We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2025-26 NHL season, and so far, this year’s goaltending landscape looks a lot different than the one we saw a year ago.
This time last year, Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck had already all but wrapped up the award with his otherworldly play, which by season’s end also earned him MVP honours. Injuries have prevented Hellebuyck from declaring his dominance at the position just yet (though, there’s plenty of time — plus, an Olympic showcase still to come — for him to regain lost ground). The injury bug hasn’t been kind to goalies all around the league, which has made for an interesting Vezina race as we check in on things at the halfway point of the season.
We’ve seen plenty of outstanding goaltending performances through the first half of the year, which should make for a really intriguing race as we dig into the second act. Based on where things stand now, we’re looking at the top first-half goalies around the league.
Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals
After being acquired via a 2024 draft-night trade, Thompson needed only a few months to prove himself as Washington’s long-term goaltender, playing his way into a six-year extension last January. And while no one was going to catch Hellebuyck in last season’s Vezina race, he played himself onto the ballot, finishing fourth in votes.
One year later, he’s leading that trophy chatter as he puts together another stellar season in D.C. that’s got him sitting second in save percentage (.915, matching his career best) and fourth in goals against average (2.37) among goalies with 20-plus starts. (With 30 starts to his name, Thompson’s been among the busiest netminders in the NHL thus far.)
The 28-year-old has been rewarded for his efforts with a spot on Canada’s Olympic team, and the way he’s playing will surely see some starts in Milan.
-
-
32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Scott Wedgewood, Colorado Avalanche
So dominant is Colorado across the board this year, you could run down the awards list and assign an Avalanche player to just about every single trophy category. By season’s end, the top-ranked club could very well have two netminders listed on the Vezina ballot, considering the near-perfect play of both Wedgewood and his blue-paint partner, Mackenzie Blackwood — the 1B to Wedgewood’s 1A. Together, they’re responsible for Colorado allowing the fewest goals per game (2.17) in the NHL. But despite Blackwood’s stellar individual stats — a 13-1-1 record, 2.07 GAA, .924 save percentage — his relative lack of starts shifts our trophy focus to Wedgewood at the halfway point.
After spending the majority of his career in a backup role, Wedgewood is thriving as Colorado’s starter. Through 26 starts — already just two shy of his previous single-season high — Wedgewood has posted a league-best 18 wins while also leading his peers in GAA (2.17) and save percentage (.918). With news of Blackwood opening the new year on injured reserve, Colorado will lean even more heavily on Wedgewood, which at this rate should only bolster his Vezina case.
Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
Like the Avalanche, the Wild have two netminders posting elite numbers at the moment. And while rookie Jesper Wallstedt has quickly launched himself into the spotlight thanks to his 11-2 record, 2.30 goals-against average, .928 save percentage, and four shutouts already, we’re keeping our focus on Gustavsson for now because of the sample size.
Gustavsson’s own stats — 14 wins, a 2.45 GAA, .912 save percentage and three shutouts — are some of the best this season so far among netminders with 20 or more starts. He hasn’t lost in regulation since Dec. 4. It’s easy to see why both he and Wallstedt were named to Sweden’s Olympic squad. Together, they’ve combined for the league’s second-best goal-against average (2.60) behind only Colorado’s duo.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
As topsy-turvy as the Eastern Conference standings have been through the first half of the 2025-26 campaign, the Lightning bring a sense of normalcy with their status as top contenders and leaders of the Atlantic. Credit Vasilevsky with much of that success — Tampa’s strung together seven straight wins, and the star netminder has backstopped five of them. That he’s done so after returning from a two-week stint on the sideline while injured bodes well for the Lightning’s second-half hopes. (So does the fact that Vasilevsky also had a six-game win streak just prior to his injury absence.)
It’s rare when the 31-year-old, who claimed the award in 2018-19, isn’t in the Vezina conversation. He finished second in voting last year behind Hellebuyck, and is once again putting up the numbers (16 wins in 25 starts, .912 save percentage, 2.36 GAA) to have a say in this year’s race at the mid-way point of the season.
Darcy Kuemper, Los Angeles Kings
Kuemper played his way onto the ballot last year as a Vezina finalist and has so far brought that strong play into this season, too. His win total (12) through 26 starts may not be at the level of his Vezina-worthy peers halfway through the 2025-26 campaign, but that can be deceiving. After all, the offence in front of him isn’t doing him many favours — the Kings rank fourth worst in goals scored per game (2.63) while sitting with a third-best goals against per game (2.65).
Kuemper, 35, is the backbone of that success, having posted a 2.32 goals-against average and .912 save percentage — stats that got slightly skewed by a pair of games in which he allowed four goals each to open the new year. Considering his consistent presence throughout the first half of the campaign, not to mention an overall performance that earned him a coveted spot on Canada’s Olympic roster, it was no surprise to see him bounce back Monday night with a 33-save win over the Wild.
Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders
When he’s on, he’s on. And through the first half of what’s been a surprising season for the Islanders, a team that went from top pick in the draft last June to second in the Metropolitan Division mere months later, Sorokin has been locked in.
The 30-year-old has three shutouts to his name and, prior to a two-week injury absence, had a five-game win streak that launched New York firmly into the mix.
His 2.55 goals-against average and .910 save percentage have him playing his best hockey since 2022-23, when he finished second in Vezina voting.
Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
Shesterkin’s outing against Utah was cut short Monday night when he needed to be helped off the ice following an apparent leg injury — a scary sight for the club, considering the netminder has been their unquestioned MVP through the first half of what’s been a rocky season.
It’s unclear what the rest of Shesterkin’s year might look like, but it’s worth recognizing his first-half efforts here in our mid-season check-in.
The Rangers’ lack of offence (just 2.6 goals scored per game this season) has been well-documented, which only amplifies the importance of Shesterkin’s performances thus far. Unlike others on this list, there’s no tandem here (though Jonathan Quick has been strong in relief when called upon). Shesterkin has been the busiest netminder in the league, having started 34 of New York’s 44 games, and while his stats aren’t quite up to his 2021-22 Vezina-winning standards, his .912 save percentage and 2.47 GAA are on pace with his peers on this list.
