In an interview during last night’s loss to the Devils, Caps GM George McPhee confirmed that he will be listening to offers for some of the team’s older players in these last two days before the trade deadline. McPhee told Al Koken that he had received interest from other teams, and that he would wait for offers that made the Caps a stronger hockey club.

The team will look at what free agents will be available next season to replace the players they might trade away, all while remaining cognizant of the salary cap ramifications that would affect their ability to re-sign Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. However, there will be no reason to refuse offers on any players who are going to be free agents themselves this summer.

In fact, by trading away those veterans who are going to be unrestricted free agents this summer, and could be lost or reacquired this summer without any compensation, the Capitals will give themselves a great chance to slide from 25th in the NHL to 27th or below in the 30-team NHL, and enter the lottery for the first overall pick in this summer’s draft.

Adding another top draft pick to what is already regarded as the second-largest collection of young talent in the league would make the Capitals contenders for years to come, and put them in great negotiating position as they eye free agents like Sheldon Souray, Mikka Noronen and Pavel Datsyuk, who could, together, make them a contender by next spring.

Therefore, while we applaud McPhee’s tough stance in suggesting that each individual trade should make the Caps a better team, we also accept that not every trade may end up appearing to add value on the surface, but that sometimes, in complex ways that may not be immediately apparent, even a couple of disappointing trades can make a team better.