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Mike Green’s injury won’t force the Caps to make a trade… for now

Nashville Predators v Washington Capitals

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 20: Mike Green #52 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Nashville Predators at the 1st Mariner Arena on September 20, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Predators defeated the Capitals 2-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Just because the Capitals have lost defenseman Mike Green for the next four to six weeks, don’t expect the team to make any knee-jerk moves to fill the void. Washington’s general manager George McPhee explained that he’s in no hurry to make a trade to replace Green in the short-term. Instead, he hopes that a couple of young blueliners that are already on the roster will be able to step-up their games and make the most of their opportunities.

“It’s interesting how things go,” McPhee said to CSN Washington. “Mike [Green] went down early, we gave Orlov a chance and he’s exceeded our expectations. We thought he would need a full year in Hershey, and he’s sort of expedited his development process and he’s playing very well for us. Kundratek is in the same sort of situation right now. We’ll see how he comes along.”

Before you think Orlov and Kundratek are in the clear, he also added that he doesn’t know how things will be in six weeks and he’ll “just have to wait and see.” For now, it’s the youngsters chance to show what they can do with added responsibility.

Green’s teammates were talking about the surgery as well. Karl Alzner noticed that the midseason sports hernia surgery has a silver lining. “It’s good and bad,” Alzner explained. “It’s a good thing he’s getting this done, and hopefully it’s said and done and nothing else will come up. Now we know he’s not going to be back [for four to six weeks] and you have to get over it.”

That’s right—the Caps know they’ll be without their most productive defenseman for around a month and a half. They’ve proven to be a different team in with Green in the lineup despite their current three-game winning streak. They’re 9-1-0 when Green is on the ice; they’re 15-16-2 without the former Norris Trophy finalist.

McPhee sounds confident that his team will be able to weather the storm with the players who are already in Washington. But if things start heading south in the next six weeks, the general manager has proven in the past that he won’t hesitate to make a move to fill the void.