March 8, 2025
Florida Panthers goaltender Vitek Vanecek will make his team debut in Saturday's matchup against the Buffalo Sabres. Vanecek gets an opportunity to impress only a few days after arriving in a trade from the San Jose Sharks. Playing on one of the worst teams in the league, the Czech netminder experienced very little success, posting a 3-10-3 record for the season. He has registered a 3.89 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage. Vanecek's numbers should improve in Florida, although he faces a tricky matchup on Saturday, as the Sabres are ranked just outside the top 10 in goals per game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Doug Plagens
March 5, 2025
The Florida Panthers have acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek in a trade with the San Jose Sharks, parting ways with minor league forward Patrick Giles. Vanecek, who holds a career record of 94-52-20, will provide depth in the goalie department for the Panthers, who traded Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks last week. The Czech netminder will compete for the backup role with Chris Driedger. In San Jose, Vanecek had a difficult period, going 3-10-3 with a 3.89 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage. Playing with the reigning Stanley Cup champions should be a much better experience for him, although Vanecek likely won't see much action as long as Sergei Bobrovsky remains healthy.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
March 4, 2025
San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek will not play on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres for roster management reasons. He is a trade candidate, and San Jose wants to avoid any risk of Vanecek getting injured with only a few days remaining until the trade deadline. Nevertheless, Vanecek is still expected to dress as the backup to Alexandar Georgiev, who will be playing for a second consecutive night. This season has been a rough one for Vanecek, who has posted a 3-10-3 record with the Sharks. However, he is a seasoned veteran and could perform better with stronger support in front of him. The Sharks are expected to bring back Yaroslav from the AHL once Vanecek has been moved.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sheng Peng
February 25, 2025
San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced during his overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Monday evening. Vanecek held the Jets off the scoresheet through the majority of the contest. However, in the final minute of the third period, defenseman Josh Morrissey found the back of the net to force overtime. In overtime, Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele beat Vanecek on a backhand to seal the victory. This was a strong outing for Vanecek as the Sharks were heavily outshot in this contest. This outing extended his losing streak to three games. However, he has made at least 25 saves in two of them and allowed two goals or less in two as well. The 29-year-old was on injured reserve during most of January with a face injury. Across 17 games, Vanecek has held a 3-9-3 record with a .882 save percentage and a 3.87 GAA.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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