Less than one week after the Caps re-signed Dahlen, they made a play towards re-stocking a farm system that was depleted by sending top prospects Kris Beech, Michael Sivek, and Ross Lupaschuck to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Jagr. On July 19, the Caps signed free agent right wing Peter Ferraro. Ferraro, a 1992 New York Rangers' first round draft pick who has played in a total of 88 NHL games with the Rangers, Penguins, and Boston Bruins, will likely line up with the Caps' AHL affiliate Portland Pirates in October. Among other accomplishments, Ferraro, 28, scored six goals in eight games as a member of the 1994 US Olympic Team.

On July 30, the Caps re-signed restricted free agent center Andrei Nikolishin to a one-year deal. "Niko", a 1992 Hartford Whalers' second round draft pick, was tied for seventh on the Caps' 2000-01 roster with 38 points (13G/25A) along with Dmitri Khristich and after Adam Oates (13/69/82), Peter Bondra (45/36/81), Sergei Gonchar (19/38/57), Ulf Dahlen (15/33/48), Steve Konowalchuk (24/23/47), and Jeff Halpern (21/21/42). Niko has clicked well with Bondra in the past and is likely to center Bondra's line in the future.

Just one day after re-signing Nikolishin, on July 31, the Caps re-signed second-year center Trent Whitfield. Whitfield made his debut during the 1999-00 playoffs and appeared in 60 games last season. He is likely to be the Caps' fourth line center in the coming season.

Goaltender Corey Hirsch, a veteran of 105 NHL games with the Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks, was re-signed by the Caps on August 2. Hirsch had 20 minutes of NHL time last season -- the 3rd period of the Caps' March 11 game vs. the Ottawa Senators -- in which he stopped eight shots. Hirsch is widely considered to be the Caps' third-string goalie, following Olaf Kolzig and Craig Billington, and is likely to be a Portland Pirate next season unless Kolzig or Billington gets injured.

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The Washington, DC area is still buzzing with news of the Jagr trade, albeit a bit more quietly than in the two weeks immediately following the trade. The Washington Post ran a feature article last week in which a personal trainer of Jagr's, Marian Jelinek, was quoted as saying, "I'm happy he's going to Washington because he needs this kind of motivation in his career to help him achieve his full potential."

"This summer I want him to concentrate on regaining his self-confidence and think of how he can take each level of his game to a superior level. Then he'll be ready to push the other Capitals over the top. They are good in a lot of categories but they need somebody special like Jaromir to win a championship."

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One area the Washington Capitals are deficient in is the center position. Not counting disgruntled team captain Adam Oates, who is not expected to be with the team at the start of next season, the Caps have only four centers: Trevor Linden, Andrei Nikolishin, Jeff Halpern, and Trent Whitfield. Of the four centermen who participated in the Caps' rookie camp last week, only one, Brian Sutherby, is considered to be NHL-ready. Even Sutherby is questionable, particularly in an organization such as the Capitals', which is generally conservative about playing its prospects. Whether or not you count Sutherby, the Caps do not have a top-line center, with the arguable exception of Linden.

Rumors apparently originating in the Pittsburgh media have stated that the Penguins are looking to do another deal with the Caps. The most widespread of these rumors has Pens' center Jan Hrdina going to the Caps in exchange for promising young winger Dainius Zubrus, although other rumors state that Caps' general manager George McPhee has expressed an interest in center Robert Lang. Neither the Penguins nor the Capitals have confirmed any such rumors, nor has any news of the like appeared in the Washington media.

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