Deadline Deeds

The Washington Capitals' general manager George McPhee faced what could be his toughest trade deadline of his career. How can he spark a struggling offense without giving up too much in return? While it remains to be seen how the newly acquired players will form into the collective, one thing is certain; McPhee certainly got the most bang for his buck.

Acquisition #1

Claimed LW Marco Sturm off waivers from Los Angeles Kings

Sturm '10-'11 Stats: 17 GP, 4g, 5a, 9p, +6, 1ppg; 32 years old, 6', 194 lbs.
Contract 1 yr $3.5 million UFA

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Sturm brings some offensive punch. Although coming off of an injury and only playing 17 games this season with the Kings, he has nine points in his last 17 games and can add some scoring power to the Caps sputtering power play. A smart pick up for McPhee as it costs nothing in way of trade bait as in player assets or draft picks. Sturm has one day of practice under his belt already and will start against the New York Islanders Tuesday night.

Acquisition #2

Caps trade prospect Jake Hauswirth and a 2011 3rd round pick to the Florida Panthers for D Dennis Wideman

Wideman '10-'11 Stats: 61 GP, 9g, 24a, 33p, -26, 8ppg, 11ppa, 75 h; 27 years old, 6', 196 lbs.
Contract 2 yr $3.9375 million UFA

With question marks on Tom Poti and Mike Green, McPhee felt he needed to step in and help his defensive core.

"Not knowing Tom [Poti's] status, I felt like geez, we may need to pick up another defensemen," McPhee said of the decision to trade for Wideman. "I thought maybe we could tough it out with what we have. But when Mike [Green] went down I thought it was really important to help this team now."

AP

Wideman is another vet that can handle the puck well and quarterback the power play relieving some of the pressure on John Carlson, who has filled the void with injuries. Wideman's 19 power play points will inject some life into the struggling power play for the Caps. He also has another year on his contract.

"Wideman seems to be a real good fit," McPhee went on. "Because he is an offensive guy, he is good on the power play, he is a right hand shot. We were pleased we were able to do that deal."

The Capitals give up prospect Jake Hauswirth. Hauswirth impressed the Caps in his first development camp with the team, but then fizzled to make any head way in the organization eventually landing in the ECHL playing for the SC Stingrays once he signed as a free agent. The lack of depth in the Florida ranks may see him excel in the AHL level where the Caps' farm team is loaded with more than enough talent.

Wideman was obviously excited:


Acquisition #3

Caps trade C David Steckel and a 2011 second round pick to the New Jersey Devils for C Jason Arnott

Arnott '10-'11 Stats: 62 GP, 13g, 11a, 24p, -9, 2ppg, 3ppa; 36 year old, 6'5", 220 lbs.
Contract 1 year $4.5 million UFA

AP

Jason Arnott's return to New Jersey hasn't gone smoothly. His numbers are down from a season ago. What he does bring is some Stanley Cup experience. McPhee is hoping that not only can Arnott hold down the center position on the second or third line, but also be a leader in the locker room. McPhee compares his trade with the one that saw Sergei Fedorov boost a team that was in need of some leadership and direction.

"There weren't many centers available," McPhee said as he talked about targeting Arnott. "He [Arnott] was one a lot of people wanted to have and he had a no trade clause... He was hoping to work it out with us."

The trade comes at a cost as McPhee had to give up David Steckel in return. Steckel's trade not only secures a centerman the Caps wanted, but also frees up some cap space to do it.

"We took a player out of our roster that we love," McPhee said of giving up Steckel in the trade. "[Steckel] is such a great guy, he has done really well for us here, he has become an NHL player, a solid NHL player. But we thought we had some depth there with Boyd Gordon and Jay Beagle."

Overall Grade: B

To pick up Marco Sturm, Dennis Wideman and  Jason Arnott for one roster player, a prospect and no first round picks is something to be admired. McPhee played his hand close to his chest and it payed off. The only reason it's not an A grade is because I am not sure how these players will blend into the Caps' collective. It is a wait and see sort of proposition.

McPhee bolsters his defense core with a player that can make an impact now. He gets two veteran forwards that have playoff experience and the Caps see a ray of light at the end of the regular season tunnel. If the newcomers can gain some chemistry with the rest of the team, this is going to be a tough Caps team to beat in the post season.

