The New Jersey Devils have acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek in hopes he will likely become their No. 1 goaltender next season. As a result, they paid him up to their expectations.
Posted at 12:41 p.m.
Vanecek and the Devils signed a three-year, $10.2 million pact on Tuesday that will take $3.4 million from the team’s payroll through 2025.
After avoiding salary arbitration, he will get 3.55 million next season, slightly less than his main opponent for the role of No. 1, Mackenzie Blackwood, who will spend the last season of his contract in 2022-23.
The Devils had acquired Vanecek’s trading rights from the Washington Capitals in the NHL Draft in June, after switching draft ranks, in a bid to round out their goalie roster. The New Jersey team had offered the position of auxiliary goaltender to Quebecer Jonathan Bernier, but his career is on hold following hip surgery.
Blackwood’s last campaign was cut short by a heel injury, and the Devils secured the services of a reliable goalkeeper in Vanecek. The 26-year-old Czech went 20-12-6 with four shutouts, a 2.26 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage last season with the Caps. Vanecek then shared the net with Ilya Samsonov.
Samsonov agreed to a one-year, $1.8 million deal from the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this summer, and as a result the Caps have traded to secure the services of Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren next season.