NHL Best Bets – NHL Futures and Awards: The Vezina Trophy
Written by: Brad Blakemore
Published: Mon Sep 21, 2026, 2:50 pm ET
Read Time: 9 minutes
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ONE MORE WEEK. That's all we have until the NHL hits the ice again. So that means it's time to get our future bets out there, and get locked into what should be a WILD NHL season. We already broke down my favorite NHL award, the Norris Trophy, last week. Now it's time to breakdown the leagues best netminders.
The 2026 Vezina Trophy went to Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who edged out Ilya Sorokin for the award after a dominant campaign. Connor Hellebuyck opens as the 2026-27 favorite at +400 off a bounce-back season with the Jets. But as was the case with our Norris Trophy piece last week, the most interesting money isn't at the top of the board. Especially one who is surrounded by trade rumors and off ice distractions. Here are three goaltenders at prices that deserve serious attention.
As we ramp up to the first puck drop of the season, I will highlight some of my favorite NHL best bets in the futures market. We will kick it off with the trophies and move to player props next week. This will be an ongoing series until 9/29/26 when I will switch over to my weekly NHL best bet prop pieces.
So without further ado, let's kick it off with NHL best bets of the future markets!
1. The Riser for the Vezina Trophy: Logan Thompson +750
Logan Thompson feels like he is beginning to become a top goaltender in the league.
He may not be a household name…yet. But Logan Thompson was, by the evidence of the numbers, arguably one of the best goalie in the NHL during the 2025-26 season. He went 31-21-6 with a 2.55 GAA, a .912 save percentage, and four shutouts across 58 games — carrying a Washington Capitals team that ultimately fell short of the playoffs. He was the choice to win the Vezina at the halfway point of the season according to NHL.com's panel, receiving seven first-place votes and 63 voting points. He finished the year fourth in actual voting.
Quietly, one of the best goalies in the league over the past few seasons has been Logan Thompson. From his time in Vegas to his past two seasons in Washington, all Thompson has done is stop a lot of shots very often. And it seems like Vegas is beginning to turn into somewhat of a goalie factory, making this rise not as surprising as it may look on paper.
But the big reason why this is an NHL best bet is due to what Thompson now has in front of him. Washington's outlook has improved after re-signing captain Alex Ovechkin and adding significant depth through offseason acquisitions like Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, and Boone Jenner. The Capitals have been rebuilt to contend, and Washington looks like the NHL's most improved team year over year, which should push Thompson past 40 wins, and Vezina voters are GMs who have always leaned hard on win totals. OddspediaGino Hard
Thompson is about to get a lot more of them. Logan Thompson has emerged as one of the biggest risers in the NHL Vezina Trophy odds market, with his price shortening significantly from +1800 to +700 in July. The market has already moved, and it should keep moving. Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin ranked Thompson the top Vezina candidate for 2026-27 on Wednesday, ahead of reigning winner Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ilya Sorokin and three-time winner Connor Hellebuyck. OddspediaGino Hard
At +750, you're getting a top Vezina candidate heading into the season, on a revamped contender, in a contract year where the motivation to be great is at its absolute peak. This is the play on the board.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
2. The Strong and Steady Goaltender for Norris Trophy: Illya Sorokin +750
New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin goes to make a glove save at home.
If you followed the Vezina race last season, you know that Sorokin's case was arguably stronger than the result reflected. He led the entire NHL in shutouts with seven, posted a league-leading .914 save percentage among goalies who played at least 40 games, and did it on an Islanders team that was far from a juggernaut — all while keeping the Islanders contending in a jam-packed Eastern Conference playoff race, which features six teams separated by four points for the final four playoff spots. NHL
Sorokin, 31, went 29-24-2 in the 2025-26 season, and finished runner-up to Vasilevskiy for the 2026 Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's best goaltender annually. Seven shutouts. Runner-up for the Vezina. This was highway robbery, as Sorokin got edged by one of the most decorated goaltenders in NHL history. It borderline felt like the league felt Vasilevsky deserved the award for his entire career, rather than his individual performance. And hopefully this motivates Sorokin to play with a chip on his shoulder, making this an NHL best bet. Yahoo!
