Deal No. 2: Caps get center Eric Belanger

now we need a D-man!

Who the heck is Eric Belanger?

Man, had to move threads.

A couple of character players so far. Any big names on the way?

WE NEED A DEFENSEMEN!!!!

WE NEED A DEFENSEMEN!!!!

I still think we have room to make another move. We're not ruining chemistry by giving up draft picks. a 2nd and a 7th. Might as well be a 3rd and an eighth (haha).

Landing a physical Dman for Fehr and a BMo is a necessity I think. We MUST upgrade our defense.

Belanger is another pending UFA. I hope something big lies behind these moves. Do it GMGM!

Okay, but now we have a forward log jam. We'll get a D but I'm guessing that either Fehr or B. Mo are on there way out.

2 Forwards in. I think that means that someone is leaving. Hoping it's not Fehr but that would be my guess. Not sure if Boyd Gordon would fetch much.

There is something coming up in Atlanta. LeBrun was told to "Stay tuned".

Would anyone argue with Kubina in a Caps sweater?

Scott Walker scored a game winning goal in a playoff series, so he is also lots better than Alex Ovechkin.

Sincerely,

Mike Wilbon

Who the heck is Eric Belanger?

Posted by: jamalnasir_2000

http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=29579

Looks like they might be moving at least one forward. Belanger is good but right now doesn't have anywhere to fit into the lineup unless they move Morisson, Fleichmann, or Fehr. Might be working on a deal to get a defenceman that inclues either Fleichmann or Fehr plus a pick for a defenceman. Probably Staios.

Dont need a dman. Need smarter forwards to support d in playoffs. Smart moves.

1 hour to go...logjam at forward...someone's gotta be moving out of town...must be for a dman...anticipation sucks ;)

I liked this move until I saw that he was French Canadian.

I kid.

GMGM is smarter than all of us. These moves are leading to something. He's not done.

i would, not a kubina fan. He's played well at certain points in his career but I've seen him play a bit this year and he's been mailing in too many efforts. Just content to be a big pylon out there. Even that last game we played him he got abused by our forwards

Would anyone argue with Kubina in a Caps sweater?

Posted by: pkendrick

Certainly not me. I've been advocating that deal for months. Rather have Hamhuis tho

I do not know enough about him, but is he the type of center that could be used to face Crosby and have Belanger follow him all over the ice?

Posted by: sgm3 | March 3, 2010 2:00 PM |

Oh man, if he can be a shadow guy as well, then I love the move more.

All I know about him is that he's defensively sound, can be tough while also showing some finesse skills, and he kills penalties.

I love this move, thought it puts a huge ? on other forwards right now.

Posted by: richmondphil | March 3, 2010 2:02 PM

@ jamalnasir

Thank You! We can only get lucky with BMo trades so many times....GMGM please stop being cheap and get us somebobdy real!

When I try to connect to Caps Report, all I get is a jukebox of eclectic rock. What's wrong?

Fehr is gone to either Toronto for Kaberle or Nashville for Hamhuis....mark it down.

i would, not a kubina fan. He's played well at certain points in his career but I've seen him play a bit this year and he's been mailing in too many efforts. Just content to be a big pylon out there. Even that last game we played him he got abused by our forwards

Posted by: cstanton1

If I played in Atlanta I'd be mailing it in too

Certainly not me. I've been advocating that deal for months. Rather have Hamhuis tho

Posted by: TempusFugitRGV1 | March 3, 2010 2:03 PM |

Ditto.

Kubina..lets get it done.

Kaberle rumored to Vancouver

Kubina = Poor man's Regehr, with more offensive upside. He's also not as slow as one would think.

Hamhuis is seeming less likely though.

If I played in Atlanta I'd be mailing it in too

Posted by: TempusFugitRGV1 | March 3, 2010 2:05 PM | Report abuse

shows a lot of character :)

and god no to Kaberle

Would anyone argue with Kubina in a Caps sweater?

Posted by: pkendrick | March 3, 2010 2:01 PM |

Nope

I just saw somewhere. Flash to Carolina, Corvo to Ottawa, Volchenchov to Washington

Ducks get Curtis McElhinney and send Toskala to Calgary.

funny how none of the rumors written here panned out as true.

