Sources say Capitals have no interest in Volchenkov

Ottawa Senators’ Josh Hennessy, left, and Anton Volchenkov, right, check Montreal Canadiens’ Andrei Kostitsyn during the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game in Ottawa on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Patrick Doyle)

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A couple weeks ago, a report from the Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan said that Anton Volchenkov will get the most interest this off-season from the Washington Capitals. A funny thing happened along the way and thanks to the Washington Post’s Tarik El-Bashir, we get the temperature taken on the Washington Capitals possible interest on the soon-to-be free agent.

Contrary to a report out of Canada late last month that suggested the Caps are going to target pending unrestricted free agent Anton Volchenkov this summer, two sources have told me that the team does not, in fact, plan to pursue the Ottawa blue liner. The Caps “are not going to make him an offer,” one of the sources familiar with Washington’s plans told me.

So much for that. Would Volchenkov fit in well with the Capitals? Most assuredly, especially with a couple of outstanding fellow Russians on the team in Alexander Ovechkin and Alex Semin. Would he fit into head coach Bruce Boudreau’s system is a better question. There’s no doubt that the Caps could use someone whose sole focus on the blue line is playing defense and blocking shots, but would he blend in with the sort of run-and-gun thing the Capitals have going on? I somehow doubt that.

Then again, you could argue that the Capitals have enough of the puck moving defenseman thing going on with Mike Green and Tom Poti not to mention a lot going on with their youth movement in John Carlson and Karl Alzner who have both been somewhat locked into playing for Hershey in the AHL. It’s probably for the best that I’m not making the choices here because my lack of general managing skills would shine brightly. Good luck George McPhee, you’ll need it.