Vitek Vanecek took to Instagram on Thursday to say his own goodbyes to the city and organization that helped him reach his dream of playing in the NHL. Vanecek was selected in the Expansion Draft by the Seattle Kraken.
Earlier in the morning, Vanecek received an outpouring of messages from his former teammates, some of which he replied to on his Instagram Story.
Vitek Vanecek, the Capitals starting goaltender last season, was tragically snatched up by the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft on Wednesday. Vitek will form a battery in net with Chris Driedger (FLA) and Joey Daccord (OTT).
During the night, tributes poured in from Vitek’s former (sigh) Capitals’ teammates.
The Seattle Kraken submitted their Expansion Draft list at 10 AM and all the names are slowly leaking out.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli is reporting that the Capitals will lose goaltender Vitek Vanecek to the Kraken. Vanecek will join Chris Driedger (Florida UFA) and Joey Daccord (Ottawa) in net. Seattle ultimately passed on picking superstar Carey Price from the Montreal Canadiens.
By Ian Oland 5 days ago
Rookie goalie Vitek Vanecek came in clutch when the Caps needed him.
By Peter Hassett 3 weeks ago
Vitek Vanecek’s breakout rookie season earned him votes in end-of-the-year voting for the Calder Trophy. Vanecek placed sixth, receiving three third-place votes, eight fourth-place votes, and 10 fifth-place votes for 49 total points. Vanecek finished third among rookie goaltenders, placing behind the Hurricanes’ Alex Nedeljkovic (third) and the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin (fifth).
The Capitals goaltender finished the season seventh overall in the NHL in wins and compiled a 21-10-4 record, a 2.69 goals against average, and a .908 save percentage. Vanecek got a bulk of the starts (36 of 56) after the presumptive starter Ilya Samsonov contracted coronavirus early in the season and backup Henrik Lundqvist had open-heart surgery in January due to a heart condition.
Vanecek was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month in January and opened the postseason as the team’s starter before getting hurt in Game One of the Capitals’ first round matchup against the Boston Bruins. Vanecek took advantage of the opportunity after spending the previous five seasons with the AHL Hershey Bears and ECHL South Caroline Stingrays,
Vitek Vanecek spoke in his native Czech about his sadness about the Jakub Vrana trade during an interview with the CNN Prima NEWS podcast.
Vanecek also detailed a terrifying moment the team had during the season while flying to New York for a game. According to the story and a translation by RMNB’s Alexandra Petáková, almost all of Vanecek’s season on the ice was overshadowed by this terrible flight.
After handing the starting job to Ilya Samsonov and signing future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist over the offseason, the Capitals had Vitek Vanecek slotted as its third goaltender – likely a fixture on the team’s taxi squad. Instead, after years of being stuck in the minors with no opportunity, Vanecek had one of the most fortunate, chaotic, and gutwrenching seasons of his career.
Before training camp, Lundqvist announced he would miss the season due to open-heart surgery. In January, after starting two of the first three games of the season (1/14, 1/17), Samsonov contracted COVID-19 after hanging out maskless in his hotel room with Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Ovechkin, and Dmitry Orlov. The Russian dynamo would not make an NHL start again until February 28 and never truly regained his footing.
That thrust Vanecek immediately into the starting role and he rose to the challenge. The Czech goaltender earned NHL Rookie of the Month honors in January and would finish the year with the seventh-most wins in the NHL (21). Vanecek would enter the playoffs as the Capitals’ starter, but injured himself in Game One making a split save against the Boston Bruins and would finish the year on the IR.
By Ian Oland 1 month ago
During his rookie season in the NHL, Ilya Samsonov was impressive and garnered Calder Trophy consideration. But once the pandemic struck, everything seemed to go sideways.
Samsonov missed the 2020 playoffs reportedly due to an injury he suffered while riding an ATV in Russia. When he rehabbed and returned for the 2020-21 regular season, he missed long stretches of time due to two different stays on the COVID-19 Unavailability List. The first stint, hanging out maskless with Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Ovechkin, and Dmitry Orlov in the same hotel room, caused the Capitals to endure a $100k fine. Samsonov tested positive for COVID-19 and had trouble walking and breathing. Months later before the playoffs, Samsonov was suspended by the team for behavioral issues along with Kuznetsov. Samsonov was unable to play until Game Three of the Capitals’ first-round series against the Boston Bruins. He lost three consecutive games, punctuated by a Game Four double-overtime loss where miscommunication with Justin Schultz led to the game-ending turnover.
With the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft weeks away and Samsonov a restricted free agent after that, a split between player and team seemed possible. But Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan threw cold water on that notion during Capitals’ Breakdown Day.
“I think we’re going to give him another opportunity to grab [the number one starting spot] and run with it,” MacLellan said of Samsonov.
The Washington Capitals had mostly full attendance at their morning skate ahead of Game Three.
Lars Eller, who could not finish Game Two with a lower-body injury, returned to the ice after missing Tuesday’s optional skate.
By Ian Oland 2 months ago
Peter Laviolette announced during the Capitals’ optional skate on Tuesday that Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov will travel with the team to Boston for Games Three and Four.
Both players are reacclimating themselves after being suspended by the team for disciplinary reasons and nearly a two-week stay in protocol. The two Russians participated in Capitals’ practice on Sunday and Monday and sat in the press box for Game Two.
By Ian Oland 2 months ago
