It’s not his ultimate goal, obviously, but Winnipeg Jets star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is well on his way to winning his third career Vezina Trophy – and it would be his second Vezina in a row, making him the first goalie since Martin Brodeur won back-to-back Vezinas in 2006-07 and 2007-08. So, is Hellebuyck a bona fide Hockey Hall of Famer, or does his lack of Stanley Cup playoff success push him down the list of contenders to be inducted into the HHOF?

We’ll make it perfectly clear: we believe Hellebuyck is pretty much a Hall of Famer already. Yes, we know Hellebuyck hasn’t had the Cup success many other Hockey Hall of Famers have. Yes, we know he’s had only one lengthy post-season performance, which came way back in 2017-18. For many people, Hellebuyck’s playoff struggles are sufficient cause to keep him out of the HHOF, but we’re not having it.

Why? For one reason, there are already star NHL goalies who didn’t win a Cup in the HHOF. This isn’t to diminish the guy by mentioning him, but all-around great guy Roberto Luongo didn’t win a Cup in his long and excellent career, nor did he win a single Vezina. Luongo did, however, play at an above-average level for 19 NHL seasons, and he did have great success at the international level, winning an IIHF World Championship in 2004, a World Cup Of Hockey gold medal in 2004 and an Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Winter Games. So, Luongo didn’t get into the HHOF because he’s a charming guy who is easy to root for – no, he got in because he performed well, night after night, for nearly two decades. That’s a mark of excellence that sticks out about Luongo, and Hellebuyck is quite similar.

Indeed, Hellebuyck has been starring at the NHL level for 10 years now. In that time, he’s never had a save percentage worse than .907, which happened back in 2016-17. And he’s never had a goals-against average higher than 2.97, which happened in 2021-22. His current .928 SP and 2.11 G.A.A. is particularly impressive when you consider that the NHL’s collective current SP is .901, and the league’s collective G.A.A. is 2.85. Hellebuyck’s numbers are far above the average, and that’s a direct comment on how dominant Hellebuyck has been this season.

If Hellebuyck never played another game, would he be a Hall of Famer? The answer to that is still a confident “yes". But let’s look at what Hellebuyck still has ahead of him. He’s still going to be a goaltender at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off as a key member of the American team. He’s still going to be a player at the next Olympics in 2026 as the presumptive starter for Team U.S.A. And of course, the 31-year-old has many more years of playoff appearances with the elite Jets. So Hellebuyck has plenty of time left to improve his resume in the hockey world. But he's already done enough to be considered an icon.

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There may be hotter goalies in the league in the next three-quarters of the season, but as it stands, Hellebuyck is more or less running away with the Vezina this season. He’s not doing it all on his own – his Jets teammates deserve some of the praise as their strong defensive play has made life easier on their netminder – but Hellebuyck has done more than his part to push Winnipeg into the top spot in the Central Division. The Vezina is his to lose right now, and Hellebuyck is playing at a level that is only bolstering his case as an all-time great.

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