Photo courtesy David Brown
The Washington Capitals signed goaltender Darcy Kuemper in the offseason to a five-year contract to be their number one goalie for the foreseeable future, hoping for stability long-term in the position. During their Thursday night tilt against the New Jersey Devils, the team tapped their sticks to a man who once held that position.
While he was not the starting netminder for New Jersey, the Caps took a moment to acknowledge former draft pick and once-potential number one starter Vitek Vanecek during the first period of their game against the Devils.
Welcome back, @vitacz15!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/UpN3AzSkcx
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 10, 2023
The former second-round pick (39th overall) in 2014 was received warmly by the Capital One Arena crowd.
Cheers for #NJDevils Vitek Vanecek as his return is acknowledged tonight. pic.twitter.com/I59ZB8tzOc
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) March 10, 2023
In parts of two seasons at the NHL level (although he spent a number of seasons within the organization) with the Caps, Vanecek went 41-22-10 with a .908 Save Percentage, 2.68 Goals-Against Average, and six shutouts. While he showed flashes of potential number one netminding, inconsistency and a closing competitive window for the team saw the Caps move on from the 27-year old and fellow young goalie Ilya Samsonov last summer.
Photo courtesy David Brown
In 41 Games Played (38 starts) this season with New Jersey, Vanecek has a 27-7-0 record, 2.55 Goals-Against Average, .907 Save Percentage, and two shutouts.
By Michael Fleetwood