No Deals for Caps at Trade Deadline

Theodore remains starting netminder

It appears the Washington Capitals are happy with their roster headed into the postseason, as GM George McPhee didn't make a move before the NHL's trading deadline at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

The Caps, one of the Eastern Conference's best teams, have looked anything but during the last two games. They've given up 11 goals in those two games to two teams that, well, have no right beating Washington -- especially on their home ice.

With those two losses in the back of his mind, GM George McPhee took a close look at his team and decided that he would roll with what he had on his roster.  Last season McPhee pulled off three moves to bring in Sergei Fedorov, Cristobal Huet and Matt Cooke. All three helped propel the Caps into the playoffs and energized a city full of dormant hockey fans.

This time around, however, there is little doubt that the Capitals will make the playoffs. But how far will they go? Many point to the man between the pipes as the key to the team's success. Jose Theodore was supposed to solidify the goaltending situation after Huet unexpectedly bolted for Chicago via free agency in the offseason. But he's been less than stellar this season.

He wasn't in goal Tuesday night for the 5-2 drubbing at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes (he was out with the flu), but he's given up more than his fair share of soft goals this season. Despite that, it appears the team has enough confidence in him to lead them deep into the playoffs.

One goalie rumored to be headed to Washington was Minnesota Wild Niklas Backstrom. But he just signed a new deal with the Wild, ending any chance of him thoroughly confusing the public by suiting up for a team that already has a Nicklas Backstrom on it.

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