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Capitals ink Grubauer to one-year contract extension

Philipp Grubauer

Philipp Grubauer

AP

Braden Holtby’s trusty backup will be in Washington for the foreseeable future.

The Capitals made official a one year, $1.5 million extension with restricted free agent netminder Philipp Grubauer, which is up from the $750,000 he was making on his previous deal. Per the Post, he’ll have one RFA year left at the end of this deal.

Grubauer, 25, has capably served under Holtby for the last two years. He’s coming off an excellent campaign -- 13-6-2, .926 save percentage, 2.05 GAA -- and is regarded as one of the best backups in the league.

That’s worth mentioning, because at times this offseason it sounded like he was ready to make the next step in his career.

“I would like to stay here; Washington is awesome and the whole organization’s been awesome the last couple of years,” Grubauer said earlier this summer, per the Post. “But I’m ready if the opportunity comes to make the next step and try to be a starting goalie somewhere.”

Grubauer was made available to Vegas at the expansion draft, but Golden Knights GM George McPhee opted to take blueliner Nate Schmidt instead. That still didn’t diminish rumblings that Washington might dangle Grubauer in trade talks.

It’s also worth mentioning that, in late June, the Caps re-signed goalie Pheonix Copley on a two-year deal.

Copley has a very small NHL resume -- just two games, both with St. Louis -- but fared well with AHL Hershey last year. In 16 regular-season games he went 11-5-0 with a .931 save percentage and 2.15 GAA and, in the playoffs, went 5-4 with a .933 save percentage and 2.13 GAA.