The Washington Capitals earlier today traded for puck-moving defenseman Dennis Wideman, formerly of the Florida Panthers, in exchange for minor league forward Jake Hauswirth and their 2011 third round pick.

Wideman, 27, has 33 points (9 goals, 24 assists) this year for the Panthers in 61 games.  He will wear No. 6 for the Caps.

The veteran defender gives the Caps another two-way defenseman and shores up a depleted blue line, with Tom Poti still unavailable for play and Mike Green out at least another week with his head/ear injury and now back home in Calgary attending his grandmother's funeral.

Asked if Wideman was acquired because of those circumstances, Coach Bruce Boudreau replied, "It means we don't know and this is the last day [for trades]," Boudreau said. "Even if we have both of those guys, [General Manager] George [McPhee] makes a great pick in getting Dennis."

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PRACTICE UPDATES:  D.J. King has cleared waivers, but his status is still unknown.  Boudreau said the team had "no plans" at the time to send him to AHL Hershey should he clear waivers, but with the team over the cap limit for now with the addition of Wideman, there still has to be some moving parts as we quickly approach the 3:00 pm trade deadline.

F Eric Fehr participated fully in today's practice, testing out his injured shoulder.  He is taking things "practice to practice", and still does not have a timetable for his return.

C David Steckel left practice early triggering speculation, but team sources said he "tweaked" something and his status is uncertain.

Earlier today, the Washington Capitals claimed veteran winger Marco Sturm off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.  The speedy, defensively responsible Sturm recently returned to action after missing a good chunk of the season with a knee injury. 

He has four goals and five assists in 17 games played for the Kings this season.

Sturm, 32, is a 13 year NHL veteran of three teams, and has been a consistent mid-20s goal scorer throughout his career.  He brings 52 games worth of playoff experience to the Capitals as well.

F D.J. King was placed on waivers to make room on the roster for Sturm.  If he clears waivers, he should report to AHL Hershey.

The Caps also recalled F Jay Beagle for tonight's game with the New York Islanders and have sent C Mathieu Perreault to Hershey,according to Mike Vogel of Caps.com. 

In that same update, Vogel reported that G Semyon Varlamov, who was scheduled to start tonight, was injured in pre-game skate and Michal Neuvirth will take his place.  Todd Ford will be recalled from AHL Hershey and make his NHL debut backing up Neuvirth tonight.

This move could be a pre-cursor to a flurry of activity before Monday's trade deadline.  Sturm presents a cap hit of about $810,000 (pro-rated), and GM George McPhee might have to do some rearranging of the deck chairs to make a significant move.

One possibility is placing D Tom Poti, out since mid-January, on the Long Term Injured List, freeing some space to maneuver.

Regardless, McPhee figures to be one of the busier GMs between now and Monday.  Friday night's debacle against the New York Rangers couldn't have left anyone in the organization with any confidence in the Caps fleeting hopes of securing a fourth straight Southeast Division banner.
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Vogel also reported that Mike Green was placed on the "non-roster" list today so that he could attend his grandmother's funeral and that Geren has already departed for Calgary.

Forward Matt Hendricks signed a two-year contract extension with the Washington Capitals today, worth a reported $1.6 million.  We evaluate the winners and losers!

WINNERS

Matt Hendricks, obviously.  The two-year extension finally gives the 29-year old something he's never had in his playing career: stability.

GM George McPhee.  He locks up a player that has become part of the heart and soul of this team, and signals to the rest of the organization that hard work can and will pay off if you perform on a nightly basis.

Caps Fans.  You can all run out and get your #26 shirseys now!

LOSERS

Matt Hendricks.  He will now have to continue to get pounded every other night, a skill he picked up later in life in order to prolong his career and make him more valuable to a playoff team's thrid or fourth line.

Matt Bradley.  Essentially, McPhee just locked Hendricks up to provide the same skill set Bradley -- a more expensive and three years older player --  performs.

D.J. King.  The Capitals are proving that they don't need a heavyweight on this team as constructed.  It's just not that much part of the game anymore.