Despite being arguably the best goaltender in the NHL for much of the 2025-26 NHL season, Red Wings' goalie John Gibson was overlooked in the voting for the Vezina Trophy.
While the first two months in the Detroit Red Wings tenure of John Gibson weren't what he or the club were looking for, he rebounded in emphatic fashion.
Gibson became arguably one of the NHL's top goaltenders from that point on, putting together several multi-game winning streaks and enjoying a dominant stretch of 16 wins in 18 games while posting an impressive .929 save percentage.
However, Gibson was ultimately overlooked in the recent voting for the Vezina Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL's top goaltender. This season's nominees were announced on Wednesday, and two of them play in the Atlantic Division.
Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins, and Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders are this season's Vezina nominees.
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According to NHL.com, Gibson wasn't even mentioned in the voting totals.
"Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis): Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning, 75 points (14 first-place votes); Ilya Sorokin, Islanders 49 (2); Jeremy Swayman, Bruins, 35; Scott Wedgewood, Colorado Avalanche, 33; Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals, 21; Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars, 13; Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers, 10; Brandon Bussi, Carolina Hurricanes, 3; Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild, 1"
By January 22, Gibson's 13.47 goals saved above expected at 5-on-5 since the start of December was only behind Sorokin. His strong play was also a major reason why the Red Wings, who ultimately missed the postseason, were tied for first overall in the Eastern Conference in late January.
Gibson's numbers did come back down to earth during the final 19 games that he started, during which he accumulated a 6-10-2 record with a 3.20 goals-against average.
Overall, he finished his first campaign with the Red Wings, having posted a 29-22-4 record, a 2.72 goals-against average, a .901 save percentage, and four shutouts.
Gibson, who was acquired last offseason from the Anaheim Ducks, is under contract for one more season.
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