Recap: Trade Deadline

The Caps pulled out a solid win against Olympic hero Ryan Miller and the very good Buffalo Sabres last night, but the real story was GMGM making waves at the trade deadline, more than any other team (except the 'Yotes).

A lot of analysts are calling the Caps the big winners during this years trade deadline. We here at Peter Blogdra are on the fence. The deals were good in theory but I think it is a little premature to say they were the winners. Right now, for this team, its Stanley Cup finals or bust. I will not accept a runner up finish in the finals as a good season. Not this year. The Salary Cap era has created so much parity in the league that the window of opportunity to win remains open only for a short period of time. In order for the Caps to truly be considered winners, they will have to make a very deep run in the playoffs. They have to win.

In evaluating the trades at this moment, 3 out of the 4 make good sense.

SCOTT WALKER

ASSETS: Has tremendous heart and leadership qualities. Is an excellent teammate. Can score, kill penalties and even fight if the need arises.

FLAWS: Not overly big, he tends to wear down during the course of the 82-game schedule. His lack of size has also caused a slow down in production.

CAREER POTENTIAL: Veteran two-way winger.

Scott Walker adds depth to the bottom six, he is gritty and the type of forward every team needs to make a late push in the playoffs. Plus, a seventh round pick? I'd give that up for Jason Doig (okay, not really). A good pickup by GMGM without much (if any) cost, and a UFA at the end of the year takes care of his salary. Plus, he scored the game-winning goal in OT in game 7 against the Bruins last year in the Conference Semi-Finals. He's clutch too? I'm sold.

ERIC BELANGER

ASSETS: Has terrific hockey sense and on-ice awareness. Is defensively responsible and an excellent face-off man.

FLAWS: Is undersized and a bit fragile. Hasn't produced numbers in the NHL that match his talent level.

CAREER POTENTIAL: Two-way center.

Belanger is one of those guys who you don't hear much about but can be a pretty valuable commodity. He is very defensively responsible, which can be key against the teams the Caps will meet in the playoffs. His faceoff prowess is nice to have considering no one else on the Caps besides David Steckel knows how to take one. He'll be a valuable third line center who can play on the second line and maybe give B-Mo a kick in the right direction. If he doesn't work out, too well, the Caps still have Flash to fill in if need be. A second round pick might have been a bit hefty but I think he will be a good fit when he doesn't have to play Minnesota's defensive system. Overall, his presence does not hurt the Caps chances down the stretch. Locker trying to pronounce his name probably does though.

MILAN JURCINA

ASSETS: Owns a huge frame and the ability to play an all-around game from time to time. Also possesses a big shot from the point. Takes up a lot of space in the defensive zone.

FLAWS: Doesn't play with a lot of passion and rarely takes full advantage of his tremendous size. His skating and coordination are also weaknesses in his game.

CAREER POTENTIAL: Inconsistent big defenseman.

Jurcina is a familiar face. I was sad to see him and I'm somewhat excited for his return. The Caps PK has been woeful, and Jurcina was one of their best PK'ers before he was dealt and I expect to see him retain that role. A sixth rounder is like a seventh rounder, and I believe I read something about that pick being conditional on how many games he plays. If anything, it gives us more depth and size on the blue line, which is never a bad thing. He'll be ready to go for the playoffs. Welcome back Juice.

JOE CORVO

ASSETS: Has excellent scoring acumen from the back end and can run an effective power play due to a big shot and offensive instincts.

FLAWS: Plays a very risky game, which often leads to a slew of turnovers. Must tighten up his defensive-zone coverage. Isn't very physical.

CAREER POTENTIAL: Power play quarterback.

Joe Corvo is a good addition to the Power Play. That is about where I run out of positive things to say about him. He is known for making bad turnovers and not being great in his own zone (the absolute last thing we need). What he does is give the Caps a solid point man on the second PP unit. He could even pair with Mike Green and give Ovie the ability to work the corners with Backstrom and Semin/Knuble on the first unit, which would be very scary for opponents. Trading Pothier, Osala, and a second round pick for Corvo seems like too much. Corvo has the offensive edge over Pothier and Pothier probably has a slight edge defensively. Osala was one of my favorite players in the farm system and I'm sad to see him go. A second round pick on top of that was too much in my opinion. Still, if anything Corvo makes this team even more dangerous offensively.

Regardless of how I feel about these moves, I trust Mcphee's plan and since he has brought the team this far from almost nothing I do not think he would make a deal if he did not think it would help the club. When you don't unload any first round picks and give up one NHL defenseman who's a UFA at the end of the year anyway for 4 legitimate NHLers thats a win in my book. Plus, we basically got Chimera for Clark and a 6th. I'd say thats also a win. We'll see how it turns out.