- Connor Hellebuyck is the -1000 favourite to win the 2023-24 Vezina Trophy.
- He’s on pace to set career bests in goals against average and save percentage.
- Only Thatcher Demko (+1000) and Sergei Bobrovsky (+900) have a chance of upsetting Hellebuyck, an increasingly unlikely scenario.
There’s nobody in Connor Hellebuyck’s rearview mirror as he rounds the final bend, with the Winnipeg Jets netminder inching closer to securing his second Vezina Trophy.
Thanks to his elite play, Thatcher Demko’s injury, and the other contenders’ inconsistent patches, Hellebuyck’s hockey odds to win the Vezina have shortened considerably since Feb. 29.
2024 Winnipeg Jets Connor Hellebuyck Vezina Trophy Odds
With 11 games remaining, Hellebuyck is the -1000 runaway front-runner. While nothing is guaranteed, his -1000 odds imply a 90.91% probability of winning the award.
On Feb. 29, he was the -357 favourite, which implied a 78.12% probability of winning. Since then, Hellebuyck has won just four of 10 games. His .903 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average (GAA) during that stretch are an accurate reflection of his subpar .400 win percentage.
Those recent numbers are noticeably worse than the rest of the season. Then again, Hellebuyck did more than enough in his first 42 starts to have the award all but wrapped up.
The Jets’ franchise netminder is 32-17-3 with a 2.39 GAA and a .920 save percentage. His goals-against average and save percentage are just shy of career bests. Hellebuyck has four shutouts, two shy of matching a career-best six, which he accomplished during his 2019-20 Vezina-winning season.
32 wins in only 50 games for Connor Hellebuyck, that's another franchise record for the Vezina resume 🤩
📰 https://t.co/8jXSlqOiUS pic.twitter.com/8s85VlFprt
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) March 20, 2024
A beacon of consistency, Hellebuyck plays as well at home as he does on the road. He’s 15-8-2 at home with a .924 save percentage and a 2.25 GAA. At enemy rinks, he’s 17-9-1 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.52 GAA.
While the Jets’ collective deserves much credit for protecting Hellebuyck, the 30-year-old appears unfazed in most situations. He’s allowed more than three goals in nine starts, three in the season’s first three games. In 49 starts since, he has allowed more than three goals just six times.
His 27.6 goals saved above expected is leap years ahead of the competition, with Demko, in second at 20.4.
Competing for the Central Division crown and home-ice advantage for most of the playoffs, the Jets don’t have the luxury of resting their indispensable goaltender down the stretch. Head Coach Rick Bowness will have to go with Hellebuyck as much as possible in the remaining 11 games, hoping he’s still fresh when the playoffs start.
Make no mistake: Hellebuyck is the fundamental reason the Winnipeg Jets’ Stanley Cup odds are tied for the ninth-shortest time.
Vezina Trophy Odds: Who Are the Favourites to Win the Vezina?
| Rank | Player | Team | Odds |
| 1 | Connor Hellebuyck | Jets | +600 |
| 2 | Igor Shesterkin | Rangers | +600 |
| 3 | Jeremy Swayman | Bruins | +600 |
| 4 | Ilya Sorokin | Islanders | +700 |
| 5 | Thatcher Demko | Canucks | +700 |
| 6 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | Lightning | +1200 |
| 7 | Juuse Saros | Predators | +1200 |
| 8 | Jacob Markstrom | Devils | +1300 |
| 9 | Jake Oettinger | Stars | +1400 |
| 10 | Sergei Bobrovsky | Panthers | +1500 |
Demko and Sergei Bobrovsky are the only netminders with a semblance of hope to overturn the monstrous gulf.
Demko has been the closest competitor to Hellebuyck for most of the season, but the Canucks ace started falling off the pace a few weeks before suffering a knee injury on March 9 against the Jets.
He is expected to return in April, but the odds’ discrepancy will probably be too large to make up.
Bobrovsky has been the league’s best goaltender for the last month or so. His Vezina Trophy odds have shortened from +1800 to +900 since Feb. 29.
But like Demko, Bobrovsky has left himself with too much to do.
Vezina Trophy Winners: Who Has Won the Most?
Jacques Plante won the most Vezinas with seven, followed by Dominik Hasek and Bill Durnan’s six. Ken Dryden picked up five Vezina Trophies, while four netminders have four (Martin Brodeur, Michel Larocque, Terry Sawchuk, and Tiny Thompson).
Bobrovsky, with two, leads the crop of current NHL goaltenders.
Odds for 2024 Stanley Cup Favourites
At +650, the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche are the favourites to win the 2024 Stanley Cup. At +750, the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes are tied, while the Dallas Stars sneak into the top five at +950.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup odds hold a top 10 stop, tied with the Canucks and Jets at +1500.