The great Tomas Vokoun experiment has officially ended with a whimper in Washington. Last year's World's Biggest Bargain has been picked up by the Pittsburgh Penguins to play second fiddle to Marc-Andre Fleury, leaving the Washington Capitals with a glut of youth and a dearth of experience between the pipes.
So what now? With seven years of Alex Ovechkin in the books, the Caps have nothing to show for it at goalie beyond a couple of inexperienced—albeit promising—goaltenders to choose from. Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth have played only 129 of the 574 games the Caps have played since the 2005-06 season.
Now that the Caps have solved their glaring second-line center problem, it's time to solidify the goalie position. No more mediocre veterans past their prime. No more one-year rentals. The Caps have homegrown talent, and the time has come to turn that talent into the next Olie Kolzig, with the help of Capitals associate goalie coach Olie Kolzig, of course.
First, of course, there's Braden Holtby. Would the Caps have won even one game in the playoffs without Holtby? I'm not even sure. And where the heck did this kid come from?
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Article written by Dan P. Taylor
Washington Capitals: Why They Must Lock Up Both Their Young Goaltenders
July 31st, 2012 by Dan P. Taylor Leave a reply »
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