Capitals Trade Tomas Vokoun to Pittsburgh

As confirmed by a team release, the Washington Capitals have traded goaltender Tomas Vokoun to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 7th round pick in the 2012 NHL draft.  Vokoun signed a two year, $4 million contract with the Penguins soon after the trade was announced, as the Penguins added one of the best goalies in the NHL for nothing, much like the Capitals did last season. This is especially nice for Pittsburgh after the atrocious playoff performance of Marc-Andre Fleury.
There are very few positives to draw out of this deal.  Sure, the Capitals got something for a player they were going to lose in free agency anyway, but they still gave him up to their archrival, a team that needed goaltending help and got it in a big way.  Vokoun is not what he used to be, but he still had a .917 save percentage last year and if it was not for him, the Capitals would have been dead and buried by the end of February.  Putting Vokoun behind Marc-Andre Fleury is scary and it makes the Penguins a lot better.  A 7th round pick is something, which is better than nothing, and it certainly seems as though Vokoun was going to sign in Pittsburgh anyway.  However, the fact that the Penguins got a lot better today at the expense of the Capitals is not good, and a 7th round pick does not make it significantly better.


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