The Latest 2016 Vezina Trophy Rankings in the NHL

With less than two weeks to go in the 2015-16 regular season, time is running out for the NHL's goaltenders to make their cases for consideration for this year's Vezina Trophy.

Per NHL.com, the Vezina is decided by votes from the league's 30 general managers and is awarded to "the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position."

My Bleacher Report colleague Steve Macfarlane last assessed the Vezina landscape in this piece from early January.

Since that time, Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers and Jake Allen of the St. Louis Blues have lost their spots in the main rankings to a couple of Western Conference upstarts. Macfarlane's honourable-mention selections—the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury and Minnesota Wild's Devan Dubnyk—have all continued to play well and guided their teams into playoff spots, but they remain one level below this year's top contenders.

It's worth noting—those top contenders are all Vezina virgins, looking to take home their first award. Here's a look at the men who will be in the running for the hardware at the NHL Awards in June.

7. Martin Jones: San Jose Sharks

Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

2015-16 Stats: 62 GP, 36-21-4, 2.25 goals-against average, .919 save percentage, five shutouts

Vezina Pedigree: None

Making His Case

San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones' name may be the most surprising on this list, but the first-year starter has demonstrated that the Sharks made a wise move when they acquired him to replace the departed Antti Niemi.

Last season, the Sharks finished the year ranked 24th defensively, giving up 2.76 goals per game. This year, they've improved to 13th overall with an average of 2.57 goals per game.

Jones' personal numbers have been far better. He started the season with a 1.74 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in October but slipped to a 3.06 goals-against in a 4-5-2 December before rediscovering his game.

For a goalie who had only 29 career starts to his name before this season, it's especially impressive that Jones has gone 20-10-2 since January 1 and is back at the top of his game in the month of March, with a 1.79 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.

The Sharks acquired James Reimer at the trade deadline to add a little extra insurance in net heading into the playoffs. So far, Jones has shown that he's on his way to the level of the game's elite netminders. He won't be a Vezina finalist this year, but he should start collecting a few votes, setting the stage for serious consideration in the years to come.

6. Brian Elliott: St. Louis Blues

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Previous Ranking: Not Ranked

2015-16 Stats: 38 GP, 21-7-6, 1.92 goals-against average, .935 save percentage, four shutouts

Vezina Pedigree: Blues netminder Brian Elliott finished fifth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2011-12, the year he shared the William M. Jennings Trophy with then-Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak.

Making His Case

Now in his fifth season with the Blues, Elliott has been generally excellent on one of the best defensive teams in the NHL, but he hasn't been given a chance to take a real run as a No. 1 goaltender—or been paid like one. Per General Fanager, Elliott is currently in the middle of a three-year deal with a cap hit of $2.5 million per season, well below the salaries of most of his peers on this list.

Yet it's Elliott who leads the league in both save percentage and goals-against average—and he has returned from a 10-game absence due to a lower-body injury playing his best hockey of the year. After pitching three straight shutouts, Elliott finally gave up a single goal on March 29 in the Blues' 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Having split duties with Jake Allen for most of the season, Elliott hasn't played as many games as most of the other goalies on this list. But he's a consistently good netminder who is going through a great stretch of play—something that should catch the attention of Vezina voters.

5. Cory Schneider: New Jersey Devils

LM Otero/Associated Press

Previous Ranking: Fifth

2015-16 Stats: 55 GP, 26-23-6, 2.17 goals-against average, .923 save percentage, four shutouts

Vezina Pedigree: none

Making His Case

Over the course of his NHL career, 30-year-old New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider has been a co-winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy with former Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo back in 2010-11 and has posted a career save percentage of .925 and goals-against average of 2.17—but he has never been a factor in Vezina Trophy voting.

Spending the last three seasons with the New Jersey Devils has been a double-edged sword for Schneider. His personal numbers are outstanding, despite playing on a team that has been mediocre at best. But without any playoff appearances since he was traded away from Vancouver during the summer of 2013, Schneider has not yet received more than a pat on the head for his top-level goaltending with the Devils.

