The alternative is signing guys to one-year, show-me deals every summer. Sure, it can work out very nicely, now and again, as it did in this case. Yet how likely is it to work six years in a row, with six new guys looking to prove they're top-10 or top-15 goalies? There's risk with this, but we shouldn't diminish that there's risk in hoping the guys you'd otherwise sign to short deals would work out for you, year in and year out.
Ideally, you sign a goalie you know, who is coming off a really good year for you, but do so for only three years. Yet that isn't realistic, as they can get term elsewhere. If the Caps offered him 2x$6M or 3x$6M, he'd head to UFA and score a five-year deal.
He's 27 and this signs him for his prime, through age 33. Good in the room, has the trust of the team, and this won't be disruptive on a team that is rolling right now. There is risk, but it's sensible enough, and the alternatives carry plenty of risk as well. Some kind of stability in goal is good for a team too. A constant revolving door isn't ideal either.
