Caps' Confounding Cap Quandary

The Caps' roster situation is switching from "as the injuries turn" to "too many cooks in the kitchen." As has been reported elsewhere, Sergei Fedorov is ready to return to the line-up (as is Tomas Fleischmann, but he's not on IR so that's a moot issue for the purposes of this discussion) and that means it's decision time. Because the Caps are so close to salary cap ceiling, they need to clear room by either trading or releasing somebody or sending a player (or more) to Hershey -- although that gets a bit complicated.

The reason for all this, of course, is that Karl Alzner clearly belongs in the NHL and sending him to the Bears would actually hurt the big club. GM George McPhee has been a bit cryptic (as is his nature), which could be interpreted a thousand different ways. But, reading between the lines, it seems Tom Poti will be put on IR -- and then Alzner might be sent down. Unless the Caps can unload some dead weight, which would be ideal.

And since the trading deadline is only two months away, let's take a broader look at the Caps' roster:

Must Keep: Alex Ovechkin (signed until 2020-21), Alex Semin (RFA after next season), Nicklas Backstrom (RFA after 2009-10), Brooks Laich (UFA after 2010-11), Mike Green (RFA after 2011-12), Alzner (RFA after 2011-12) and Simeon Varlamov (RFA after 2011-12).

Positives Outweigh Negatives: Sergei Fedorov (UFA or retirement after this season), Donald Brashear (UFA or retirement after this season), Eric Fehr (RFA after this season), Fleischmann (RFA after next season), Boyd Gordon (RFA after this season), David Steckel (UFA after this season), Tom Poti (UFA after 2011-12), Jeff Schultz (RFA after this season), Sean Collins (RFA after this season), Tyler Sloan (UFA after this season) and Jose Theodore (UFA after next season).

Expendable: Michael Nylander (UFA after 2010-11), Viktor Kozlov (UFA after this season), Matt Bradley (UFA after 2010-11), Alexandre Giroux (UFA after this season), Graham Mink (UFA after this season), Keith Aucoin (UFA after next season), Shaone Morrisonn (RFA after this season), John Erskine (UFA after 2010-11), Milan Jurcina (RFA after this season), Sami Lepisto (RFA after this season) and Brian Helmer (UFA after this season).

Not Enough Information: Chris Bourque (RFA after this season), Oskar Osala (RFA after 2010-11), Andrew Gordon (RFA after 2009-10), Simeon Varlamov (RFA after 2009-10) and Darren Machesney (RFA after next season).

The Big Question Marks: Chris Clark (UFA after 2010-11), Brian Pothier (UFA after next season) and Brent Johnson (UFA after this season).

Obviously, there are many questions that go along with the roster and there are some players listed above that mostly will play in Hershey. Some things to ponder:

* Will Pothier ever return to the NHL?
* Will Clark be able to stay healthy and, if not, will he cede the captaincy to Ovechkin?
* What will be McPhee's decision about Bourque?
* Will GMGM bite the bullet and realize he made a mistake giving Erskine an extention?
* Will Johnny return next year?

With many youngsters making an impact this season, Osala possibly ready for the NHL next season and 17 players' contracts expiring, there's a lot to contemplate. It all won't be settled before the deadline, but things certainly will be clearer by March 4.