The Washington Capitals kept Charlie Lindgren and waived Clay Stevenson on Sunday, locking in their Opening Night roster with a couple of surprises.
Washington made 19 cuts Sunday morning to get down to 23 players. Final rosters are due at 5 p.m. ET on Monday.
The Capitals are hoping Stevenson sneaks through waivers so he can head back to the AHL's Hershey Bears.
That's a big hope. Stevenson has drawn interest from other teams before, and he went 3-1-0 with a .921 save percentage in four games with Washington last season.
The veteran who beat him out posted an .879 save percentage in 21 games last season.
So why keep the goalie with the worse numbers? Lindgren stopped 32 of 33 in Saturday's 5-1 win in Philadelphia, but one strong night shouldn't outweigh a whole season.
Waiving Stevenson is like leaving a winning lottery ticket on a bus seat and hoping nobody sits down.
Ethen Frank and Ivan Miroshnichenko stick as two extra forwards
The forward group carries a twist, too. Washington will keep two extra wingers after usually carrying only one in recent seasons.
Ethen Frank earned his spot, scoring a power-play goal Saturday with three shots on goal in 17:47.
Ivan Miroshnichenko, 22, stuck around after looking like the player most at risk of getting squeezed out. He's no longer waivers-exempt, which made sending him down a gamble.
Alex Ovechkin is set for his 22nd NHL season, even though a lower-body injury kept him out of all four preseason games.
Newcomers Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner are ready for their first seasons in Washington. Tuch carries a $10,500,000 cap hit.
On the back end, Dylan McIlrath beat out Justin Holl for the seventh defenseman job, making the team out of camp for a third straight season.
Rasmus Sandin is expected to open on long-term injured reserve as he rehabs a torn ACL. His timeline could have him back as soon as late October.
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Logan Thompson stays the No. 1 after finishing fourth in Vezina Trophy voting with a 2.44 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
Spencer Carbery's group went 3-0-1 in the preseason and opens Friday in Carolina.
Thompson will carry the heavy load. But if Lindgren struggles early and another team claims Stevenson, Chris Patrick will hear about this decision all winter.
Did the Capitals make a mistake keeping Charlie Lindgren over Clay Stevenson?
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