The only way your trading Orpick and the other team is retaining salary is if the guy coming back is named Bobby Ryan or Milan Lucic.

hands

Whtas with you having such a stiffy for Barberio? he's garbage

He plays about the same minutes as Orpik, at a lower salary and comes off the books next year when Caps fans are really hoping Johansen is ready to play in the NHL and hoping even more that Djoos will be ready to play top four minutes.

But betting on two young defensemen to each move up a step over one summer is usually pretty unlikely, so.... who knows. Probably best to plan on having at least enough cap space to give Barberio a nice raise.



Nothing shows one has studied all the issues surrounding the value of an athlete quite like almost spelling their name correctly.

Teams don't retain salary because it's the right thing to do, or because they acknowledge one player is overpaid relative to performance. They do it to make trades happen with cap-strapped teams. Washington is up against the salary cap with John Carlson to re-sign. This trade lets Colorado out of its only tough negotiation this coming summer, with Bernier, by trading him for a promising younger player in Grubauer. Because, again, Caps fans are superoptimistic that every prospect coming along willl come along quickly and be immediately great, and this one time, at band camp, Washington drafted a goalie. So....

What? He's extremely good. Dude drives possession like a mad man. Skates extremely well and has a great first pass.

You really have that high opinion on him? He's barely a 6th dman. Meh

I'm in between your opinions on Barberio. He drives possession beautifully when he plays 18 minutes a night and Erik Johnson plays 25 minutes a night and takes all the tough assignments. Last year when I think Johnson was injuredand Barberio played 20 minutes a night against top competition, he stank. So he's just like Orpik, without the toughness, violence, leadership, and Cup ring, admittedly, but a decade younger, and gosh is that contract less expensive.

But the Caps' hole in terms of making it to sixty minutes at left defense this year isn't Orpik. It's Djoos. They need a rental so they can bench Djoos in the playoffs.

If the above roster could keep Bowey, and trade Chorney, picks and prospect, they have sixty minuts on each side since Barbarian plays left.