the capitals have been climbing the standings recently with a string of six consecutive wins and most recently a tie have left them undefeated in their last 7 outings. The best streak so far in Tousignant's stretch as GM, the lowly capitals have climbed their way from the bottom 4 teams up to 10th in the conference and only about 9 points away from a playoff spot. Looking at some clubs in their way, it'll be an uphill battle for sure but the youth on the capitals doesn't know any better. After dealing for crafty playmaking Reinprecht and young winger David Booth the Capitals offense has clicked more consistently during this stretch.
Also greatly helping is #1 goalie Labarbera getting some rest and overpaid backup Dan Cloutier shining. While not posting great numbers during the stretch he has managed some key games and has produced wins, really the only stat that matters for goalies. While the streak is nothing to get overly excited about, the Caps hope it's a beacon of what is to come next season when the team has a better goalie (Steve Mason) more experienced D and a better all around forward group (with guys like James Neal and Derick Brassard joining the forward lines). While the 8 million dollar Demitra experiment hasn't gone too well, he's still put up decent point totals while changing positions a few times this year, and is doing way better than modin, who was signed as well last offseason. He's managed a pretty measly output considering the amount of icetime he's gotten most games, and has slowly been relegated to the bottom 6.
With the deadline looming and still without a key goalie this year or any dominant defenseman, reportedly the Caps aren't looking to make a strong playoff push but will listen to offers. Already the team has traded F. Kaberle away mainly just to lose his salary, so the team can't deal too much mroe salary without taking some back. Far from the high end of the cap, the capitals may be better off just riding the current wave and hope it gains it's players some valuable experience while Perry, Backstrom and Stastny gain valuable experience for next season.
