Trade Grades: Devils Acquire Goalie Vitek Vanecek from Capitals

The New Jersey Devils acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek and the 46th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft from the Washington Capitals in exchange for 37th overall and 70th overall selections in this year’s draft on Friday.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1545414921109872641

Washington selected defenseman Ryan Chesley and winger Alexander Suzdalev with its two picks included in the deal, and New Jersey selected defenseman Seamus Casey.

New Jersey Devils

New Jersey had the worst team save percentage at five-on-five in the league last year, so addressing the goaltending position was a major priority this summer.

Suggesting Vanecek solves the problem is a stretch, too.

The 26-year-old Czech has a solid 41-22-10 career record, but his .908 save percentage and underwhelming 1.1 goals saved above average are pedestrian across his 79 games the past two years.

And while he’s probably best suited for a backup or co-starter role, it’s definitely an upgrade to the New Jersey crease overall.

Mackenzie Blackwood has long been considered the goalie of the future for the Devils, but he was limited to just 24 starts last season due to a variety of injuries. Additionally, his on-ice performance hasn’t been sharp.

The 25-year-old netminder has an .898 save percentage with a miserable -17.1 goals saved above average through 60 games the past two years.

Additionally, the acquisition of Vanecek is probably an indication the organization isn’t completely comfortable slotting in Blackwood as the undisputed No. 1 goalie to start the campaign.

Now, New Jersey just needs to sign Vanecek to a new contract. He’s currently a restricted free agent. 

It’s also a plus that the Devils were able to land the 46th overall selection in the draft, too. Adding a league-average-or-better goalie by trading down nine slots and merely tossing in the 70th overall pick isn’t a bad return.

Trade Grade: B

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Washington Capitals

Obviously, it’ll take a few years to see how Chesley and Suzdalev pan out.

However, the immediate takeaway is that Washington might have just traded away its best goaltender.

Vanecek has been notably better than Ilya Samsonov in five-on-five save percentage, GAA, high-danger save percentage and goals saved above average at all strengths.

Furthermore, considering both Vanecek and Samsonov are restricted free agents, the organization presumably had the option to re-sign Vanecek and deal Samsonov.

Now, perhaps there wasn’t the same trade market for Samsonov, but trading up nine spots and adding the 70th overall pick in the draft for your best goaltender is both far from a blockbuster and probably a bad trade.

The Caps aren’t exactly in an ideal salary-cap situation, either. According to Cap Friendly, Washington has 18 of 23 players signed with just $8,978,334 in cap space available.

None of those 18 players are goalies, either.

Currently, Zachary Fucale is the only netminder under contract with NHL experience on the roster, and he’s only made three career starts.

Of course, there’s potential for another $9.2 million to become available if center Nicklas Backstrom heads to Long Term Injured Reserve while recovering from a January hip resurfacing surgery.

The Washington brass probably has its eyes on another netminder, but as it stands, trading away your best goaltender isn’t ideal.

Trade Grade: F

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