Capitals backup goaltender yet to be decided

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With two preseason games left for the Washington Capitals, the backup goaltending spot remains up for grabs.

While Logan Thompson won himself the starting role last season down the stretch, Charlie Lindgren and Clay Stevenson split the 60 minutes Monday in Hershey and looking to make their case.

Lindgren, who played sparingly last season as the Capitals unsuccessfully chased a playoff spot, allowed 2 goals on 14 shots in the first half of the contest, including one he probably would want back.

For his part, Stevenson, who played most of last season in Hershey, faced a light workload, as after seeing 4 shots in a 5-minute power play, saw just 2 more shots the rest of the night, including a drive late that rang off the crossbar.

The biggest factor that may decide the spot is contract status.

Lindgren is on the second year of a three-year deal worth $3 million apiece, and with his reduced workload down the stretch, there was thought the Capitals could attempt to move him among the changes to the roster.

Instead, the team opted to hang on to him into camp, but when Capitals GM Chris Patrick was asked if the goaltending tandem would be Thompson and Lindgren, he was non-committal.

Is Stevenson ready for the job?

The case for Stevenson is that he has one year left on an entry-level deal worth $800.000, and he no longer is waivers-exempt, which would net a $2.2 million cap savings for a season in which the Capitals are expected to be in the Stanley Cup conversation.

The key will be if the Capitals think Stevenson, who has just 5 NHL games under his belt, is ready for a full-time role.

And, if Washington attempts to send him down, it’s quite possible another team may roll the dice on him after an impressive AHL portfolio, as he is no longer waiver-exempt. He did clear waivers last season, but is less likely to clear again this season, particularly with the success in Carolina of AHL netminder Brandon Bussi, who went from Bruins’ depth goalie to Stanley Cup champion.

Washington has a couple of options to try and avoid losing Stevenson for nothing.

First, they could opt to trade Stevenson to an interested team, as the team has AHL veteran Cal Petersen on a tryout to fill in should the Bears lose their starter.

Secondly, they could pocket the cap space by shipping off Lindgren, likely getting a pick back in exchange for the space. While Washington isn’t over the cap even after the summer’s spending spree, but cap space is an asset they can use, and still would likely have space after Stevenson becomes a UFA next summer.

Stevenson’s contract is also a one-way deal, meaning he gets $800,000 even if he plays for Hershey.

Three goalie option

A third option would be to carry three goalies to start the year, but that would likely a temporary solution until they could either trade one or send Stevenson down. And, with a roster that’s already going to be difficult to find spots for players, unlike years past, they would risk another player to keep three on the roster even temporarily.

Lindgren seemingly has the edge, simply because the time to trade him likely was over the summer, unless Patrick hoped a preseason injury or issue would create a demand for the veteran. But Stevenson is an economical option, and should he be evaluated close to Lindgren by management, it’s harder to see they give up the younger, cheaper option.

So with two games left, Patrick has a tough choice, particularly since his team has high expectations based largely on its goaltending.