For Caps, Hunt Is for Jobs, Not Playoffs

The Washington Capitals resume their regular season in Toronto tonight after the Olympics break with a playoff berth out of reach but still plenty of questions surrounding the team as management evaluates players over the final 26 games.

Who is coming back next season? Who isn't? What will next week's trade deadline bring?

"Everyone is playing for their livelihoods with maybe the exception of [goaltender Olie] Kolzig, [defensemen Bryan] Muir and [Jamie] Heward and [right wing Chris] Clark, because they've signed contracts for next year," Coach Glen Hanlon said.

The players Hanlon named, all potential unrestricted free agents, had their contracts extended this month. Rookie left wing Alex Ovechkin is under contract for two more seasons and veteran center Dainius Zubrus for one.

But that's it among the full-time players. Everyone else, Hanlon said, is essentially auditioning for their role next season, whether it is here or elsewhere, between now and the finale on April 18 in Tampa.

"If you're playing 18 minutes and you're on the power play or you're killing penalties, take a look around the league and give yourself an honest self-evaluation and ask if that's something you're going to be doing somewhere else," Hanlon said. "Don't waste a moment of the chance to capitalize on that. If you're on the power play and you have a chance to score 20 goals, that's a huge opportunity. A lot of our guys' minutes are higher than what they'd be getting on other teams."

While management has a sense of which players it plans to retain, for core youngsters such as restricted free agents Shaone Morrisonn, Steve Eminger, Brian Sutherby and Brooks Laich, among others, their next Capitals contract and place within the organization could be swayed by their play over the next 50 days.

"We have a pretty good idea of what we are going to do," General Manager George McPhee said. "The important thing over the last third of the season is going to be continuing to develop the great chemistry we have with this group and winning games."

That chemistry could be disrupted in the coming days. One player who is virtually certain to be changing teams before the March 9 deadline for trades is defenseman Brendan Witt. A Capital for his entire career and a leader within the locker room, Witt, 31, requested a trade to a contender during training camp and McPhee has said the team will accommodate him. The NHL's Olympics break moratorium on trades ended at midnight.

Another player who could be traded is left wing Jeff Friesen, a five-time 20 goal scorer who has been a disappointment in Washington but could be prove valuable to a playoff team looking for another scoring threat.

The combination of what Washington receives in return, which current players assert themselves and whether prospect Alexander Semin can be coaxed back from Russia, will determine the team's priorities this summer.

The Capitals have a surplus of checking line forwards, but are deficient in most other areas. Although they do not figure to be big spenders on the free agent market, it would not be surprising for as many as six new players to be added to the roster, particularly a pair of skilled defensemen and perhaps a top-line center.

But first things first. Tonight's game is the first of a challenging stretch that includes three games against Northeast Division-leading Ottawa and five against Carolina, the Eastern Conference's top team. The Capitals also face Buffalo once and Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay twice.

"I hope we can get over the hump, win a few more one-goal games," Sutherby said. "It's obvious from what we've been working on in practice that our penalty kill needs to improve. If we can do that, we've proven all year that we can compete with anyone five-on-five."

On Thursday, Hanlon and his staff introduced a tweaked penalty-kill system, one that aims to make it more difficult for opposing teams to get into the Capitals' zone and asks players to be aggressive on the puck carrier. The unit enters tonight's game tied for 27th in the league.

"We just want to finish strong and build on what we've been working on," right wing Matt Bradley said. "We've got to keep working hard, but also work smart, and we'll be successful."

Capitals Notes: Ovechkin and Kolzig, two of the team's three Olympians, did not arrive in Toronto in time to practice yesterday at Air Canada Center. Both were expected to get into town last night, but their status for tonight's game won't be decided until after this morning's pregame skate. . . . With Eminger (ankle) out, defenseman Mike Green was recalled from Hershey (Pa.) of the AHL to fill in. Forward Jakub Klepis also was called up from the Bears.