The Sharks won’t be starting goaltender Vítek Vaněček tonight against the Sabres in their penultimate game before the trade deadline, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. He’ll dress as Alexandar Georgiev’s backup, but presumably won’t enter the game unless an injury forces Georgiev out. Since he’s dressing, San Jose doesn’t yet need to recall a goalie from AHL San Jose in his place.
It’s worth noting if they trade Vaněček and don’t recoup a goalie in return, they won’t be able to recall top prospect Yaroslav Askarov for the minors, at least not right away. He’s been out of the lineup for the last couple of weeks with a lower-body injury and remains day-to-day.
Where Vaněček could end up amid a general lack of interest in goalies this week remains to be seen. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period speculates the Panthers could be a fit as they look to add a veteran name to back up Sergei Bobrovsky after they traded away young No. 2 option Spencer Knight to the Blackhawks in last weekend’s Seth Jones trade.
If a team can’t accommodate Vaněček’s $3.4MM cap hit, they’ll need to find a third dance partner for a trade. The Sharks are using all three of their salary retention slots on Brent Burns, Tomáš Hertl, and Erik Karlsson and will only have Burns’ opening up this summer.
Vaněček, 29, is on an expiring deal. San Jose acquired him from the Devils at last year’s deadline in the deal that sent Kaapo Kähkönen eastward, but he didn’t play down the stretch due to various injuries. His Sharks debut had to wait until this season. It’s been a tumultuous one for the Czechia native, who missed a chunk of time with a cheekbone fracture and has been underwhelming when dressed. Even behind a San Jose defense that allows a league-high 32.1 shots per game, his 3.88 GAA and .882 SV% aren’t inspiring. He has a 3-10-3 record in 18 outings and has allowed nine goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.
Teams interested in him are either banking on a return to form in a more insulated environment or desperately need even a marginal upgrade at their backup position. Vaněček was a fine tandem option at his peak, recording a career-high 33 wins in 52 appearances with New Jersey in 2022-23 along with a .911 SV% and 2.45 GAA. His numbers have nosedived since then, though, and the 2014 second-rounder now has a .903 career SV% with a 2.82 GAA across 181 NHL games since making his debut with Washington in the 2020-21 campaign.
If the Sharks trade Vaněček, don’t receive a goalie back, and can’t recall Askarov, 25-year-old Georgi Romanov is their only other minor-league goalie under contract. He allowed one goal on 30 shots faced in two appearances in his NHL debut last year, and the Russian has a .905 SV% and 3.10 GAA in 21 AHL appearances in 2024-25.