Hockey World Blog

All Things Hockey

Posts Tagged Alexander Semin

NHL Players Vote Dion Phaneuf Most Overrated

Jan 12

Posted by Matt in News | 1 Comment

Dion Phaneuf was voted most overrated hockey player by his NHL peers

Dion Phaneuf was voted most overrated hockey player by his NHL peers

In a recent poll conducted by Sports Illustrated, 161 NHL players voted on the most overrated player in hockey. After the feedback was tallied, it turns out Dion Phaneuf is considered by the majority to be the most overrated. His stats look great so far this season as Phaneuf has tallied 7 goals and 21 assists for 28 points in only 42 games. The heavy hitter could be benefiting from playing alongside the likes of Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul, however, both of whom are currently in the top 5 in NHL scoring. This is the first season since his breakout year in 2007-08 that Phaneuf has lived up to any of the hype he had early in his career.

Despite his good numbers this season, Phaneuf’s peers clearly don’t think he is deserving of any hype. Dominant defensive players can play against the opponent’s top offensive talent night in and night out, shut them down consistently, and show up as an additional offensive threat on the blue line as well. Nick Lidstrom and Shea Weber would be great examples, and both are having tremendous seasons once again. While they have maintained solid plus/minus numbers, Phaneuf has struggled in recent seasons to be a consistent plus player. His offensive numbers are great again, but until he can turn up his defensive game as well, his NHL peers will look down on him for being overrated.

Coming in at number two on the overrated list, which is becoming less and less of a surprise as time goes on, is Alexander Ovechkin. After being a perennial 50 goal scoring threat, Ovechkin has faded in the past two seasons and is only on pace for 34 goals in 2011-12.

Third on the list is Montreal Canadian’s center Scott Gomez. I think we can all agree with this assessment. While his name isn’t mentioned much anymore, his cap hit of roughly $7.36 million from 2007 to 2014 makes him highly overpaid. Gomez is currently on the shelf with a nagging groin injury and has 4 assists in 13 games played this season.

Behind Gomez, and fourth on the SI list is Roberto Luongo. His inability to capture a Stanley Cup may have landed him high on the list. However, it could also be that Luongo is nothing more than a good goalie on a great team. Many teams now are employing average goaltenders at a low cap hit, in order to make the most of the rest of their roster. They’re also seeing a lot of success by doing it. The Canucks, however, continue to pay big bucks for Luongo’s services.

Rounding out the top five is Dany Heatley. Since being traded from Ottawa, we’ve watched Heatley’s stock sink. His first year in San Jose was solid with Joe Thornton centering him. Beyond that, Heatley began falling apart. He’s on pace for less than 60 points this season with Minnesota.

The rest of the most overrated players in the NHL fall in line as follows:

6. Ilya Kovalchuk
7. Vincent Lecavalier
8. Jay Bouwmeester
9. Ryan Kesler
10. Mike Komisarek
11. Chris Pronger
12. Jarome Iginla
13. Alexander Semin
14. Olli Jokinen
15. Ed Jovanovski

How accurate do you think the NHL players were? If it were your list, who would you have voted most overrated?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Alexander Semin Trade Rumors Growing

Dec 6

Posted by Matt in News | 1 Comment

Alexander Semin and the Washington Capitals

Alexander Semin has been scrutinized a lot by the coaches in Washington this season, now the trade rumors are getting hot

As it turns out, Washington Capitals winger Alexander Semin does not have a shoulder injury. Instead, new coach Dale Hunter has told media sources that Semin has been a healthy scratch the past two games. Semin has been practicing with the team, so news of his scratches has put fuel on the Alexander Semin trade rumor fire that has existed for a while now.

One possible suitor for Alex Semin would be the Detroit Red Wings. Rumors have swirled in the past with Jiri Hudler or Dan Cleary being involved in a deal for Semin. Hudler has not been the same since his return from the KHL. His off-season training program this past summer has gotten him off to a better start than last year, but he’s still not quite the 60 point player the Wings had before he left. Cleary has been struggling this season as well, and could potentially need a change of scenery. His grit and work ethic would be a good addition to a Capitals club looking to build for the playoffs. This trade would suit the Red Wings nicely as it would give them a scoring threat with huge potential, in addition to being surrounded by a mature team with plenty of Stanley Cup experience. Semin could thrive playing alongside fellow countryman Pavel Datsyuk, and all he would have to do is find open ice and wait for the pass. Beyond this season, the Red Wings would have additional salary cap space free to either re-sign Semin, or pursue a bigger free agent such as Shea Weber or Zach Parise.

