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Dustin Penner Calls in From LAX, Hopes to Win a Stanley Cup with Caps

By Chris Gordon

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March 4, 2014 6:27 pm

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Photo: Jeff Gross

The Caps are buyers. Earlier today, Washington acquired Dustin Penner from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2014 draft, which the Caps got from the Ducks in the Mathieu Perreault trade. Penner should slot in as the first or second-line left wing for the Caps, providing some net crashing for their skill lines. He filled that role admirably in Orange County, picking up 32 points so far this season playing on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.

“Hopefully it’s similar to the way Getz and Perry were,” Penner said of the possibility of playing with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. “We were able to generate offense.”

“I hope to be in the lineup tomorrow,” he added by phone from LAX. “If not then I rushed for nothing.”

Penner, who will wear number 17, carries a cap hit of $2 million. He an unrestricted free agent come summer after signing a one-year deal with the Ducks in July. While he could be resigned by the Caps, this move is clearly designed to help the Caps win now. Since the Ducks were trying to unload salary, Penner comes at a nice price for the Capitals.

“I think it’s a good challenge for me personally,” Penner, a former high school teammate of Eric Fehr, said. “I’m looking forward to coming in and hopefully adding something that they were looking for to help make the push for the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup.”

There should be more moves coming. According to CapGeek, Washington has about $80,000 in cap space with Penner on the roster. However, that’s with Jack Hillen on long term injured reserve. As of now, he’s supposed play tomorrow. With another winger on the books, Martin Erat makes the most sense to head out. The trade deadline is tomorrow at 3 pm.

Get ready.