The New Jersey Devils have played a small role so far as the NHL trade deadline approaches, but it was inevitable that some former players would also be on the move. Well, that happened on Wednesday as former goaltender Vitek Vanecek became the latest former Devil to continue his career elsewhere when the San Jose Sharks sent him to Florida for Patrick Giles.
If you remember correctly, Vanecek looked like a brewing star in Newark in the 2022-23 season. He logged a 0.667 quality starts percentage that season for a sensational group, and his stats also included a 2.45 GAA, a 0.911 save percentage, plus three shutouts.
Once the 2023-24 season arrived, Vanecek sputtered along with the rest of the Devils. He went from being at least a potential 1A in the net to an afterthought, and his performance suffered. When the Devils made him part of the trade that brought Kaapo Kahkonen over, he recorded zero shutouts, an 0.890 save percentage, and a 3.18 GAA.
Former Devils goaltender only got worse during his time in San Jose
This season Vanecek played in just 18 contests, logging an 0.882 save percentage, a 3.88 GAA, and a quality starts percentage of just 0.353. To be fair, another cast-off, Alexandar Georgiev, hasn’t fared much better, with a 3.68 GAA, an 0.882 save percentage, and a 0.353 quality starts percentage. Yeah, virtually the same numbers, sans the GAA.
All eyes on the rebuilding San Jose Sharks, though, are on Yaroslav Askarov, who has played well and put both Vanecek’s and Georgiev’s numbers to shame. So far this season, Askarov has a quality starts percentage of 0.583, a GAA of 3.10, and an 0.896 save percentage.
This has made Vanecek, who is in his age-29 season, expendable, so seeing him go elsewhere isn’t surprising. After the Florida Panthers traded Spencer Knight to the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks, it was a given that they’d look for another goaltender. And who knows? Maybe Vanecek will fare better in Sunrise with a good hockey team?
Could the Devils end up facing their former goaltender soon?
It’s a highly unlikely situation for as long as Vanecek is with the Panthers organization. The Devils have already played Florida three times this season, and while they could meet in the playoffs, a lot would need to happen for Vanecek to play, including a postseason injury to incumbent starter Sergei Bobrovsky.
Vanecek is also in the final year of his current contract, and if the Panthers opt not to re-sign him following the season, he’ll once again be looking for a new home. Still, there’s a chance Vanecek will get playing time in Florida as the team heads ‘down the stretch.’
Should he perform well, Vanecek’s NHL odyssey may not be finished just yet and he could even sidle in as the No. 1 goaltender for a rebuilding or mid-tier team that lacks one. Or, he could wind up with a contender and settle into a solid No. 2 role.