-I posted this on the last thread-

I really like the Belanger move. He will be perfect as a 3rd line center. We do not need to move BMo and shouldn't. It is important to have depth at center and he will be the #2 center with Flash back at wing.

Belanger should help out the PK tremendously and he may be the guy on the ice for crucial defensive zone faceoffs when leading with under a 2 minutes to go.

From what I'm readng he sounds like the type of center that could be used to face Crosby and have Belanger follow him all over the ice as a shadow?

I have to agree -- a BIG D is a must.

Vesa Toskala just got moved again... barely had time to settle in. Headed to Calgary.

Good news is no Thomas. Caps source tells ESPN they are not looking to pick up a goalie

sweet, new post, new thread ... when we getting a message board???

Caps source tells ESPN they are not looking to pick up a goalie

Posted by: docjohnson | March 3, 2010 2:09 PM |

This has been the case the entire time, despite rumors.

Even Tarik sort of hinted at the fact that GMGM wasn't looking for a goalie of any kind.

It is T-50 minutes! Lets go GMGM!

"Good news is no Thomas. Caps source tells ESPN they are not looking to pick up a goalie"

Does that mean Thomas is infact coming?

Just because you don't know who the guy is doesn't mean he can't make a difference on this team. How many of you knew who Jason Chameria was before he was a Cap? Belanger is a good face off person who plays the PK which is exactally what the Caps were looking for. He will help our team defense even with the face he doesn't play defense.

Per ESPN:

Pierre LeBrun: Lots of rumors out there about the Caps and a goalie. Just got a note from a Caps front-office source regarding their possible chase for a goalie: ``We're not."

So there you go

flames and ducks just swapped goalies. thats a funny trade

Does that mean Thomas is infact coming?

Posted by: guer_j | March 3, 2010 2:11 PM | Report abuse

In McPhee-ese I would say yes...but sometimes I screw up the translations

Said it on the other post. to many players so either Hershey is going to be stocked or soemthing else is brewing.

good point icehammer - Belanger is 10x the faceoff god over Flash. Just on that we're slightly better defensively

and yes, agreed that its a team game and our defensive woes are not all on our D. Our fwds play a big part in that.

why is my live feed of tsn on nhl dead!

Something is brewing, it smell like sweet victory fro the Caps

Richmond Phil,

I'm excited about both veteran forwards being added, especially Belanger if he can do what you were speaking of in your post yesterday.

But if we're done, what do we do with our surplus of forwards? Surely something more is in the works. Rumors circulating about a goalie deal, more likely Thomas of Boston than Vokoun - but don't know how that can work salary wise (perhaps it can).

Thoughts? Do these moves make sense if we don't deal surplus forwards for D or goalie?

The more I look at them, the more I love the two moves GMGM made so far. Added toughness and a veteran presence with Walker, and a solid FO center with Belanger - he's kinda like Steckel but with more offense. Plus, looks like Belanger can PK - Wild used him on PK quite a bit this year.

well then we better get Varley and Neuvirth ready for the playoffs...because if "Theo" is our starter...we are in for a LONG summer...

And don't throw his stats or his numbers at me....

Unless...we pick up 1 or 2 stay at home quality strong north american defensemen...

Muir's comments on the Belanger trade:

"Anyone else waiting for the other shoe to drop? Belanger is a nice player -- great speed, a diligent checker, better than average in the dots -- but adding him and Scott Walker to the mix makes for a very crowded group of forwards. At this point, a deal involving one of the team's youngsters (Tomas Fleischmann? Eric Fehr?) for a top-four defender seems almost inevitable."

I like that he writes Belanger has great speed, is a diligent checker and a very good faceoff man. I think many people were calling out for a center like that.

As I see it:

--Walker was born in Ontario.
--Belanger is from Quebec.

ergo...

More Canadian players in Caps sweaters = "Referee Insurance" for the playoffs?

Could be.

If so (and if it works out well for the Caps), I'll have to smile, shake my head and say:

"GMGM, you clever B****** you!"

