Caps fans should certainly expect a lot more of the rough stuff from the four new
players the organization traded for yesterday. Photo by timkelley.

The 2010 playoff-edition Washington Capitals are here, and they are here to cause pain. You might not recognize all four of the Caps’ latest acquisitions, but no one will recognize you when they get through with you. The departing Brian Pothier, for all his previous experience with post-concussion syndrome, will be happy he doesn’t have to hit the Kettler ice with this bunch.

You will recognize, we’re certain, Milan Jurcina, who played side by side with Zdeno Chara, throwing monster hits while helping Slovakia reach the bronze medal game in Vancouver. The Caps traded Jurcina to Columbus before the Olympics to pick up nasty, hard-hitting winger Jason Chimera. Following Chimera’s acquisition, the Capitals put together the best winning streak in team history. But why not bring Jurcina back for a sixth-round draft pick? The last productive player the Caps drafted in the sixth-round or later has retired. His name is Peter Bondra and he is the general manager of that Slovak team.

Chimera certainly recognizes Capitals’ new acquisition Eric Belanger as the guy who knocked him out last fall with a brutal, illegal hit from behind in a meaningless preseason game, where neither player had anything to prove. When he’s not braining opponents out of sheer pride, Belanger also kills penalties, wins faceoffs and scores goals. Of course, these are the two nicer guys the Caps picked up. The other two are a different story entirely.