Hot Stove Discussion: A Few Questions for the Washington Capitals
by RudyKelly on Aug 19, 2009 9:36 AM PDT
37 comments
One of the best things about SBNation (besides all the whores) is that we can coordinate projects among all the different blogs to do some pretty cool things. To escape the summer doldrums, someone had the bright idea of asking a few questions of a team you're not familiar with to share with our readers. I was excited to get a team I didn't know too much about, to read about a team that usually gets passed under the radar.
I got the Capitals.
I sent a few questions over to Japers' Rink, a blog far more professional and scholarly than our own ridiculous sideshow, and they were gracious enough to answer my questions. Japers' Rink is one of the big boys in the blogging world and have been doing some great stuff this off-season: here you can read an excerpt from Caps coach Bruce Boudreau's upcoming book about his time as Manchester Monarchs coach, and here you can read a discussion on the secondary assist. Basically, they run a great blog and it's embarrassing they had to talk to me.
Do you worry that the Caps' offensive style won't work in the playoffs? Are the Caps the NHL's Phoenix Suns?
In a word: no. The Capitals offense is built on three pillars: outstanding high-end talent, a lethal powerplay, and solid secondary scoring.
The guys who comprise the high end talent - Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, and Alexander Semin, the "Young Guns" as they're known in D.C. - are all fierce competitors who have shown a willingness to confront the tough-as-nails nature of the NHL playoffs head on, sometimes to their detriment, as was the case with the injured Green this past postseason. The powerplay is effective enough that it can score against anyone and while refs have a reputation for swallowing their whistles come April the effect isn't nearly as significant as most people might think; even if the referees are a little more lenient, the Capitals will get their chances and make their opposition pay. Finally, the team's scoring depth was solid last year and should get better with the additions of Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison and the continued development of the Young Guns and guys like Tomas Fleischmann, Eric Fehr, and David Steckel.
How is David Steckel doing? I can't decide if I'm happy he ended up making good or pissed that he's not doing it for the Kings.
Quite well. He's firmly established himself as the team's third line center by being great on the dot, killing penalties effectively, playing solid defense, and chipping in on offense and he's become a fan favorite in the process. He's 27 so there may not be a ton of room for growth left, but the team's happy to have him - especially at $725,000.
Obviously you can't necessarily assume a guy develops in the same way in a different setting, but quite frankly I think the Kings made a mistake in letting him go.
(Note: Steckel was drafted by the Kings and played 4 years at Manchester before signing with the Capitals as a free agent. His coach at Manchester? Bruce Boudreau.)
Who is one player on the Capitals that I wouldn't know that I should? Here are the people I know: Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Green, Varlamov, Alzner, Brashear, Nylander, and Theodore.
If I were going to pick just one more to add to that list, it'd be Brooks Laich, the left wing/center the Capitals got back (along with a second round draft pick) when they traded away Peter Bondra in 2004. Laich's not the most skilled player in the world but he gives an honest effort on every play every night, kills penalties, hits, does the dirty work in the corners, and camps in front of the net. To top if off he's a great locker room guy and he gives a hell of a quote, describing his philosophy thusly: "If you want money, go to the bank. If you want bread, go to the bakery. If you want goals, go to the net."
In short he's a poor man's Dustin Brown.
0 recs |
37 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Ha, seriously, we posted at the same time? I love coordination!
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Aug 19, 2009 9:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Oh, and I guess I’m one of the teams who hasn’t yet done their SBN summer assignment yet. I drew the Montreal Canadiens, but I’ve not written to nor ignored any e-mails from our Habs blogger.
I suppose I’ll get around to it, but I really only want to ask Saku Koivu questions. I know that there’s a ton to ask about that team’s offseason makeover, but I’m not sure I care that much about Gomez, Cammalleri, and Gionta. :)
Anybody want to write up a question for me to send to a Canadiens blogger?
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Aug 19, 2009 9:48 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Not sure, but begin the e-mail by saying, “Encule!” It means “Greetings,” in French.
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
by RudyKelly on Aug 19, 2009 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Babhabhabhab
Put the Prozac away, what you need is Rat Poison.
by brokenyard on Aug 19, 2009 6:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wow… my laugh-letters are also a Canadiens pun.
Put the Prozac away, what you need is Rat Poison.
by brokenyard on Aug 19, 2009 6:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Q: How do you feel about the acquisition of Gom-BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Ok, thats probably not helpful, but its all I can think of when I think of the Canadiens. They came into the offseason with ~35M to spend, and they blew their load on Scott Gomez via trade? And followed it with a big deal for Brian Gionta? Its almost as funny as the contracts Kevin Lowe has been doling out for the last several years. Silly Canadian teams!
http://sacrificethebody.blogspot.com/
Sacrifice the Body - Examining the NHL through statistical analysis, reasoned thought, and blind conjecture.
by IAmJoe on Aug 19, 2009 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Seriously — it’s just a whopping amount of top-end turnover.
Out the door: Koivu, Kovalev, Tanguay, Lang, Higgins, Komisarek, Schneider
Incoming: Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri, Moen, Spacek, Gill
and I’m probably still omitting names — what a wildly different team they’re going to have. Better? Who the hell knows yet?
