Report: Sharks sitting Vitek Vanecek against Sabres for trade purposes

The San Jose Sharks are protecting an asset ahead of the March 7 NHL trade deadline.

Facing the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, goaltender Vitek Vanecek will not play due to trade-related purposes, reports Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Peng adds that while Alexander Georgiev will start in goal for the Sharks, Vanecek will still serve as the team’s backup netminder.

Through 18 appearances with the Sharks this season, Vanecek has posted a 3-10-3 showing alongside an .882 save percentage and 3.83 goals-against average. In late January, Vanecek also saw a lone appearance with the AHL affiliated San Jose Barracuda as part of a conditioning loan, a 6-2 win over the Henderson Silver Knights in which Vanecek turned aside 22 shots en route to the victory.

Originally chosen 39th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2014 NHL Draft, the 29-year-old Czech-born goaltender has seen 181 career contests counting stops with the Capitals, New Jersey Devils, and Sharks in which he has posted a 94-52-20 record coupled with a .903 save percentage, 2.82 goals-against average, and nine shutouts.

Vanecek has also seen success in the minors where through seven seasons he has totaled 143 games in which he has posted a 77-44-22 record alongside a .906 save percentage, 2.58 goals-against average, and 11 shutouts.

Last March, the Sharks acquired Vanecek and a seventh-round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft from the Devils in exchange for fellow goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen. Per PuckPedia, Vanecek is in the final year of a three-year pact that carries a $3.4-million annual average value and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason.

Entering Tuesday’s contest against the Sabres, the Sharks sit at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 16-37-9 record and 41 points. The Sharks last qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2019.