Capitals are five points from their division rivals the Tampa Bay Lighting.

White Team Sweeps As Camp Closes

The Washington Capitals' Development Camp ended today with the third and final scrimmage. And team white swept all three games although they didn't dominate like they had in previous scrimmages. For the prospects it was a last ditch effort to impress management and coaches.

Michael Dubuc scored another two goals for seven goals total in three games. He had a tremendous camp. His contract is actually through Hershey, but that could change in a heartbeat. He scored 35 goals in 49 goals with South Carolina last season.

Others that impressed were Trevor Bruess, John Carlson, Dmitri Orlov and goaltender Braden Holtby.

Carlson felt he didn't have the best camp, but he has improved since last summer. He looked a bit human today with two bad turnovers. His overall performance was very good through camp. He looks like he can make a smooth transition into training camp by the end of August.

A player that made the switch from the white team to the blue one, Trevor Bruess also had an impressive camp. He is a hard working player, and it was apparent through out the scrimmages. Bruess had a couple of assists and worked well with the white team on a line with Andrew Glass and invitee Backman.

Another good defenseman was Dmitri Orlov who had some dynamite hits and handled himself well with the puck. He was usually partnered with Carlson and the duo played very well together. Orlov was considered a steal in the second round of the draft this year. He has the potential to go further and it would be interesting to see him with bigger faster players.

Braden Holtby had a good camp too. He had a great opening in the scrimmages when he posted a shut out in the 30 minutes he played. He came up with some good saves for his team and looked pretty good in net. He has filled out his pads from last summer, and looked much more confident in net.

A surprise to this years camp might be Garrett Zemlak, who played well in the final two scrimmages. He nearly posted a shut out in today's scrimmage, and he kept his blue team in it in the second scrimmage by stopping everything that came his way. Impressive considering the white team dominated the second game and eventually won the game on seven straight third period goals.

Those that might have come up on the disappointing side were some old hats. Like Francois Bouchard who didn't play bad, but didn't stand out either. Today he was a bit in and out of the play and only seemed to push his intensity button late in the third when he had a scoring chance that rang off the post.

Jake Hauswirth also had a so-so camp. After lighting the lamp five times in last summer's camp, he hardly made much noise this year. In the third scrimmage he was lined up with invitee Meyer and Joe Finley. The line was a big one and had their moments, but they couldn't get the puck in the net.

Finley played up as a forward in this game, and he did okay. There were moments where he was a little lost and his passes didn't connect, but he didn't do that badly. He admitted to reporters after the game that he was a bit uncomfortable at the position at first but if they wanted him to strap up as a goaltender he would do it.

All in all this was a good camp for the prospects. Injuries sidelined Stefan Della Rovere and Anton Gustafsson. It would have been nice to see them continue on but why chance hurting them any more. Della Rovere had a sprained shoulder that kept him from playing. Gustafsson sustained a concussion when he crashed into the post and cut his head. Both players were a bit disappointed in the way their camp ended, but both promised to come back healthy and ready in August.

Next up for the Capitals, training camp in August. Plus there might be a signing here or there to watch out for as GM George McPhee tinkers with his team.

I did a quick interview with Caps' prospect Garrett Mitchell as well and I will post that a little later tonight.

Caps Notes:

• The Caps traded Keith Seabrook, a prospect drafted in the '06 draft, was traded to the Calgary Flames for future considerations. Who knows what those considerations are, maybe it's more hot dogs in the visiting GM's box. Actually this might be a player thing as Seabrook is from the Calgary area and plays for the Hitmen.
  
• For more info on Development Camp, the Capitals have a page with videos and more at WashingtonCaps.com.
  

Group A Dominates

Sorry for the late post, I had engagements this evening.

Group A didn't just win the game by dominating almost the entire game, but also by scoring seven straight goals in the third period. Dustin Carlson's nightmare as the blue team's goaltender. It capped a great scrimmage for the boys in the white Capitals' practice jerseys in the second of three scrimmages schedule for the week as they win it 8 - 3.

