With veteran goaltender Henrik Lundqvist forfeited, the Washington Capitals are left with a problem in net.
On Thursday, the Swede announced he would not be taking part in the 2020-2021 National Hockey League (NHL) campaign due to a problem with his heart.
The “Caps” had given him a one-year contract this offseason and wanted the 38-year-old goalkeeper to support Ilya Samsonov, who is expected to be the club’s No. 1 for the first time in his young career.
If the Capitol team wants to find another experienced goalie to do the job, they still have options in the free agent market.
Indeed, Jimmy Howard (36), Ryan Miller (40) and Craig Anderson (39) are still free. All three have been in the starting position in their careers, but have experienced slumps in recent years.
Internal
The Capitals could also choose to throw this plan in the trash and trust the young goalies in their organization.
They own the rights to one Vitek Vanecek, who is considered by many to be a future No. 1 in the NHL. The one who turns 25 on January 9, however, has no experience in the Bettman circuit. The Czech has spent the last four seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears.
In 31 outings last year, he maintained a 19-10-1 record, a 2.26 goals-against average and a .917 save rate. He also recorded two shutouts.
“In Vitek we have another great young goalie in the minors who is a very good candidate,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette told the NHL website on December 3. I’m excited to see him play. I feel that we are in a good position regarding goalies. ”
In addition to Vanecek and Samsonov, the “Caps” hold the rights of the goalkeepers Pheonix Copley without forgetting a certain Zachary Fucale. The Quebecer, however, has a minor league agreement, according to the website capfriendly, com