley Cup for us. “He's one of the best goalies to ever play the game - certainly one of the best athletes,” teammate Mikhail Sergachev said. More than a half-dozen skaters asked last month came to the same conclusion. When NHL players were surveyed by their union for which goalie they'd want to win one game, Vasilevskiy was the choice for over than half of those who answered. Of course, he did mention one name: Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is considered the best by a wide margin. “There's too many good guys,” the Edmonton superstar said. Leon Draisaitl found it hard to answer the question of who's the best goaltender in the world.

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