BetMGM: Vezina Trophy Appears Up For Grabs With Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck Sitting Out And New York Rangers' Igor Shesterkin Done For The Season

Since the NHL season is only a couple of weeks old, most NHL awards markets haven't changed — with one exception.

New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin, who was an early favorite for the Vezina Trophy, will miss the remainder of the season due to a severe right knee injury. With the 2021 award winner out of the mix, the field is wide open.

Here’s a look at how the NHL odds for the Vezina Trophy have shifted, as of Oct. 14.

Prior to his injury, Shesterkin had the second-shortest odds at +750 and was taking in 7.6% of the bets and 6.1% of the money.

The only goalie with better odds was Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals, who was the favorite at +600 and has since moved to +500. That's in spite of the fact that he has started the season with a 3-2-0 record and a .904 save percentage. Then again, he has stopped an NHL-leading 132 shots after five games.

Thompson isn’t the only goalie to see his odds improve, especially at the top of the table.

Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy each have gone from +850 to +800. They are taking in 3.5% and 1.8% of the money, respectively.

Sorokin ranks third amongst goalies with a .934 save percentage, while Vasilevski's increased odds are likely based on him being a six-time Vezina Trophy finalist — and two-time winner.

Connor Hellebuyck is +800 after opening +400. But considering he's yet to play a game this season, while holding out for a trade out of Winnipeg, it's amazing that he has those kind of odds. If — or when — Hellebuyck finally gets traded, the only question will be whether he can play enough games to warrant consideration for an award that he's won three times.

Another question is whether Linus Ullmark's hot start to the season is going to last longer than a couple of weeks. According to bettors, the feeling is that it could.

The Senators goalie began the season at +4,000, but is down to +1,100, which accounts for 21.9% of the money, after going 5-0-0 with a .948 save percentage.

Another goalie to watch out for is Colorado's MacKenzie Blackwood (+4000), who is the next most popular player, drawing 16.2% of the money. Other big movers in the last week include Boston's Jeremy Swayman (+1400 to +900) and Dallas' Jake Oettinger (+2000 to +900).

With six months to go, this goalie race is not going to be settled anytime soon. 

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