The Detroit Red Wings are officially on their Olympic break, so they can look back on what has been an impressive start to the 2025-26 season. They are 33-19-6 for 72 points through 58 points, tied for second place in the Atlantic Division. One big factor into their success has been the effort from goaltender John Gibson. In January alone, Gibson has been on fire, posting an 8-3 record, a 2.13 goals allowed average, and a .920 save percentage in 11 starts.
This recent stretch has given Gibson some serious awards buzz.
ESPN's Greg Wyshynski unveiled the February edition of the NHL Awards Watch ballot featuring votes from the Professional Hockey Writer's Association (PHWA). Because of his strong stretch in January, Gibson was listed as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given to the league's best goaltender. Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning is listed as the leader for the award, while Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders is listed as a fellow finalist alongside Gibson.
John Gibson receives first-place votes from ESPN panel for the Vezina Trophy
"Gibson was the only other goaltender to receive first-place votes from our panel. The Red Wings netminder is 22-11-2 on the season with a .905 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average. The analytics are less kind to him, as Gibson is 17th in goals saved above expected (8.2). But he's 9-3-1 with a .925 save percentage since Jan. 1," writes Wyshynski.
Wyshynski does bring up that Gibson may not have analytics on his side, but he has put up great numbers since the start of the new year.
The Vezina Trophy race is wide open to say the least. Let's not forget that Scott Wedgewood of the Colorado Avalanche and Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals were both listed as the leaders for the award by ESPN's panel throughout this season. So it's not a given that Gibson will be on the outside looking in for the rest of the season. His odds can only increase if he continues to go on a tear, while the likes of Vasilevskiy or Sorokin go on a skid.
The Red Wings have had issues at goaltender for quite some time, and they made the big move to acquire Gibson from the Ducks, as he had been on the trade block for years. It looked as though the trade was a wash given his rough start to the season, but he's settled in, built chemistry with his teammates, and now is on a heater since the start of 2026.
There are still two months remaining in the season after the league returns from the Olympic break. That means there is plenty of time for Gibson to keep up the momentum and potentially run away with the award. Let's not forget, NHL General Managers vote for the Vezina Trophy and not the PWHA. So, all it really takes for Gibson to win the award is to impress the executives.