Caps Stick to the Plan

GM George McPhee has perfected the plan: if a trade won't make the team better, don't do it. So, during the 2010 NHL draft, McPhee selected five players and only made one trade -- an exchange of picks. With free agency looming, McPhee is sure to be more active and might even make a trade. But, in the meantime, he's added a crew of highly-touted players who are several years away from making an impact on the ice.

The best of which is Evgeny Kuznetsov, who likes the way Evgeny Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk play. If he can take Malkin's physicality and Datsyuk's two-way tendencies, the Caps have got themselves a great player.

Note: Congrats to the Caps' PR department, who captured its fourth straight Dick Dillman award from the league. The group continues to distinguish itself with great information and even better relationships with the media, including a vast cadre of bloggers. It's an honor well-deserved.