The Capitals put the finishing touches on a busy NHL trade deadline weekend by trading forward David Steckel and their 2012 second-round draft pick to the New Jersey Devils for veteran center Jason Arnott.
Earlier in the day Washington had swapped a 2011 third-round pick and ECHL center Jake Hauswirth for defenseman Dennis Wideman. Marco Sturm was picked up on waivers over the weekend.
There is some salary relief here. Steckel has a salary-cap hit of $1.1 million each of the next two years. Arnott will be paid the pro-rated portion of his $4.5 million cap hit and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. That amounts to about $900,000 for the rest of this season.
Arnott is a pure rental. He is 36 and has 13 goals and 11 assists in 2010-11. He also brings Stanley Cup experience to the table having won it in 2000 and made another finals appearance in 2001. He was also team captain in Nashville. Where he played four seasons. More to come. General manager George McPhee will talk at 5 p.m. and we hope to get Arnott by phone soon.
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