Hello All,
The Washington Capitals were dealt arguably a very considerable blow with the news that Henrik Lundqvist will not be playing this upcoming season due to health concerns. If you read my last post from before the news break, I wasn’t overly high on Lundqvist this season. However, there is something to be said about the experience and leadership he would have provided for the entire team, especially Ilya Samsonov.
As the roster currently stands without Lundqvist, the Capitals will objectively have the least experienced goalie tandem in the entire NHL. It doesn’t matter if they go with Vitek Vanecek or Pheonix Copley, both would qualify the tandem as the least experienced. Here are the next closest goalie tandems in terms of NHL Games Played: 1. Washington Capitals - Samsonov/Vanecek – 26 NHL Games Played 2. Washington Capitals - Samsonov/Copley - 55 NHL Games Played 3. Chicago Blackhawks - Delia/Subban – 84 NHL Games Played 4. New York Rangers - Georgiev/Shesterkin – 90 NHL Games Played 5. Pittsburgh Penguins - Jarry/DeSmith – 113 - NHL Games Played 6. Columbus Blue Jackets - Korpisalo/Merzlikins – 171 NHL Games Played
If you read my last piece, you know I am extremely high on Vitek Vanecek and wasn’t completely sold on Lundqvist quite yet. I will admit I was pretty excited to see what Lundqvist did with an improved defense like the Capitals. It still sucks the Capitals will be without Lundqvist this season. There is something about having a veteran netminder on the squad that just puts my mind at ease. I can only imagine how management feels. So where do the Capitals go from here? Really they only have two options:
1. Ride it out with Vanecek. Vanecek has been hitting his stride in recent years. His GAA and SV% have improved three years in a row with the Hersey Bears. If you want to know more about Vanecek, reference my previous post here:
http://bit.ly/3pfAQxh
Before signing Lundqvist, there was already speculation the Caps would just ride it out with Vanecek. Although it didn’t actually happen, it was considered. The Capitals are still in a tight Cap Space crunch and rolling with Vanecek or Copley would same the organization the most money and give them the most flexibility. I think this is what the Capitals should do but I do not think this is the route they will go. In a worse-case scenario, Samsonov and/or Vanecek could have underwhelming seasons or even worse, get hurt. Samsonov was injured during the COVID pause last season so I believe there could be a minor concern he could get hurt again. All signs point to him being fully healthy at the moment. It is very risky to roll with a goalie tandem with 26 games of combined NHL experience. It is not a bad move it is just a risky move. It is possible Samsonov could be as elite as we think he is and he CRUSH it next year. Heck, Olaf Kolzig thinks Samsonov will be the next Vasilevskiy. The sample size for Samsonov is just too small right now. . Management has to consider all scenarios when making such a big decision. 2. Sign another Veteran for cheap. Let’s be real, this is probably the route the Capitals go. Some notable veteran UFA goalies on the market are Jimmy Howard, Corey Schneider, Craig Anderson, and Ryan Miller. Most of these guys are coming off pretty poor seasons but all of them played for struggling teams last year. The Ducks, Red Wings, Devils, and Senators were no where near the playoffs. The Capitals have really made a point to bolster the defense. Taking that into consideration, I think any of these guys could come in and shine on a contender squad like the Capitals. Factoring in COVID, injuries, and cap space, I think the Capitals sign another Veteran Goalie. Even though he is 39 years old, I have always liked Craig Anderson and think it would be cool to see him in a Caps jersey. What do you think the Caps will do?
Promote Vitek Vanecek? Promote Pheonix Copley? Sign Jimmy Howard? Sign Craig Anderson? Sign Ryan Miller? Sign Corey Schneider? Make a crazy trade for Fleury?