DALLAS -- The Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals aggressively cleared salary cap space and found a potential starting job for their backup netminder in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche before Friday's NHL draft in Dallas.
The Capitals sent defenseman Brooks Orpik, 37, and goalie Philipp Grubauer, 26, to the Avalanche for a second-round pick, No. 47 overall, in the 2018 draft.
"This was a difficult move, but the one we felt we needed to make in order to give some flexibility moving forward,'' Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. "Philipp has been a consummate professional and a great teammate and we wish him all the best. Brooks was a great leader and a tremendous role model for our young players in his four years with our organization.''
Oprik had one more year left on his contract with a $5.5 million cap hit. He skated 81 games last season with 10 assists in 19:22 in average ice time. He played in all 24 games for the Capitals in their run to the Cup, with a goal and four assists. He had an NHL-best plus-17 in the playoffs.
Grubauer is a restricted free agent. He was 28-15-10 in 35 games this season with a .923 save percentage and a 2.35 goals against average.
The Capitals have only 15 players under contract for next season with over $21 million in cap space. The primary target for this financial shuffling: No. 1 defenseman John Carlson, who is an unrestricted free agent beginning July 1. It's expected that Carlson could fetch upward of $7-8 million annually against the salary cap on his next contract.
Despite the trade, it's not guaranteed that Carlson returns to the champs. Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee, who drafted Carlson in Washington, was expected to make a significant pitch for him as a free agent, according to a source.
As for the Avalanche, they get a veteran player in Orpik who was a valuable asset in the Capitals' run to the Cup. His presence in the locker room was vital to younger players. But all indications are that they'll move him along, or buy out his contract.
When Orpik signed with the Capitals in 2014 as a free agent, the Avalanche were one of his most interested suitors.
Grubauer was the target here. He appears to be the goalie of the present and future for the Avs. Starter Semyon Varlamov has one more year left on his contract at $5.9 million against the cap. Jonathan Bernier, who saw time for the Avalanche when Varlamov was injured, is an unrestricted free agent.