So the 4 Nations debacle is starting next week and our guys will get some rest. The interesting thing will be to see what trades go down during the tournament. I'm still hoping the Caps don't do anything.
My two guys that I was thinking that we could upgrade were Mangiopani and Raddysh - but they have both been playing well. I'm a little fearful that Mangiopani will be effective in the playoffs because it will be much more physical, but he doesn't back down and gets in the middle of stuff. Raddysh could be a real surprise in the playoffs as I think he has another gear to his skating and he is a big body that could ramp it up if he wants to.
Anybody want to see any moves?
It's difficult to justify any moves at this point, because who are you going to sit? ANY move might mess with clubhouse harmony, which seems high right now. BUT we have to face the fact that if other teams upgrade/shore up weak points and we just stay as is, the playoff calculus may well change.
There is another issue that hovers, now coming into the foreground: The two-week break. Yes, the Caps get to rest, but so does everybody else (except the guys playing, of course). And there is another issue to deal with -- rust. I will 100% guarantee that, coming out of this break, a lot of teams will resume playing essentially as they were before -- but there will be certain teams who will catch fire, relatively speaking, coming out of the break, and certain teams whose play will deteriorate. And that will be the subject for analysis as the regular season ends and the playoffs begin. Where will the Caps fall on this spectrum? Nobody knows.
