With one week left until the trade deadline, and the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, the Capitals are doubtlessly looking to make trades and receive value for players who aren’t planning to return next year. Their biggest commodities are forwards Dainius Zubrus and Richard Zednik. Both players are big, strong veterans who can chip in a fair number of points. Both have also been to the Stanley Cup Finals, which is something teams look for if they’re trying to add talent for a playoff run.

Tarik El-Bashir commented on his own blog (as Tarik, about the 45th comment down) that Zubrus is seeking a contract extension for $3.5 to $4 million per year for five years. The Caps will almost assuredly trade him away to add to their already impressive collection of young talent, and then try to get a better deal on the open market, either on him, or on another first-line center.

Zubrus has been a great mentor to Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, but two of Ovechkin’s idols, Pavel Datsyuk and Alexander Mogilny, will be unrestricted free agents this summer. So will Mats Sundin, who has been called the greatest Swedish hockey player in history and has been a point of comparison for Caps Swedish future-star Niklas Backstrom. If the Caps intend to bid on any of these players, Zubrus will find his value as a mentor greatly diminished.

The Caps were able to trade for Zednik this summer because he complained after the Canadiens demoted him to their third line. The Caps have now demoted him to their fourth line, so his desire to sign up for another year has got to be at an all-time low. However, he has handled his demotion admirably, by playing harder than ever and continuing to create offense, so more teams should be interested in him now than were interested this summer, and his value should be slightly higher.