| Caps notes |
| » Washington plays two road games in the next two days, beginning Wednesday night in St. Louis at 8 p.m. On Thursday the Caps play at Dallas. |
| » The Caps are 17-6-2 with an NHL-best 36 points. They have won three games in a row. |
| » St. Louis was 12-7-3 with 27 points entering Tuesday night’s road game at Central Division rival Chicago. |
The Capitals traded forward Tomas Fleischmann to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday for defenseman Scott Hannan, a physical, durable shot-blocker with Stanley Cup playoff experience. The move addresses an obvious need for Washington — and one it has been seeking to fill for several years. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Hannan is solid in front of his own goal with the strength to hold off opposing forwards. He also spends plenty of time on the penalty kill. The 31-year-old was second on the Avalanche in shorthanded time-on-ice per game (3 minutes, 21 seconds).
“I think it completes our defense,” Caps general manager George McPhee said. “Our defense moves the puck pretty well. We can generate offense from back there. But to have one more shutdown guy that can block shots and do all the little things that make a difference was important.”
Hannan is in the final year of a four-year, $18 million contract, making the timing for a deal — in the works since August, according to McPhee — right. The difference between the contracts is $1.35 million with the Caps taking on more money. But McPhee noted that his team still has about $2.5 million in salary cap space left to make moves later in the season, if needed. Hannan would have led Washington in blocked shots in each of the last four years.
“You like to be into a team where you can fit in right away with something the team wants,” said Hannan, who joined Washington in St. Louis, where the Caps play the Blues on Wednesday. “I’ve played that role on many other teams and I look forward and relish the fact that I get a chance to do that here.”
Hannan, who also played seven years for the San Jose Sharks, has appeared in at least 71 games in each of his 11 professional seasons. He averaged 18 minutes, 37 second of ice time per game this year with Colorado. Hannan’s playoff experience also is a plus. His teams have qualified eight times in 10 years and Hannan’s 73 career playoff games are more than any current Caps player.
Fleischmann, meanwhile, gets a fresh start after early struggles this season. The 26-year-old, who was in his sixth season with Washington, scored a career-high 23 goals and had 51 points in 2009-10. He does have four goals this year, but just three points in his last 11 games. Fleischmann also has been a healthy scratch twice in the last seven games.