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Aug 19, 2009 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed. I really thought they’d resign a lot more guys, given how much cap room they were creating. Hell, the cap room, in and of itself, was pretty amazing. I can’t see any way this team is better than the last, and given that many of those were shiny new multiyear contracts, I don’t think it will get better for a couple more years.
http://sacrificethebody.blogspot.com/
Sacrifice the Body - Examining the NHL through statistical analysis, reasoned thought, and blind conjecture.
by IAmJoe on Aug 19, 2009 1:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Q: Will you root for Koivu when he’s winning the Cup this season?
Would you make me number one on your playlist?
by sleza on Aug 19, 2009 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hell, that question may as well read “Will you still root for the Habs if Koivu wins a Cup this season?” :)
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Aug 19, 2009 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ducks will have lots of new canadian fans…
Would you make me number one on your playlist?
by sleza on Aug 19, 2009 11:20 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ask if Gainey wishes he could trade fanbases with the O.C.
by Delicious Pundit on Aug 19, 2009 11:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Capitals crease should be interesting to watch next year. I have a hard time seeing anyone wanting to take Theodore off their hands, and they’ll want to try and get their money’s worth out of him. Plus, I’m really not sure I would entirely trust Varlamov yet. I think they more or less split even time next year.
The fact that Pronger is now in Philly and that Pittsburgh is continuing to get better at both ends of the ice really is going to make it hard for the Capitals in the playoffs. Sure, its cool that Ovie and Co can score a lot of goals, but they damn near got knocked out of the playoffs by the frickin RANGERS, who could play defense and had Lundquist on an absolute tear. As it was, they lost to the Penguins in large part because the Caps lacked a real defensive presence and had inconsistent goaltending. In that conference, you have to have defenders who can hang with Malkin/Crosby, because otherwise they’re going to coast through the playoffs again. It was embarassing how little of a fight was put up against them by the other Eastern teams.
http://sacrificethebody.blogspot.com/
Sacrifice the Body - Examining the NHL through statistical analysis, reasoned thought, and blind conjecture.
by IAmJoe on Aug 19, 2009 9:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I don’t know, they took the eventual Stanley Cup champs to 7 games with a rookie goaltender and a #1 defenseman with a bum shoulder. They’ll be in it until the end.
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
by RudyKelly on Aug 19, 2009 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right, plus now that both Crosby and Malkin have hit their $8.7M paydays, I don’t expect the Penguins supporting cast to be nearly as strong, whereas the Caps’ depth seems to be replenishing. But it’s the eastern conference — I officially really don’t know squat.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Aug 19, 2009 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
In addition to Green having a bum shoulder, Ovechkin had a pulled groin, Semin a broken thumb, Schultz a broken rib, Varlamov hit a proverbial wall, Fehr had two bum shoulders…I mean, the list goes on and on. Does every team have playoff injuries? Yes. Can you use them as an excuse? No. But with the injury list the Capitals had, I did not feel bad at all taking the eventual cup Champions (that feels dirty to say, I hate the Pens) to 7 games. Game seven? Garbage. The series until then? Very very even. It’s a rivalry through and through, and a fairly even one.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Aug 21, 2009 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m still saying the reffereeing in that series was extremely questionable and series changing. A few calls and the Caps don’t lose two games in OT.
by hockeyman33 on Aug 21, 2009 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
the reason the Caps had to go to 7 with the rangers was because they were extremely cold. The tail-end of their season was mostly against bad teams and they play poorly against bad teams. One day, they will lose to the Islanders, the next they will beat the Wings. They weren’t gunning the first two games and lost both of them.
by hockeyman33 on Aug 21, 2009 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Being a Caps fan, I’ll take a little umbrage, but can understand your point. Game 7 of the Caps-Pens series was a complete debacle, I’ll admit. But it’s difficult to say the there were 6 more compelling and competitive games in the playoffs this year than Games 1-6 of this series. Absent a couple tough breaks, the Caps win in 6. Defense wins, though, and you’re right on this point. Gonchar, Scuderi, and company outplayed the Caps blueliners, and won the series as a result. (A healthy Mike Green, I’ll suggest, would have made all the difference the Caps would have needed)As far as coasting through the Eastern Conference, I’m expecting a different result in future contests.
by mechanicsville on Aug 22, 2009 8:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The supporting cast is the same forward as last year, the defense took a hit with scuds and gill leaving but if golioski and mckee play well together we’ll really wont be any worse then this spring. (And i thought they played pretty well :D ). Yes the Penguins are tight capwise but Ray shero has sofar done a marvalous job at managing that and people like guerin,tank and adams are now coming back for less money so we’ll be good.
There is a knack to flying: it's learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
by Sid the captain on Aug 19, 2009 11:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
If you want money, go to the bank.
