The Washington Capitals have serious issues with coronavirus at the moment. However, on Thursday, they were able to activate goaltender Craig Anderson off their taxi squad according to CBS Sports, after signing him to a one-year deal worth $700,000.
Washington needed to improve their goaltending situation with Ilya Samsonov on the coronavirus list. He was placed on the list alongside Alexander Ovechkin, Dmitry Orlov, and Evgeny Kuznetsov when the four Russians breached coronavirus protocol when they interacted with one another in a hotel room on a recent road trip. That is apparently a “no-no” according to the National Hockey League Rule Book this season, and as a result Ovechkin, Orlov, Kuznetsov, and Samsonov are on the NHL coronavirus list and are expected to miss the next four games.
The Capitals are Anderson’s fifth National Hockey League team after playing with the Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, and Ottawa Senators. The native of Park Ridge, Illinois brings a lot of experience to the Capitals as he has played in 17 National Hockey League seasons, and has played in 648 NHL games.
This past season with the Senators, Anderson has a record of 11 wins, 17 regulation losses, and two losses in extra time. He had a goals against average of 3.25, and a save percentage of .902. At 39 years of age, Anderson does not have too many more NHL seasons left, but could be a dependable backup until Henrik Lundqvist returns (even if he does after his open heart surgery).
So far this season, the Capitals are third in the East Division with a record of two wins and two overtime losses for six points. They are one point back of the division-leading Philadelphia Flyers.
The next six Capitals games are at home. They have two games this weekend against the Buffalo Sabres. That will be followed by two games each against the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins.
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