Reading tea leaves- Capitals resign Copley

[yave1964]

 Pheonix Copley who served as the Capitals primary AHL goalie after coming over from the Blues organization in the ill fated Shattenkirk deal was scheduled to be a free agent however the six foot five prospect did a great deal to establish himself, overall for the season he went 31-16 with an combined 2.19 goals against. The Capitals resigned Copley ahead of free agency to a two year deal.

 

   There has been a lot of chatter that prized backup goalie Phillip Grubauer is on the market for a potential top four defenseman in return. One that may be growing legs is a rumor that Vancouver is interested in Grubauer as partial return for defensive specialist Brandon Tanev.

 

  Just a quick little post, IMHO the under the radar resigning of Copley very well may e a harbinger of a much larger move.

[hf101]

I was surprised the Knights didn't select Grubauer, but then I thought hmm there is probably a reason why there are few rumors out there on likely trades too.  I think a top 4 d-man prospect is likely too much going back to the Capitals.  Grubauer isn't a goalie with much size, and I think he becomes a UFA next summer.   Thus teams are really going to pay a lot for what could be a 1 year contract.  There is also the whole mess of arbitration which I think Grubauer is eligible for this summer. 

 

I also looked at Grubauer's stats and while he has solid stats during the regular season, his playoff stats are nothing that would impress me enough to give up a top 4 d-man prospect for.   I think if the Capitals do trade him it will be for a lot less than what they could have received a year ago.