Capitals Reacquire Zednik

Capitals Reacquire Zednik

07/13/2006 09:02 am
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0 Pageviews The Washington Capitals bolstered their corps of forwards yesterday by acquiring speedy right wing Richard Zednik from the Montreal Canadiens for a third-round pick in next year's draft.



The 30-year-old is returning for his second stint in Washington after spending five seasons in Montreal, where he had 16 goals and 14 assists in 67 games last season.



"I had some really good years in Washington in the beginning of my career and now I'm excited to come back as a veteran," he said in a statement released by the Capitals.



Zednik's smooth skating stride and scoring touch will be welcome additions for a Capitals team that was short on skill on the right side. Coach Glen Hanlon will have the flexibility to play him on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Dainius Zubrus , or on the second line opposite Alexander Semin .



"We know Zed well, which is always nice because you know what you're getting in a player and in a personality," Capitals General Manager George McPhee said. "He's a very competitive player and is very strong and brings excellent speed and scoring ability."



"Something had developed in Montreal and Zed had asked for a change," McPhee added.



Zednik, who is due $1.976 million next season, has had 15 or more goals in all but one of eight full NHL seasons, and had 31 goals in 2002-03.



The Slovakia native was drafted by Washington in 1994 and dealt to Montreal along with Jan Bulis for Trevor Linden and Zubrus in 2001.





-- Tarik El-Bashir