A second-round pick (No. 39) by the Washington Capitals at the 2014 NHL Draft, Vanecek is 94-52-20 with a 2.82 GAA, a .903 save percentage and nine shutouts in 181 regular-season games (169 starts) with the Capitals, Devils and Sharks, and 2-4 with a 4.52 GAA and an .834 save percentage in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games (seven starts).

As we approach the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, the New York Islanders have a surplus of defensemen. It would likely be in the Islanders' best interest to not carry eight defensemen, nine when Mike Reilly is ready to return.

It almost felt fitting, poetic one might say, that Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri starred in the final New York Islanders game before the trade deadline.