A Traitor to Caps Nation
Backup Goalie headed to Pittsburgh
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The Caps hope to explore Johnson's five hole a whole lot more next season.
Benedict Arnold. John Brown. Alger Hiss. And now, Brent Johnson. Traitors, all.
Johnson signed a one-year deal with the (gasp) Stanley Cup Champion and Caps-Vanquishing Pittsburgh Penguins. Oh, the humanity!
Johnson was a capable backup for the Caps over the past four seasons. He missed most of the second half of last season after having hip surgery. With Jose Theodore's big contract and the emergence of Simeon Varlamov, the Caps didn't need him around.
BJ had a solid half-season for the Caps. After Theodore's early season struggles, he had a solid run for a few weeks as the team's primary goalie. For the year, he finished 12-6-2 with a solid 2.81 GAA. (Theodore's GAA, incidentally, was just a tick higher at 2.87)
He'll be a solid fit for Pittsburgh -- as long as that hip holds up. Marc-Andre Fleury hasn't exactly been Mr. Reliable out there -- he missed about a month from mid-November to mid-December. Johnson's shown that he's capable of handling a decent workload without being a huge step down in talent.
If they're looking for a playoff hero, Johnson might not be the guy -- and Caps fans definitely hope he won't be. After playing in 12 games with the St. Louis Blues in the early 2000s -- including three straight playoff shutouts -- he didn't sniff a playoff game with the Caps.
For the Caps, Varlamov and Theodore will battle for the starting job. Should one of them go down, the Caps are settled with the playoff-hardened (AHL counts!) Michal Neuvirth. (OK, maybe 17 games doesn't quite count though.)
Most Caps fans would've wished BJ well, but considering where he's going, they're all rooting for an ultra-high GAA next year -- not to mention an early first-round exit for the eighth-seeded Pens in four games to the Caps, as Ovie scores 14 goals on his way to the Cup.
Fans' dreams don't have to be rational, do they?
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Posted Tuesday, Jul 21, 2009 - 4:56 PM EST
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