Puckstopshere Kukla's Korner
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Hart and Vezina Trophy Leader
Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens had a slow start to the season due to injury. As he played he moved into the award picture. In mid-November I picked him as the Vezina Trophy leader. Less than a week later he became my Hart Trophy leader. Price has been passed in both of those races.
Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild is playing better than Price is. Dubnyk has a .946 saves percentage and a 1.65 GAA. Both are numbers better than Price has. Dubnyk has done so facing more shots than Price has.
In 2015, Price and Dubnyk were both contenders for these awards. Price won them both. Dubnyk was a Vezina nominee and finished fourth in the Hart Trophy voting. For Dubnyk this was seen as the likely high point in his career. The season had been a comeback year after he had nearly played himself out of the NHL with Edmonton and Nashville. Last year he had a more average season so this season is a bit of a surprise. It isn't clear if Dubnyk can continue the season at this level. The best guess is he will regress toward his established levels. However right now he is the top goalie and most valuable player in the NHL so far this season.