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It's a Brand New Dance Called "The Ovie"

Sometime Blogger/Most Time Slacker Scott Morath drops by to give us his expert hockey analysis into the trades made yesterday by the Washington Capitals as they make their run toward their 1st Stanley Cup title:


I LOVE the trade deadline moves by the Capitals yesterday. Here's my quick and dirty breakdown of the players acquired...

Scott Walker (RW from Carolina) - gritty veteran who can be the agitator that the Caps have lacked since Matt Cooke left for Pittsburgh following the 2007-08 season. Walker isn't afraid to drop the gloves, and he has some skill as well (as evidenced by a few 20 goal seasons on his resume). Last year he scored the OT winner in Game 7 of the conference semifinals versus Boston. Definitely worth the 7th round pick it cost to acquire him.

Eric Belanger (C from Minnesota) - a versatile 32 yr old who will improve the Caps' penalty kill (a glaring weakness for several years now). Also very good on faceoffs. Will probably center the 3rd line, but has the skill to move up to the 2nd line if need be. Acquired for 2nd round pick.

Joe Corvo (D from Carolina) - mobile D-man who can eat up minutes and generate offense from the blueline. Has a booming shot from the point and will improve an already lethal power play. Price was steep to acquire him as a rental, but he's a definite upgrade over Brian Pothier (another pending free agent who went to Carolina in the deal). Given the depth of the Capital’s farm system, the 2nd round pick and the prospect (Oskar Osala) that also went to the Hurricanes will not hamper the team in the future.

Milan Jurcina (D from Columbus) - Jurcina returns to Washington after the Caps traded him away (along with Chris Clark) to acquire Jason Chimera a few months ago. The cost was very reasonable (6th round pick), primarily because Jurcina has a sports hernia injury, and the Bluejacket’s season will almost be over by the time he's ready to play again. When healthy, Jurcina provides a much needed physical presence on D, and may wind up being a key player come playoff time.

GM George McPhee did a tremendous job, and it helps to know that two of the acquired players (Corvo and Belanger) played for head coach Bruce Boudreau in the minors when they were in the L.A, Kings system. Most importantly, McPhee didn't take on any contracts that run into next year (which is critical with Nicklas Backstrom and some of their other young players due significant raises after the season). He also didn't part with any first round draft picks, or any of the Caps' top prospects. They still have 3 promising young goalies (Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby) plus 2 top prospects on defense (Karl Alzner and John Carlson) waiting in the wings. The future looks bright in Washington, and after these latest moves, so does the present.


Scott Morath is an occasional contributor to My 2 Cents, specializing in hockey coverage and analysis.