So Far, So Good With Jurcina

New Defenseman Is Showing Skill, Fitting In With Capitals

"He's done a lot of things right," Capitals Coach Glen Hanlon said of Milan Jurcina, above, acquired recently from Boston. (By Winslow Townson -- Associated Press)

Milan Jurcina experienced the full range of emotions when he was traded to the Washington Capitals. He felt jilted by the Boston Bruins, he fretted about his future, he wondered how he would fit in with his new teammates.

But Jurcina's angst has faded over the past nine days. The 23-year-old defenseman has settled into his new job, and today plans to move out of his hotel and into an Arlington apartment.

"I've been here only one week, but I wish I can stay here for a long time," said Jurcina, who becomes a restricted free agent in July, meaning the Capitals are only obligated to extend him a 10 percent raise over the $500,000 he's earning this season.

Capitals officials are cautious about heaping too much praise on Jurcina after only one week, but they've been pleasantly surprised by the 6-foot-4, 233-pound Slovak, whom they plucked from the under-performing Bruins for a conditional draft pick in 2008.

"He's done a lot of things right," Capitals Coach Glen Hanlon said. "But we realize here that there's things to work on. But you can't teach size. Hopefully we'll see some steady improvement."

Jurcina is averaging about 23 minutes per game and has been one half of the Capitals' top defensive pairing alongside Shaone Morrisonn, a former minor league teammate. He's also averaging three shots on goal per game, about four minutes on the penalty kill and even gets some playing time on the power play.

And on Thursday, Jurcina made sure his first point as a member of the Capitals was a memorable one when he used his big shot to set up the game-winner in overtime against the Los Angeles Kings. His blast from the point squeezed past goaltender Mathieu Garon, hit the goal post and came to rest on the goal line, and Dainius Zubrus jammed it in to lift the Capitals to a 4-3 victory.

"He's got the hardest shot on the team," said Morrisonn, who passed the puck to Jurcina. "It went through the goalie."

Hanlon noted the dexterity Jurcina displayed when he settled down the bouncing puck, pivoted and then put his shot on net.

"Milan corralled a spinning puck [at the blueline], which is a good skill," he said. "That was a big play for us."

Tonight, Jurcina and Morrisonn likely will match up against New York Rangers right wing Jaromir Jagr in a critical contest between clubs that find themselves clinging to playoff hopes. The Capitals are 2-0-1 in their last three games and just behind the Rangers, who are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference after last night's 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Jurcina's most significant contribution has been on the penalty kill. Using his long stick to break up passes and his considerable size to clear out space in front of the net, he has helped the unit kill off 17 of the 19 short-handed situations the Capitals have faced the past four games.

It seems the change of scenery, and the bump in playing time, has made all the difference. After a strong rookie season in 2005-06, he quickly fell out of favor with first-year coach Dave Lewis, who slashed his ice time and scratched him six times before he was eventually dealt.

"I was kind of expecting something," Jurcina said yesterday about his final days in Boston. "They had some big players with some big contracts and they thought they were going to be in the playoffs. So they had to do something with trades. They weren't happy with me, or I wasn't fitting into their concept, they said. So I was first on the list to be traded."

Getting traded by the organization that drafted him hurt his pride, but he said it's turned out for the best.

"I'm enjoying myself," Jurcina said. "It's a great group of guys here. I'm having a lot of fun. And for us young guys it's about ice time. We have to play a lot. I'm just doing my best."

As for Hanlon, he said he's reserving judgment for now.

"I'm going to hold my evaluation until the 10-game mark," Hanlon said. "There are some trends you can see, but it takes time."