It’s been just over seven months and half a hockey hockey season since the Coloorado Avalanche acquired goalie Philipp Grubauer in a trade with the Washington Capitals.
The trade was seen by some as shocking move, but it was primarily a business deal— the Capitals needed to clear up salary cap space and let newcomer Phoenix Copley into the rotation, and the Avalanche needed a new goalie after not re-signing Jonathan Bernier. The Capitals didn’t want to deal Grubuaer to a divisional rival, so the Avalanche (in the Central Division, far far away from the Capitals in the Metropolitan Division) seemed like the right team to make a trade with.