Joe Cannata was brought in to be the Caps third goalie this offseason. He has fallen well short of expectations. (Caps Outsider)
It is no secret that the Caps are looking for a third goalie to be injury insurance for Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer. Alex Stalock, 29, is currently 13th in save percentage at .918 and 14th in GAA at 2.48 with the Iowa Wild in 36 games.
Stalock was drafted 112th overall in 2005 by San Jose and has 62 games of NHL experience with San Jose. His record is 24-19-7 with a .911 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA with four shutouts. Stalock is signed through the 2018-19 season which would give the Caps some flexibility moving forward. Especially if Grubauer is taken by Vegas in the expansion draft.
So the question is, what could the Caps send back? Reports are that Stanislav Galiev will be moved. Iowa currently sits 21st in goals for, while Hershey is third. Galiev has been hot of late and has a season total of 17 goals, and 11 assists for 28 points in 36 games. Hershey will have no problem scoring as they are a deep team. With the Minnesota Wild being active in the trade market, Iowa lost Temmu Pulkkinen who has 18 goals in 47 games and was Iowa`s leading point producer. Galiev would now be tied for first in points for Iowa.
Minnesota would also probably ask for a goalie in return. Joe Cannata has been a disappointment in Hershey this year. He is 11-5-4 with a 3.22 GAA and a .876 save percentage. Cannata would probably then back up Steve Michalek, 23, who is 10-11-1 this year with a 2.63 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 24 games.
The Caps may need to throw in a late round pick to sweeten the deal, but otherwise, the Caps likely won’t be very active before Wednesday’s trade deadline.
