Samsonov is backup.

Uhh no he’s not? He’s starting in the AHL.

It would really depend on the camp.. if he is good, he would be backup imo. If he starts in AHL he is in NHL by November.. however Washington would use a guy from within and not sign anybody.. Samsonov is hell of a goalie who can be starter within 2yrs..

Okay it’s not a question of whether or not Samsonov is going to be a good goalie. They said they want him to take a year in the AHL, and they have no need to rush him to the NHL. Signing a backup goalie would be a fantastic idea, especially given Copley’s awful AHL stats, who is currently projected to be the backup to Holtby.

It's really tough to figure. I don't honestly know whether Copley or Vanecek are ready to play in the NHL right now. At 900k, Pavelec can play at any level in the organization, and might just end up giving Holtby enough rest to save some energy for another epic playoff run, or if not, I don't think the Caps' ownership group notices the change in revenue, and they can trade him by the deadline if it makes a difference against the 50 contract limit. He didn't play as many games as Lehtonen last year, but if either of them wants to sign under a million, I'd predict they'd be more than welcome. Not guaranteed a spot, but welcomed and happily signed for a year to try to prove they're better right now than any of three highly regarded prospects, one of whom did okay in the KHL last year after a stunning rookie season there, and the other two of whom were bottom five in the AHL in spct and gaa, possibly due to a very young defense that continually fell apart in front of them, or possibly because they are not yet living up to their potential.

The best reason I can see for bringing Copley up this year, sink or swim, is that he's only got two years left on his contract, just like Holtby, and the team gains trade value by giving Copley some starts in the NHL, with a solid defense in front of him, to show what he's capable of. But if a proven NHL backup wants to play the year in Washington at a price that still leaves the team some cap space, the Caps can also just leave Copley in the minors, sign him to a three year bridge extension next summer around 800k, and let him earn his way up when he's ready.

People have so many great ideas on here about what would be best for the Caps' prospects, and ultimately that long view does keep teams in the playoffs longer, but coming off a Cup win, BMac has done a solid job of re-signing guys from this last year's championship squad, so it makes more sense for him to make moves right now to try to repeat, rather than to try to re-tool. Signing a proven backup at basically no extra cap hit is the kind of move that would help the team repeat, if it's available. I'm not sure how excited Pavelec is by the number, and the even after the championship the Caps aren't the favorite to repeat, but a good backup puts them back into the top five, and even if he might not get playoff action, he's likely to get great regular season numbers by playing behind a great defensive group, and at least get a better UFA deal next summer. There's also better odds of winning a Stanley Cup in Washington than with any other team currently in obvious need of a backup goalie, so there's a decent chance they find one.

Samsonov is the second best goalie in the organization without question. But they don't want to halt his development by only playing once every 4 or 5 games when he could play much more regularly in Hershey. He'll start the season in Hershey and play the majority of the year there, although I'm sure we'll see him in Washington at some point this season.