Panthers acquire Vanecek from Sharks
The Florida Panthers acquired goaltender Vitek Vanecek from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Patrick Giles, the teams announced Wednesday.
Vanecek carries a $3.4-million cap hit and can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. San Jose isn't retaining any of his salary, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
Florida still has $5.305 million in deadline cap space with star forward Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve, per PuckPedia. The Panthers are hoping to have him back by the playoffs.
Vanecek served as the backup during San Jose's 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday for trade-related reasons.
The 29-year-old owns an .882 save percentage, 3.88 goals against average, and 3-10-3 record across 18 appearances for the struggling Sharks this campaign.
The Panthers were in need of a new second-string netminder after shipping Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the package for defenseman Seth Jones.
Florida recalled goalie Chris Driedger from the AHL on Sunday, but Vanecek now gives the reigning Stanley Cup champions another option behind starter Sergei Bobrovsky.
Vanecek's best season came as a member of the New Jersey Devils in 2022-23, when he logged a .911 save percentage and 33-11-4 record in 52 outings. He helped the Metropolitan Division squad make the playoffs for the first time since 2018 but lost the starting job to Akira Schmid in the postseason.
New Jersey traded Vanecek and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Sharks for fellow goalie Kaapo Kahkonen last March.
The Washington Capitals selected Vanecek in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft. He owns a career .903 save percentage and 94 wins in 181 contests.
Giles, meanwhile, has played in nine games for the Panthers this season - all in October - and recorded four shots on goal while playing 7:23 minutes of ice time per game.
The 25-year-old has spent most of his time with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers and has notched five goals and seven points in 39 outings this season. Giles went undrafted and spent four campaigns at Boston College, amassing 45 points in 108 contests.