The NHL announced today that Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, Ilya Bryzgalov of the Phoenix Coyotes, and Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres are the three finalists for the 2009-10 Vezina Trophy. The winner, as voted by the general managers from around the league, will be awarded the trophy at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas on June 23.
Let's break down the case for each of the finalists.
A lot of people have said that Martin Brodeur, the winner of four Vezina's since taking over full time for the New Jersey Devils in 1993, has slowed down in recent years. He's largely regarded as one of the best goaltenders of this generation and one of the best of all time, but given his play in the Olympics and his slightly less-than-human play in the Devils net this year, there have been concerns that he's lost "it."
SBN's In Lou We Trust has always been skeptical, and they made those doubters eat their words after Brodeur's magnificent performance in Game 3 of this year's playoffs:
From personal anecdotes, I've read and heard that Martin Brodeur needs to steal a game here or there to "prove" himself. To some, he's lost a step, he's tired, he's not that good, and so forth. Tonight was a huge piece of evidence against those theories and scuttlebutt. Actually, tonight's Game 3 showed that Brodeur's still the man.
Tonight, Martin Brodeur did just that as he was a wall in the third period that was completely owned by the Philadelphia Flyers. [...] It didn't matter if it was a breakaway, a rebound in front, a shot from either circle, a wraparound. Brodeur was the Martin Brodeur he always was and will continue to be tonight in Philadelphia.
Is his still world-class play at age 37 enough to win him his fifth Vezina? He'll have to beat out two up-and-comers to make it happen, and that won't be an easy task.
If there is anybody in the NHL today that seems to be the heir apparent to Brodeur's reign as best goalie in the league, it would have to be Ryan Miller. The 29-year-old came this... close... to leading Team USA to a gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but still won 41 games for the Buffalo Sabres during the NHL season.
Given that his best defenseman is a rookie, Tyler Myers, it's easy to say that Miller has been doing it all himself. The Sabres are a very solid defensive team, but Miller really is the key in that group. Guys like Myers, Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder are nice, but without Miller, where would the Sabres be?
Nobody expected the Phoenix Coyotes to be good this season. Guess what? They are. Why? A lot of it has to do with the way Ilya Bryzgalov has played between the pipes, even if, according to SBN's advanced stats blog, Behind The Net, he's played above his head.
He hadn't had much of a chance to prove himself prior to this season, despite two 26-win seasons in Anaheim, but picking up the full-time gig in Phoenix has really given him a spotlight. His 42 wins are a franchise record, and he tied the team record for shutouts in a season with eight.
Just as with the other nominees, it's hard to imagine where the Coyotes would be without Bryzgalov.
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Bryzgalov for the Vezina
He’s played better than ever, but I don’t know that you can say that he’s “played better than he is”. This is really the first chance he’s had to show what he’s got, and he’s been playing well. As far as I’m concerned, coming from a team that in week one would have been, if not the last choice to make the playoffs, nearly the last choice, his work has helped turn the team around, and he’s definitely deserving of the trophy. Brodeur is a good old standby, but his play hasn’t been any better than usual, and Miller, although an impressive goalie, maybe hasn’t come quite as far this year. I vote for Bryzgalov for work invested and for showing marked improvement.
by Thunder Lizard on Apr 20, 2010 10:59 AM EDT reply actions
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