And I like the way you used the word “musings” in referernce to my blog. That sums it up pretty well. Thanks for the link.

Ovechkin!!!!! hahaha

It probably is time to move on without him (as much as it pains me to say it).

I expect tons of changes throughout the rest of the year and off-season as this team scrambles to get in better shape for next year (holy crap…I’m already thinking about next year!)

This has been a crappy sports season for me. I need a do-over.

Marc-Andre Bergeron!!!!

But in the interest of full disclosure it should be noted that a month ago I traded Turco, Richards and Patrick Kane (who I got in an earlier trade) to the Caps for Ovechkin, Jose Theodore and a 4th round pick.

Now you say “So what Art? That’s just a dumb computer game!” … But what you don’t know is last year at about this time I brought in Brendan Morrison to play for my virtual Stars and a month later the Stars claimed him on waivers…

So the real issue here is: What number will Ovechkin wear in Dallas?

The more people talk about it.

If it’s Nieuwendyk begging someone to take him off his hands (or not,this is all just rumors) then his value is nothing. The rest of the league has the upper hand.

potential trade:
 
to DAL:
Halak
Bergeron
Belle
Metropolit

to MTL:
Turco
Daley
Brunnstrom

you can decipher draft picks to accommodate this trade accordingly.

now let me explain why i believe this would work.

It is primarily a dump off of UFA on eachother, that might help temporarily. The center piece of this trade would be Halak and the Stars negotiation skills this summer. You have to give something to get something, thus why i didn’t offer up Woywitka or Niskanen. Daley is quick, and the Stars dumping his salary could mean a bigger move this off-season.

Belle is a solid skater, and might get a few call ups here and there, but has yet to prove his worth as a full time NHL’er. Brunnstrom could thrive in the right hockey setting with more playing time, so the Habs could get a bargain out of him.

Metropolit offers up a right hand shot, and a huge veteran presence this club desperately needs. And yes, i’m still not giving up hope on M-A B.

Well, Baltimore technically, but same area. I don’t know what GMGM (GM George McPhee, Internet handle for the Caps’ GM) may have in mind; he tends to play things close to the chest and drop things on we the fans at the last minute, and he almost never does what we expect.

It doesn’t sound like any trades are imminently in the works, but with GMGM, you never know, so I’ll feed the speculation a little. Here’s what I can tell you:

What’s on the Table: Ovechkin, Green, Backstrom, Semin, Alzner, Carlson, and Varlamov are unlikely to be traded. They’re considered key pieces of the future. It’d take a pretty good deal to move Jeff Schultz or Tomas Fleischmann. Both of these players provide a ton of bang for their cap hit. Just about anyone else could be moved if Dallas has the guy GMGM wants.

What Is Washington looking for? Washington probably won’t tinker with its forwards too much more. They’ve got a pretty good thing going – good chemistry, balanced scoring, size, energy, and speed. While GMGM isn’t afraid to upset the apple cart (witness Clark), I can’t think of any material improvements within his price range.

In goal, Varly’s expected to carry the team through the playoffs if he can stay healthy. That’s been a problem lately, but indications are that he should be back soon. Washington is actually insanely deep in goal at the moment – Varly’s considered the future, but Michal Neuvirth has a lot of promise and with a little more seasoning could probably be an NHL starter in a year or two. Theodore’s the vet backup for the moment, but then you also have to consider Braden Holtby in Hershey, who has just turned 20 and has turned in a 13-2-1, 1.74 GAA, .938 in 16 GP performance after starting the year in South Carolina. While he’s probably not ready for more than a cup of coffee at the NHL level, he definitely belongs in the AHL. I don’t know that they’d be interested in Turco.

Defense is where Washington might be looking to shore up some. It’s true that their D isn’t as bad as the gumflappers like to posit, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t use some improvement. Washington’s style is built around speed, finesse, and power, and they utilize a mobile defense corps that may at times jump into the play; this is okay so long as one of the forwards rotates back to cover. Thus, any guy that Washington might be interested in is likely to have pretty good wheels and be willing to play a physical and at times chippy game if necessary. They’ll be looking for someone who can and will clear opposing forwards out of the crease.

The Caps do occasionally look for bargains and aren’t against reclamation projects (see: Morrison, Brendan) but may not want one right now. They’re in a Cup chase right now, and any trades have to be done with that in mind.

Cap Situation: The Caps have some room to work with, both in number of contracts and in cap space. McPhee’s a canny spender, though, and won’t spend on the first thing he sees. As I said previously, the Caps are chasing Lord Stanley, and could go for it all this year. Unlike the Blackhawks, though, they have not mortgaged their future to do so.