Ex- Hawk key to Caps’ run
WASHINGTON — A salary- cap squeeze threatened to slam the Washington Capitals’ Stanley Cup window shut. Instead, it busted it open.
When the dollars didn’t add up to keep a handful of key contributors to back- to- back Presidents’ Trophy- winning teams, and with the Capitals up against the cap at the trade deadline, they acquired lightly used defenseman Michal Kempny from the Blackhawks.
“Some of the best acquisitions are ones that are under the radar, ones that fit almost seamlessly,” coach Barry Trotz said. “Some of the best deals that we’ve made are those ones that, even myself I’m like, ‘ Hmm, that’s a little bit of an upgrade, not a big one.’ And they ended up being the biggest upgrades because they’re not sexy names.”
Kempny said “probably nobody knew my name when I came here or played in Chicago.” Now he’s a key piece for a team one win from the Stanley Cup after the Capitals hit on the kind of move every championship contender looks to make.
All it cost was a third- round pick to get Kempny fromthe Hawks.
Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Braden Holtby have powered Washington to a 3- 1 lead over the Vegas Golden Knights with the chance to raise the Cup on Thursday night. But the Capitals might not be herewithout Kempny.
The defenseman always seems to find the positive. Stepping on a puck during pregame warm- ups before Game 4 led to a spill and stitches across the bridge of his nose. But the 27- year- old didn’t miss a shift and scored a goal in the third period.
It’s the latest impact Kempny has made on his new team after fitting in as a top- four defenseman alongside John Carlson.
“He played big minutes against top players, be it the [ Evgeni] Malkins and the [ Sidney] Crosbys,” Trotz said, “and he’s done a really good job.”
This is the opportunity Kempny was waiting for after being a third- pairing defenseman — and sometimes a healthy scratch — with the Hawks. Coach Joel Quenneville wasn’t a fan, so the Capitals made a deal arguably more meaningful than Evander Kane to San Jose, Paul Stastny to Winnipeg, or Ryan McDonagh and J. T. Miller to Tampa Bay.
“Adding Kempny helped a lot,” said general manager Brian MacLellan. “I think we had him projected right. He’s a good skater, a good puck mover. I know he was not always in the lineup in Chicago, but he was our No. 1 target going into the trade deadline.”
Kempny had to regain his confidence after feeling like the “lastwarm body on the bench.”
“When you are not playing, you can’t be a better player. It’s impossible,” Kempny said. “I never played in Chicago against top lines. I didn’t know if I could play against them or not. But I got a chance here, so I proved to myself that I can play against top lines.”
The Capitals have shown they can play against and beat anyone, and Kempny is proving to be the perfect piece for a team eying a championship.
“He’s just one of those players that is effective— efficient, effective, gets it done,” Trotz said. “You’re not going to see a lot of offense. He’s got some great looks, though. You talk about a guy who’s developing maybe from more of a stay- at- home type of defenseman to a guy who recognizes opportunity.”