Who’s up for some thumbnail sketches of George McPhee’s work at the NHL trade deadline? Interesting day. No blockbuster from the folks at Kettler, just some solid moves as we head into the playoffs. Did they fill every hole on this team? No. But at the end of the season you’re not trying to be perfect. You just want to have fewer weaknesses than the other guy – and get lucky, too. The next 20 games+ will tell us all if the Caps got better or messed too much with a good thing.
Brian Pothier, Oskar Osala and a 2011 2nd Round Pick to Carolina for D Joe Corvo
Tough day for Brian Pothier. He’s a good guy, patient with the media if that matters to you (kind of does to me) and has overcome a lot to get back playing in the NHL after his concussion/vision problems two years ago. Just like with Chris Clark you have to remember how much these guys put into this sport and how difficult it must be to miss out on a legitimate shot at a Stanley Cup at the very last moment. Pothier will now play out the string with tanking Carolina and be an unrestricted free agent. Osala is a decent power forward prospect at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. He got off to a hot start at Hershey as a rookie last year and finished with 15 G and 14 A. He’s been better this season with 23 G and 14 A, but doesn’t get a ton of special-teams time. Check out Corey Masisak’s recent Osala story on CSN Washington’s website for some good insight. But the major point is this isn’t a make-or-break prospect for the Caps, who are awash in young NHL wingers. Corvo is a fine offensive defenseman. Is that what the Caps really needed? That’s arguable. But the second power-play unit is going to be better than a lot of team’s top groups. Ironic since Corvo missed two months because Caps defenseman Karl Alzner skated over his calf on Nov. 30. But he returned to play six games before the Olympic break. Corvo has 4 G and 8 A in 34 games. But he had 14 G and 24 A last season and – while turnover prone at times – is certainly an upgrade at that spot. And he’s played for Bruce Boudreau before while at both AHL Manchester in the LA Kings organization and at AHL Lowell. Corvo – like all the other trade pickups – is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Also logs big minutes on the penalty kill for Carolina. Shouldn’t need to play so many minutes in D.C.
2010 2nd Round Pick to Minnesota for Eric Belanger
Bruce Boudreau says the Caps have a new third-line center. I’d assume this means Brendan Morrison bumps back up to second and Tomas Fleischmann returns to the wing. This is the move that wil alter the team’s chemistry a bit as the lines shuffle. Who is out? Is Jason Chimera on the fourth line now? Does Boyd Gordon sit? Where does fellow trade acquisition Scott Walker fit? All that uncertainty is probably worth it, though. Belanger is a versatile player. He’s a good skater. He’s excellent at faceoffs (57.6 percent) – ranking seventh overall in the NHL – and gives Boudreau another option on those all important defensive-zone draws in the playoffs.
TSN analyst Craig MacTavish on Belanger, who has 13 G and 22 A for the Wild in 2009-10. “A very versatile player. He’s not quite good enough to be a consistent second-line player. But he is a good and legitimate and effective third-line center. He takes faceoffs, very efficient in the faceoff circle. He can skate…They’re just loading up on guys they can use late in games and they’re effective in the playoffs when you’re protecting a lead. And maybe [the Caps] were a little deficient there in years past. Very good acquisition.”
2010 7th Round Pick to Carolina for Scott Walker
A feisty player – think back to his questionable battle with then-Boston defenseman Aaron Ward last spring – Walker brings some experience to the lineup. How much does he have left at 36? And is he okay after shoulder surgery earlier this season? Those are the questions. Walker says that he is okay now. But until Carolina’s game Tuesday night he had not played in a game since New Year’s Eve. Walker has played in 31 career playoff games. That’s actually not much more than the rest of his new teammates, who have been part of two consecutive playoff runs. But he did score the series-winner in overtime of Game 7 against the Bruins. Began his career in Vancouver – where George McPhee was an assistant general manager – and was a team leader in Nashville after he was chosen by the Predators in the expansion draft. Stayed there from 1998 to 2006. Seems like a depth acquisition. But we’ll see how the playing time shakes out.
2010 6th Round Pick to Columbus for Milan Jurcina
Not as big a head scratcher when you take a look at it. The Caps didn’t necessarily want to get rid of Jurcina in the Chris Clark/Jason Chimera trade. He’s 26, a big body who was actually decent in the playoffs last season. Is he prone to monumental errors sometimes? Yes. But in this case he’s a clear No. 7 defenseman, a perfect fit if someone gets hurt between now and April. He knows the system already. Plus, he’s having sports hernia surgery and will be out 4-to-6 weeks anyway. No logjam on the blueline for now. And the cost was pretty minimal – maybe even nothing if he doesn’t play. The Caps are in no position to worry about sixth and seventh-round draft picks unlikely to contribute until 2016. If there’s a happier guy in the NHL on deadline day I’d be shocked. Thought he had a decent tournament at the Winter Olympics last month with Slovakia, which lost to Finland in the bronze-medal game and beat Russia in a shootout during pool play.