Not only is Sorokin a truly elite goaltender, the team in front of him plays a style of game to help support his numbers. But this year there is a big change behind the bench. Peter DeBoer takes over the head coaching duties in Long Island. He is a proven playoff coach who built his reputation in San Jose, Vegas, and Dallas by running systems that suppressed high-danger chances and protected his goaltenders. DeBoer is an elite, proven coach who will cut down on the high amount of chances against.
Sorokin has posted a save percentage over .900 in each of his six seasons in the league. He has never had a coach specifically hired to reduce the chaos in front of him — until now. The 31-year-old is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, and he was a major reason why the Islanders nearly made the playoffs last year. A better defensive structure, a new coach with playoff pedigree, and a goalie who is right in the prime of his career entering year two of what figures to be a sustained competitive window for New York. Bleacher Report recently ranked Sorokin second among Vezina contenders heading into the season. Sports Illustrated
At +750 — the same price as Thompson — this is genuine value on a goalie who was better than the winner last year and now gets an improved situation around him. This is not a consolation pick. It's the guy who should have won it and why it is an NHL best bet this season.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
3. The Kid for Vezina Trophy Winner: Jesper Wallstedt +2500
Jesper Wallstedt making yet another big stop
Each of these NHL best bets will have a dart throw. Last week it was Jakob Chychrun at +5000 for the Norris, a player the entire hockey establishment ignored despite leading every defenseman in the league in goals. This week's lottery ticket is younger, less proven, and carries even more upside — because Jesper Wallstedt at +2500 is a bet on one of the best goaltending prospects of the last decade finally getting his full shot.
Wallstedt was on the shortlist of the decade's highest-regarded goaltending prospects and, after he struggled to get his career off the ground, languishing on bad AHL Iowa teams, his moment finally arrived last season after Marc-Andre Fleury's retirement vacated the No. 2 job behind Filip Gustavsson. When he got the opportunity, he didn't waste it. Wallstedt flourished, posting the NHL's second-best save percentage at .915. The only reason he got no Vezina votes was sample size; he started just 33 games. NHL second-best save percentage. No Vezina votes. Sound familiar? The market undervalues what it hasn't seen enough of yet. Daily FaceoffDaily Faceoff
But with more experience and an aging Gustavsson, Wallstedt has a clear runway to truly take off, and that's exactly why this dart throw is an NHL best bet. Not only did he get the nod over Gustavsson to open the 2025-26 playoffs and start all but one of the Wild's games, but Gustavsson is recovering from offseason hip surgery and isn't a lock to be ready for the start of the regular season, leaving Wallstedt as Minnesota's undisputed No. 1 to open 2026-27. We can expect him to push for 45-50 starts this season, which means the sample size question gets answered this year. Daily Faceoff
Wallstedt also showed he knows how to step up when the pressure is on. He posted a .909 save percentage in the playoffs, and a .916 SP in the regular season. Still at a young age, he has room to grow. And this is a fantastic baseline to grow from. The Hockey News
On top of all of this, the Wild are legitimately built to contend. Quinn Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber, a deep forward group — the Minnesota Wild are a genuine Cup contender this season, which means Wallstedt should be in the business of collecting wins all year. With the Wild looking to make a Cup run, a superlative season from Wallstedt could have him knocking on the door of Vezina Trophy contention. The Hockey Writers
This is a dart throw. A small unit. A bet on a 23-year-old with the NHL's second-best save percentage last season finally getting 45-50 starts for a team that could win the Presidents' Trophy. If the workload comes and the save percentage holds, the Vezina conversation starts in November and doesn't stop. At 25-to-1, that conversation is worth buying into right now.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
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Brad Blakemore, better known as Betzky, is a desert rat who was born and raised in Tempe Arizona. Shockingly this didn't stop Betzky from becoming a hockey fanatic. He specializes in NHL capping, and is (unfortunately) a diehard Coyotes fan, through all the highs and (mostly) lows. When not consuming NHL action Betzky collects records of all genres, attends tons of concerts and spends time with the Mrs, their cat Brain and doggo Ned. Follow Betzky on Twitter/X @gretzkybetzkys or on the Parlay Science discord.
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