One of the main storylines coming into Capitals training camp is the battle for the No. 1 goalie spot. We may not know the winner until April, when Bruce Boudreau has to pick someone to start in the playoffs.
Semyon Varlamov has the name recognition and solid Stanley Cup playoff experience. Michal Neuvirth
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has won 11 games for the Caps in 22 career starts over two seasons and also led Hershey of the American Hockey League to consecutive Calder Cups. Both are 22 years old, so this may not be a one-year competition.
Neuvirth signed a two-year contract extension Wednesday. He will make $1.15 million starting next season. For now his salary-cap hit remains $821,667. It’s a strong sign of commitment to a player sometimes overshadowed by Varlamov, who is a restricted free agent at the end of this season. Washington either will work out a deal with Varlamov by next summer or go to arbitration in July. Either way, he, too, is under team control.
But there is an element of risk here with no veteran presence like Jose Theodore provided in 2009-10 — a player who has faced immense pressure throughout his NHL career. Theodore is still looking for a job after Washington chose not to pursue a deal when his contract expired. Time will tell whether the lack of a proven veteran was the right decision. Dany Sabourin, 30, will at least be the co-starter in Hershey with another top prospect, 21-year-old Braden Holtby.
For now, Varlamov needs to prove he can stay healthy for long stretches. Troublesome knee and groin injuries have hampered him the past two seasons. Neuvirth needs to be a consistent presence for weeks at a time and deal maturely with the inevitable failures at this level.
But Neuvirth’s signing demonstrates the organization refuses to put all of its faith in one goalie. Both players will be here until one shows he’s figured out how to play at this level. The other becomes a valuable trade chip.