Group A had three dominating lines, the Backman/Glass/Bruess line (or the BBG line), the Perreault/Mitchell/Sheen line, and the Dubuc/DiSimone/Broda line. Each one of the lines scored at least two goals. Michael Dubuc now has 5 goals in this summer's camp, while Mathieu Perreault scored a pair today. The BBG line was a great grinding line that kept the blue side frustrated and making bad mistakes.

The overall play was a bit sloppy, a sign that the week is wearing long with some of the prospects. Bad passes, misplays with the puck were the norm. If it were not for Garrett Zemlak putting forth a tremendous effort for the Blue team in the first half of the game, the white score could have easily reached 10 or 12 goals. But Zemlak kept his team in it, as he posted a shut out in the 30 minutes he played.

Dmitri Orlov has been having a great development camp. In his scouting report they call him an "opportunistic hitter" and he did find a couple of opportunities to pull out his hip check. He has the speed to make up for mistakes, he knows when to pinch in and when to back off. Very rarely was he ever out of position. Toward the end though, the Group B just couldn't over come the skill and speed of Group A and Orlov was not completely immune from being taken advantage of. Perreault pick-pocketed Orlov for his second goal of the day and that was the dagger in the heart of any comeback for the blue team.

Speaking of blue team players that impressed, Cody Eakin also did well. His speed factored in two goals for the blue team. One an assist, the other a goal. John Carlson also helped the blue team's cause with a couple of good clears and some great passes. He has yet to have a chance to open up and use that cannon of his.

There was a scary moment in the scrimmage when Jake Hauswirth crashed the net with Anton Gustafsson. The pair of them went into the net hard and Lil' Gus got the worst of the goal post. He cut his forehead really bad and he was stunned and on the ice bleeding as trainers came to the rescue. Hauswirth and Zach Miskovic (who also was in the collision) looked to be a bit shaken but okay. Braden Holtby, the white team's goaltender, was hardly hit at all as the players dove to miss him. Gustafsson did not return.

Injuries weren't uncommon on the fourth day of Development Camp. Patrick Wey caught a puck in the mouth, required stitches. Stefan Della Rovere had to sit out due to a sprained shoulder (he also had stitches on his upper lip). Joe Finley took a stick up high and got cut on his lower lip. It is a sign that every player is playing as hard as they can to impress the Caps' management.

Finley has been slowly improving through the course of the camp. On day one, he seemed to want to hit everything in sight, often slipping out of position to do it. In scrimmage two, he played a better positional game, letting the hits come to him. He also tightened up his discipline after getting whistled for two penalties in scrimmage one.

I would not be surprised if the coaches decide to mix up some of the players between Groups A and B. Group A just was too much for in the second scrimmage. The only answer the blue team seemed to have was being more physical and pray their goaltender can help them out.

Saturday's scrimmage should be a good one in either case.

Caps Notes:

• Jeff Schultz did sign his qualifying offer, but faxed the one year, signed contract not to the Caps office. Instead he faxed it to NHL headquarters. It doesn't void the contract, usually the Caps will alert the league's office of the contract signing. But the confusion made for some he said, they said comments last night. In either case, Schultz will be back as a Capital for next season.
• Japers Rink figure a way to see everyone tweets from development camp. It was very sweet of him to include mine, as choppy and mis-spelled as it was.
• The Caps' prospects got a guided tour of the DC and WashingtonCaps.com was there to film it. At one point Jake Hauswirth is wired for sound, it is both funny and educational! Also if you watch within the opening song sequence you will see Garrett Mitchell almost miss the bus after the White House stop.
  

A Look At Day Two

This morning was my chance to check out the skaters in Group B in the morning sessions for the Capitals' Development Camp at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex. The second group consisted of Anton Gustafsson, John Carlson and Francois Bouchard to name a few.

There were a few standouts this morning for me. John Carlson is a lot faster than he was last summer. Along with his improved speed is his overall look. He played well. Besides a few flubs here or there, Carlson's play was heads above shoulders better than his piers. He also looked to be a good leader as he had to fill in the details to his line mate Dmitri Orlov (who also did well today I thought) on what they were doing. Defenseman Josh Godfrey returns to camp coming from the championship winning ECHL South Carolina Stingrays. He did well this morning and is playing with some confidence.

