Vanecek Being Held Out for Trade Purposes, Askarov Injury Update

BUFFALO — Vitek Vanecek, who was supposed to start for the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabres, is being held out for trade purposes.

At the moment, Vanecek’s trade destination is unknown. He is still scheduled to back up Alexandar Georgiev against the Sabres.

It’s a back-to-back start for Georgiev, who stopped 25-of-27 shots to guide the Sharks past the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 3-2 shootout win on Monday.

The San Jose Sharks acquired Vanecek and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the New Jersey Devils for Kaapo Kahkonen last Trade Deadline.

Vanecek, recovering from a groin injury, didn’t play for San Jose last season, and has suffered an injury-marred campaign this year. He fractured a cheek when an errant puck hit him on the bench in mid-December, and he missed almost two months.

Vanecek is 3-10-3 with an .883 Save %, but has extensive starting experience.

The 29-year-old is a pending UFA and carries a $3.4 million AAV cap hit.

If Vanecek is dealt before San Jose’s next game, Mar. 6 at the Colorado Avalanche, which netminder will join the Sharks before the Mar. 7 Trade Deadline?

Top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov is nursing a lower-body injury.

“Still day-to-day,” San Jose Barracuda GM Joe Will told San Jose Hockey Now on Tuesday. “On the ice back in San Jose.”

Will declined to comment beyond that.

However, another source indicated to SJHN that it would be unlikely that Askarov would be ready to join the Sharks in just two days.

After Askarov, the most-likely candidate to get called up would be prospect Georgi Romanov, who just returned from injury.

Romanov played on Sunday, leading the Cuda to a 6-5 OT victory over the Henderson Silver Knights.

Gabriel Carriere and Aaron Dell are also part of the San Jose Sharks’ system, but both are signed to the Barracuda.