Photo: Jared Wickerham

Dustin Penner was acquired at the trade deadline to improve the Caps’ flagging top six. Instead, he played garbage minutes on the bottom line. He was a huge disappointment, but was it his fault? (Not really, no.)

By the Numbers

Peter’s Take

I was pretty excited about the addition of Dustin Penner to the Capitals. With Martin Erat in the rear view, it seemed for a fraction of a second that the Caps had put the bad blood behind them and brought in a productive top-six forward replacement. Nope. Dustin Penner basically filled Erat’s spot in the lineup and did nothing of note.

Imagined by some (including, I think, George McPhee) as a potential opposite wing for Alex Ovechkin, D.P. instead spent most of his time with Tom Wilson on the fourth line and a short stint opposite Troy Brouwer in the season’s final week. To his credit, Penner didn’t get scored on, but he also didn’t move the needle much.

I don’t have much more to say. No one really expects Penner to stick around, though I’d bet Barry Trotz could use him better than Adam Oates.

D.P. on RMNB

• McPhee didn’t say outright that he pictured Penner on the top line, but he did say this: “I sure like what Knuble did for us a few years ago. It’s nice to have those guys who can just go to the front of the net and just hold people off and jam pucks in.”
• Awesome awful press conference.
• Uhh…

In Pictures

Beautiful no-look pass to Joel Ward for his first Caps apple. Penner and Ward are underrated and underutilized PP players.

Hitting up Obama for a place to stay.

This shirt would’ve been more popular, but it also suffered from the Oates Effect.

Cute girl.

Your Turn

No way he comes back, right? I mean– no way. Do you even want him back? ‘Cause I kinda do.

Read more: Japers Rink