Vezina Outlook for Goalies 25 & Under

Good day fantasy hockey fans and managers!

With the playoffs now over half-way completed, we are getting closer and closer to the 2026 NHL draft and the official start of a new NHL season. But before we start anew, the NHL still has to crown the latest Stanley Cup Champion, as well as, hand out some awards.

Here’s the list of candidates for the NHL’s Vezina Trophy, given to the goaltender “adjudged to be the best at this position” -

Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL) - 39 Wins, 2.31 GAA, .912 SV%, 2 SHO, 1,483 SV

Ilya Sorokin (NYI) - 29 Wins, 2.68 GAA, .906 SV%, 7 SHO, 1,386 SV

Jeremy Swayman (BOS) - 31 Wins, 2.71 GAA, .908 SV%, 2 SHO, 1,426 SV

Looking back at past Vezina winners, it seemed worth noting that since Jim Carey won the award in 1995-96 at age 21 (Jim Carey of the Capitals, not Jim Carey of “Dumb and Dumber” who won a the same year), only 3 more goalies have won the Vezina at age 25 or younger: Jose Theodore at age 25 (2001-02), Sergei Bobrovsky at age 24 (2013-14), and Andrei Vasilevskiy, also, at age 24 (2018-19). And while that is a prestigious group, let’s go ahead and check out which currently 25 and under goalies have the best chance at winning a Vezina in the 2026-27 season.

For this article’s purposes, we will only be looking at goalies that appeared in at least 1 NHL game last season, meaning some notable prospects may not be included on this list. I, also, used a cutoff date of January 1, 2027 for turning 26 - meaning that Mads Sogaard (turns 26 on December 13) isn’t included on this list, but Trent Miner (26 on February 5) is. Now let’s dive in!

The Just No Foreseeable Path to Regular Playing Time Tier:

Sergei Murashov (PIT), Drew Commesso (CHI), Dylan Garand (NYR), Niklas Kokko (SEA), Arena Sergeev (CGY), Atur Akhtyamov (TOR), Thomas Milic (WPG), Alexei Kolosov (PHI), Vyacheslav Buteyets (ANA)

Mostly AHL goalies for now and while some of these goalies played a handful of games or more last season, looking ahead there just doesn’t appear to be any way for them to end up with many more games played next year. Some may have promising careers ahead of them, but their immediate fantasy value for the 2026-27 campaign is next to nothing.

Sergei Murashov could be an interesting name to check back on because the 3 other goalies that took the ice for the Penguins this season all have contracts that expire on July 1. Following his strong AHL season, he could make the jump to the NHL as soon as next season, depending on the Penguins’ moves this offseason.

The Would Need a Lot (a lot, a lot) to Fall Their Way Tier:

Carl Lindbom (VGK), Leevi Merilainen (OTT), Denis Hildeby (TOR), Trent Miner (COL)

2026-27 may not be the year for these keepers, but a lot could change between now and 2027-28. Lindbom got a bite of NHL action, but is locked behind Carter Hart and Adin Hill next year.

Merilainen started this season as the #2 goalie for playoff bound Ottawa, and even got a shot at the #1 gig when crease mate Linus Ullmark took a leave of absence, but the 23 year old was unable to answer the call and the team had to phone a friend and bring back veteran James Reimer, who eventually replaced Merilainen on the depth chart.

Miner could be the future in Colorado, but they very clearly have 2 goalies capable of taking them on a playoff run tomorrow.

Toronto is a giant question mark for 2026-27, will new GM John Chayka sell off all remaining assets or try to get this team back to 2024-25 form?

The Talented but on an Unproven Team Tier:

Dustin Wolf (CGY), Spencer Knight (CHI)

Both of these goalies have the talent and the starting gig in place. The problem is that neither of the teams they play for look ready to compete for the playoffs in 2026-27. Knight had a fantastic first full season in Chicago, but the Blackhawks have been stuck in neutral for years. Unless they become buyers this offseason, they appear destined to hover the drain once again.

Wolf backstopped the Flames for 57 games and they remained in playoff contention into April, but the Pacific Division was abysmal and Calgary is just selling off anything that isn’t tied down. Maybe these 2 meet in the 2030 Western Conference Finals, but neither one of these goalies can rack up the wins needed to earn the Vezina in 2026.

The Got the Talent, Got the Team, but Timeshare… Tier:

Jakub Dobes (MTL), Jacob Fowler (MTL), Jesper Wallstedt (MIN)

Montreal letting Dobes take the start’s reigns for their current playoff run gives him the early edge heading into next season. Fowler is supposed to be the future, however, so these 2 will likely be sharing a crease next October, assuming they both keep playing up to the task. It is worth noting that is was 21 year old Jacob Fowler and not the higher paid Sam Montembeault who came in for relief of Dobes in Game 6 against Buffalo.

Wallstedt is in a similar situation in Minnesota. At 23 he posted 4 shut outs in 35 games and knocked a beastly Stars team out of the 1st round, but still a timeshare with Filip Gustavsson looms and may very well be the best case scenario for fantasy managers in 2026. Between him and Gustavsson, Wallstedt would be the more tradable asset for a team in win-now mode. And its unlikely that any team Wallstedt got traded to would be better than the Wild in 2026.

The Have a Darkhorse’s Shot for Next Year Tier

Yaroslav Askarov (SJS), Jet Greaves (CBJ)

With Askarov, it’s going to be about finding consistency. From November 1 through December 1, Askarov went 9-2 and allowed 2 or fewer goals in 8 of those contests. He has the intangibles and his team has the pieces in place to take another step forward in 2026. At only 23 years of age, Askarov has the luxury of making this list (and tier) again next year.

Greaves, who will turn 26 on March 30, 2027, was able to cement himself as the starter for a Blue Jackets club that very narrowly missed the playoffs in 2025. With a full season of Rick Bowness at the helm (guided Columbus to a 21-11-5 record after taking over head coaching duties on January 12) Greaves will look to improve upon his 26 wins, 2.60 GAA and .908 SV% in 55 games played. If he can pick up 4 more wins he’ll be in the Vezina conversation in 2026.

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading! My name is Garrett Finlay and you can follow me on X @garrett_fi51284 and on Bluesky @garrettfinlay.bsky.social where I am often talking goalies and fantasy hockey. I’ll be back here next Thursday, so until then - Happy Hockeying and good luck out there!