There were tons of rumors over the weekend that the Washington Capitals would make a move for a defensemen. Now, it looks like that has happened. The team has acquired defensemen Scott Hannan from the Colorado Avalanche, in exchange for forward Tomas Fleischmann, according to a report by Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
The move makes sense considering Washington's need for some help on the blue line and their surplus of depth at forward. The team hoped that Fleischmann would emerge as the second-line center, but it hasn't really happened. He has just four goals and six assists in 23 games this season.
In return, the Capitals get a solid veteran defensemen in Hannan. The 31-year old blue liner has six points this season, with a +/- of +1. Last year, he had two goals and 14 assists in 81 games, with a +/- of +2. He has played in at least 75 games in every season since 2000, and is exactly the kind of player the Capitals were hoping to acquire this summer. In fact, as Russian Machine Never Breaks notes, Alex Ovechkin said back in 2007 that Hannan is the toughest defensemen he's faced in the NHL.
The Capitals will take on additional salary with the move. Hannan is making $4.5 million this year, while Fleischmann is making just $2.6 million, according to Ted Starkey of the Washington Times.
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