TAMPA — Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy won the 2025-26 Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best goaltender as selected by the league’s general managers, the league announced from New York.
Vasilevskiy’s second career Vezina — his first since 2018-19 — came in his sixth season as a finalist, a distinction matched by only three goaltenders under the trophy’s current selection criteria dating to 1981-82: Martin Brodeur (9 appearances), Patrick Roy (7) and Dominik Hasek (6). Vasilevskiy had finished second in 2024-25 and 2020-21, and third in 2019-20 and 2017-18.
He collected 17 first-place votes and was named on 28 ballots for 114 total points, outdistancing finalists Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders (8 first-place votes, 51 points) and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins (2 first-place votes, 46 points). Vasilevskiy was surprised with the trophy at Benchmark International Arena by Tampa Bay police and a member of their K-9 unit who were investigating suspicious activity near his vehicle as he was leaving the building.
The 19th overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft, Vasilevskiy led the league with 39 victories in 58 starts, posting a 39-15-4 record with a 2.31 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and 2 shutouts. An 18-game point streak from Dec. 20 through Feb. 25 — during which he went 17-0-1 — anchored a season that guided the Lightning to their ninth consecutive postseason appearance, tied for the longest active run in the NHL.
Vasilevskiy became the sixth goaltender in league history to record at least nine 30-win seasons. His active streak of nine straight 30-win campaigns is the second-longest in NHL history, trailing only Brodeur’s 12 consecutive 30-win seasons from 1995-96 through 2007-08.
His dominance showed across the stat sheet: Vasilevskiy tied for first in the league with 35 games allowing two or fewer goals, ranked second in goals-against average (2.31), third in save percentage (.912), tied for third in starts (58), fourth in minutes played (3,430:45), seventh in high-danger save percentage (.844), seventh in mid-range save percentage (.912) and 10th in saves (1,353).
The Lightning remain alive in the postseason as the franchise pursues another deep playoff run at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa.