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With Kevin Shattenkirk, Capitals primed to finally beat Penguins

The Washington Capitals won the Kevin Shattenkirk sweepstakes, such as it was, in a trade with the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

A week ago, this scenario might have sounded as absurd as … oh, I don’t know, an accountant handing Dick Tracy the wrong envelope leading to a botched Best Picture announcement at the Oscars. But here we are.

As the trade deadline approaches, we’re seeing two trends: Teams treating draft picks like they’re froyo toppings, and teams boxing out conference rivals from acquiring key players.

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To that end, the Capitals traded their first-round pick in 2017 and (hilariously complicated) conditional picks for Shattenkirk, shipping along forwards Zach Sanford and Brad Malone to the St. Louis Blues as well. They reacquired AHL goalie Pheonix Copley in the deal too.

(And really, what better decision for a team that can’t get over the hump to a championship than to load up on St. Louis Blues?

In the process, they kept Shattenkirk away from the New York Rangers (until July 1 at least) and away from their archrivals the Pittsburgh Penguins, who apparently were in on Shattenkirk until it was obvious the ante was too high. Much like the Minnesota Wild said they did in acquiring Martin Hanzal, this was about adding offense and playing defense.

Ah, yes, the Penguins. Reigning Stanley Cup champions. Long-standing tormentors of the Washington Capitals. I’ve said for months that this Capitals team will play for a championship if the Columbus Blue Jackets or New York Rangers are kind enough to clear the Penguins from the road to the Stanley Cup Final, before the Capitals collide with them. It’s the path of least resistance and, hence, the best path for Washington.

But let’s assume they get no help, and once again the Penguins loom in the semifinal. Does Kevin Shattenkirk dramatically increase the chances that the Capitals can eliminate Pittsburgh?

The answer is “absolutely,” which is why the reaction to this deal in some corners of the hockeyverse – the reactions calling this a redundant rental, muting its impact – is so baffling.

How do you beat the Penguins?

Wait, let’s not get ahead of ourselves – why did the Capitals lose to the Penguins last postseason in six games?

After Brooks Orpik was suspended for three games thanks to a Game 2 hit on Olli Maatta, their defensive depth was exposed. Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Orlov weren’t ready for prime time, coach Barry Trotz overreacted and got scratch-happy with his depth defensemen and the Capitals lost the next two games.

As many have pointed out, Shattenkirk joins the right side of the Capitals defense where John Carlson and Matt Niskanen are already established. But now this team can weather something freakish like a suspension, with five players who have over 450 NHL games played.

They also lost because they couldn’t generate enough offense at even strength. They had the second-fewest goals at EV for teams that played at least two rounds: 15 of their 29 total goals.

Shattenkirk’s bread-and-butter is the power play, which is obviously fine for the Capitals, if not necessarily an area of concern for them. But he had 18 of his 31 assists this season at even strength. Adding his stretch passes and puck-rushing abilities can only bolster the team at EV, where the Capitals already lead the NHL with 143 goals. And now they have three defenseman, on each pairing, who can push the tempo and make plays.

He’s also a positive influence on puck possession, where the Penguins had the advantage in four of the six games last postseason – including a 56.41-percent Corsi at 5v5 in Game 6. Like the Capitals, the Penguins love to forecheck, grind down an opposing defense and make you play a 200-foot game. Not allowing them the opportunity because you possess the puck is a key in having a prayer against them.

With Shattenkirk, they have more than a prayer against them, in this seemingly inevitable series.

We continue to give general manager Brian MacLellan credit. He’s made bigger, bolder and more difficult decisions than did GM George McPhee during his time in D.C.

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The common phrase used the describe this trade was “the Capitals are all-in.”

It makes me queasy, and not just because it makes me think about those days when ESPN would push hockey to the lowest corner of the broadcast basement in favor of Texas Hold’em tournaments. No, it makes me queasy because it fails to properly convey what happens if the Capitals lose this hand.

MacLellan knows what’s up: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, Brett Connolly and Orlov are restricted free agents; Karl Alzner, T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams and now Shattenkirk are unrestricted free agents. If this group is going to win, it’s going to win now. If it doesn’t, well, this group won’t exist any longer.

Which is to say that with several stars over 30 and with the team capped out, Washington is already “all-in.” It’s just that now, the ATM is balanced to zero and they just dropped their car keys on the pile of chips in the middle of the table.

MacLellan got aggressive, gave up some futures and acquired the most coveted defenseman at the trade deadline, giving the Capitals arguably the deepest group in the NHL and getting them closer to their ultimate goal:

Beating Pittsburgh.

Oh, and winning a championship and stuff. That too.

Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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