Another rumored landing spot is Los Angeles. The Kings, however, have much less cap space available currently. They would be forced to make a pretty bold trade in order to acquire Semin. Nashville has been included in rumors as well, and would add a great scoring threat to the team. They have plenty of cap space available. The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes are being thrown into the mix too. The Islanders have a lot of young talent they could offer to the Capitals, but Washington is probably looking for players who can contribute to a long playoff run. The Hurricanes are in a similar spot with plenty of cap space, but not a lot in terms of trade bait.

While it seems the Caps would love to unload Semin sooner rather than later, his $6.7 million per season salary will make him difficult to trade. However, it is possible that the team could waive Semin in an attempt to remove his salary. If no other teams claim him, Semin would join the Hershey Bears in the AHL where his salary would not count against the big club.

Where do you think Semin will land? Leave us a note in the comments with your thoughts on his future.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Washington Capitals fire Boudreau

Nov 28

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

The Washington Capitals have fired head coach Bruce Boudreau and replaced him with London Knights coach Dale Hunter.

Boudreau spent four years as the Capitals coach, accumulating a 201-88-40 regular season record over that period. However, Boudreau and his ultra-talented Capitals teams have consistently faltered in the playoffs, going 17-20 in playoff games over the past four years.

In 2009-10, the Capitals claimed the President’s Trophy with the most points of any team in the NHL and walked into the playoffs as a heavy favorite to win the Stanley Cup. However, their success that season translated into a disappointing Quarter Finals loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

The firing comes after weeks of speculation about a diminishing relationship between Boudreau and Capitals superstar Alexander Ovechkin, who has been benched during key moments this season as Boudreau preached accountability to his players and used benching as a punishment for subpar performances. Fellow superstar Alexander Semin sat out of the lineup as a healthy scratch as well.

The Capitals started this season with a seven-game with streak, the best start in franchise history. In the 15 games since then, however, the team has only managed a meager five wins and 10 losses, putting them 8th in the Eastern Conference.

The 51-year-old Hunter will lead the team’s practice this afternoon and make his debut behind the bench tomorrow night when the team takes on the St. Louis Blues. Hunter coached the London Knights of the OHL for the past 11 seasons and accumulated a 451-189-23-24 record during that time. He was the fastest coach in OHL history to attain 300 and 400 career wins. Hunter won the Memorial Cup with London in 2004-05.

In addition to his coaching accolades, Hunter is also a former Washington Capitals player and captain, playing with the team from 1987 to 1999. He is one of four players to have his jersey retired by the franchise. His career total of 3,563 penalty minutes ranks him second all-time in the NHL.

Boudreau’s assistant coaches will remain with the club as Hunter’s assistants.

Tags: , , , ,

Seat Could Get Hotter in District for Boudreau

Nov 22

Posted by Eddie in Soap Box | No Comments

HWB is participating in “Movember” to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Make a difference, make a donation.

Things aren’t so peachy in Washington for Caps bench boss Bruce Boudreau. The Capitals currently sit eighth in the East with a 11-7-1 record. Expectations are always high for a team with one of the most profile players in the league in Alex Ovechkin. In the division, they are two points behind Florida but you couldn’t tell based on the way the team has been playing.

Team owner Ted Leonsis recently declined to comment when the media asked him about a vote of confidence regarding Boudreau. This doesn’t sound good. Especially on the heels of en embarrassing 7-1 loss to Toronto in which the Maple Leafs kept seven regulars out of the lineup and started their third string goalie. Last night when they defeated Phoenix, Boudreau healthy-scratched Alexander Semin for the first time in his career. There are a lot of things to blame, but the main source of the team struggles begins with the player with the C on his sweater:

The Washington Capitals will sink or swim with the production of Alex Ovechkin.

Number 8

For Boudreau to retake control of the locker room, he has to do it through the player the rest of the team listens to. A story in the Washington Post suggested Ovechkin and Boudreau aren’t on the same page. Boudreau wants Ovi to play on the wing on the power play but Ovi feels more comfortable running the man-advantage from the point. Boudreau and his staff have begged Ovechkin to be more responsible in the defensive end, yet he still routinely floats in Washington’s zone and leaves it prematurely. Through the season’s first 18 games, he has a team-worst plus-minus rating of minus-6.

