The New Jersey Devils have settled the contract file of their new goaltender Vitek Vanecek by granting him a three-year, $ 10.2 million pact on Tuesday, thus avoiding the salary arbitration process.
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The former Washington Capitals was acquired on July 8 in a trade involving three draft picks. He had become a restricted free agent and had to present his arguments before an arbitrator.
With the Caps last season, Vanecek went 20-12-6 with a 2.67 goals-against average and .908 save percentage, posting four shutouts in 42 games. In New Jersey, he will have the mission of providing more stability in front of the net to a club that used seven goalkeepers in 2021-2022.
“To be frank, it was our goal from the start to add someone to this position, given the circumstances. Injuries have really reduced our depth here,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald told NHL.com.
The 26-year-old has started 75 career games in the National League.
