COLORADO SPRING?: SEMYON VARLAMOV What a difference a season makes especially after the start the Colorado Avalanche had last year. With new Head Coach Patrick Roy behind the bench, the team immediately adapted to the rookie coach's boisterous way and took the NHL by surprise; and what better coach to have than a former elite NHL goaltender to guide and push you to greater heights. Semyon Varlamov showed tremendous poise in 2009 playoffs and beyond when he took over for erratic starter Jose Theodore, who lost Game 1 against the NY Rangers, and blanked the Blueshirts in his first NHL playoff start by the score of 4-0. Varlamov eventually led the Washington Capitals to the second round with the series win over the Rangers.  He entered the 2009-2010 season vying for the starter's role and took over when Theodore got off to a slow start.  Varlamov won his first 5 starts that year and was 12-1-2 before going down with an injury.  The future did indeed seem bright for the young goaltender. The following season Varlamov was able to post decent metrics with a 2.23 GAA and a .924 SP but the team wasn't winning as his record when playing was 11-9-5.   It appeared on paper that young Russian goaltender was the Capitals starter as Jose Theodore wasn't resigned but he lost out to the hot new guy in Michal Neuvirth who almost had a similar start to his rookie season as Varly once did.  Neuvirth went 8-2-3 in his first 11 starts wresting the starting job from Varlamov.   Varlamov, a restricted free-agent, was traded on July 1, 2011 for 2 high draft picks from the Colorado Avalanche, as he was made available because of Neuvirth's stellar play. The Avalanche signed him to a three-year contract worth $8.5 million the next day.  He was just mediocre in his first season with the Avalanche, appearing in a career high 53 NHL games.  Then there was the "Lockout" season where he was just atrocious in net after returning from the KHL where he had spectacular numbers. Enter 2013 and Patrick Roy. We all knew what a great goaltender Roy was, but he had never coached an NHL before.  Well, those questions were answered right away as the Avalanche lost just 1 game in the month of October and Varlamov went 7-1-0 during that month.  The Avalanche goaltender slipped a little in November but ended the season with a 41- 14-6 record with a 2.41 GAA and a .920 SP.  He had finally arrived.  In the first round of the playoffs that year, he managed to take the Minnesota Wild to a 7th game but...

Washington Capitals Head Coach Adam Oates looks to be throwing a monkey wrench into the Caps goaltending situation as he will start 22 years old German goaltender Philipp Grubauer for the 5th straight game tonight, putting Brayden Holtby back on the bench again even though he is not hurt, and likely sending Michal Neuvirth to his 9th straight healthy scratch. This even after Grubauer lost his last 2 games against Buffalo and Ottawa. In his defense he played extremely well in both games allowing only 3 goals total. Now Oates is playing with Holtby's confidence here, and he should be a little careful, because Grubauer is still mostly an unknow quantity with only 10 NHL games played so far.  Holtby was the nominal starter at the beginning of the season and he played well in October and November.  In November he went 8-3-1 with a nice .933 savepercentage.  But the wheels suddenly went off the track for Holtby in December as he won only one game in the month and played in only 5 games.  His save percentage dropped to .863 in the month.  On November 30 backup goalie Neuvirth stepped on the puck at pratice and went down with an injury.  Oates called up Grubauer from Hershey of the AHL where he had been playing well.  But I'm sure he didn't expect Grubauer to make such an immediate impact going 5-2-2 with a 2.02 goals against and a .938 save percentage.  Now Holtby's overall numbers this season are decent with a 13-10-2 record 3.00 goals against and a .915 save percentage.  But he has been bad lately.  If Grubauer plays well again tonight Oates will most likely give him another straight start.  There is some grumbling among the Caps fans that new Head Goaltender Coach Olaf Kolzig is changing Holtby's style too much, preaching him patience instead of using an aggressive style. There are a lot of goaltender ghosts around Washington's recent inability to get past the second round in the playoffs. Goaltenders have been brought in like Cristobal Huet, Jose Theodore, Semyon Varlamov Michal Neuvirth and Tomas Vokoun and have gone away without playoff success.  You could make a point that the reason that the Caps lost to the Rangers in the last 3 straight playoff series was because New York had Henrik Lundqvist and Washington didn't.  He only shut them out twice in a row in games 6 and 7 last season. Now this could play out several ways. And actually Oates line is that the goaltending situation will play itself out over time.  Poolies want to know how much time? On the...