Nice to see Halpern get out of Tampa and to a good team like the Kings.

Goalie with more than 1 year left on contract = bad.

Still one too many forwards in the lineup. Something has to be in the works. If there isn't something big coming, Fehr is the odd man out. If they are working on a larger move it would be Fleichmann. I personally wouldn't get rid of Flash without being able to bring in a great defenceman. But I don't know who you could move Fehr to in exchange for a defensive upgrade.

one thing is, this should signal the end of Boyd Gordon.

Belanger to me is just a better version of Gordo. He's more tenacious, and a better PKer.

So with Steck and Belanger playing the PK, no more need for Gordo. And it lets Scott Walker move in there on the wing. And hopefully gets Laing back into the lineup.

But if we're done, what do we do with our surplus of forwards? Surely something more is in the works. Rumors circulating about a goalie deal, more likely Thomas of Boston than Vokoun - but don't know how that can work salary wise (perhaps it can).

Thoughts? Do these moves make sense if we don't deal surplus forwards for D or goalie?

Posted by: knk4jack | March 3, 2010 2:14 PM |

I mean, I don't want GMGM to be done, but that may very well be the case. I don't necessarily think moving forwards out means the moves don't make sense. Two pending UFAs.

We'll see.

If Belanger is fast, I like this even better. Him and Chimera plus Walker(?) could be a great fast, gritty 3rd line.

Burnside just said lots of buzz about Flash...

"This is a team that has stockpiled enough. They could make a major move."
-Pierre McGuire

Guess pretty obvious, but still exciting.

Pierre LeBrun: Quiet from Montreal....

My theory on the Caps and this does NOT come from a source but just my gut:

caps may try to make an offer for Kaberle given all the forwards they now have.... maybe something revolving around Fleishmann.... we'll see

I'd hate to see Flash go...so much upside with him. I wouldn't like to see Fehr go, but if I had to choose, bye Fehr :(

I think the extra forward problem is not a big deal because I believe that the 23 man roster does not exhist after tonight so we can keep 25 guys on the NHL roster.

Nice to see Halpern get out of Tampa and to a good team like the Kings.

Posted by: FusilliJerry1 | March 3, 2010 2:15 PM | Report abuse

Tampa will probably make the playoffs next yr as a bottom seed. They made significant strides this year and they have some good young players who should come into their lineup next season. I wouldnt bag on em

the guy on nhl network knows something and his colleague just called him on the carpet but he wont budge. Sid caps have a lot of talent that they now can move because of todays pick-ups. His only hint was it wont be a goalie..

I think we have to move forwards now - just have too many. Get rid of Gordon, maybe package him with Flash and picks for a dman?

It's possible that Fehr or Flash are on the way out, but not definite. Q. Laing is an extra forward and could be the odd guy out. He could get waived and sent to Hershey.

Pierre LeBrun of ESPN:

My theory on the Caps - and this does NOT come from a source but just my gut:

caps may try to make an offer for D Kaberle given all the forwards they now have.... maybe something revolving around Fleishmann.... we'll see

this blog is crapping out

Come on McPhee. I like the direction this day is heading.

Kaberle has a year left on his contract. Significant salary has to go the other way for him to come in.

ANd if we are going to play "gamble on the salary cap", then I'd rather have Souray, almost.

to clarify.he says it not inside info just obvious observation of todays moves..

Kaberle is an upper-middle class man's Mike Green. Not what we need.

Torres to Buffalo

Torres to BUF.

Great pick up by Ruff.

Some food for thought:

Belanger previously played for Washington coach Bruce Boudreau when both were with the AHL’s Lowell Lock Monsters from 1999-2001. He had 23 goals and 35 assists in 78 games under Boudreau.

I wonder if Bruce told GMGM to go get him.

Sabres got Torres

According to @NHLTradeFrenzy the Capitals have offered Fehr, Alzner and a 1st for Tomas Kaberle.

Bmo isn't going anywhere. GMGM and Ted both believe and rightfully so that you need to be strong up the middle. With Backs, Belanger and Bmo as our top 3 centers I think we're pretty good in that department now.

