Can the Devils win a Stanley Cup with Vitek Vanecek?
Heading into the 2023-24 season, expectations were at an all-time for the New Jersey Devils. Only 18 games into the season, the Devils have collapsed in the standings, finding themselves third-to-last in the Eastern Conference at 8-9-1 with 17 points.
This begs the question: With goaltending being a huge issue this year, can the Devils win a Stanley Cup with Vitek Vanecek?
Last season, New Jersey blew expectations out of the water, finding themselves second in the Metropolitan Division and third in the entire NHL–part of this was due to a breakout season from goaltender Vitek Vanecek.
Vanecek earned New Jersey’s starting goaltender spot last season after being traded from the Washington Capitals in the 2022 offseason. New Jersey would then sign the 27-year-old goaltender to a three-year, $10.2 million deal. Last season, Vanecek finished with career highs across the board. With 33 wins, 2.45 GAA and a save percentage of .911, Vanecek became a Vezina trophy candidate.
Well, it’s been a complete 180 for the Devils and especially Vanecek this season. The 6-foot-2 goaltender has achieved career lows in goals against average and save percentage in just 12 games played, along with a 7-5-0 record.
As for the Devils’ future, Vitek isn’t the answer for the young squad. Across his career, Vanecek has been too inconsistent to win a Stanley Cup, and especially in the modern-day NHL, having an inconsistent goaltender is a nightmare. Vanecek is still a great goalie, but having constant hiccups in the net in the prime of your career is worrisome.
On the other hand, the Devils can win a Stanley Cup with Vanecek, but he can’t be their starter. If Akira Schmid becomes the player that New Jersey hopes he will become, yes, they can win a cup with Vanecek.
In their season preview, I predicted Vanecek would be a faller for the Devils, but didn’t expect this much of a drop-off. At this point of the season, they need to do one of two things: Start thinking about making a trade for a new goaltender or defenseman. Preferably both.
The problem with this year’s Devils team is defense. Defenseman Brendan Smith has been downright terrible this year. Throw in any other player. I guarantee that defense improves dramatically. Also, Dougie Hamilton‘s defense is getting bad; he’s not known for his defensive stature, rather more offensive, but the Devils’ defensive core looks lost out there.
Vanecek can’t be New Jersey’s starter if they wanna win a Stanley Cup in the future. There needs to be changes to this team if they even want to make the playoffs, and it needs to happen fast.
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