A Six-Pack of Value: The 2020 Vezina Trophy Odds
It’s an odd time of year for the NHL and their awards, particularly the Vezina Trophy that is awarded to the league’s best goalie.
Most sportsbooks only have odds for six goaltenders, making the pickings rather slim for the Vezina Trophy.
However, there is no need to worry because here is a breakdown of every goalie available:
Best Sportsbook 2020
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Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues) Vezina Trophy Odds: +250
Jordan Binnington won the Stanley Cup with the Blues last year and is looking to build upon his tremendous rookie season.
He is 22-7-4 this season with a .917 save percentage and 2.47. His 22 wins are tied for the second most in the league, and every goalie with 18 (or more) wins has eight or more regulation losses while Binnington has seven.
Binnington is only 17th in save percentage, which is a knock against him, but only one goalie (Hellebuyck) with 18 or more wins has a save percentage better than him.
Wins play a big part in determining the Vezina Trophy winner and Binnington has the Blues in a great position. Some of the NHL award chalk bets aren’t worth it, but the top two goalies here don’t fall into that category. Don’t feel the need to overthink it.
Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets) Vezina Trophy Odds: +300
Connor Hellebuyck has a 21-13-4 record with a .923 SV%, 2.57 GAA and four shutouts. His SV% is ninth in the league, and the only other high-winning goalie with a SV% close to him is Binnington.
Hellebuyck leads the league in shutouts, which could go a long way in the voting. He has played in a NHL-high 39 games (37 starts) and only Carey Price (38) has started more games.
In a league where teams are employing a goalie tandem more and more often, Hellebuyck’s strong play in a high number of games is impressive.
Ben Bishop (Dallas Stars) Vezina Trophy Odds: +400
Ben Bishop is 16-9-3 with a .930 SV% and 2.23 GAA. His .930 save percentage is second in the league only to his backup, Anton Khudobin (who has played in 19 games, 16 of them being starts).
His goals against average is also near the top of the league as only four goalies have allowed fewer goals per game than the big-bodied Bishop.
Unfortunately for Bishop, Khudobin’s performance may make voters think that Dallas’ defensive system is more responsible for those numbers, which will hurt the Stars netminder in the voting.
Tuukka Rask (Boston Bruins) Vezina Trophy Odds: +700
Tuukka Rask is 17-4-6 with a .925 SV% and 2.27 GAA. His numbers are solid across the board, but he too is splitting time with a backup and a recent concussion will hamper his chances at making a run for the Vezina.
Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas Golden Knights) Vezina Trophy Odds: +800
Marc-Andre Fleury is 18-11-3 with a .906 SV% and 2.85 GAA. The only votes he should be garnering are due to his name recognition. Perhaps some may be drawn in to bet on him due to that as well, but you don’t want to make that mistake.
Semyon Varlamov (New York Islanders) Vezina Trophy Odds: +900
Semyon Varlamov is 15-6-4 with a .919 SV% and 2.48 GAA. He had a strong stretch of play, but none of his overall numbers jump off the page. He has the ability to go on a run, making him a decent longshot bet, but it is definitely a long shot.
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Keep an eye out for odds on Andrei Vasilevskiy. He is 23-9-2 with a .916 SV% and 2.58 GAA. He picked up his first two shutouts of the season this past week and could surge with the Lightning to the top.