Vitek Vanecek
#41 · Goalie · New York Islanders
Born Jan 9, 1996 in Havlickuv Brod, CZE (age 30) · 6'2", 188 lb · Catches left · Drafted 39th overall in 2014 by WSH (round 2)
Trophy case
Compare with a similar player
The goalies closest to him in games played in 2020-21. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.
Kevin Lankinen
CHI ·
37 GP, 0.909
Juuse Saros
NSH ·
36 GP, 0.927
Marc-Andre Fleury
VGK ·
36 GP, 0.928
Semyon Varlamov
NYI ·
36 GP, 0.929
Tristan Jarry
PIT ·
39 GP, 0.909
Career
Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.
Games played by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.
| Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SO | Shots against | Saves | Goals against | GAA | Save % | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | WSH | 37 | 21 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1031 | 936 | 95 | 2.69 | 0.908 | $717K |
| 2021-22 | WSH | 42 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 1117 | 1014 | 103 | 2.67 | 0.908 | $717K |
| 2022-23 | NJD | 52 | 33 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 1333 | 1214 | 119 | 2.45 | 0.911 | $3.4M |
| 2023-24 | NJD | 32 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 862 | 767 | 95 | 3.18 | 0.890 | $3.4M |
| 2024-25 | SJS | 18 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 533 | 470 | 63 | 3.88 | 0.882 | $3.4M |
| 2024-25 | FLA | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 191 | 170 | 21 | 3.00 | 0.890 | |
| 2025-26 | UTA | 22 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 506 | 447 | 59 | 2.93 | 0.883 | $1.5M |
| 6 seasons | Career | 210 | 101 | 69 | 24 | 11 | 5573 | 5018 | 555 | 2.84 | 0.900 |
Playoffs
Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.
| Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SO | Shots against | Saves | Goals against | GAA | Save % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | WSH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4.56 | 0.750 |
| 2021-22 | WSH | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 44 | 7 | 4.21 | 0.863 |
| 2022-23 | NJD | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 99 | 21 | 4.64 | 0.825 |
| 3 seasons | Playoffs | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 146 | 29 | 4.52 | 0.834 |
2020-21 season totals
| GP | Starts | W | L | OTL | SO | Shots against | Saves | Goals against | GAA | Save % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 36 | 21 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1031 | 936 | 95 | 2.69 | 0.908 |
Contract
His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 45 ranked goalies whose contract is known. How value is worked out.
The contract
Signed by the Washington Capitals on Jul 1, 2019, as a new contract: 3 years and $2.15M, beginning in 2019-20. It runs through 2021-22, with 1 season left after this one.
| Season | Cap hit | Base salary | Signing bonus | Performance bonuses | Paid in all | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | $717K | $700K | $0 | $700K | ||
| 2020-21 | $717K | $700K | $0 | $700K | ||
| 2021-22 | $717K | $750K | $0 | $750K |
Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.
Contracts he has signed
| Signed | Signed by | Kind | Seasons | Years | In all | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2026 | New York Islanders | New contract | 2026-27 to 2026-27 | 1 | $1M | $1M |
| Jul 1, 2025 | Utah Mammoth | New contract | 2025-26 to 2025-26 | 1 | $1.5M | $1.5M |
| Jul 19, 2022 | New Jersey Devils | New contract | 2022-23 to 2024-25 | 3 | $10.2M | $3.4M |
| Jul 1, 2019 | Washington Capitals | New contract | 2019-20 to 2021-22 | 3 | $2.15M | $717K |
| Jul 15, 2014 | Washington Capitals | Entry-level | 2016-17 to 2018-19 signed for 2014-15, slid | 3 | $2.775M | $714K |
Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2020-21 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.
2020-21 playoff analytics
Rating
The goals he saved for his team, compared with a spare-part goalie facing the same shots. A goalie's season is about one-third the goalie and two-thirds chance, so read one year lightly. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.
Shots faced
Expected goals adds up how likely each shot he faced was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. A goalie who lets in fewer than that has saved goals above expected. Only shots taken while he was in net count, and the league's goalies as a whole come out at zero. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones. What these numbers mean
Each bar shows the share of goalies he is ahead of, among the 13 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.
Where he was shot at
Every unblocked attempt he faced in these playoffs, with his net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.
