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Washington Capitals: 2019 expectations for Vitek Vanecek

By Michael Marzzacco

LAVAL, QC - FEBRUARY 16: Goaltender Vitek Vanecek #30 of the Hershey Bears watches the puck as he protects his net against the Laval Rocket during the AHL game at Place Bell on February 16, 2018 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The Hershey Bears defeated the Laval Rocket 6-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC - FEBRUARY 16: Goaltender Vitek Vanecek #30 of the Hershey Bears watches the puck as he protects his net against the Laval Rocket during the AHL game at Place Bell on February 16, 2018 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The Hershey Bears defeated the Laval Rocket 6-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Capitals have a good stock of goalies in their prospect pool. When free agency began, the team extended the contract of Vitek Vanecek.

Vitek Vanecek has been a mainstay in the Hershey Bears lineup since the 2016-17 season and is among a goaltending corp in the Washington Capitals system that runs deep.

With Braden Holtby‘s future now in question after Sergei Bovrovsky got a big payday with Florida, Vanecek is a big part of how the Capitals could go forward in between the pipes.

The 23-year old is coming off his best season in Hershey going 21-10-6 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 38 games, part of a goaltending rotation with top goalie prospect Ilya Samsonov splitting time as well.

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Vanecek was named to the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic and was additionally named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the time period that ended on Oct. 21, 2018. The press release from the Capitals noted that the 2014 second rounder went 2-0-1 with a 1.62 GAA and a .949 save percentage, stopping a total of 94 of the 99 shots he faced in three starts that week all on the road.

Vanecek has compiled a 52-33-24 record with a GAA of 2.69, a .903 save percentage and nine shutouts in 110 career games with Hershey. As Vanecek begins his third full AHL season, there may be a good chance of him getting some game action at the NHL level.

For some comparison, Vanecek and Samsonov each played over 35 games with the former for 38 and the latter in 37. Expect that to remain the same this upcoming season in Hershey with Holtby under contract and Pheonix Copley solidifying his backup spot in Washington.

Injuries are inevitable in hockey, that’s just the truth. And the Capitals will be more than happy to make a decision on who to go with in net if something were to happen to Holtby or Copley. It is a tough decision for two great prospects in the system but one many teams in the NHL wish they had.

My gut instinct thinks they’ll go with Vanecek for the first go around while giving Samsonov a look or two later on in the season. The reason the former gets a look is based on more professional experience but experience among both is vital.

Vanecek is locked in for three more seasons with the first year being a two-way deal and the last two years one-way. That means Vanecek will make $700,000 in NHL salary and $160,000 in the AHL. The one-way deals in the last two years will be worth $700,000 and $750,000, respectively.

It’ll be an interesting situation being played out in both Washington and Hershey and something worth keeping an eye on among Capitals and Bears fans alike. While in Hershey, they look for a deeper run in the Calder Cup playoffs and their goaltending tandem will be a major key.

Next. What we can learn about Braden Holtby from Sergei Bobrovsky’s contract. dark

Up in Washington, the Capitals would like to see Holtby get back to his Vezina-winning form while Copley continues to do his job when his name is called for the starter’s net.

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