Dustin Penner was getting beat by a teammate at Ping-Pong when he was summoned to get the news he was about to be traded.
In one quick meeting, he was rescued from a losing game of Ping-Pong and the $50 bet that was on the line as well as the depths of the Western Conference standings.
Capitals GM George McPhee's patience pays off with his acquisition of Jason Arnott from the Devils. (AP Photo) ?It actually came at a good time,? Penner joked.
But more than anything, the deal that sent Penner to the Los Angeles Kings for prospect Colten Teubert and draft picks rescued the reputation of Kings general manager Dean Lombardi.
And his reputation wasn?t the only one on the line Monday.
Washington?s George McPhee and Lombardi were being outmaneuvered by their rival general managers in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, and as time slipped away toward Monday?s 3 p.m. ET finish, the possibility that they wouldn?t be able to answer started to grow.
But in the final half hour, both general managers beat the buzzer. Lombardi landed Penner and McPhee landed the No. 2 center his team desperately needed with a deal for veteran Devils star Jason Arnott.
The Kings officially announced the Penner deal at 4:20 p.m. and the Capitals officially announced the Arnott deal at 5:25 p.m?long after the deadline had passed, but just in time to establish both as clear winners on deadline day.
?There weren?t many centers available and (Arnott) was one that a lot of people wanted to have,? McPhee said of the deal that sent David Steckel and a second-round pick back to New Jersey. ?This was the asking price. You do it reluctantly but it?s a decision you have to make in this position sometimes.?
It wasn?t an easy position.
Being the last one to act means everybody knows you?re trying to make a deal. Word leaked in the final days leading up to the deadline that the Kings and Oilers were trying to make a deal, but Lombardi made it clear to anyone listening that he wouldn?t part with coveted prospect Brayden Schenn.
Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini joked that when Schenn was brought up during a call to Lombardi, the reaction was always the same.
?There was a click,? Tambellini said. ?He didn?t want to discuss it too much. It?s (like) somebody asking me for Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle. It?s a quick conversation.?
But Lombardi?s deft drafting and his hoarding of young talent in Los Angeles put him in position where he could make a deal on a day when asking prices were high. The immediate reaction was that the Kings paid a steep price for Penner?and they did.
Teubert is a former first-round pick who will someday make the Oilers much harder to play against. And no team likes to give up a high-end prospect AND a first-round pick, which Lombardi had to do.
But Penner didn?t have to be traded. He still has time left on his contract. And the reality is, there weren?t too many other impact players out there to be had for the price Lombardi was willing to pay.
?We didn?t have to move any player at this point,? Tambellini said. ?It became quite evident that the return was going to fit into what we were trying to do here.?
It was a strong return. But the Kings are stronger for having sent that package to the Oilers. Penner is a great fit in Los Angeles, and even though they say otherwise, it would have been natural for the players to feel let down if every other contender had improved while the Kings stood pat.
The same goes for the Capitals.
When the final trade of Monday?s 16 deals was completed, three of the best available players ended up with either the Caps or Kings?Penner, Arnott and Dennis Wideman.
Wideman may actually have the bigger impact on the ice for the Capitals, but McPhee paid the price for Arnott as much for what he brings off the ice, including a Stanley Cup ring.
?He?s a great guy and a great player. I think he?s going to be the big key for them,? former Devils teammate Johan Hedberg told Sporting News on Monday evening. ?He can kill penalties, play power plays. He?s a great person in the locker room and he?s a fun guy to be around. That was a big acquisition for them.?
And now the players for Los Angeles and Washington can turn their attention to winning games when it matters most.
Wideman could have been speaking for both the Kings and the Capitals when he summed up the team he was about to join.
?They?re moving in the right direction,? he said. ?I think we?re going to make a good push here.?
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