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NHL Rumors: Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders

Rory Boylen of Sportsnet: The Washington Capitals now find themselves without a backup for Ilya Samsonov after Henrik Lundqvist announced yesterday that he won’t play this season due to a heart condition.

The free agent pool for goalies is a little thinner than it once was, but there are still some options for the Capitals.

In-house they have 28-year old Pheonix Copley and 24-year old Vitek Vanecek. Vanecek has put up better AHL numbers but has zero NHL games experience compared to Copley’s 29. Vanecek should have a leg up if they don’t add a veteran.