ARLINGTON, V.A. — General manager Chris Patrick wanted to make something abundantly clear following the NHL Trade Deadline: the Washington Capitals are by no means throwing in the towel. Sure, making the playoffs will be a tall task for the Capitals, who traded away No. 1 defenseman John Carlson and top defensive center Nic Dowd amid struggles and woes this season. But it's not impossible. "I know it's mathematically going to be tough, but to me, that group that we have is a playoff caliber group," Patrick said, adding, "I'm hoping our guys are ready to buck up and play every night like it's a playoff game and try to get ourselves into a position where we compete for a playoff spot, because I do think they can do it." Washington added 26-year-old right-hand shot Timothy Liljegren and veteran center David Kampf to help fill the voids left by Carlson and Dowd, moves that Patrick believes can help D.C. down this final stretch. Regardless of the playoff implications, though, Patrick felt these moves were necessary for the future of the organization. The Capitals are looking to the future and are in an interesting transition period, as they look to get younger and preparing for the post-Alex Ovechkin era. Ovechkin still remains undecided on his NHL future. So, when calls came in, Patrick did what he felt was best, and acquired draft capital in exchange for Carlson and Dowd, 36 and 35, respectively. It also opens the door for rising players to get more opportunity within the organization. "I think they're great players and they're going to do great where they've gone, but at the end of the day, they're in their mid-30s, and our team is starting to have some younger guys step up, and at some point, you need to pass the torch a little bit," Patrick said. Washington got a first-round pick from Anaheim, along with a third-rounder, for Carlson, while also picking up a second-round pick and third-round pick for Dowd. All the while, the Capitals cleared $11 million in cap space. Going into a summer where the free agent market is "already thin," Patrick noted that those draft picks and space will be instrumental in helping potentially set the stage for a trade. "You're going to have to (make moves) another way, and that's having capital to trade," Patrick pointed out. "If that's prospects, if that's picks, like now, we have the picks to be flexible, to do something like that. If something comes up... we need to try to add some good players this summer." That said, it doesn't make the decisions any easier on the organization. The room itself took a heavy hit with two key leaders moved out, and as the Capitals look to claw back up the standings, they're also chasing other teams that continue to gain ground. Still, Washington has faith in its current pieces to continue vying for a spot. “Keep fighting. We’re still there. We’re still able to win games and make the playoffs," captain Alex Ovechkin, visibly shaken by the Carlson trade, said. "So, we just have to fight and play the game.” And, if the team misses out on the postseason this time around, these are the moves that will put D.C. in better shape for years to come. "Our goal here is to have a playoff-caliber, Stanley Cup-caliber team every year. That's what we try to do. Will we have one every year? No, but our goal is to put the best team on the ice every year that we possibly can, and so we have to make our decisions based on that," Patrick said. "Sometimes, it's a lot of fun because you're just sending first-round picks out for the hot commodity on the market, and sometimes it's brutal, because you have to trade guys that are a huge part of your organization to get some assets to be able to do that again in two years. And the last couple days have been brutal days."
