With the Stanley Cup Playoffs underway and the regular season in the rearview mirror, we're now nearing NHL Awards season. Starting Monday, NHL Award finalists will start to be announced ahead of the June ceremony. While some awards will be a close race though, this year, the Vezina Trophy is unlikely to be one of them. Below, we take a look at who's likely to take home this year's Goaltender of the Year award, along with other candidates.

Connor Hellebuyck is the frontrunner

The clear Vezina Trophy favorite is Winnipeg Jets starter Connor Hellebuyck. At this point, it would come as a bit of a shock if anyone else ended up taking home the award.

Hellebuyck was one of the keys to the Jets' successful year, playing 60 games this season. That was enough to leave him ranking third amongst NHL goalies in the category, with his 37 wins ranking second in the league. While other goalies had a similar workload though, no goalie playing as much as Hellebuyck was able to post close to his numbers.

The netminder managed an excellent .921 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average. For reference, not one of the other 12 goalies to reach at least 54 games this season (approximately two-thirds of his team's games) surpassed a .915 save percentage.

Hellebuyck already has one Vezina Trophy to his name in 2020, but has finished top-five in voting a total of four times to this point. He also already locked up the Jennings Trophy, marking the first time in six years the award was earned by a single goaltender rather than a tandem.

So while there are some goalies who had a similar workload to Hellebuyck, and some who had similar stats, none had both. By all expectations, Hellebuyck is set to win his second Vezina in convincing fashion.

Bobrovsky, Demko could be finalists

While Hellebuyck seems like a bit of a lock, the two netminders who are likely to come in just behind in the Vezina Trophy running are Sergei Bobrovsky and Thatcher Demko.

Bobrovsky's tenure with the Florida Panthers started out rocky, but he's managed to turn things around recently. Following his outstanding playoff run last year, this season marked Bobrovsky's best regular season since leaving Columbus.

The netminder played 58 games for the Panthers, winning 36. He was tied for the league lead in shutouts and posted a .915 save percentage. Meanwhile, his 2.37 goals-against average was the best of any NHL goalie to play at least 45 games. Bobrovsky also holds two Vezina trophies from 2013 and 2017.

With Demko, the Vancouver Canucks saw their starter put together an outstanding bounce-back year. Last season, Demko only got into 32 games with a groin injury. When he did suit up, he struggled, posting just a .901 save percentage in his limited action.

This season though, Demko was a catalyst for Vancouver's stellar year. He's posted a .918 save percentage across 51 games, while managing 35 wins. It's an unfortunate end to the year for him, sustaining an injury that could force him to miss the rest of the Canucks' playoff run, but his season will warrant some Vezina buzz.

Realistically, neither Bobrovsky nor Demko likely have much of a shot to pull off an upset win. But with three finalists to be announced, there's a good chance they could be the goalies joining Hellebuyck.

Others Who Could Receive Votes

After Hellebuyck, Bobrovsky and Demko, there's a drop-off in terms of Vezina Trophy candidates. That said, we can still expect others to work their way onto some ballots.

Igor Shesterkin still recovered as the year went on to post a .913 save percentage across 55 games. Meanwhile, Jordan Binnington posted an identical save percentage in 57 games with a worse team in front of him. While neither really competes with the top three, there's a decent chance they'll get some recognition.

Both Boston netminders also put together a strong year. Jeremy Swayman managed a .916 save percentage, while 2023 Vezina winner Linus Ullmark posted a .915 save percentage. One issue for the Bruins' goaltenders though is they essentially split the workload. Only playing 40-45 games, it's tough to justify either as a favorite, given their stats were only similar to those who got into more action. Ullmark managed to win with only 49 games last season, but his .938 save percentage 1.89 GAA were undeniable. Swayman may be a little more likely to get on the ballots, but neither is a true contender to win.

Others who could get votes are Joey Daccord and Cam Talbot. Daccord managed to stabilize the Seattle Kraken's crease, with a 2.46 GAA across 50 games. Meanwhile, Cam Talbot was an NHL All-Star Game attendee. Despite stumbling midway through the season, Talbot still posted a 2.50 GAA across 54 games in Los Angeles.

This year though, the Vezina Trophy finalists seem somewhat predictable, and the frontrunner is very clear. We can expect Hellebuyck to earn his second win, following the big year in Winnipeg. While Bobrovsky and Demko are maybe a little less secure as finalists, we can expect both to get votes.