I agree I think it's Fehr and Gordon that are gone. If Flash is gone it'll be for a better Dman than Fehr would fetch is my 2 cents.

@richmondphil

No it doesn't. That salary move could be taken care of in the off-season. However, if the Caps moved Flash for Kaberle then that would about cover for it since Flash is expected to make around $3.3-$3.5M next year and Kaberle has a cap hit of $4.5M.

Souray has a cap hit in the fives for at least two more years.

I also think Kaberle is better.

According to @NHLTradeFrenzy the Capitals have offered Fehr, Alzner and a 1st for Tomas Kaberle.

Posted by: vtcaps08 | March 3, 2010 2:23 PM |

I don't buy that at all. Kaberle cannot be worked with unless we;

a) want to trade him again and lose value.
b) move salary back.

cstanton: Exactly, we brought in Belander to be the checking center/PK center because Boyd Gordon has never really become the player we thought he'd be. Walker is OK. So far so good. At least we got a defensive forward who can also score some. This is a guy you might extend for a year or two until Johansson is ready.

@NHLTradeFrenzy is on drugs. Kaberle for Alzner straight up wouldn't even make sense for the Caps.

Alzner, Fehr and a 1st

That is a ton.

Both of these moves are great "tweak" moves. We needed more grit and we got that in Walker. We needed another strong 2nd/3rd line center and we got that in Belanger. Another "tweak" or big move on D would be awesome. My hopes are for Volchenkov honestly. Of all the ones named I want him the most and yes I'd give up Fehr, Gordo and a pick for him.

No it doesn't. That salary move could be taken care of in the off-season. However, if the Caps moved Flash for Kaberle then that would about cover for it since Flash is expected to make around $3.3-$3.5M next year and Kaberle has a cap hit of $4.5M.

________________

You guys keep proposing these, but come on now. You want to pick-up a rental, who's not a pending free agent, to move him again?

If it works under the Cap without having to let guys walk later, then fine, but I don't see this happening unless some salary is moved out now.

Fehr, Alz and 1st for Kab, that is overpaying and Tor woudl be stupid to pass

"According to @NHLTradeFrenzy the Capitals have offered Fehr, Alzner and a 1st for Tomas Kaberle.

Posted by: vtcaps08 | March 3, 2010 2:23 PM | Report abuse"

Yeah, right. GMGM would NEVER make that deal.

I think [hope] something big is coming. Kaberle? Niedermeyer? Something that puts us over the top!

CBJ gets Nathan Paetsch and a second rounder in the Torres trade.

Kaberle for Alzner straight up wouldn't even make sense for the Caps.

Posted by: Stu_c | March 3, 2010 2:25 PM |

Not at all. Kaberle is worth 2 or 3 Alzner's.

Question for the Capologists. Both Fehr and Flash make under $1 million a year, so their Cap his is low. Walker makes $2.5 mil and I'm sure Belanger is around $2 mil, so wouldn't adding a swapping a player for Fehr or Flash put that team in cap trouble. I ask this because I think the Caps would have to move a player with a higher Cap hit than those two to add another high price player. Like maybe a winger with a $4.6 mil cap hit?

not sure Kaberle is the type of Defensman we need.....However if we got him it is still a major upgrade on what we currently have

go to the new post

BTW, Steve Hindle just wrote about the Caps 2 moves and then put up a pole asking what "WE" needed to do in order to catch up to the "Pens"! WTF? Really? Who's catchin who here? Last yr is history Steve.

ablake, we only owe them pro-rata for this season and both are UFA after the season. We have cap space to cover both for now.

Kaberle is squishy for me. I want Anton.

@ablake70 -- The cap numbers are pro-rated based on the games with the team. We have plenty of room to take on big salaries provided they expire at the end of the season.

kaberle is absolutely not the type of D we need. He's 100% finesse

@ ablake70

The cap space dosent really come into play this season, we are only on the hook for about 20% of the salary this year... Flash for sure will demand 3 mil+ next season..So the Cap space is not an issue this year....If you are talking about next year Flash will get 3 mil+ so its good to get something for him

Man we don't need any more darn forwards! We need a Dman badly. It's always been our weakest spot. Sure our forwards need to be playing smarter, but our dmen need to be playing HARDER. Our biggest weak point is always our defence. Always has been, always will be unless GMGM finally gives and does what he should.

