Caps Send Varlamov to Colorado

			2010-2011 NHL Statistics				July 1st Status
To Colorado	Position	Age	MIN	W	SO	P	Years	Cap Hit
Semyon Varlamov	G	23	1,560	11	2	26	0	RFA
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To Washington	Position	Age	GP	G	A	P	Years	Cap Hit
2012 1st Round Draft Pick
Conditional Second Round Pick

July 1st wasn't just about getting players signed on, there were also some trades to talk about as well.  The Capitals were planning on likely living life without goaltender Semyon Varlamov in the 2012 season, possibly seeing him sign over in Russia, due to a logjam in net in Washington.  In light of that, the Capitals were able to swing a deal to send Varlamov over to Colorado and in return they received two very good draft picks.

The Avalanche were in dire need of some goaltending help and they have acquired a goalie that has put up some pretty good numbers while playing for a pretty good team.  It will be interesting to see how Varlamov may fit in with a Western Conference team that is experiencing some growing pains.

As for the draft picks going the other way, there is some real potential that these picks could be very good, since the Avalanche haven't improved greatly in this off-season and a lot of the teams around them have.  Washington may have really come away like bandits in this deal, especially for a goaltender that they didn't plan on using.