The line of Jake Hauswirth, Stefan Della Rovere and an invitee named Meyer were the best line I have seen in camp thus far. In a 3 on 3 drill, the three moved the puck effectively along the wall and keeping their feet moving. The result was a pretty top shelf goal and the only time I said "great play" all day. Della Rovere looks as if he gained some weight and his confidence is over brewing on the ice. He looks stronger and smarter than last summer.

Dean Evason, assistant coach, was in charge of the practice. The coaches ran the players through a series of complicated drills to test the players ability to think quickly. Hershey's new coach, Mark French, was also on the ice often stopping drills for better instruction. The practice was a physical and mental workout for the players, with emphasis on speed and accuracy.

One player that impressed me with his speed was Cody Eakin. The kid's got wheels with his size his biggest down fall. At one point he chased down a line mate in a drill the length of the ice with at least two strides behind him.

Anton Gustafsson seemed a little lost in the crowd today. He was neither outstanding nor bad. It could be that it is day two, but I was expecting a bit more.

Tomorrow afternoon there will be the intrasquad scrimmage, the first of three. Many players will be looking to make an impression on the Caps' management so expect each one to be a competitive and enjoyable event to watch.

Caps Notes:

• It was brought to my attention this morning that the Detroit Red Wings had the player rights to prospect Nils Backstrom. It's true that Backstrom was drafted by the Red Wings, but they never signed the player making him a free agent.
  
• The Capitals re-signed Boyd Gordon. He accepted the one year, $761,250 contract to stay with the Caps.
  
• The Dave Fay Memorial Hockey Game is set. It's an event with celebrities playing for a good cause. The game will be on July 25th at Kettler.
  

Not All Prospects Are Drafted

This weekend we are taking a closer look at who will be attended the Capitals' development camp. This year's Development Camp starts on Monday, July 13. Included on the list of 24 players released are three players that were never drafted. One made a huge splash last summer and he is first on our list today of players to watch at Kettler Iceplex next week.

Jake Hauswirth impressed the Caps management and fans alike in his brief stint in last year's camp. He was slated to go to his father's college, Michigan Tech to play. But instead he stayed on with Omaha Lancers in the USHL and tallied 28 goals (52 pts) in 58 games played. It was not long before the Caps followed up their interest with a contract. While he was a virtual unknown last year, he will return to Washington better known with fans and media and with a chance to play for the Caps farm club in Hershey.

Zach Miskovic played in every game through his four years in college. Last year he led all defensemen in goals with 16. Miskovic was not drafted by the Capitals, but was signed as a free agent to the club. He was a first team All-American player for his efforts at St. Lawrence.

Trevor Bruess (pronounced BRISS) is another college star that did not go through the draft and was signed by the Capitals as a free agent. He played the last three seasons at Minnesota State and led the team in penalty minutes.

It is not out of the normal for the Caps to sign college free agents as five of those players have made an impact for the club. In fact, five former college free agents have played in a Capitals sweater last season: Jay Beagle, Sean Collins, Graham Mink, Brian Pothier and David Steckel.

Joining the non-drafted at development camp are this year's drafted prospects. While the first rounder, Marcus Johansson, decided to stay in Sweden to train with his Swedish elite team for a preseason exhibition game against the Detroit Red Wings. The rest will be seen at Kettler next week. The rest of these players are all of the Capitals picks after the first round in the '09 NHL Entry Draft. They are listed in the order or round they were selected.

Dmitri Orlov was slated to be taken in the first round in a lot of mock drafts. Instead, he was taken late in the second round by the Capitals. He is a defenseman that played in the KHL last season. He was named as one of the top three Russian performers for the under-18 World Championships. Orlov is a fast puck moving defenseman who has great offensive skill.

Cody Eakin was taken in the third round, but he was an unknown until his play at the CHL-NHL top prospects game. He played right next to the number one overall pick John Tavares and impressed many scoring a pair of goals and finished a +2 and he would be named the team's most outstanding player. Eakin is a fast skater and is an Alex Ovechkin fan following the Caps through the playoffs. “They're amazing guys to watch," Eakin told reports after he was drafted. "I watch the Capitals all the time, especially in the playoffs. They had a great run. You can't say anything more about that team that hasn't already been said. They have an unbelievable organization and I'm super-excited for it.”

