Michal Neuvirth has spent time with eight teams in the past 15 months and has just eight games of experience at the American Hockey League level. His next NHL contest will be his first.
Oh, and he officially is the backup goaltender for the foreseeable future for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. With Brent Johnson expected to be out six to eight weeks because of a torn labrum in his hip, the Washington Capitals decided prized prospects Neuvirth and Simeon Varlamov are capable of backing up Jose Theodore.
“That’s the plan,” general manager George McPhee said Friday. “We’re pretty high on these young goalies, and when Jose needs a break, we’ll play them.”
Added coach Bruce Boudreau: “We have a lot of faith in the kids. That’s where we’re at.”
Varlamov and Neuvirth were the 23rd and 34th players selected in the 2006 draft and have jockeyed for the “goalie of the future” title in the organization ever since. It was Varlamov who began the year with Hershey of the American Hockey League, while Neuvirth was sent to South Carolina of the ECHL.
It also was Varlamov who was recalled earlier this season and has two NHL wins in two starts. But Varlamov has had an injury-plagued season, and he’s out of the lineup in Hershey because of a knee problem.
That meant Neuvirth was added to the roster Tuesday, and it will be the 20-year-old from the Czech Republic who likely earns the next start by someone not named Theodore.
“I want to be [here] however long I can be and work hard in practice and we’ll see what happens,” Neuvirth said. “I heard something that maybe I’m going to start next week when there are back-to-back games [at Tampa Bay and Florida].”
St. Louis put Manny Legace, a former All-Star, on waivers Friday, but for now at least, McPhee ruled out a veteran addition from outside the organization. The Caps also have the option of pursuing a trade. McPhee also said it is not a given that Varlamov will replace Neuvirth when he is healthy.
“We’re not interested in any other goalies right now. We’ll see how the kids do, and if they can do the job, good for them and good for us,” McPhee said. “We’ve got a good No. 1 who is playing really well, and when he needs a break, they’ll get it and we’ll see where we are in six weeks.”
After a rocky start, Theodore has played like a goalie who signed a two-year, $9 million contract this offseason. During the first half of the season, the Caps’ net was something of a timeshare. But starting with a wild comeback victory Dec. 23 at Madison Square Garden, Theodore has been between the pipes for 16 of 19 games. The former league MVP is 11-4-1 in that span.
“I think I’ve been playing the way I expected to,” he said. “I don’t think the stats were quite fair because I had just been a little inconsistent, but I knew I was right around the corner from playing well on a consistent basis. The coaches gave me confidence and the team is playing great.”
Added defenseman Tom Poti: “He’s shown why he’s a former MVP. He’s played awesome for us the last two months, and we’re glad to see it. We’re going to need him. We’re going to lean on him the rest of the way.”
Boudreau said Johnson’s injury could force him to play Theodore more than he originally planned. Theodore has played in 34 contests; with 29 games left, there are only two sets of back-to-back nights the rest of the way. Even if Theodore played every game, he wouldn’t match his career high of 67 games.
“I don’t think it changes my approach,” Theodore said. “I think in the past 20 games, I’ve started [a lot]. This time of year, I am in good shape and I’m ready to play.”
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