Trade Winds Begin to Swirl
[Note: This article was written before the 3 p.m. trade deadline
Tuesday.]
General manager George McPhee has opened the floodgates in
preparation of Tuesday's trade deadline.
McPhee's hope of a playoff drive turned into a sense of urgency
Saturday after his Washington Capitals saw Boston, a team his
club must pass in the standings to make the playoffs, skate off
MCI Center ice with a 4-1 victory. More importantly, Boston holds
a nine-point lead over Washington. The Capitals only have 12
games left to play.
Defenseman Sergei Gonchar and center Dale Hunter were in shock
over the loss, both calling it the worst game they have played in
their careers. That's quite a mouthful for Hunter, since
Saturday marked his 1,395 game in the National Hockey League.
Although the Capitals haven't been mathematically eliminated from
the playoffs, center Adam Oates knows, in all likelihood, that
Boston drove the final nail in his team's coffin. Oates also
realizes the Capitals will probably be one of the busiest teams
in the league Tuesday as McPhee will attempt to move as many of
the eight players set to become unrestricted free agents this
summer as he can.
"Trade rumors are flying around and guys are looking over their
shoulder a little bit," Oates said after the Boston game. As for
the playoffs, "it's pretty academic. Mathematically I guess we
are still in it, but it's hard. We lost to the team we're trying
to catch, so I think that's about it."
Joe Juneau is the most likely Capital to be dealt on Tuesday.
Detroit and Ottawa have expressed interest in the 31-year-old
forward, since both teams are looking to add depth for the
playoffs. Phoenix, who a couple months ago tried to acquire
Oates, also remains in the hunt for a top playmaking center.
It is believed that McPhee is looking to package a majority of
his unrestricted free agents and won't hesitate to include
players under contract for next season to help sweeten a deal.
The eight Capitals whom will be negotiating new contracts this
summer are Juneau, Hunter, injured defenseman Mark Tinordi,
center Mike Eagles, left wing Brian Bellows, right wings Craig
Berube and Kelly Miller, and backup goaltender Rick Tabaracci.
Hunter, 38, is expected to retire at the end of the season.
In a twist of irony, the Capitals can re-sign any unrestricted
free agent they trade in the off-season.
However, McPhee stated that none of his players are untouchable
in a television interview conducted by HTS on Saturday.
McPhee began his trading activity Monday by sending left wing Tom
Chorske to Calgary for future considerations.
Browse the feature articles in this issue for the recap on all
trades made at the deadline.
News and Notes
Defenseman Brad Shaw only appeared in four games as a Capital
after completing four years of service with the Detroit Vipers of
the International Hockey League. Shaw, who was acquired off
waivers from Ottawa, was traded along with an eighth-round draft
pick to St. Louis for a sixth-round pick in this year's draft.
Defenseman Calle Johansson was set to become the only Capital to
appear in every game. That ambition came to a crashing halt March
15th when he strained his left knee during a game against the New
York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. He will miss the rest of
the season.
The Capitals assigned struggling rookie Jan Bulis to Cincinnati
of the International Hockey League. The center had just five
assists in his last 14 games. "We feel that sending Jan to the
IHL is the best move for his development as a hockey player,"
McPhee said. "We are hoping that he will gain the additional
experience and confidence necessary to achieve the level of play
we feel he is capable of."
