Predicting the Top Candidates for the 2015-16 Vezina Trophy

The voting pool is a small one for the Vezina Trophy, given to the NHL's best goaltender each year.

The award is voted by the league's 30 general managers, who each rank their top three candidates.

In 2014-15, Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens came impressively close to a unanimous decision as he captured his first Vezina. He received 27 first-place votes and three second-place votes for a total of 144 points, according to NHL.com, more than twice as many as the 60 points collected by second-place finisher Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators. 

Price's star has been on the rise for the past few seasons, so it's surprising he became a Vezina finalist for the first time in his career just last year. But after sharing the William Jennings Trophy as one of two primary goaltenders on the teams with the lowest goals against, as well as picking up the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award as the league's MVP at any position, Price has spent the summer of 2015 head and shoulders above the rest of the goaltending herd.

Right now, it's hard to imagine any other goaltender stealing the Vezina away from Price next season, but these things happen. The trophy hasn't had a repeat winner since Martin Brodeur did the deed for the New Jersey Devils back in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

This slideshow will look deeper at where Price stands going into 2015-16, then offer up the challengers who are best positioned to contend if Price gets injured or otherwise falters next year.

The Favorite: Carey Price

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2014-15 Stats: 66 GP, 44-16-6, 1.96 GAA, .933 save percentage, 9 shutouts (from NHL.com)

Price ranked first in wins, goals against and save percentage in 2014-15, the first goaltender to lead all three of those categories since Ed Belfour did it in 1990-91, according to NHL.com.

Price's nine shutouts tied him for second place with Braden Holtby, behind the 10 shutouts of league leader Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

2015 Vezina Results

Price appeared on every single Vezina ballot this year, earning 27 first-place votes and three second-place votes to easily capture the award.

Price's previous best in Vezina voting was a fourth-place finish in 2013-14, according to Hockey-Reference.com.

Projection for 2015-16

At times last season, it felt like Price was accomplishing his heroics without a whole lot of support from the Montreal Canadiens team in front of him. He's a one-man show who can truly win games all by himself.

Turning 28 this August, Price is in what should be the prime of his career. If he stays healthy, he could start building a legacy that eventually gets him mentioned in the same breath as past Montreal goaltending greats with another Vezina win next season.

The Perennial Challenger: Henrik Lundqvist

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2014-15 Stats: 46 GP, 30-13-3, 2.25 GAA, .922 save percentage, 5 shutouts (from NHL.com)

Henrik Lundqvist was enjoying another solid season with the New York Rangers when he was felled for 24 games by a puck to the throat in early February.

After posting a solid 5-2 record during his late-season return, Lundqvist improved his numbers in the playoffs with a 2.11 goals-against average and .928 save percentage as the Rangers fought their way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

2015 Vezina Results

Despite missing more than a quarter of the season, Lundqvist earned one first-place vote from the league's general managers in Vezina voting, as well as a third-place vote. His six points ultimately ranked him fifth overall, per NHL.com.

Lundqvist won the 2011 Vezina Trophy and has been on the ballot in every season of his 10-year career—never finishing lower than sixth, according to Hockey-Reference.com.

Projection for 2015-16 

Lundqvist should start the new season 100 percent healthy, but at 33, he's at an age where his durability may start to become an issue. 

Still, he'll have a good team and a solid defensive system in front of him once again. If he can stay healthy, expect to see Lundqvist in the conversation as a Vezina finalist for the sixth time.

The Bridesmaid: Pekka Rinne

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2014-15 Stats: 64 GP, 41-17-6, 2.18 GAA, .923 save percentage, 4 shutouts (from NHL.com)

After a brilliant 29-6-2 start that made him the Vezina favorite through the first half of the season, Pekka Rinne's campaign lost steam after he missed eight games with a knee injury around the All-Star break.

Comparatively speaking, he struggled after his return, going 12-11-4. In the playoffs, Rinne managed just a 2.68 goals-against average and .909 save percentage over six games, and his Predators fell to the Chicago Blackhawks.

2015 Vezina Results

Rinne's strong start and the Nashville Predators' impressive season caught the eye of the NHL's 30 general managers. Rinne received votes from 26 of them—one for first place, 15 for second place and 10 for third place for a total of 60 points, according to NHL.com.

Rinne was a Vezina finalist for the third time in 2014-15. He also finished second in the voting to Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins in 2010-11, per Hockey-Reference.com.

Projection for 2015-16

Less than a year younger than Lundqvist, age may also start to creep up on Rinne in the next year or two. He came back well last season after missing 51 games due to hip surgery in 2013-14, but it'll get tougher for Rinne to carry a full workload as Father Time bears down.

If Rinne wants a Vezina before he retires, next season might be his last chance to make a serious run at the prize.

The Redemption Story: Devan Dubnyk

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2014-15 Stats: 58 GP, 36-14-4, 2.07 GAA, .929 save percentage, 6 shutouts (from NHL.com)

After nearly playing himself out of the league in 2013-14, Devan Dubnyk's season of redemption began with 18 games backing up Mike Smith as part of the Arizona Coyotes, then it reached full throttle after a midseason trade to the Minnesota Wild.

