Coming out of the all-star break, I think the Bruins' Tim Thomas is leading the Vezina race.

But it's close.

No netminder has won the Vezina with a save percentage lower than .914 since Jim Carey in 1996 and no netminder has won while playing fewer than 60 games (lockout year excepted) since Dominik Hasek in 1994. The average stats of the past 15 top goaltender winners are a record of 37-22-10, a 2.14 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

The biggest threat to Thomas winning is the fact he's played in a tandem, but he's got a lot of company in not having played many games. There's a real possibility a netminder with fewer than 60 games under his belt wins the award this season.

Here's a look at the nine netminders with save percentages at .914 or higher and who are on pace to start 45+ games this season:

With both Brodeur and Luongo hurt, it's opened the door for a lot of unusual suspects here. In general, netminders are really rewarded for playing a ton of games, and only Backstrom, Smith, Miller and Lundqvist fit the bill here.

Clemmensen seems like a non-starter given he'll lose his role as soon as Brodeur returns, and Smith will not receive much support given how low his win totals are. Ditto for Vokoun.

In a lot of ways, this is currently a six-horse race, and Mason will be one of the favourites should he continue his strong play down the stretch and get Columbus into the postseason. He's slowed down recently after being so heavily relied on, and the Blue Jackets have a lot of back-to-back games remaining.

Thomas is my pick, followed by Backstrom and Mason. But predicting which way the GMs' vote might go is going to be pretty difficult unless someone separates themselves from the pack.