Sharks Sideline Vitek Vanecek Ahead of NHL Trade Deadline

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks have decided to bench goaltender Vitek Vanecek for trade-related reasons ahead of the NHL‘s March 7 trade deadline. Vanecek was originally scheduled to start in Tuesday’s matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, but will instead remain on the bench, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Vanecek, 29, has struggled this season with a record of just 3-10-3, an .882 save percentage, and a 3.83 goals-against average over 18 appearances. He is in the final year of a three-year contract with a $3.4 million annual average salary and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Sharks head coach David Quinn confirmed that Alexander Georgiev will start instead. Georgiev, brought in during previous trades, has been performing well and recently helped the Sharks to a victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs, making 25 saves plus three in the shootout.

According to reports, no other Sharks players are being held out for trade purposes at this time. The Sharks currently sit at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 16-37-9 record, totaling only 41 points, having last qualified for the playoffs in 2019.

Vanecek, who was acquired from the New Jersey Devils last March, previously played for the Washington Capitals and has a career record of 94-52-20 across 181 NHL games. His .903 save percentage and nine career shutouts highlight his ability, but this season’s numbers reflect a significant downturn.

As the trade deadline nears, the Sharks have already traded veterans Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars and goalie MacKenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche for Georgiev. The team has utilized all three of its salary retention slots, which complicates Vanecek’s potential trade as any acquiring team must take on his full salary or negotiate with a third team for salary absorption.