Chuck Gormley of CSN Mid-Atlantic was asked if the Washington Capital would make a trade...

Yes, I think the Capitals will make a trade before the Feb. 29 trade deadline, and I think they are targeting a veteran defenseman.

Part of that decision will hinge on the health of defenseman Brooks Orpik, who has missed the past 33 games with a lower body injury. But not all of it.

Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan has shown he is not afraid to pull the trigger on a big trade (Troy Brouwer, Pheonix Copley and a pick for T.J. Oshie) and I could see him going hard after Vancouver Canucks pending free agent Dan Hamhuis, who spent the first six years of his NHL career under Barry Trotz in Nashville.

Now 33, Hamhuis is recovering from facial fractures suffered on a Dan Boyle shot he took to the jaw back in December. Hamhuis needed extensive surgery to repair the fractures and is expected to return to the Canucks’ lineup in the next week or two. The Canucks are five points out of a wild card spot and could be willing to move Hamhuis, a reliable, two-way, 6-foot-1, 209-pound defenseman from Smithers, B.C. Hamhuis has a full no-move clause in his contract but would likely agree to be dealt to a Stanley Cup contender coached by Barry Trotz, who has a great deal of respect for Hamhuis on and off the ice.

Hamhuis is in the final year of a contract that carries a cap hit of $4.5 million and could be slotted anywhere in the Caps’ top six. To get a player like Hamhuis, who has 841 games of NHL experience and 62 more in the playoffs, the Caps might have to part with their first-round draft pick, which could be the 30th pick overall, along with a prospect or roster player such as Stan Galiev.

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