John Buccigross: SportsCenter Anchor, NHL columnist, and ... OFB Reader?
Over the holiday weekend two weeks ago, pucksandbooks played a "what if" game concerning the future of Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. In the post, he suggests that "should the Caps and Ovechkin arrive at an impasse in new deal discussions, excruciatingly painful though it may be, a deal with the Kings could make sense."
The suggestion sparked some lively debate as more than 30 comments were left along with others that had to be deleted due to violation of the OFB Comment Policy. It may have even planted an idea in an answer to a question concerning Ovechkin on John Buccigross' latest Mother of All Mailbags on ESPN.com.
Hey John,Whenever I watch [Alexander] Ovechkin, I see that he looks really mad that he's in Washington. Where do you think he will end up next season, assuming he doesn't re-sign (which I doubt)?
Jeff
Philadelphia
[Buccigross]: Alexander Ovechkin isn't going anywhere. Probably. He is a restricted free agent and the Capitals would match any offer. I'm sure Oilers GM Kevin Lowe is preparing a 45-year, $421.7 million offer sheet as we speak. Would the Capitals ever considering trading Ovechkin? Well, if No. 8 pushed the matter and wanted to play in a market, like say, Los Angeles, then something could be done there.
The Kings have enough young talent, and potentially the overall No. 1 pick, that the Capitals could make a deal there and potentially make their team better. Would the Kings trade goalie prospect Jonathan Bernier, Jack Johnson, and Michael Cammalleri and their No. 1 pick for Ovechkin, the Caps' first pick, a top defensive prospect and perhaps a character guy like Chris Clark, or a framework similar to that? Putting prospect Karl Alzner along with Johnson in front of a prospect like Bernier could reap huge dividends. The NHL is a "defense first" league and it will remain that way. You need to be a good defensive team with great goaltending to win playoff rounds, and while the Caps have played well recently, can you picture them winning a playoff series any time soon?
The trade sounds like a lot for the Kings to give up, but having a star in the Los Angeles market is vital for the Kings. Put Anze Kopitar with Ovechkin and any upright mammal and you have a No. 1 line. Dustin Brown can play with Alexander Frolov and maybe Patrick O'Sullivan on the second line. The third and fourth lines can be constructed with young players and veteran free agents. The major issue is giving up a goalie prospect like Bernier. Goalies are always tough to gauge. How many "can't miss" goalies have we seen fizzle out? Being bold results in championships. Maybe the Capitals, multiple assets away from being a playoff force, are pondering such a bold move involving their star player who appears to be looking to max out his earning potential.
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