There's been a ton of speculation over the last week about who the Washington Capitals are interested in. Most the speculation recently has been aimed towards Calgary's Curtis Glencross. Glencross apparently added the Caps to his list of teams he accept a trade to, but it seems like the Chicago Blackhawks are moving in on the winger.
Erik Cole and Vernon Fiddler are two other names that have linked to the Caps. Cole has been rumored to head out of Dallas for a few weeks now, but Fiddler is a newer addition to the rumors. Cole would bring a lot of experience to the Caps lineup, including a Stanley Cup run with the Carolina Hurricanes. He has a $4.5M cap hit, so the Caps would have to get creative unless Dallas is nice enough to retain some of that salary. Fiddler is an interesting case. He hasn't had a lot of success in Dallas, but he's still a good two-way center, and played a few seasons in Nashville under Barry Trotz. He could fill in that second line center position and still be a little familiar with Trotz' system. It's interesting to say the least, but is he the answer the Caps need? He also has another year left on his contract.
Joffrey Lupul would have been a great rumor to chase a few years ago before he became oft-injured. If healthy, he would look pretty good next to Ovechkin and Backstrom. He would be a long-term investment, too as his contract goes until 2017-18. If he can stay healthy, it might be worth a shot. The guy can score goals and draw attention away from Ovechkin, something have been trying to do with 8 different players this year.
Something will happen soon, but it's definitely heating up going into the weekend and we could see a deal sooner rather than later.
The Caps have a lot of youth to dangle, and long as they don't pull a Forsberg for Erat deal, I'd be comfortable as long as it truly helps the team - and not just a quick fix.
More to come...
Follow me on Twitter: @_Mellin_