Now that September is here the hotstove will be producing a lot of posts previewing the upcoming season.
In this edition we share our picks for the 2015-16 Vezina Trophy winner.
Todd Cordell: Sergei Bobrovsky Not very often do goaltenders repeat as Vezina winners so I'm going to go with Sergei Bobrovsky.
Over the last three seasons only Carey Price and Tuukka Rask have better save percentages at full strength and they're less than half of a percentage point ahead of Bobrovsky (.932) in that regard.
Despite the Blue Jackets losing a billion man-games due to injury Bobrovsky still managed to pick up 31 wins in 50 games.
I don't love their defense but with the return of Ryan Murray - and inevitably a healthier lineup this year - on top of the addition of Brandon Saad I think the Blue Jackets should be able to win a good chunk of their games.
If Bobrovsky can pile up the wins and post an above average save percentage - like he always does - I think he'd put himself in a good position to win the Vezina.
Tim Chiasson: Devan Dubnyk Dubnyk clearly hit his stride with the Minnesota Wild when he was acquired from Arizona and not much has changed in Minnesota from where he left off.
The biggest question is can he do it again? I think he can, because now he knows he can and he has confidence - not to mention he's on a good team as the starter.
If Dubnyk can put up close numbers to what he did last year - I don't expect the exact same, nor do I from Carey Price - then he's going to have a legitimate shot to win the Vezina Trophy. He got a nomination this year and the debate was did he play enough games. Well, I think if he's even close to the numbers from last year and the Wild make the playoffs then that's going to hit the PHWA right in the feels.
He's going to have stiff competition from around the league, but I think he's got a legitimate shot to grab the trophy this season.
Michael Pachla: Sergei Bobrovsky Gotta believe this is the year of "Bob." Perhaps it's a matter of bringing attention to a Columbus Blue Jackets team who I believe is poised to make some serious noise this season, but the Jackets' Sergei Bobrovsky has all the chops to win the Vezina...again.
Columbus was devastated by injuries last year but when fully healthy they made a stunning comeback from the bottom of the league. In his final 15 starts "Bob" and a healthy Jackets squad went 13-1-1. There's a bit of an asterisks by his Vezina win as it came in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, but I think he removes it as the Jackets go on to surprise a lot of people who haven't been paying too much attention.
James Tanner I think it could be anyone because the goalie position is crazy and anyone in the league could literally become the best goalie for at least one season.
Hard to bet against Price, but I think the Islanders will win the East (or at least come close) and the under-appreciated Halak is a good dark-horse bet.
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