The Washington Capitals have strengthened their goaltending depth for the next couple of years, as the team announced the signing of Zach Fucale to a two-year, two-way deal. The deal is worth $1.5MM with an AAV of $750K. Fucale will receive $150K in the AHL during his first year and $160K in the second.
Once considered a superstar goaltending prospect, Fucale has struggled significantly since going pro. The 25-year-old has spent much of his playing time in the ECHL and has struggled to get an NHL contract until recently when the Capitals signed him to a one-year deal in August. Fucale was still expected to spend the season in the ECHL with a loaded system that was supposed to include Ilya Samsonov, Henrik Lundqvist, Vitek Vanecek and Pheonix Copley, leaving Fucale as the extra netminder.
Instead, Fucale has spent most of his time in the AHL and has fared well in six games with the Hershey Bears, boasting a 1.93 GAA and a .942 save percentage, potentially suggesting that Fucale might finally be figuring things out in net. Fucale would have been a Group 6 free agent, but will now hopefully find some stability after several years of moving around. He is a likely candidate to share the Hershey net with Copley next season as well before Copley becomes a free agent himself in 2022.
I’ve been wondering about Pheonix Copley all season. I remember him as third-string in the Cup season, dressing though not playing in the final game. When Lunquist went out, I expected Copley to back up Samsonov, but it seems that the weird NHL cap led the Caps to choose Vanacek. Copley counts for a bit more than $1 million, and Vanacek is signed for $750 K.
Does that mean Seattle picks Vanacek or Samsonov for their low salary and youth? Thus, Copley would be second string behind whoever the Caps protect, and Fucale starts at Herashey.
Has Fucale out-played Copley?
Actually, Vanecek isn’t going to be eligible and the Caps likely keep Samsonov. First and second-year players are automatically exempt from selection, so Vanecek won’t be able to be exposed. Neither will Copley, which means the Caps likely extend Craig Anderson for another season to fulfill the requirements of exposure. Still think the most likely scenario has the Caps negotiate an under the table deal with the Kraken to have them pick Oshie, which will free up some much-needed cap space.
Keep Samsonov protected that should read.