For someone that loves to shoot the pick, Ovechkin hasn’t done that this season. He’s led the league in shots on goal each of his first six seasons, but has 67 in 18 games this season. In the Toronto loss Saturday he didn’t record his first shot on goal until 12 minutes remained in the second period- when they trailed 4-1. The coaches want him to get more of his teammates involved versus taking a high risk shot, but to decrease your shot production by that much is cause for concern.

Earlier this month when Ovechkin was benched when the team put an extra attacker on the ice, he seems to be in his own world. A player who sees 20-plus minutes of ice time every game has been averaging close to 18 minutes this month. That isn’t something you want to see out of your best player and deadliest sniper on the ice.

Could the Semin-scratching Monday affect the fellow Russian superstar? This team does seem to follow the way of Ovechkin: Ovi plays well, the team does well. If he can’t find the back of the net, neither can the rest of the team. In the end, Boudreau and his captain need to have a man-to-man meeting. If they air out all their issues and squash it there, the team could head in the right direction. If they fail to reach at least the conference final, some heads (both on the ice and on the bench) could roll.

Tags: , , ,

2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Washington Capitals

Sep 15

Posted by Matt in Season Previews | No Comments

Alexander Ovechkin in Bauer Gear

Alexander Ovechkin looks to lead the Caps deep into the playoffs this season

Key Offseason Additions: Joel Ward, Tomas Vokoun, Roman Hamrlik, Jeff Halpern, Troy Brouwer

Key Offseason Losses: Matt Bradley, Scott Hannan

Last Season Ranking:1st in East

Offense: The Washington Capitals will continue to depend on three men to carry the offense this season: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alex Semin. Since the 2008-09 season, those three have lead the Capitals in scoring, in that same order. This year should be no different.

Alex Ovechkin is leaning on a new brand this season, dropping CCM and going with a trusted product in Bauer Hockey. That renewed trust in gear should help him near the 100 point mark, if not top it, for the season. As Ovechkin excels, so does linemate Nicklas Backstrom. Centering Ovi gives Backstrom the opportunity to pile on the assists, and add a few goals here and there as well. Semin, in the last year of his contract, has a lot to prove to this team. He’s been called out by former teammate Matt Bradley for not caring, and this is his season to prove that he’s a devoted team member. If these guys can all get on the right page again, and put forth their top effort, you’re going to see an incredible hockey club.

The Capitals have a lot of depth to go along with their top three scorers, beginning with Brooks Laich, who can be counted on for roughly 50 points per season. After a bit of a scoring slump last season, where he scored fewer than 20 goals for the first time since 2006-07, Laich will look to rebound and break the 20 goal mark once again. Joining Laich to provide depth will be guys like Mike Knuble, Jason Chimera, and the newly acquired Jeff Halpern and Troy Brouwer. These guys will all put up the depth points to help Washington continue to dominate the East.

Joel Ward, another off-season free agent signing, will be counted on to maintain his excellent scoring touch when he suits up for the Capitals this fall. Ward, who only managed 29 regular season points last season with the Predators, was virtually unstoppable in their playoff run. In 12 games played, Ward tallied 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points. This run included two separate five game point streaks. Ward brings a big body to the team, and is also an underrated talent that could help the Caps get over that difficult hump come playoff time.

Finally, keep your eye on Marcus Johansson this season. In his rookie campaign last season, Johansson posted a solid 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 69 games played. These numbers certainly aren’t bad considering the guy was fighting for playing time with an already extremely talented team. The way this kid can skate, pass, and shoot, he’s going to get plenty of opportunities playing alongside Washington’s top three.

Defense: Defensively, the Capitals continue to be lead by the offensive minded Mike Green. During an injury plagued season in 2010-11, Green piled up 24 points in 49 games. These numbers were certainly far below his expected output, but providing he’s healthy this season, watch for that output to approach 70 points once again.

Following in Green’s footsteps is the young John Carlson, who helped lead the Caps defense last season. Carlson is a young defender, at only 21 years old, but he’s growing up quick and has the talent to be a top defender in the league. He’ll be joined by another youngster, Karl Alzner, in carrying much of the load defensively for the Caps this season. Jeff Schultz, who has a few years under his belt, will add a bit of stability to the blue line.

