ARLINGTON, Va. – Bringing aboard a player whose name conjures bad memories for the franchise, the Washington Capitals acquired Jaroslav Halak from the Buffalo Sabres in a swap of goalies at the NHL trade deadline Wednesday.
The Capitals sent backup goalie Michal Neuvirth and defenseman Rostislav Klesla to Buffalo, which only acquired Halak last Friday in a deal with the St. Louis Blues. Washington got Klesla in a deal with Phoenix on Tuesday.
The Capitals also received a 2015 third-round draft pick in the deal with Buffalo.
Halak starred for Montreal in the 2010 playoffs, when the eighth-seeded Canadiens came back from a 3-1 deficit to stun the Presidents' Trophy-winning, top-seeded Capitals in the first round. In Game 7, Montreal won 2-1, as Halak made 41 saves.
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