Dubnyk's full-season save percentage of .929 was second only to Carey Price. During his time with the Wild, he bettered Price's league-best number by three one-hundredths at .936. Dubnyk's 1.78 goals-against average in Minnesota also surpassed Price's 1.96—further underscoring Dubnyk's remarkable play after joining the Wild.

2015 Vezina Results

More than half of the NHL's general managers thought Dubnyk's season was worth Vezina recognition. He received one first-place vote, four second-place votes and 11 third-place votes last season to finish third overall with 28 points, per NHL.com.

With a career save percentage of .914 and a 2.69 goals-against average, Dubnyk had never previously received any awards recognition, according to Hockey-Reference.com. He was named the 2015 winner of the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey, and he also finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting as the NHL's most valuable player.

Projection for 2015-16

With six years of job security and a fresh $26 million contract in his pocket, Dubnyk's job next season will be to prove that his heroics last spring were more than lightning in a bottle.

If the fit does indeed turn out to be real, expect to see the Wild listed among the stingiest teams in the league, challenging for top spot in the tough Central Division as Dubnyk once again earns consideration as a Vezina contender.

The Bounce-Back Candidate: Tuukka Rask

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2014-15 Stats: 70 GP, 34-21-13, 2.30 GAA, .922 save percentage, 3 shutouts (from NHL.com)

After losing captain and defensive powerhouse Zdeno Chara for 19 games early in the season, the Boston Bruins came just short of securing a playoff spot in 2014-15. Boston finished the year two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

The 2013-14 Presidents' Trophy winners ended the season tied for 11th with 211 goals against, 34 more than the previous season when they ranked second in the NHL.

Goaltender Tuukka Rask's numbers dipped correspondingly, from a 2.04 goals-against average and .930 save percentage when he won the Vezina Trophy in 2014.

2015 Vezina Results

After beating out Semyon Varlamov by 13 points and receiving 16 first-place votes to secure the Vezina in 2014, Rask was shut out in Vezina voting last season.

In addition to his 2013-14 win, Rask finished fifth in Vezina voting in 2012-13 and seventh in his rookie year (2009-10), according to Hockey-Reference.com.

Projection for 2015-16

After missing the playoffs, the Bruins made significant changes to their roster in the offseason, jettisoning Milan Lucic, Reilly Smith and Dougie Hamilton while bringing in Matt Beleskey, Jimmy Hayes and Matt Irwin.

Rask will need to see the team in front of him regain some of that Presidents' Trophy form if he hopes to get back into the Vezina conversation next season.

The Upstart: Braden Holtby

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2014-15 Stats: 73 GP, 41-20-10, 2.22 GAA, .923 save percentage, 9 shutouts (from NHL.com)

At 25, Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby showed last season that he deserves to be in the conversation with the league's best netminders. With the heaviest workload in the league, Holtby led the NHL in games and minutes played, shots against and saves in 2014-15—and his performance numbers were pretty great, too.

Holtby was rewarded with a new five-year contract with a cap hit of $6.1 million a season, per General Fanager. The stage has been set for him to ascend to the top tier of NHL goaltenders starting next season.

2015 Vezina Results

Holtby finished fourth in Vezina voting in 2014-15 with 26 points, according to NHL.com. He secured seven second-place and five third-place votes.

Projection for 2015-16

In their first year under new coach Barry Trotz, the Capitals went from 22nd in the league defensively to sixth overall, giving up 37 less goals over the course of the season. Washington will always have plenty of offensive firepower, but expect to see Trotz tighten up his defensive systems even more next season.

If he stays healthy, Holtby's on track for a potentially excellent season and his first turn as a Vezina Trophy finalist.

The Emerging Candidate: Cam Talbot

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2014-15 Stats: 36 GP, 21-9-4, 2.21 GAA, .926 save percentage, 5 shutouts (from NHL.com)

Cam Talbot was performing solid backup duties for the New York Rangers when starter Henrik Lundqvist was sidelined with his neck injury in early February.

While the King was on the shelf, Talbot caught the attention of the league by putting up a 16-4-3 record that helped move the Rangers from 10th to first overall in the NHL standings.

The Edmonton Oilers are now banking on Talbot to anchor their most recent rebuild after acquiring the 28-year-old in a trade with the Rangers in July.

2015 Vezina Results

Talbot tied for seventh in Vezina voting last season with one third-place vote, according to NHL.com.

A late bloomer, his career ascent has been sharp. The undrafted Talbot didn't play his first NHL game until he was 27, in October 2013.

Projection for 2015-16

Talbot won't be as protected in Edmonton as he was behind the Rangers defense, but the Oilers won't be the worst defensive team in the NHL anymore next season, either.

New coach Todd McLellan should add structure to Edmonton's systems, working with an upgraded blue line that will include new additions Andrej Sekera, Eric Gryba and rookies Griffin Reinhart and Darnell Nurse.

If Talbot helps catapult the Oilers to a big leap up the Pacific Division standings, his name could come up in Vezina conversations in the same way Dubnyk's did last season with Minnesota.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com unless otherwise indicated.