Ranking the top-three Vezina Trophy candidates at the quarter-season mark

On Tuesday, I gave my top-five current rankings for the Calder Trophy, and with the NHL now at the quarter-mark of the 2021-22 season, I'm going to share who I think are the top-three candidates for the Vezina Trophy.

1) Frederik Andersen - Carolina Hurricanes

Andersen, 32, left the Toronto Maple Leafs this off-season and signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. Fun fact about Andersen, he was originally drafted in the seventh round in 2010 by the Hurricanes, but opted not to sign and re-entered the draft in 2012, being selected by Anaheim.

The Herning, Denmark native playing extremely well behind a strong Carolina Hurricanes team. In 14 games, Andersen has a record 11-3-0 with a 1.90 G.A.A., a .936 save percentage, and one shutout.

2) Jacob Markstrom - Calgary Flames

After a rocky 2020-21 campaign, Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom has bounced back in a big way. In 15 games, the Gavle, Sweden native has a record of 8-3-4 with a 1.73 G.A.A., a .940 save percentage, and five shutouts.

Markstrom has his sights set on not only playoff success with the Flames, but also the starting role in Beijing with Sweden. So far this season, Markstrom has edged out his countryman Robin Lehner and is poised to win the starting job with Sweden.

3) Jack Campbell - Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs' season didn't start as expected. Through their first seven games, the team was 2-4-1, which caused slight panic through the fan base. Their season turned around on October 27th with an overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks. Since October 27th, the Maple Leafs have gone on a tear, with a record of 12-2-0.

A big reason the Maple Leafs have had this success over the last month? Jack Campbell. In 17 games, Campbell has a record of 11-4-1 with a 1.68 G.A.A., a .943 save percentage, and three shutouts.

Campbell, 29, is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July, and if he does end up hitting the open market, he'll be sought after by many teams.

Other names to watch in the Vezina race: Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers), Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers), and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning).

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