Are the Caps the Mystery Team that Vancouver GM Mike Gillies talked about a couple weeks ago?
The Saturday matinee game between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins did little to spark an excitement in the DC area as the Caps were downed 6-3 in yet another unspirited game. However, a collective gasp shot around the NHL as a 5 second shot of Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillies and Assistant GM Laurence Gilman were seen in a suite at Verizon Center taking in the game. The coincidence of a Western Conference GM being in town to watch an Eastern Conference team is something that cannot be ignored and when asked why the two were there, Assistant GM Gilman said, “We’re just here to watch some hockey.”
Courtesy: Getty Images
Washington General Manager George McPhee also squashed rumors almost immediately saying the Capitals have never had a conversation about Roberto Luongo with the Canucks and that they are not interested. Perhaps. Every one knows that GMGM is notorious for being secretive about his deals, so this is all just protocol. But what if he’s telling the truth?
There are two number one goalies in Vancouver. Roberto Luongo has been stellar the last few games and he is starting again tonight. That leaves Cory Schneider riding the pine again after a so-so start. Could the Capitals be shopping for Schneider? He’s a very capable goaltender, stealing the number spot last year and winning 20 games with a GAA of 1.96. He outplayed Lou in the playoffs as well and because of that the rumos began about Luongo’s departure. It could really go either way and it all depends on who’s hot – which Luongo clearly is. The cost of Schneider wouldn’t be as much as Luongo, but if Vancouver wants scoring they might need to add another piece along with Schneider to sweeten the pot. We’ll see.
Howeve, if the Caps are talking about Luongo, and GMGM is just playing coy like he does, who is Vancouver asking for? They desperately need scoring as Ryan Kesler and David Booth are both down with injury, but who do the Caps have to offer? With Lou’s $5.5M contract for 10 years, who could the Caps move to compensate for that salary? Ribeiro? Johansson? Laich?
The Canucks want a young prospect in return and also a draft pick, but they have to want a player that can play now and make a difference on the second line. Would the Caps move Ribeiro and risk losing that second line stability after only 8 games? He makes $5.5M, so it’s an even trade salary wise and it makes the most sense considering Ribeiro is a UFA after this season and wouldn’t be back anyway. The Canucks would also want a prospect and I doubt they’d want Kuznetsov considering he isn’t even looking to come over here any time soon. That leaves Filip Forsberg and Tom Wilson, the steals in last years draft in my opinion. I swing more towards Forsberg because of the Swedish connection in Vancouver with the Sedin twins and the fact that they already have a good power foward in Kassian. Would the Caps give up such a highly touted prospect for Luongo or even Schneider? I hope not. But the Caps need goaltending. 7 different netminders since 2005 isn’t going to do much for consistency. It’s not like they’re changing coaches every year either… oh wait.
Now just go along with this next scenario. This is the fun part about trade rumors.
Courtesy: Pro Hockey Talk/NBC Sports
Would the Caps trade Alex Ovechkin to Vancouver for Luongo and a player like Alex Burrows (again, just go along)? Ovechkin’s time in Washington has to be coming to an end. Every knows his scoring has been down dramatically the past two seasons but this year has been the worst showing in his tenure in DC. The Capitals have to be entertaining the idea of trading Ovechkin and building a better foundation for the team. I’m not saying that this will happen, I’m not even saying that the Canucks are asking about Ovechkin – his salary would cripple Vancouver – but at this point in his career and with the way he’s playing, Ovechkin’s time could very well be up and a trade like this could make all the difference in the Washington Capitals future.
Imagine this:
To Vancouver:
Ovechkin, Neuvirth, Orlov (and we’ll just throw in Schultz)
To Washington:
Luongo, Burrows, Edler
Now I know… I know. Calm down. Just read.
Salary has to be relatively even. The Canucks would be taking less salary back as they already are peaked at the cap – especially next year. The Caps already have about $6.3M to play with this year and then next year Poti and Hamrlik are UFA’s – they will not be back I imagine. Take away Ribeiro as well and it’s reasonable. Vancouver on the other hand might need to make some adjustments for next year but who cares about them.
Burrows is something the Caps desperately need up front and he’s used to playing with Swedes like Backstrom. Throw in Filip Forsberg and there’s a pretty nasty and very similar line to the one in Vancouver now. Luongo would be a great tutor for Holtby and Edler is a great D-man who can do a lot and eat up minutes and he doesn’t have a no-trade-clause according to CapGeek.
What do you think?
Again, it’s most likely never going to happen, but isn’t it fun to think about? GMGM says he can’t take on Luongo’s contract – who want to anyway – but if you trade one big contract for another ….
Whatever the reasoning behind it, I find it fascinating that GM Gillies was in DC on Saturday. He’ll probably take in a few other Eastern Conference games I’m sure, but the rumors are flying right now about what the Caps could offer the Canucks and vice-versa. And Ovechkin isn’t the only one on thin ice in Washington. GMGM has to do something for this team or he’ll be taking in games from his couch.
Stay tuned.
More to come…
