Panthers acquire G Vanecek from Sharks to help fill void left by Knight
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The San Jose Sharks are trading goaltender Vitek Vanecek to the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Patrick Giles.
The move brings goalie depth to the Panthers after trading backup Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the return for Seth Jones over the weekend. Florida called up veteran Chris Driedger after the trade and dressed him as their backup on Monday, but he has played in just two NHL games since the 2021-22 season.
The trade comes one day after the Sharks held Vanecek out of the lineup on Tuesday for trade-related reasons. The decision left Alexandar Georgiev to make his second start in as many nights and he picked up another win in the 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
Vanecek, 29, has a 3-10-3 record with the Sharks this season with a 3.88 goals-against average and .882 save percentage. The 6-foot-2 netminder is pending unrestricted free agent, carrying a cap hit of $3.4 million in the last of a three-year, $10.2 million deal.
The Panthers, who have significant cap space after placing Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve, will absorb Vanecek's full $3.4 million, which was necessary as the Sharks have used all three of their retention slots. San Jose is retaining $2.7 million on Brent Burns until the end of this season, $1.5 million on Erik Karlsson until 2027 and $1.39 million on Tomas Hertl through the 2027-28 season.
San Jose acquired Vanecek, along with a draft pick, from the New Jersey Devils ahead of the deadline last year in exchange for goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen.
Drafted 39th overall by the Washington Capitals in 2014, Vanecek has a career 94-52-20 record with a 2.82 GAA and .903 save percentage split between the Capitals, Devils, and Sharks.
Spot cleared for Askarov to join Sharks when healthy?
Moving Vanecek should free a spot on the roster in San Jose for star prospect Yaroslav Askarov, who was acquired from the Nashville Predators in the off-season. The 22-year-old Askarov has a 10-7-1 record with a .922 save percentage and a 2.52 GAA in 19 games with the San Jose Barracuda this season. He is 4-6-2 with a .896 save percentage and a 3.10 GAA over 13 games with the Sharks.
Askarov, however, is currently day-to-day with a lower-body injury, leading the Sharks to recall Georgi Romanov from the Barracuda after the trade. Romanov has a 11-6-3 record in the AHL this season with a .905 save percentage and a 3.10 GAA.
It's unclear whether Giles would join him on the NHL roster. The 25-year-old forward has five goals and seven points in 39 games with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers this season. He also went without a point in nine games with the Panthers.
Giles, who was undrafted and joined the Panthers out of Boston College in 2022, is signed through next season at a cap hit of $775,000 and then scheduled for restricted free agency.