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Caps expect Peters to be ready for training camp after knee surgery

Justin Peters

Justin Peters

AP

The Washington Capitals announced that goalie Justin Peters underwent left knee surgery on Monday and should be ready to compete in training camp.

Getting ready by then could be key for the 28-year-old, as you get the impression that he’s the odd man out of the Caps’ goalie rotation. Japers’ Rink postulated back in late June that Philipp Grubauer will back up Braden Holtby instead of Peters in 2015-16:

When the Caps re-signed Philipp Grubauer to a two-year, one-way deal, it was a pretty clear indication that they see him as ready to take on the role of Braden Holtby’s understudy (assuming, of course, that a Holtby deal gets done). For starters, while the Caps still have Justin Peters under contract, it’s clear that they’ve lost faith in him (if they ever had any in the first place) and see Grubauer as a better option to back-up Holtby. But another factor here is that Grubauer would need to clear waivers to be sent to Hershey and he wouldn’t clear, so the Caps’ choice would essentially be keep Grubauer in the NHL or lose him. Not much of a choice, is it?

Indeed, Peters didn’t play well at all during his first season with the Capitals, going 3-6-1 with a putrid .881 save percentage in 12 games. His overall career numbers aren’t anything that will leave GMs all that excited, either, although he showed moderate promise in 2013-14: 7-9-4 but with a .919 save percentage in 21 appearances.

Really, he hasn’t even distinguished himself at the AHL level, for that matter.

Long story short, Peters needs to prove himself with his current contract expiring, even if he may be auditioning as much for other teams as he is for Washington.