I got nothing against the players we picked up other than the fact that we didn't NEED them! We need D. If he's putting something together for a dman, I'll take back my words..if not...i'll continually slam that man until he gives the team what it needs!

Eric Belanger's behindthenet.ca rating at the moment is +0.64, which is pretty good. Amongst players who have played at least 30 games so far this season, that ranks #122 in this 30-team league, and second-best on the Wild roster. http://www.behindthenet.ca/2009/new_5_on_5.php?sort=7§ion=goals&mingp=30&mintoi=&team=&pos=

The behindthenet.ca rating is basically +/- relative to the rest of your team. It tries to be sort of a measure of overall value.

As for Scott Walker, his behindthenet rating is only 0.02, which is nothing remarkable but isn't negative. He definitely doesn't score. But he has been in 62 fights in 12 regular seasons prior to this one, including ones in 2008 against Matt Bradley (which I'm sure Walker won--has Bradley ever won a fight?) and Sean Avery. He is 5'10" and 195 pounds according to ESPN.

According to @NHLTradeFrenzy the Capitals have offered Fehr, Alzner and a 1st for Tomas Kaberle.

Posted by: vtcaps08 | March 3, 2010 2:23 PM | Report abuse
------------------

NO...we don't need another "puck moving defenseman"

According to @NHLTradeFrenzy the Capitals have offered Fehr, Alzner and a 1st for Tomas Kaberle.

Posted by: vtcaps08 | March 3, 2010 2:23 PM | Report abuse
------------------

only McPhee would be dumb enuff to do that

@lloydrj727

Relax dude these are great trades! They could be leading up to something else... However both of the trades made make our team defense better...While they are both forward they are solid on D....Relax our team is getting better and better with each trade

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/355835-tomas-kaberle-is-being-shopped-washington-capitals-buying

Speculation that Alzner would be involved with the Kaberle transaction

We need to draft an offensive lineman!

Oops, wrong board.

maybe fehr, alzner for niedermeyer...but not for Kaberle

we have all sorts of kaberle's...Green, Poti, Pothier...

Although we don't "need" another player like Kaberle, he would be a HUGE upgrade to what we have now, not to mention he's a great power play QB. He would be a steadying influence on the rest of the D-men and could be a mentor to Green. We just need to upgrade our D, period.

The calm before the storm... Something big is brewing...

TSN keeps talking about something big in the works for the Caps, merely speculation at this point however.

JUICE? You've got to be kidding me!

Jurcina a Cap AGAIN according to TSN

Ten minutes. Arghhhhhhhhhh

Our big defensive upgrade is MILAN JURCINA???!!!??? Are you f$#@ing serious???

During his 14 regular seasons prior to this one, I believe Walker is fighting at a rate of about one fight every 12.63 games or so. From what I can tell from www.hockeyfights.com, he's not bad at fighting either.

My sense is that he doesn't battle the huge enforcer types that often though.

I'm glad the Caps biggest defensive pickup at the deadline is the guy they sent packing 3 months ago! Makes no sense!

wtf

Jurcina for TBD? WTF?

That stinks... I bought another jersey because I thought he was gone forever...

Jurcina is back....our new Dman

Jurcina is our blue-line addition?!?! WEAK SAUCE!!

jurcina coming back???

That stinks... I bought another jersey because I thought he was gone forever...

Posted by: kkd76 | March 3, 2010 2:58 PM | Report abuse

Ebay!! I do like Juice but can't say that I'm a bit disappointed by this.

Pierre LeBrun: I'm told the Washinton Capitals slipped under trade under the radar... waiting to hear what

Toronto confirming Kaberle not traded.

The ultimate anti-climax

corvo

looks like joe corvo is our man

Corvo for Pothier, Osala and 2nd round pick in 2011