- Tony DeAngelo says Ilya Sorokin, not Andrei Vasilevskiy, was the NHL’s best goalie this season
- The ex-NHLer fired off his take minutes after the Vezina was announced Saturday
- Read below for DeAngelo’s full reaction and how the Vezina vote shook out
Tony DeAngelo isn’t buying the Vezina Trophy result.
Minutes after the NHL named Andrei Vasilevskiy the 2026 winner on Saturday, the pending free agent defenseman jumped on X to push for a different goalie. He thinks Ilya Sorokin got passed over.
DeAngelo spent last season with the Islanders, so he watched Sorokin up close. He gave Vasilevskiy his due before throwing his weight behind his former teammate:
The win hands Vasilevskiy his second Vezina and his first since 2018-19. He topped the league with 39 wins and put up a 2.31 goals-against average with a .912 save percentage across 58 starts.
Voters weren’t torn, though. Vasilevskiy pulled in 17 first-place votes and 114 points from the league’s general managers. Sorokin finished second with eight first-place nods, and Boston’s Jeremy Swayman came in third.
Sorokin carried a heavy load for a New York team that leaned on him all year. DeAngelo clearly thinks those minutes and those numbers should have counted for more.
Vasilevskiy has the hardware. DeAngelo just doesn’t think the right goalie is holding it.