A knee injury has kept Schneider out of the New Jersey lineup since early March and will impact his visibility with Vezina voters. He won't be a finalist, but this should be the year that he makes some top-five lists.

4. Corey Crawford: Chicago Blackhawks

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Previous Ranking: Sixth

2015-16 Stats: 57 GP, 35-18-4, 2.32 goals-against average, .926 save percentage, seven shutouts

Vezina Pedigree: Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford finished sixth in Vezina voting in 2014-15 and eighth in 2012-13.

Making His Case

Despite his two Stanley Cup rings, Crawford hasn't received much acclaim as one of the NHL's top goaltenders—until this season.

Crawford's league-leading seven shutouts have turned heads and he has hit a career high in wins with six games still remaining on the Blackhawks' schedule, but his personal stats are almost identical to the .924 save percentage and 2.27 goals-against average that he posted in 2014-15. It's not like the 31-year-old has taken a real step forward this season.

Crawford's Vezina candidacy will also be hampered by the late-season injury that has kept him out of the lineup since March 14. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reported on March 29 that Crawford is dealing with vertigo symptoms due to a head injury, and the timetable for his return remains uncertain.

If Crawford doesn't get back between the pipes before the end of the regular season, Vezina voters may be tempted to bypass his name in favor of another goalie who ends the year on a high note.

3. Jonathan Quick: Los Angeles Kings

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Previous Ranking: Third

2015-16 Stats: 63 GP, 38-21-4, 2.24 goals-against average, .918 save percentage, four shutouts

Vezina Pedigree: Los Angeles Kings netminder Jonathan Quick has received Vezina votes in four different seasons, but he was named a finalist only once. He finished second to Henrik Lundquivst in 2011-12.

Making His Case

Only Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators has played more minutes than Quick this season. Quick's 63 starts are tied with Rinne for tops in the league, his 38 wins are second only to Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals and his Kings' 2.34 goals-against per game are just a hair higher than the league-leading Capitals and Anaheim Ducks.

The big change in Quick's stat line this year? He has cut down his league-leading 13 overtime and shootout losses from 2014-15 to just four this year. Through March 29, Quick's save percentage and goals-against average are identical to his numbers from last season. It's Quick's work after the 60-minute mark, where the Kings are 11-3 in overtime and 2-2 in shootouts, that has pushed his team to the top of the Pacific Division and back into the playoff picture.

Is that clutch goaltending? I'd say so.

2. Ben Bishop: Tampa Bay Lightning

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Previous Ranking: Seventh

2015-16 Stats: 57 GP, 33-19-4, 2.02 goals-against average, .928 save percentage, six shutouts

Vezina Pedigree: Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop finished third in Vezina voting in 2013-14.

Making His Case

Bishop is one of the few elite NHL goaltenders who has improved his already impressive individual numbers this season. His .928 save percentage, 2.02 goals-against average and six shutouts each rank him second in the NHL—behind different goalies in each category—and are all personal bests.

With an 18-6-1 record since our last Vezina ranking in January, Bishop is definitely delivering his best work as the playoffs draw closer. With the Lightning challenging for the top seed in the Atlantic Division, Bishop's season has trended in a direction that should earn him some consideration from the league's general managers when they cast their Vezina ballots.

1. Braden Holtby: Washington Capitals

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Previous Ranking: First

2015-16 Stats: 61 GP, 46-9-4, 2.19 goals-against average, .923 save percentage, three shutouts

Vezina Pedigree: Braden Holtby finished fourth in Vezina voting in 2014-15.

Making His Case

By far the best team in the 2015-16 regular season, the Capitals locked down this year's Presidents' Trophy with just under two weeks remaining on the schedule.

Holtby has been a big part of his team's success, leading the NHL in wins and posting his best goals-against average since his rookie season while carrying the lion's share of the Washington workload.

In fans' eyes, the Capitals' team success has put Holtby in a class of his own this season. A March 29 fan poll by the National Post saw nearly 66 percent of respondents choose Holtby as their 2015-16 Vezina favourite.

Expect to see the general managers follow suit when Holtby is awarded his first Vezina Trophy this June.

Stats current through games completed March 29, from NHL.com. Vezina history courtesy of Hockey Reference.