If you read the Eastern Conference standings from bottom to top this morning, you’d discover that the three worst teams (Florida, Atlanta and Tampa) are all members of the Southeast Division – and the only thing keeping the Washington Capitals from joining them is the presence of the Toronto Maple Leafs in that sad-sack group. Still, rules are rules. Somebody is going to make the playoffs out of the Southeast and even though Carolina has forged a five-point cushion atop the division, without Rod Brind’Amour and Justin Williams there, the Hurricanes’ position is by no means secure.
Presumably, it’s why the Capitals were so active at the deadline. Normally a seller in past years, the Capitals added goaltending insurance in Cristobal Huet, a useful agitator in Matt Cooke and most importantly, a former MVP with tons of playoff experience, Sergei Fedorov – most recently of the Columbus Blue Jackets but once upon a time, a member of the Detroit Red Wings’ powerhouse teams. In effect, Fedorov replaces Michael Nylander, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury, and upgrades their Russian content by one warm but experienced body. There is little doubt that Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Viktor Kozlov, all of whom were youngsters in the Russian system when Fedorov, Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure were cornerstone players, will welcome Fedorov’s presence in their dressing room.
Tampa and Florida were both in sell mode; and Atlanta has been holding auctions for both Marian Hossa and Bobby Holik all morning; it is expected that both will be traded for younger players sometime before the deadline’s witching hour. That leaves the Capitals as the Hurricanes’ main opposition in the quest to run down top spot in the Southeast and make the playoffs, which in Washington’s case, would be for the first time in four years. Nor has the cost been exorbitant to GM George McPhee; it was a second-rounder for Huet; a player drafted in the second round last year (Ted Ruth) for Fedorov; and a roster player, Matt Pettinger, who hadn’t done much for them this season for Cooke.
The most curious course of action was that of Columbus, who were expected to deal Fedorov, but only traded away Adam Foote after they couldn’t come to terms with him on a contract extension. That took two important veteran players out of their dressing room; clearly, coming up short in the Brad Richards sweepstakes turned them from buyers into sellers.
