Tomas Vokoun is looking forward to playing in Washington after spending four seasons with the Florida Panthers. The Panthers were unable to make the playoffs during Vokoun's tenure with the team. "It was something I was looking at as, you know, I want to enjoy hockey. I want to play in playoffs," Vokoun said. "It's been really tough for me. I lost four years. I've been sitting every summer here in South Florida, which I love, in the afternoons swimming in the pool, and by 7:30 at night I put on the TV and watch playoff hockey every single year. If you care and love playing hockey, it's not an easy thing to do." Vokoun is a steal for the Capitals after agreeing to a one-year/$1.5 million contract over the summer. He'll enter the season as the team's starting goaltender, but Michal Neuvirth is expected to challenge him for playing time all season.

Tomas Vokoun has fired agent Michael Deutsch and replaced him with Allan Walsh. The move is hardly surprising, considering Vokoun ended up signing a one-year/$1.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals this summer. Although the free agent market can be very lucrative for players, becoming an unrestricted free agent as a goaltender can be particularly risky. There's only so many starting jobs to go around and once opportunities started to dry up, Vokoun was forced to settle at a discount price.

Although Olaf Kolzig primary duties currently involve helping the Capitals' minor league goaltenders, he could eventually become the team's NHL goaltending coach. Kolzig participated in the Capitals' development camp this summer. "This is only my first camp in this capacity, but I can see myself doing this down the road," Kolzig said last week. "It's something that I wanted to try and it's a good situation because I'm not just getting thrown to the wolves immediately. I'm able to learn under Dave [Prior] for at least a year and see if it's something I would enjoy doing full time. So far, I'm really enjoying it." Capitals GM George McPhee suggested that Prior might step back in one-to-three years, which could open the door for Kolzig to take the spot if everything works out for him. Kolzig wore a Capitals uniform in 711 of his 719 career NHL games.

Tomas Vokoun said that the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings were the only teams that offered him a contract. It's surprising that all of the teams that needed a starting goaltender going into July 1st passed on him, but they might have balked at his asking price and decided to pursue other options. Although Vokoun didn't say why he chose Washington over Detroit, it's probably because he thought that he had a better chance at being a starting goaltender with the Capitals. Wings GM Ken Holland has been quoted as saying, "Some of the goalie we talked to didn't want to be a backup. They want to go to other teams and have a shot at being No. 1 or at playing a lot more games." Either way, the result is Washington got a great goaltender for a great price.

Tomas Vokoun will enter the season as the Capitals number one goaltender. "We're always going to play who we think is the best," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "But if you're looking at a guy that's had the experience and done everything and if they're a No. 1 goalie... You've got to give Vokoun the respect that he's coming in and he's going to be the No. 1 guy. We'll see where it goes from there." We wouldn't be surprised if both Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth end up starting in more than 30 games this season, but clearly Vokoun has the inside track going into 2011-12.

Tomas Vokoun voiced his displeasure about the lack of offers he received as a free agent, but he is happy to be a member of the Washington Capitals. "I found out I didn't have a whole lot of offers. Unfortunately for me the money side is not great, but I think the opportunity is unbelievable," he said. "It was disappointing, no question, but I think whatever the circumstances or reason why it happened I don't know. I think my level of my play was high for a pretty long time and I can't control what happens on the market, I can only control how I play. It wasn't pretty, but everything happens for a reason. I've never had a chance to play for a team like this. It came to me on a steep price but it's not just about the money." Washington has made some savvy moves this off-season, but the addition of Vokoun should prove to be very beneficial to the club in 2011-12.

Tomas Vokoun's track record and experience should give him the edge to be Washington's starter in 2011-12. He has not been guaranteed the top spot with the Capitals after signing a bargain contract of $1.5 million for one year. Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby were ready to battle it out for the number one job prior to Vokoun being brought on board, but this move should force Holtby into the minors for another season.

Tomas Vokoun has agreed to a one-year/$1.5 million deal with the Washington Capitals. It's no where near the scenario Vokoun wanted entering this off-season, but there's only so many starting jobs out there. It remains to be seen if the Capitals will use Vokoun as their starting goaltender, but Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth will probably battle for playing time until one begins to significantly outperform the other. Vokoun should have a sub-2.5 GAA in Washington to go along with a save percentage that will rank in the top 10. However, his fantasy value could still diminish based on his playing time.

The Colorado Avalanche need a goaltender and should be in the mix to acquire unrestricted free agent Tomas Vokoun. This is assuming the Florida Panthers are unable to get his name on a contract before the noon deadline. The Avs are way under the cap and need to spend almost $15 million just to get to the floor of the salary cap. Phoenix could also use Vokoun after Ilya Bryzgalov was traded and signed with the Flyers so the competition could be tough for Vokoun. Stay tuned as Vokoun is the best goalie available amongst free agents.

The Florida Panthers have continued to talk with pending unrestricted free agent Tomas Vokoun about staying with the team. "We're in negotiations with him as we speak and are very hopeful," GM Dale Tallon said. The Panthers are also hoping that the recent acquisitions of Stanley Cup winners like Brian Campbell and Tomas Kopecky will help convince Vokoun that they are on the right track to improving their team. Stay tuned.