Longtime former Panthers goaltender Tomas Vokoun had a busy Monday: not only was a trade from the Washington Capitals to Pittsburgh (for a seventh-round pick in ’12) consummated, but the Penguins declared T-Vo a significant enough upgrade over current backup Brent Johnson that he was immediately signed to a two-year deal worth a reported $4 million.
The rapid development of Caps rookie netminder Braden Holtby, combined with Vokoun’s soon-to-be UFA status which dovetailed the Pens’ need for a positional upgrade, allowed for the no-brainer move by both parties.
It’s a presumably happy development for the Panthers as their starter from 2007 through ’11 heads out of the Southeast Division, taking a 4-2-2 (2 SO) record against the Cats with him. He just as easily could have found himself on Florida’s – gulp – west coast, so call the transaction a small blessing.