Trade to Dallas bittersweet for Richards

Three’s a crowd

You don’t have to tell that to anyone around the Washington Capitals these days, especially after they made the most surprising deal at the deadline by getting Montreal Canadiens starting goalie Cristobal Huet for a second-round draft pick.

That the Caps wanted to upgrade at that key position wasn’t particularly startling, but the fact they did so without shedding either of their current goalies -- Olaf Kolzig or Brent Johnson -- definitely was.

"I’m really shocked that there are still three goalies here," Kolzig said after the trade was announced. "I really would have though either Johnny or I would have gone."

Having depth in goal isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but with the schedule in its home stretch and Washington fighting for a playoff spot, Caps rookie coach Bruce Boudreau finds himself in the awkward position of trying to find the right mix of ice time for all his netminders.

"It’s not the ideal situation, but we’ll manage," Boudreau said.

Winning in spite of themselves

At least three of the five Toronto Maple Leafs players who had no-trade clauses refused to waive them this week, preventing interim GM Cliff Fletcher from taking a major step in the rebuilding effort he promised when hired last month.

Fletcher was clearly pissed when he spoke about the handicap he dealt with after the deadline and promised that he would make major changes after the season even if it involved buyouts or sending high-priced players to the minors. He had hoped to move some top veterans like Mats Sundin, Tomas Kaberle and Pavel Kubina for prospects and draft picks, but was rebuffed by each and was only able to dump second-tier role players Wade Belak, Chad Kilger and Hal Gill for mid-round choices.

In the meantime, Fletcher is dealing with another problem because his team is starting to win games and clinging to an outside shot at making the playoffs. A postseason appearance would put a few more dollars in the coffers of the Leafs, but it would cost them a chance at getting one of the higher picks in what is considered a deep draft.

Of course, that’s not a big concern to coach Paul Maurice, who will likely be gone regardless of how his team finishes, but says he thinks his team could still make a playoff run.

"We didn’t unload the top end for the future and it some ways it’s going to be easier now, because when we had 16 forwards, we were not able to give the minutes to guys who thought they deserved them or earned them," Maurice said. "When you’ve had a season like we’ve had so far, any thing is possible."

Icings

• The media reaction in Minnesota to the Wild’s trade for Chris Simon has been a bit hostile, but GM Doug Risebrough thinks that is a reaction to him not getting a center as he was told to do by so many of the scribes. "It’s easy for everyone to criticize, but no one has the perspective of what transpires when you’re trying to make a deal," he said. "There weren’t many centers available and those that were had a price tag we weren’t willing to pay."

• If you’ve ever doubted that you need more than great individual efforts to succeed in hockey, consider the shootout situation for the Vancouver Canucks. Former captain Trevor Linden has made good on five of his nine attempts this season, but the rest of the team has only eight shootout goals, which helps explain why Vancouver’s nine losses in the tiebreaker is the most in the league this season.

• There will be a good news event taking place this weekend when former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer plays for the first time since collapsing on the bench during a game in 2005 because of complications from a heart condition. Fischer was resuscitated in Joe Louis Arena using a defibrillator and since then, that piece of medical equipment has become mandatory in most professional sports. Fischer’s career ended because of that incident, but he’ll play in a charity game that is trying to raise money to put defibrillators in Michigan schools and local rinks.

They said it:

He may have been hamstrung, but he certainly wasn’t blind olded –- Television analyst and former Toronto GM John Ferguson, who was criticized on air by colleagues for giving out the no-trade clauses that prevented Leafs interim GM Cliff Fletcher from making more deals at the deadline.