Caps Briefing: Playing for Keeps
Florida defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. (Steve Mitchell/Associated Press)
Wednesday is the NHL's trade deadline; after that date, teams can only bring in players from their own developmental system until after their season ends. Just like last year, league-wide media perception of the Capitals is that they should try to add a tough, talented, veteran defenseman to assist in their playoff push. Last year, that deal was not available, but the Caps added center Sergei Fedorov, goalie Cristobal Huet and winger Matt Cooke. All three helped them make the playoffs and extend the Philadelphia Flyers to seven games before bowing out.
This year, the Caps have held on to Fedorov, signed goalie (and Paris Hilton fan) Jose Theodore to a reasonable free agent contract, and steadily developed the offensive skills of forwards Eric Fehr and David Steckel -- so the needs they addressed at last year's deadline are mostly filled. Because of these strengths, the Caps now stand second in the East, with an undefeated record against the first place Boston Bruins. The biggest need that remains for the Caps is the one that's been there all along: the need for a second great defenseman to compliment Mike Green along the blueline.
Of the three world-class defensemen available this year, Bouwmeester is the youngest by more than a decade and the only one whose brightest years are still ahead of him. The Caps have players and prospects they could trade who would help Florida succeed this year and in the future.
A match made in heaven, right?
Well, for the Panthers to let go of their best player, two things have to happen. First, they have to give up their hopes of playoff success this year. Secondly, they have to give up, well, Bouwmeester. Bouwmeester is much more likely to want to leave Florida if he thinks the Panthers are falling apart on and off the ice. He's also more likely to want to sign a long-term, post-trade contract with the Capitals if he thinks the Caps are hard to play against.
For the deal to really work out, the Panthers have to show why they are a great destination as well. The Panthers have said they want an NHL player in return for Bouwmeester. It's no secret that they need a top class center. The Capitals happen to have a proven first line center in Michael Nylander -- who sat out yesterday's win against the Bruins because Caps coach Bruce Boudreau thought twelve other forwards gave him a better chance to win.
It's not a typical fate for a player in the second year of a four year, $19.5 million contract, but Nylander finds himself struggling to compete with Nicklas Backstrom and Sergei Fedorov for time on the Caps' top offensive lines. Backstrom is emerging as one of the best centers in the NHL, and Fedorov is one of the best centers, you know, ever. But Nylander is no slouch: before he arrived in Washington, he was the top center for the New York Rangers, helping them make the playoffs after a couple years on the outside. Last year, Nylander helped the Caps make the same transition. So logically, he could do the same for the up-and-coming Panthers.
When Nylander signed with the Caps, he took less money than Edmonton offered him for the chance to play in a bigger city with more sunshine, where his wife and four children would be happier. He was also pleased that the Caps gave him the right to refuse to be traded. Nylander was rumored in November to be headed to the Chicago Blackhawks, but nothing came of that. Chicago certainly can be depressing in the winter, but in the intervening months, Nylander has been regularly scratched from the Caps' lineup, and hasn't found a steady niche on the team. The Florida Panthers have a plethora of talented wingers and no proven top centers. It could be a great opportunity for Nylander, and a deal that would help both the Caps and the Panthers succeed this year.
Hmm, I wonder if the six Nylander kids have ever been to Disney World?