Rounding out the defense will be free agent pickup Roman Hamrlik, along with a trade deadline acquisition from last season, Dennis Wideman. Both are very solid defenseman, who add a bit more experience and leadership to a young defense. The leadership they will add could be the key in developing a defense that not only leads the team through the season, but carries the team past the first two rounds of the playoffs as well.

Goaltending: Tomas Vokoun will join the Capitals this season after signing as a free agent over the summer. Vokoun turned down an offer from the Detroit Red Wings, among other teams, to have the shot at being a guaranteed starter out of the gate in Washington. Coming in at 35 years old, Vokoun could be coming right into his prime here as he joins the Caps. His numbers have been good playing for a sub-par team in Florida, so imagine what he will be able to accomplish with a team of all-stars in front of him. Michal Neuvirth will be on back-up duty this season, but should see a fair amount of games to ensure Vokoun stays well rested.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Playoff Bound. As usual the Caps have what it takes to get land a high seed. With a number of key off-season acquisitions, the Capitals management looks to have assembled a team that has the potential to make a serious run at the Stanley Cup this season. We’ve seen them implode early in years past, but something tells me this season will be different.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Semin rumors swirl while Capitals seek cap relief

Jul 15

Posted by Chris in Rumors, Soap Box | 2 Comments

The Washington Capitals have some tough decisions to make concerning their 23-man roster in the coming weeks as the team finds themselves roughly $900,000 over the salary cap after the recent signing of defenseman Karl Alzner, leading many to speculate that a big move could be on the horizon for a team looking to add depth and become cap compliant.

The trio of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin eats up roughly one-third of the team’s salary cap – and rightly so as they also accounted for 35 percent of the team’s offense last season. With the former two locked up by long-term contracts, the most likely candidate to be moved appears to be Alexander Semin and his one-year, $6.7 million contract. As a top three scorer, moving Semin could not only give the Capitals the cap relief they need, but it could also help the team balance their scoring and make them a deeper team offensively.

The New York Islanders, Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets are all currently under the salary cap floor. Semin’s contract could easily push several of these teams over the floor, but many of them may not be willing to trade the assets required to obtain Semin.

The Capitals need scoring depth, they need roster players capable of joining the team and paying immediate dividends – not prospects and draft picks. The Capitals would likely look to pick up a good second or third line center in a deal as well. Colorado has a lot of good, young talent and could benefit from Semin’s scoring touch, but the Capitals wouldn’t receive the necessary cap relief if they traded for Paul Stastny and the Avalanche would be very hard pressed to trade budding star Matt Duchene.

In fact, most of those teams have few assets up the middle making it difficult for them to trade away those assets. The more likely scenario would be for many of those teams to sign remaining free agents like Alex Kovalev to lucrative one-year contracts to meet the floor. That way they can retain their budding star players and still become cap compliant.  

The Detroit Red Wings are one team continually associated with Semin trade rumors. This could mostly be a product of the Wings’ available cap space, however. The Wings have just under $6.5 million available in cap room with only a backup goaltender left to sign. The Capitals would likely target Valtteri Filppula in the trade, along with picks or prospects, but the Wings would probably be more eager to move Jiri Hudler in a packaged deal in order to retain Filppula. Adding Semin to the Wings would give Detroit more of an offensive punch and Semin would fit in well on the top line with fellow Russian Pavel Datsyuk. The Red Wings tend to drag their feet in situations like this, however, so a deal is highly improbable.

The Capitals will likely explore all options that would allow them to retain Alexander Semin and still become cap compliant, most of which include trading lesser salaries and bringing up young players to fill bottom line holes. But if the team is serious about winning soon, they will also explore options that could send Semin elsewhere in exchange for offensive depth.

Tags: , , ,

Washington Capitals in Do-or-Die Game

May 3

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

The series between the Washington Capitals continues tonight for game 3 in Tampa Bay. The Lightning however, with much amazement, are currently leading the series two games to none. Tonight’s game will be either a make or break for the Washington Capitals, possibly leaving them to be exiting the playoffs much earlier than anticipated by most.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are seeing their big names player put points on the board. Currently, Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier have a game winning goal each. Together, they combine for 3 goals, 2 assists and 12 shots. The Lightning supporting casts of Martin St. Louis and Teddy Purcell have contributed for 1 goal, 4 assists and 11 shots. Where do the Caps stand?

