November 21, 2008 | 10:43am ET Capitals, Blackhawks closing in on trade
TheFourthPeriod.com
The Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks appear to be inching closer to a trade involving veteran center Michael Nylander.
According to two sources, the Blackhawks would send forward Dustin Byfuglien and defenseman Brent Sopel to the Capitals in exchange for Nylander.
Both Byfuglien and Sopel were scratched from last night's game in Dallas, prompting speculation that they are on their way out of Chicago.
The Chicago Sun-Times and Washington Post have both reported that a deal could be close, although nothing has been finalized.
Nylander, 36, no longer appears to fit in the Capitals' plans, and the Post claims several teams have inquired about his services.
From the Editor:
If the Hawks ship Sopel and Byfuglien out, that will give them the necessary cap space to accomodate Nylander's salary. It sounds like a deal is close, but other teams have asked about Nylander's availability, so the Hawks have some competition. Nevertheless, I haven't heard of any other team being close and if the Capitals can get Byfuglien for a guy they no longer use on their top two lines, that's a pretty nice deal. -- David Pagnotta