Patrick Wey was taken in the fourth round and hails from Pittsburgh PA. We will be sure, if he is a fan, that he burns any Penguins paraphernalia he might have. Wey is the second defenseman the Caps have taken from the USHL (John Carlson also played in the USHL). Wey played for Waterloo and was the seventh leading scorer among defensemen in the league with seven goals and 27 assists.

In the fifth round the Caps picked Brett Flemming. Another defenseman that is known for being a hard worker. He played for Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the OHL and had three goals and 25 assists in 64 games played. Flemming and Stephan Della Rovere are coming into camp with a bit of history as Flemming's team ousted Della Rovere's team in the OHL playoffs.

Garrett Mitchell (besides having a great first name) was the seventh round pick in this year's draft for the Capitals. He comes to camp as a 17 year old and a chip on his shoulder. Mitchell registered 140 PIMs with the Regina Pats in the WHL (his hometown as well). He had 14 fighting majors included a scrap with fellow camp attendee Joel Broda.

Last but not least, the Capitals took Benjamin Casavant in the seventh and final round of the draft. He averaged over a point a game with Prince Edward Island in the QMJHL. A high scoring left wing, he tallied 39 goals and 41 assists in 68 games played last year. But don't think he is a player that scores on the pretty play, a large amount of his goals happen in front of the net on rebounds and crashing the net.

Tomorrow we clean up the list with the rest of the field that includes a prospect that has some fine Capital lineage and another prospect that has his own blog.

Can't Keep It Bottled Up Anymore

Okay a lot of NHL drama going on, I can't keep my opinions to myself much longer. Some if it is older news, I know. But I've been busy.

First, Danny Heatly asking for a trade and refusing to be traded to Edmonton. The drama seems to be in limbo at the moment. I think the very action of asking for a trade waives any kind of trade clause on any contract. Also, if you ask your general manager for a trade after you publicly committed to money and time to be with a particular team you give up any say over what team you may be traded too. At first I thought Heatly was an okay guy, not any more.

Second, Chicago and their paperwork. I guess when you live in the windy city, one should get a paper weight (sorry old joke). Now the NHLPA has filed a grievance with the league over the paperwork. At worst, some big players for the Blackhawks get a taste of the free market as unrestricted free agents. But they were already restricted free agents and Chicago had a right to match the contract offered them. It may not be a huge deal. Plus the other 29 general managers may just give the "too bad" signal to the players association and not sign any of the players with bad paperwork, allowing Chicago to resign them. At least the PA is looking out for their own.

Third, Alex Ovechkin becomes an ambassador for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. There is a possibility the NHL will pull out of letting players play in the Olympics, but that is maybe why they made Ovi a full fledged ambassador. It's also a great pick up line for the ladies I'm sure. You have to admire Ovi's countryman's spirit.

Lastly, Brian Burke successfully gets his goaltender. TSN reports Burke has gotten Jonas (the Monster) Gustavsson to be the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Possibly leaving long time Capital Olaf Kolzig with out a team if the Leafs do not resign him. He is a Free Agent this summer. Gustavsson comes highly touted from the Swedish Elite League. He has size (he looks big in net, hence the nickname 'Monster') speed and good basics. However, he hasn't seen scorers like Evgeni Malkin, Jerome Iginla, Ilya Kovalchuk or Ovechkin. So he is basically a wild card for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some of his highlights are on YouTube.

Caps Notes:

• Barrack Obama mentioned Alex Ovechkin's name in a speech and some fans were quick to jump on the "why doesn't he come to Caps' games?" critic. Honestly, I think he has much more important things to do rather than take in hockey games or basketball games. Like finding jobs for hundreds and thousands that will be on the street after the States budgets get slashed. Just my gut reaction.
  
• Okay, back to hockey. Development camp is less than a week away and as usual the Caps are going to lean heavily on the kids for the future of the team. The names to watch will be Anton Gustafsson (who missed last year's camp due to injury), Joe Finley (the big meany from North Dakota), Jake Hauswirth (who made quite the splash in last year's camp) and first round pick in the '09 Entry Draft Marcus Johansson is not confirmed to be there, but is likely to show. Camp is from July 13 - 18.
• All this week, be sure to turn on NHL Network as they will be replaying the Rangers/Capitals series starting with game one today. Relive the Caps first series win in nearly 11 years.
  

