The Colorado Avalanche have acquired goalie Phillip Grubauer and defenseman Brooks Orpik from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick in the 2018 NHL draft (47th overall).
For the Avalanche, Semyon Varlamov and Jonathan Bernier could be on the move, and that would leave the team without a goalie. Grubauer is a current RFA, and 26 years old, young for a goalie. They take on the cap hit of Orpik, but his $5 million cap hit only lasts for one season. They only give up a second, pretty good for a fringe goalie.
Grubauer, 26, had a 2.35 GAA and .923 SV% in 35 games for the Caps this past season. In his NHL career, all in Washington, Grubauer has a SV% of .923 and a 2.29 GAA in 101 games.
Orpik, 37, scored 10 points, all assists in 81 games for the Caps this past season. In his NHL career, for the Caps and Pittsburgh Penguins, Orpik has scored 16 goals and 169 assists for 185 points in 982 games.
For the Caps, Ilya Samsonov, the top goalie prospect, is ready to play next season. Plus, they have Braden Holtby as their starter. They wanted to send Grubauer somewhere where he can start. Also, they unload Orpik\’s contract. This frees up cap space to sign top defenseman John Carlson, a pending UFA. They get a second round pick, which is pretty good to unload a big contract.
I think this is an even trade. The Caps get the cap space they need, and the Avs get their goalie. That\’s why it is an even trade.
CarterHud 