The big three, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin only have a combined 2 goals and 1 assist. Skating the majority of minutes of the Capitals offense, the stats are well below what is to be expected of them. Focusing on defense, offensive defenseman Mike Green is a -2 rating.

With the saying, “Defense wins championships”, Head Coach Bruce Boudreau tweaked the offensive juggernaut in the regular season to focus more on defense and less on the run and gun style they use to play. Sure, the Capitals played close 1 goal difference games in the regular season, but the change was for the playoffs, for the now. In the first round the Capitals were capable of maintaining their defensive minded better back-checking play style to take out the New York Rangers in 5. In this series though, the team have resorted back to their offensive, defensive lacking,  play.

The game tonight is expected to be a high flying, high intensity game, with the Capitals having their backs against the wall. If they wish to take out the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team needs to get back to their play that won them the first seed in the East. The person that needs to lead that charge is Alexander Ovechkin. If however Ovie is unable to tame his urge to take every shot, the team will follow and expect the series to go to 3-0 Lightning, with a possible sweep in sight.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Washington Capitals

Sep 15

Posted by Matt in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Losses: Eric Belanger, Milan Jurcina, Brendan Morrison, Shaone Morrisonn, Jose Theodore

Key Offseason Additions: Dany Sabourin

Last Season Ranking: 1st in East

Backstrom, Ovechkin and Semin could all break the 100 point mark this season for the Capitals

Backstrom, Ovechkin and Semin could all break the 100 point mark this season for the Capitals

Offense:

The Washington Capitals bring arguably the NHL’s most prolific offense to the ice again this season. Alex Ovechkin has reached at least 50 goals and 100 points in four out of five NHL seasons so far. He’s a dynamic player, moves very well on the ice, has a terrific shot, and just knows how to put the puck in the net. Of course it doesn’t hurt when the man centering you is one of the most talented playmakers in the league. Nicklas Backstrom has continued his growth year after year in the league, tallying 33 goals and 68 assists last season, breaking the 100 point mark for the first time in his young career. He should be right back around that mark this season as he and Ovechkin will continue to dominate. Finishing out the triple threat is Alexander Semin. He’s playing in the final year of his contract and will more than likely become a free agent next summer, so expect his production to be steady or increase. By the way, Semin notched 40 goals and 44 assists of his own last season, so any more production out of this guy could lead him to a 100 point campaign as well.

While it may seem like there is quite a weight on the backs of those three players, the depth of the Washington Capitals forwards has been growing in recent years. The most promising, I believe, is Tomas Fleischmann. His production has increased in recent seasons as he continued to work hard and earn more ice time. He started last season on IR, but then came in hot, scoring 11 points in his first 10 games back (including a 9 game point streak). He churned along the rest of the season and finished with 51 points in 69 games, including 20 points on the power play. Continuing down the line you have Brooks Laich and Mike Knuble, a couple of veteran scoring wingers who can do some damage of their own. This team should have no problem leading the league in goals for again this season.

Defense:

Overall, the defense is one year older and wiser. We’ve seen the past few seasons that the run and gun style of the Capitals can be highly successful in the regular season, but come playoff time, you’re lost if you don’t have great defense. Fortunately they bring back a solid one-two punch with Mike Green and Jeff Schultz. Green is an offensively gifted defenseman, putting up 70+ points in each of the last two seasons. Shultz is more of a big bodied, laid back defenseman. It allows the two to work smoothly with the likes of Ovechkin and Backstrom, and remain effective in getting them the puck. Both are still young, however, and after experiences last season, they should come in this season ready to play the way it takes to win a championship.

Beyond that, the Capitals have a couple veteran defenders in Tom Poti and John Erskine. They should have also learned from frustrating playoff losses, and be able to help the young guys make the transition with their leadership. It will be especially useful for the likes of John Carlson and Karl Alzner, both of whom are young and talented, but have yet to see a full season in the NHL.

Goaltending:

After deciding to part ways with Jose Theodore, the Capitals look to finally hand the reigns over to the young Semyon Varlamov. While Varlamov showed promise in the 2008 playoffs, he wasn’t able to fully grab the starting job after struggling with injuries last season. Overall, however, his numbers were good. He finished the year 15-4-6 with a .909 save percentage and a 2.55 goals against average. Varlamov is a very talented and athletic goalie, moves well in the net, and should be able to hold on to his number one role this season.

