Pucks of a Feather Midseason Awards Ballot: Vezina Trophy

Jan 16, 2015; Uniondale, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against the New York Islanders during the second period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Honorable Mention: Marc-Andre Fleury

Marc-Andre Fleury continues to get criticized and mocked for his recent postseason shortcomings, but that shouldn’t undermine the terrific season he has had. Fleury’s triple-slash line reads 22-9-5, 2.31 GAA, and .921 SV%. Those are terrific numbers. He has a league-leading six shutouts this season, despite playing behind a defense missing key cogs such as Olli Maatta and Kris Letang because of injuries. Fleury is also dealing with the departures of defensemen Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen. Despite that, he has posted terrific numbers.

The 22 wins are tied for eighth in the NHL. That’s more than reigning Vezina winner Rask. The 2.31 GAA is 11th among goaltenders with 1000 minutes played. The .921 SV% is ninth among those same goaltenders with 1000 minutes. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a good team, but Fleury has been a major reason why they are one of the top teams in the standings right now.

Why only an honorable mention? As good as these stats are, there have been players with even better numbers. That’s pretty much what it boils down to: it’s a regular season award, so the postseason reputation should not matter (and honestly, the playoff failures are just as much on his teammates as it is on Fleury). It can be argued that he gets a lot of run support from playing with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but he only allowed more than three goals in one of his wins (the season opener against the Ducks). But nothing really hurts his case: others have just been better.

Next: Number 3: Workhorse, All-Star Snub