With NHL free agency set to begin Friday, the Washington Capitals have a bevy of both restricted and unrestricted free agents to re-sign. But according to Dmitry Chesnokov, goaltender Semyon Varlamov may not be one of them.
Varlamov is unlikely to re-sign with the #Caps, I learned. The resolution will take place before July 1.less than a minute ago via web 
Favorite 
Retweet 
Reply
Dmitry Chesnokov
dchesnokov
With the acquisition of Troy Brouwer from the Chicago Blackhawks during Friday's first round of the 2011 NHL Draft, the Caps now have nine "regulars" that will become free agents Friday (Brouwer, Varlamov, Marco Sturm, Jason Arnott, Brooks Laich, Boyd Gordon, Matt Bradley, Scott Hannan and Karl Alzner).
Even with an inflated salary cap, keeping Varlamov seems to not be a priority for the Caps. Varlamov appeared in only 27 games last season while fighting several injuries and earned a 11-9-5 record with a 2.23 GAA and .924 SV%. In his absence, Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby rose to the occasion, with Neuvirth putting a stranglehold on the starting position and Holtby gaining invaluable NHL experience.
In a report from last week, Varlamov said that he would take less money to stay with Washington and that he felt confident that he could win back his starting position. Yet, if Chesnokov's report holds true, it looks like the Caps have lost their confidence in him.