Fucking Brooks Laich. I tried following his advice, but the bank wasn’t giving away money today.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Aug 19, 2009 1:35 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
The only weakness I see for the Caps is in net. They gambled on Simeon in the playoffs and lost, and I would worry about what that game 7 did to his confidence. I know I’d be fucked up after blowing my teams chance for the cup in 10 minutes time. However, if he doesn’t bounce back and Theodore is his normal self I think there will be trade/FA options midseason they could look at.
by Nut on Aug 19, 2009 4:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I don’t actually agree with this, entirely. Varlamov has conditioning issues and was driven too hard in the playoffs – Theodore should have started game 5, and I think that the Caps might have taken the Pens out had he done so. Plus, only one guy out of 20 on the Caps actually showed up for game 7 – I was there, and it was painful to watch. That one wasn’t just on Varly – that one was on the whole team.
And believe you me, they’re still smarting from it. The interviews pretty much to a man say this. Which to me is generally a good thing, because it lights a fire under their asses.
As for his confidence, I don’t worry too much about that. Remember that this is the kid who at 20 years old made his debut in the Bell Centre and walked out with the W. Boy’s got ice in his veins. And if not, there’s always Michal Neuvirth, the goalie who took Hershey to the Calder last year and debuted in Washington after starting in the Czech Republic.
I think it’s pretty accurate to say that Varlamov and Theodore will split time with Theodore taking the bulk of the starts. Theo’s known for big contract years, and evidence over the last season or two suggests that he gets hot when he’s about to lose that #1 spot (see: Johnson, Brent), and he was sufficient for the regular season, or at least a lot of it. Also interesting will be to see how the D changes under Coach Woods (remember that the Caps let their D coach go over the summer?).
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
by gotsparkly on Aug 20, 2009 4:57 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don’t think both the Caps prospects, in Varly and Nuevy, will flop. But, even if they do, hopefully Theo can pull out to be decent. The only time the Caps need good goaltending will be in the playoffs. Varly with a whole season, not 6 games, will probably pull through. I don’t have major worries with the goal issue.
BTW, its Semyon now. He changed his name.
by hockeyman33 on Aug 21, 2009 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Capitals should push for the top seed in the East next year for a simple reason:
Both Semin and Backstrom, their second and third best players, are in contract years next season.
The Caps sort of remind me a bit of the other Southeast Division teams who won Cups:
Awful contract year goalie: Theodore/Gerber
Nice offensive player primed to be paid like a superstar: Semin/Richards
Big, irresistible force of a top scorer: Ovechkin/Staal/Lecavalier
Offensively ridiculous, defensively suspect player: Green/Boyle
Future goalie who might make a stunning jump: Varlamov/Ward
And so on. Should be interesting to watch. (And don’t be surprised if you see this show up in some from on CLS)
When I'm not battling in California:
Cycle Like The Sedins
by jamestobrien on Aug 19, 2009 5:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Both Semin and Backstrom, their second and third best players, are in contract years next season.
If there’s a god in Heaven and if GMGM has any brights at all, both players will be firmly tucked into long term deals before anything untoward unfolds. Or at the very least, Nicky will be.
by Uncle C on Aug 22, 2009 5:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
he has got to be talking to them already. He set up Ovi’s deal the summer before and signed it midseason. He’s gonna have the space too, needing about 7 mil (maybe a little more) free space, saying he signs both to about 7 mil deals. Theo takes off 4.5 mil and if Nyls isn’t gone by then, he will be bought out. so there’s about 9 mil already. GMGM knows what he is in for
by hockeyman33 on Aug 22, 2009 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m unfamiliar with east coast and all its politics, but seemingly it would benefit the Caps to lock up one forward early, and leave one for next summer.
It worked well with Brian Burke and the early re-signing of Getlzaf, with the July 1st similar-re-signing of Perry, at least, but that’s what I’d hope for as a fan — one player sets the bar, then the other player measures up.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Aug 22, 2009 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
p.s. I’m drinking a lot this weekend, so “grain of salt” and all that.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Aug 22, 2009 2:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So which SB Nation blogger will be asking questions about our Kings?
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Aug 19, 2009 7:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
It’s a one-to-one match. One of the Caps bloggers will be asking about the Kings.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
by Earl Sleek on Aug 19, 2009 7:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
question one will be “why do the kings suck balls?”
Put those cookies back..Mutha fucka!!
by SPADE-IN-VICTORHELL on Aug 20, 2009 7:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Flagged for inappropriate (yet stunningly accurate) content
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Aug 20, 2009 8:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Might be, but my first question is “Why can’t you just give us Anze Kopitar?”
My second is “How many goalies is it going to take?”
My third is "Need a balding Swedish center who just doesn’t fit our team but definitely can score in bunches if you go acquire Jaromir Jagr.
Maybe that wasn’t fair.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on Aug 21, 2009 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
any attempt to sell Circles is worth it.
by hockeyman33 on Aug 21, 2009 1:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recent FanShots
Pacific Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Jose
|
69 | 43 | 16 | 10 | 96 |
|
Phoenix
|
70 | 43 | 22 | 5 | 91 |
|
Los Angeles
|
68 | 40 | 23 | 5 | 85 |
|
Dallas
|
69 | 30 | 26 | 13 | 73 |
|
Anaheim
|
69 | 32 | 29 | 8 | 72 |
(updated 3.18.2010 at 6:02 AM PDT)
3 years old and counting!
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
