The Washington Capitals have traded the rights to goaltender Tomas Vokoun to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a draft pick, NHL.com reports.

Continue reading

Vokoun, whose one-year contract with the Capitals expires on July 1, reportedly never meant to spend more than one season playing with the Capitals, who he signed with last summer.

Immediately after the trade, the Penguins signed Vokoun to a two-year contract to play alongside longtime starter Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Capitals received a 7th-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft in return.

The 35-year-old goaltender played in 48 games with Washington in 2011-12, going 25-17-2 and posting a goals against average of 2.51. He is 13 wins away from 300 in his career.

Vokoun missed the entire playoffs after suffering a severe groin injury in late March, allowing for Braden Holtby to become the starter for Washington, who bowed out in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Washington and Pittsburgh, who have a long-standing rivalry that dates back to the early 1990's, don't often make trades. This is the first time the two teams have made a deal since the Capitals acquired Jaromir Jagr from the Penguins in July of 2001.