Regaining Some Offense

There is a good chance the NHL will lower the salary cap for teams in '09 - '10 season. For those teams up against the ceiling it will be tough to put a competitive team on the ice for the campaign. The Capitals are one of those teams that are up against that level. But there will be some reprieve for them if Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov make the move across the pond.

That also leaves room for younger (and cheaper) talent a chance to crack the lineup. The newbies would have to replace 24 goals and 50 assists. That is the total offense of both Kozlov and Fedorov in regular season play. And the Caps do have some talent that could help in that regard.

Oskar Osala is one of those players that had a good year in the AHL. Osala, 6'4" 220 lbs., is a big kid that uses his size well. He was good for 23 goals and 14 assists in regular season play. His entry contract is a tad cheaper than the paychecks for Fedorov, but he still has to prove he is NHL material.

Another young prospect that could help replace the two Russians is Chris Bourque. Bourque had 21 goals and 52 assists for the regular season in Hershey, and like Osala saw some time up with the Capitals. Bourque has tried to break the line up for now four seasons and time is a factor for him (if his size isn't a hinderence already). But he has been a producer in the playoffs for the the Bears. In the post season he has accumulated only 4 goals, but has 14 assists.

There are others that can come in and make some noise if the Capitals chose to resign them. Alex Giroux is a UFA in the off season, but was Hershey's top scorer with 60 goals and 37 assists. He had his chances with the Capitals but only scored one goal and one assist in 12 games when called up to the big club.

Keith Aucoin has a year left on his contract and came in second in the scoring race behind Giroux. He mounted 25 goals and 71 assists and also saw some time with the Capitals. Aucoin is an energy guy who played well when he was called up.

The Caps will bring a few new faces into the fold for training camp in Anton Gustafsson and Jake Hauswirth. This will be the first time we will see Gustafsson at Capitals training camp since he was drafted by the Capitals a year ago. Hauswirth had a good rookie camp last year.

Back On The Block

A plethora of issues have crept up on Washington Capitals fans, it's too hard to ignore for some one that is on a mini vacation. Some of it is good, some bad. All of it can and will change the face of the Capitals in the future.

First, the reports of Sergei Fedorov signing a two year contract with a team in the KHL for next season. The last time I saw Feds was at Kettler Iceplex's pro shop last week where he was purchasing $1400 worth of Caps' jerseys with his name on them and a few Caps' pucks. They must be cheaper here than in the father land. I asked Feds when he was heading home, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sometime next week."

Fedorov had made several comments on break down day that he would like to re-up with the Caps for another year. So this signing seems to be out of right field (if it has much merit at all). But he also takes up a huge chunk of the salary cap, and his presence this season was good for only a handful of key plays to help his squad. There have also been reports of Viktor Kozlov returning home to play as well, even though he too has mentioned to reporters that he would like to return.

Second, the Caps signed today some good talent in Jake Hauswirth. We have already done our research on him (ironically the same article included the resigning of Fedorov, weird). Hauswirth played last season at Michigan Tech, a school his father attended. Hauswirth will attend training camp in August.

The Caps also have signed Anton Gustafsson just after Game seven against the Penguins to an entry level contract. Both will be at the Caps training camp in a few short months.

Thirdly, there may be a shuffling of bench bosses as the future of Assistant Coach Jay Leach is still in question. Leach may not return next year to be behind the bench for the Capitals, while his cohort, Dean Evason, resigned for another year with the club. Leach, the defensive coach probably took the loss against the Penguins the hardest as his defensive squad was embarrassed in game 7.

Lastly, one time Capital Peter Zezel was reported as near death at a Toronto hospital as he was taken off life support. At only 44 years old, Zezel is being treated for haemolytic anaemia, a rare disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than the body can replace them. Zezel played 20 games with the Capitals in 1990 when they traded Geoff Courtnall with St. Louis. He was traded to Toronto for Al Iafrate.

Good to be back.