Capital's General Manager George McPhee has remained tight-lipped about the team's plans on March 4, but with a rookie goaltender replacing the injured Brent Johnson many wonder if a new netminder should be sought out at the deadline.
This weekend features the second-to-last set of back-to-back games for the Capitals. While Saturday's game against the Bruins is in the "must win" category, the bout with the Panthers could very well be the nail in the Southeast Division coffin for the Panthers and Hurricanes.
Jose Theodore is likely to start against the Bruins, but if the Capitals want an answer to the question "should we trade for a veteran backup goalie?" it could be answered Sunday. The game might as well be a "must win," and with the trade deadline looming is there a better litmus test for Michal Neuvirth than a divisional game that all but clinches the division?
So, do you start Neuvirth Sunday and decide to seek a veteran goalie based on his performance? Or do you go ahead and find an affordable backup, regardless of who starts Sunday?
I would think that seeing what Neuvirth can do should be the priority. He has already come up solid in 2 games so give him another and see what happens. You only want 1 main goalie come playoff time so what you need is an emergency goaltender. If the kid can handle that role it would make more sense to save the prospects/picks that it is going to cost to get a "proven" and affordable goalie.
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