Capitals defenseman Dennis Wideman already has made an impression in his first five games with Washington. Acquired from the Florida Panthers at the NHL’s trade deadline on Feb. 28, Wideman has done his best Mike Green impersonation while the Caps’ highest-paid defenseman recovers from a pair of blows to the head last month.
A strong skater who can play heavy minutes and run a power play, Wideman has two assists in five games with the Caps and is a plus-5 after enduring a minus-26 rating during 61 games with the lowly Panthers. Thanks in large part to his expanded role on the power play, Wideman has led Washington in ice time in four of his first five games, including 28:02 last week against St. Louis.
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The trade has been a boost for the Caps, who are still missing puck-moving defensemen Green and Tom Poti (groin). It could be a while before either player returns, making Wideman’s presence even more valuable.
So why, exactly, is the 27-year-old on his fourth team in four years? Circumstance mostly. Wideman was a promising young defenseman in St. Louis, but the Blues had a burgeoning crop of young defensemen at the time and needed scoring. So they dealt Wideman to Boston at the 2007 trade deadline for forward Brad Boyes. The Bruins did the exact same thing after the 2009-10 season, cashing in Wideman for forward Nathan Horton, among others. Florida, of course, was just going into rebuilding mode and wanted to shed salary, too. The Caps are thankful they did.
