Jackets trade Chimera to Capitals for Clark and Jurcina

This is what’s being reported on Twitter from Bob McKenzie of TSN:

Jurcina and Chris Clark from Washington to Columbus for Jason Chimera. Done deal.

So far, I like this deal. Providing we didn’t give up any more in the trade, it looks good on paper. Clark was the Capitals captain, and will provide sorely needed veteran leadership for the Jackets. Jurcina won’t solve all of the defensive issues the team has been having, but he is a (big) warm body to fill the void left by Klesla’s injury.

Clark will also look damn good playing on a checking line with Pahlsson. He played that role in Washington as well. Jurcina will likely be a third pairing guy for Columbus, but that leads to the question of who will sit on the blueline? Currently the team has eight healthy defensemen- Fedor Tyutin, Anton Stralman, Jan Hejda, Mike Commodore, Kris Russel, Marc Methot, Mathieu Roy and now Milan Jurcina. I think the easy move is to send Roy down to the minors. My guess is that he will get claimed on waivers however, because he has played well. The team likely didn’t acquire Jurcina to sit in the pressbox, so in my mind this means we will be seeing a lot less of Methot. That, or another trade may be in the works.

I’m going to have fun with some lines:

Huselius – Vermette – Nash
Umberger – Brassard – Voracek
Modin – Pahlsson – Clark
Torres – Blunden – Boll
Murray

Tyutin – Stralman
Hejda – Commodore
Russell – Jurcina
Methot

I’ll update this again once it becomes official.

EDIT: Here’s the cap situation:

Chimera’s contract has two more years after this season left on it, averaging 1.875 million per season.

Clark has one more season after this one on his contract, he’s owed 2.63 million.

Jurcina is a UFA at season’s end.

Basically, the teams takes on a bit of money this year and next, but is off the hook after that. If Jurcina isn’t re-signed, it will just be the dollars owed to Clark on the books. Washington has two more years of Chimmer’s money remaining.

EDIT 2: The CBJ twitter feed says that Clark will wear number 11 and Jurcina will wear 23 for the Jackets.

Do you like this trade so far for the Jackets?