Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom named finalist for Vezina Trophy

A Calgary Flames player has been named a finalist for a major award. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been named one of the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the top netminder in the National Hockey League as voted by the league’s 32 general managers.

The other two finalists are the NY Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin and Nashville’s Juuse Saros.

Markstrom, 32, is in his second season with the Flames after joining the Canucks as a free agent in the 2020 off-season. Markstrom’s first season was pretty uneven, marked by streaky play and marred by a concussion he suffered mid-season in a collision with Tanner Pearson in February.

This season, though, Markstrom stayed healthy and found his swagger again, leading the league with nine shutouts (one shy of Miikka Kiprusoff’s franchise record of 10) and sitting among the league’s leaders in minutes (5th), wins (tied for 4th), save percentage (4th) and goals against average (3rd).

It’s Markstrom’s first season as a Vezina Trophy finalist, but he was fourth in voting in 2019-20 and 10th in voting in 2018-19, so he’s gotten votes in three of his past four seasons.

Kiprusoff is the only Flames netminder to date to win the Vezina Trophy, capturing it in 2005-06. Previous Flames finalists for the award include Kiprusoff (2003-04, 2006-07), Mike Vernon (1988-89) and Reggie Lemelin (1983-84, 1984-85).

The NHL will announce the award winners during the Stanley Cup Final, in-between Games 3 and 4.

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