The Capitals made a bunch of moves in free agency and got over the salary cap, prompting speculation they would make a trade to clear space.
They did just that on Friday afternoon, dealing right wing Eric Fehr to the Winnipeg Jets for a fourth-round pick and right wing Danick Paquette.
Fehr, who will have a cap hit of $2.2 million, makes his summer home in Winnipeg. Reached for comment, the 25-year-old said he didn’t have a minute to talk and sounded frazzled. He’s currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
“We have a surplus of right wingers and we decided to move one to build upon our draft pick stock for the 2012 Draft. We also added a gritty prospect in Danick Paquette to our organization,” general manager George McPhee said through a team spokesman. “Eric Fehr is a first class person. We thank him for his contributions to the Washington Capitals and wish him well.”
The Caps got a prospect in exchange for Fehr in Paquette, a 20-year-old who had 20 points and 179 penalty minutes in 59 ECHL games last year.
Paquette, 20, recorded 20 points (13 goals, seven assists) and 179 penalty minutes in 59 games with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL last season.
Assuming Tom Poti is placed on long-term injured reserve, the Caps have just over $3.2 million left to re-sign restricted free agent defenseman Karl Alzner.
Alzner’s agent, J.P. Barry, told The Washington Times on Friday that there was still a “gap” to bridge in negotiations. If and when a deal is done, it will likely be for two years.
