Despite the Tampa Bay Lightning's season ending in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, the organization's members continue to pick up regular-season accolades. Jon Cooper, somewhat surprisingly, won the Jack Adams Award, and now goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has secured his second career Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender.
It was the netminder's sixth time as a finalist, and he hadn't won the award since 2019. The Associated Press characterized Vasilevskiy as a "runaway winner" after he locked down first-place votes on 17 of the 31 ballots, which the NHL's general managers cast each year.
The runner-up was Ilya Sorkin of the New York Islanders, who was giving Vasilevskiy a run for his money as the top goalie this season, until the Lightning backstop went on a 17-0-1 streak that started in late December. During that stretch, he held opponents to two goals or fewer per game, and the run of dominance helped keep Tampa Bay in the playoff hunt despite many top players missing games.
Jeremy Swayman finished third in voting, while Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals missed the final cut.
Vezina Trophy became a forgone conclusion as 2025-26 season wore on for Andrei Vasilevskiy
Early in the campaign, Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck was the runaway favorite to win the Vezina Trophy. Especially as Vasilevskiy and the Lightning struggled early. Through his first 10 games of the 2025-26 season, he carried a 4-4-2 record with a save percentage barely over .900.
That opened the door for Scott Wedgewood and Thompson to enter the conversation, but through the last four months of the season, no one was as good as "Vas." He wrapped up the year with a 39-15-4 record, finished fourth in goals saved above expected, and led the Lightning to the playoffs for the ninth straight year.
Historically, with his 39-win campaign, Vasilevskiy became just the sixth NHL goalie to win at least 30 games in a year nine times. He's also pulling into Martin Brodeur's rearview mirror, as his ninth straight year with 30 or more wins puts him within striking distance of the former New Jersey Devils great, who holds the record with 12.
A guy can't just get a trophy anymore as NHL pranks Vasilevskiy before awarding him the Vezina
The NHL continues its seemingly endless quest to manufacture viral content, with each of the trophies awarded so far having some kind of twist, which, naturally, film crews are on hand to capture. Zach Werenski clearly couldn't contain his excitement when he won his first Norris Trophy, for example, when he was surprised with the award while surrounded by friends and family.
What did the NHL have planned for Vasilevskiy after that heart-warming moment? By tricking him into thinking that his car was evidence in an illegal incident, of course. Haha...ha? Nothing like getting drug sniffing dogs and multiple police officers involved in a prank on an NHL player during his offseason workouts, amiright?
A special surprise for Andrei Vasilevskiy! 🏆 #NHLAwards
— NHL (@NHL) June 6, 2026
Andrei Vasilevskiy is the winner of the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender for the second time in his career! pic.twitter.com/mZw1WVXF8I
About 36 hours later, the post to X had garnered over a million views, so maybe the NHL is onto something with these presentations. It just seems odd that other award winners have been given heartfelt moments with family and friends, while Vasilevskiy was ambushed, Prank'd style, by Tampa Bay police.
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