Game log
| Date | Opponent | Result | Decision | Shots against | Saves | Goals against | Save % | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2021 | vs BOS | W 2-1 | W | 25 | 24 | 1 | 0.960 | 60:00 |
| May 7, 2021 | vs PHI | L 2-4 | L | 28 | 25 | 3 | 0.893 | 58:47 |
| May 5, 2021 | @ NYR | W 4-2 | W | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0.905 | 59:57 |
| May 3, 2021 | @ NYR | W 6-3 | W | 26 | 23 | 3 | 0.885 | 60:00 |
| Apr 29, 2021 | vs PIT | L 4-5 (OT) | OTL | 35 | 30 | 5 | 0.857 | 60:45 |
| Apr 27, 2021 | vs NYI | W 1-0 | W, SO | 18 | 18 | 0 | 1.000 | 59:47 |
| Apr 18, 2021 | @ BOS | L 3-6 | L | 27 | 22 | 5 | 0.815 | 59:25 |
| Apr 15, 2021 | vs BUF | L 2-5 | L | 21 | 17 | 4 | 0.810 | 32:54 |
| Apr 11, 2021 | @ BOS | W 8-1 | W | 35 | 34 | 1 | 0.971 | 60:00 |
| Apr 9, 2021 | @ BUF | W 4-3 | W | 33 | 30 | 3 | 0.909 | 60:00 |
| Apr 6, 2021 | @ NYI | L 0-1 | L | 39 | 38 | 1 | 0.974 | 58:12 |
| Apr 2, 2021 | @ NJD | W 2-1 (OT) | W | 23 | 22 | 1 | 0.957 | 64:39 |
| Apr 1, 2021 | @ NYI | L 4-8 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0.778 | 16:26 | |
| Mar 30, 2021 | @ NYR | L 2-5 | L | 26 | 22 | 4 | 0.846 | 58:32 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | vs NJD | W 4-3 | W | 24 | 21 | 3 | 0.875 | 60:00 |
| Mar 19, 2021 | vs NYR | W 2-1 | W | 33 | 32 | 1 | 0.970 | 60:00 |
| Mar 15, 2021 | @ BUF | W 6-0 | W, SO | 23 | 23 | 0 | 1.000 | 60:00 |
| Mar 9, 2021 | vs NJD | W 5-4 (OT) | W | 31 | 27 | 4 | 0.871 | 61:04 |
| Mar 5, 2021 | @ BOS | L 1-5 | L | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0.778 | 35:43 |
| Mar 3, 2021 | @ BOS | W 2-1 (SO) | W | 19 | 18 | 1 | 0.947 | 64:39 |
| Feb 27, 2021 | @ NJD | W 5-2 | W | 24 | 22 | 2 | 0.917 | 60:00 |
| Feb 25, 2021 | vs PIT | W 5-2 | W | 28 | 26 | 2 | 0.929 | 59:55 |
| Feb 23, 2021 | vs PIT | L 2-3 (OT) | OTL | 37 | 34 | 3 | 0.919 | 61:43 |
| Feb 20, 2021 | vs NYR | L 1-4 | L | 23 | 20 | 3 | 0.870 | 58:36 |
| Feb 18, 2021 | vs BUF | W 3-1 | W | 23 | 22 | 1 | 0.957 | 59:28 |
| Feb 16, 2021 | @ PIT | W 3-1 | W | 27 | 26 | 1 | 0.963 | 60:00 |
| Feb 14, 2021 | @ PIT | L 3-6 | L | 36 | 32 | 4 | 0.889 | 59:19 |
| Feb 7, 2021 | vs PHI | L 4-7 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0.714 | 36:36 | |
| Feb 4, 2021 | @ NYR | L 2-4 | L | 30 | 27 | 3 | 0.900 | 58:50 |
| Feb 1, 2021 | vs BOS | L 3-5 | L | 32 | 28 | 4 | 0.875 | 58:36 |
| Jan 30, 2021 | vs BOS | W 4-3 (OT) | W | 43 | 40 | 3 | 0.930 | 60:28 |
| Jan 28, 2021 | vs NYI | W 6-3 | W | 30 | 27 | 3 | 0.900 | 60:00 |
| Jan 26, 2021 | vs NYI | W 3-2 | W | 34 | 32 | 2 | 0.941 | 60:00 |
| Jan 24, 2021 | vs BUF | L 3-4 (SO) | OTL | 48 | 45 | 3 | 0.938 | 65:00 |
| Jan 22, 2021 | vs BUF | W 4-3 (SO) | W | 27 | 24 | 3 | 0.889 | 64:57 |
| Jan 19, 2021 | @ PIT | L 4-5 (OT) | OTL | 30 | 25 | 5 | 0.833 | 61:11 |
| Jan 15, 2021 | @ BUF | W 2-1 | W | 31 | 30 | 1 | 0.968 | 60:00 |