Backing up Varlamov will be another young goalie, Michal Neuvirth. He started 16 games last season for the caps, filling in when injuries plagued the other netminders. He’ll see some more time this season, but could be splitting back up duties with recently acquired Dany Sabourin, who was a nice offseason depth signing by the Capitals.

Season Outlook:

The reigning President’s Trophy winners should be tearing up scoresheets once again this year. Their offense is the NHL’s best as teams still struggle to contain their top scorers during the regular season. It’s likely that Washington will run through the competition in 2010-11 and finish the season among the leaders in the standings, with a good chance of repeating as the winner of the President’s Trophy. The real test will come playoff time again. Do the Capitals have what it takes to win low scoring games with lots of battles? Can the defense and goaltender shut down the opposition? And finally, can players like Mike Green and Alexander Semin, who were seemingly absent in the 2010 playoffs, show up and be as productive as they are during the season? The Washington Capitals are one year older, wiser, and hungrier. With the lessons they’ve learned, expect them to go far this season.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nicklas Backstrom Signs Long Term Deal With Capitals

May 17

Posted by Matt in News, Soap Box | 1 Comment

Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington CapitalsThe Washington Capitals and center Nicklas Backstrom have agreed to a long term contract that will keep Backstrom with the Capitals for the next 10 years. His deal is worth $67 million over that time, marking a cap hit of $6.7 million per season. This is certainly a well deserved raise for the 22 year old who posted 101 points as Alexander Ovechkin’s center, in only his third season in the NHL.

While the Capitals have to be happy to have two thirds of their top line locked up long term, management certainly has some work to do. There are still quite a few roster spots to fill before next season, with a limited amount of cap space to work with. Beyond that, the team clearly has adjustments to make on defense if they plan to make a run in the playoffs. Their limited offensive focus might have proven effective in the regular season, as the Capitals became the Presidents’ Trophy Winners, but it will not cut it during the playoffs.

The biggest question mark that remains is the future of Alexander Semin, who was mostly absent during their first round playoff exit. Semin, who posted a career high 40 goals and 84 points this season, has one year remaining on his contract, and could be used as trade bait to bring in a top-tier defenseman at next seasons trade deadline. The future of the Capitals looks to be centered around Ovechkin and Backstrom, with no room left over for Semin.

Tags: , ,

Washington Capitals

Sep 15

Posted by Matt in Season Previews | 1 Comment

Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will repeat as Division Champions this season

Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will repeat as Division Champions this season

Get ready it’s our time.

This tagline, along with a picture of the Stanley Cup, was featured on a shirt worn by none other than Alexander Ovechkin during the Washington Capitals Media Day. Despite losing two key veteran leaders, Sergei Fedorov and Donald Brashear, in the off-season, the Capitals are very confident in their abilities this upcoming season.

Young players such as Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Ovechkin are all ready to make the jump to that next level. They can all score, and are each capable of putting together 75+ point seasons. With the experience developed by these young guns over the past two seasons, its going to be hard for anyone to stop them come playoff time.

On top of that, add in the free agent signings of Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison to the roster. Last season for the Flyers, Knuble chipped in 27 goals along with 20 assists for a 47 point campaign. Brendan Morrison, splitting time between Anaheim and Dallas last season, totaled 31 points on 16 goals and 15 assists. Clearly offensive production should not be a problem for the Caps this season.

Defensively the Capitals are just as strong as last year. Mike Green will lead the way with a terrific plus/minus and strong skating and scoring abilities. Shaone Morrisonn, Tom Poti and Milan Jurcina are big, strong, gritty defenseman who will work well to shut down the opposition.

Between the pipes, Bruce Boudreau has given the starting role back to Jose Theodore heading into training camp. Theodore had a poor showing in last seasons playoffs in which Semyon Varlamov relieved him. Boudreau and the Capitals never looked back as Varlamov continued to play well, posting a .918 save percentage and 2.53 goals against average in 13 games. Varlamov is sure to see more time this season than he did in 2008-09, however.

The Capitals should cruise through the regular season to a first place finish in the Southeast Division. Their best games will be those against Boston, and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Come playoff time, however, the Capitals will make a huge push. Don’t be surprised if you see them playing into June next year.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,