New Jersey Devils’ Vitek Vanecek to miss game vs. Kraken with illness and “little bit of a lower-body injury”

Credit: © Vincent Carchietta

New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff announced that goaltender Vitek Vanecek will miss Monday’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

Vitek Vanecek was sick yesterday and today, says Lindy Ruff. Says he has a "little bit of a lower-body" injury sustained last game and the #NJDevils will probably have to call someone up later today to back up Daws.

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) February 12, 2024

Vanecek, 28, has been sick on both Sunday and Monday, which is part of the reason why he’ll be out of the lineup. However, he’s also been dealing with a “little bit of a lower-body injury”, so it’s not sure yet whether or not that will keep him out of the lineup longer.

Vanecek has struggled mightily this season, as despite a 17-9-3 record in 32 games, he’s managed an .890 save percentage, which is the eighth-worst in the league among goalies with at least 15 games played, and a -10.67 goals saved above expected, which is the second worst in the league. Both of those marks are also career-lows for the Havlickuv Brod, Czech Republic product.

Vanecek was a former second-round pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2014 NHL Draft, and spent two seasons with the Capitals after making his NHL debut in the 2020-21 season when Henrik Lundqvist was announced to be missing the season late in the offseason. In between those two seasons for the Caps, he was claimed by the Kraken in the expansion draft, although the Capitals re-acquired him about a week later for a second-round pick. In the 2022 offseason, the Caps traded him to the Devils for picks, and he’s spent the past two seasons with New Jersey.

With Vanecek out, the Devils have called up Akira Schmid to back up Nico Daws for Monday’s game. Schmid has also disappointed this season after a strong showing in the 2023 playoffs, with a 5-7-1 record, an .893 save% and -3.05 goals saved above expected in 15 games.

Ruff also announced that defenseman Brendan Smith is close to a return. While he isn’t ready for Monday’s game, he may possibly be able to play in Tuesday’s game against the Nashville Predators. Smith has 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points in 34 games this season with the Devils.

The Devils will look to rebound from back-to-back losses when they host the Kraken on Monday at 7 p.m. EST. New Jersey currently sits in fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 25-21-4 record, and are six points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.