Mon, Jun 4, 2012 at 11:38am

PENS PICK UP VOKOUN

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired the rights to goaltender Tomas Vokoun from the Washington Capitals for a seventh-round draft pick in 2012.

What does it give the Pittsburgh Penguins
One of Pittsburgh's biggest issues in their recent first-round playoff ouster was goaltending. While {P Marc-Andre Fleury} is one of the NHL's better netminders, he was simply awful in the postseason (posting an .834 save percentage and 4.63 GAA). Vokoun is an insurance policy here, but is also a proven vet who can spell Fleury if needed. He was set for UFA status but has signed a two-year extension with Pittsburgh. This deal also makes veteran backup {P Brent Johnson} expendable.

What does it give the Washington Capitals
The Caps have an emerging potential star in young {P Braden Holtby}, and along with {P Michal Neuvirth} they have two of the NHL's better young netminders in the fold. They risked losing Vokoun to free agency this summer, so getting at least something (even though it's a 7th-rounder) is better than nothing. All that said, this somewhat puts Washington back where they were before adding Vokoun: with two promising but unproven young goalies.

Fantasy impact