Capitals general manager George McPhee made it official Saturday: Defenseman Tom Poti will begin the year on the NHL’s long-term injured reserve list. Limited to 21 games last season because of a lingering groin injury, Poti spent the summer rehabbing the muscle. But he still can’t push past about 85 percent without suffering a setback. Poti going on long-term injured reserve is actually a good thing because it gets the Caps under the NHL’s $64.3 million salary cap. But it also has a negative side effect. Because cap space is accrued daily, teams under the cap all season build a cushion they can then use at the trade deadline. Washington won’t have that luxury if Poti stays on LTIR all season. The Caps can exceed the salary cap by $2.875 million, but they don’t bank any cash for a rainy day. That means Washington can’t make a trade deadline deal unless it ships out as much salary as it takes on, making McPhee’s job more difficult if his club runs into trouble. He would rather just have Poti on the ice.
– Brian McNally
