The Thrashers signed RFA goalie Ondrej Pavelec to a two-year, $2.4 million contract. That’s not $2.4 million a season, that’s $1 million this this season, and $1.3 million the next. The cap hit is a paltry $1.15 million dollars. If you needed further proof of the slow market for goalies this off-season, add this to the pile. To put this in perspective, his cap hit not only went down by around $300,000, former Atlanta Thrashers goaltender Johan Hedberg made $1.09 million to be a back up. The Thrashers complete goaltender tandem pricetag for two years? $6.1 million dollars. That’s around as much as Evgeny Nabokov was making for his last season (cap information via capgeek.com).
I have said my piece both about Chris Mason and Ondrej Pavelec, and have high opinions of both, even if my thoughts on Pavelec are tempered with restraint. The team might not have a Superman-level goaltender tandem, but between Mason’s workhorse nature and Pavelec’s growing abilities, if they both have a good year the Thrashers should be solidly in playoff contention.