Now comes the time of the year in which writers/bloggers and fans alike start talking about what players will be doing this upcoming year. Prognostication is one of the hallmarks of writing about sports, so with that I will present some of my outside the box Vezina candidates who could surprise this upcoming year.
Robin Lehner
This is the most out of the box candidate on the list and has to do more about the Sabres potential than it really does as him as a player. Lehner hasn’t played a full season yet in his career. Lehner has posted a .905 save percentage last year but none of that may matter. After splitting starts his entire career he is going to be given the opportunity to be the man this year. He has shown spurts of brilliance in the AHL and has shown at times in the NHL why he could have the goods to be a starter. The opportunity is now for the young swede.
The Sabres this year are set to have the biggest improvement in the standings this year by adding players like Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Jack Eichel and Cody Franson. Those names could have them hovering around the 80-point mark, but the rest is up to Lehner who could provide one of the best storylines of the upcoming season.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 07: Steve Mason #35 of the Philadelphia Flyers defends his net in the first period against the New York Islanders on April 7, 2015 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Steve Mason
Once considered the laughing stock of the league, not many people realize that Mason has had a bit of a career renaissance. A former Calder winner while with the Columbus Blue Jackets, he has slowly but surely ridden his career roller coaster to a new peak, most recently posting a .928 save percentage last year. Those numbers were good enough to put him third in the league in that category behind names like Carey Price and Devan Dubnyk.
While his numbers were great, he did see some issues with durability as he was injured for part of the season. That is through no fault of his own but this year with the Flyers will be an interesting one as they try to accomplish some success this season although they are going to try and rebuild on the fly. Names like Umberger, Lecavalier and MacDonald may hold them back but at this point if anyone can take them to the playoffs it could be Mason.
Braden Holtby
Perhaps the most likely to accomplish this feat on the list, Holtby is in prime position to take the next step and join some great names on the Vezina trophy. After posting a .923 save percentage during the regular season (which was good for seventh in the league) Holtby went on to post a .944 save percentage in the playoffs. His performance almost single handedly kept the Capitals in the playoffs last year.
The team and everyone else surrounding him is only getting better. He was rewarded with a long term contract with a $6.1 million AAV which is a big leap of faith for the 26-year-old goaltender. Having played 73 games last year, will we see some wear and tear on the player? It is an awful lot of games to play a goalie but if given the chance I think Holtby would relish the opportunity and take full advantage.
