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| If only brother Dennis could have stayed healthy... |
Stats/Season Summary: Wideman began his season with the Florida Panthers but was acquired by the Caps on February 28th for Jake Hauswirth and a third round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. When he was with the Caps and healthy, Wideman was exactly what they Caps wanted when they traded for him. In total, he suited up in 14 games for DC, recording a power play goal and six assists to go along with a +7 rating and four penalty minutes. During a game on March 29, however, he suffered a nasty hematoma injury that forced him to miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs, and that really hurt the Caps in the second round. Grade: B
Role Play: Like a deadline acquisition is supposed to be, Wideman was a shot in the arm, taking pressure off of John Carlson and producing points from the back end at an excellent clip. He offered the Caps a new dimension, especially with Mike Green out, and that was exactly what they needed, especially on the power play, which showed marked improvement when Wideman was healthy. Mission accomplished, and a great pickup by the General Manager. Grade: A-
Playoffs: Wideman, despite encouraging progress in practice during the latter stages of April, was not able to make it onto the ice for a game during the 2011 playoffs. Grade: N/A
Future Potential: Wideman is under contract with the Caps for one more season, and should be fully healthy and removed from his injury by the time training camp rolls around. If the Caps don't trade Mike Green, his presence will enable the Caps to have a puck-moving defenseman on every pairing, which will be a unique part of their game. He will also play alot on the power play and his presence could help Bruce Boudreau (or whoever is behind the bench) to NOT have Alex Ovechkin run the point a man up. He's still in his prime and he was great when he was healthy. Who says he can't do it again? Grade: A-
The next report card will be posted on May 22, and will feature winger Jason Chimera.
As important as getting Arnott was at the deadline, I believe Wideman proved to be even more important. His absence for the playoffs was clearly more noticable than Arnott fading into the distance
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