SMITH AND RED WINGS FOR TWO MORE YEARS: Defenseman Brendan Smith and the Detroit Red Wings have agreed to a two-year/ $2.525 million extension. We love this guy to make a big fantasy jump in 2013-14, as he acquitted himself quite well last season, averaging nearly 19 minutes per game, along with eight assists and 34 PIM. He never cracked the top power-play unit as I had wrongly predicted, but the 24-year old did not look out of place in only his second year. He also made quite a splash in the playoffs with five points, including an overtime game-winning goal. Watch him, as he has big-time offensive upside, and besides Niklas Kronwall, not much competition from the current Detroit blue-line. FLORIDA STARTING GOALIE JOB UP FOR GRABS: The Florida Panthers have inked goaltender Jakub Markstrom to a two-year contract. Even though the 23-year old has struggled early in his NHL career with a combined 10-19-2 record, a 3.09 GAA and a .906 SP, he has tremendous starting upside. With Jose Theodore out of the picture, veteran Scott Clemmensen might begin the season as Florida's number one goalie, but we doubt it will end up that way. Markstrom should be the top dog in the Panther's crease when the 2013-14 season is all said and done. ISLES AGREE TO BAILEY EXTENSION: The Islanders former first-round pick in the 2008 draft has developed slower than expected in his first five seasons, but a great finish in 2013 has earned him a lofty pay raise. Josh Bailey and the Islanders have agreed to a five-year/ $16.5 million contract extension, as the organization truly believes that the 23-year old is a crucial part of the youth core that has pushed the team to playoff-caliber. Bailey collected 19 points in 38 games last season, but showed his worth with ten points in the last 13 games. Not fantasy relevant yet, but could make a big jump in 2013-14.

FLORIDA STARTING GOALIE JOB UP FOR GRABS: The Florida Panthers have inked goaltender Jakub Markstrom to a two-year contract. Even though the 23-year old has struggled early in his NHL career with a combined 10-19-2 record, a 3.09 GAA and a .906 SP, he has tremendous starting upside. With Jose Theodore out of the picture, veteran Scott Clemmensen might begin the season as Florida's number one goalie, but we doubt it will end up that way. Markstrom should be the top dog in the Panther's crease when the 2013-14 season is all said and done. ISLES AGREE TO BAILEY EXTENSION: The Islanders former first-round pick in the 2008 draft has developed slower than expected in his first five seasons, but a great finish in 2013 has earned him a lofty pay raise. Josh Bailey and the Islanders have agreed to a five-year/ $16.5 million contract extension, as the organization truly believes that the 23-year old is a crucial part of the youth core that has pushed the team to playoff-caliber. Bailey collected 19 points in 38 games last season, but showed his worth with ten points in the last 13 games. Not fantasy relevant yet, but could make a big jump in 2013-14.

The goal is for Theo to play 2-3 games before the end of the season so is Fantasy season is essentially over.

This is a tough break for the Panthers who lose their starter for a minimum of six weeks. Theodore was 4-6-3 with a 3.29 GAA .893 SV% at the time of the injury. This will open the door for Jacob Markstrom to take over as the starter and prove to the Panthers he belongs in the NHL. Scott Clemmensen will also see his fair share of starts.

Initial reports from Dineen said Theodore would be out a while so adjust your lineups as necessary. Markstrom could be a worthy flier if you're in a deep league.

UPDATES: Florida goaltender Jose Theodore suffered a lower body injury in last night's game, and it looks to be serious, as the Panthers have recalled goaltender Jacob Markstrom from the AHL. ***IN THE SLOT*** A REVIEW OF LAST NIGHT'S ACTION IN THE NHL OTTAWA 1 @ PHILADELPHIA 2 read more

Theodore releived the struggling Scott Clemmensen on Thursday after he allowed three goals on 10 shots. Theodore came in and stopped all 15 shots that he faced. He gets the start tonight vs. a Hurricanes team with a good offense.

This will be Theodore's first start since last Monday when he lost 3-0. Theodore isn't a great fantasy option. He is only useful to play as a spot start against weak opponents, but even then there is no guarantee Florida will win. The Panthers take on Pittsburgh tonight so it is tough to put any confidence in Theodore.