BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Washington Capitals

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

They're back.

What can I say, after a full offseason of the NHL and training camps just weeks away from opening, it's time for the return of the team-by-team, division-by-division team previews.

To start things off we're looking at the Washington Capitals and whether a rookie goalie, the premier offensive defenseman in the league and Alexander Ovechkin can carry them to success once again.

Washington Capitals

2008/09 Record: 50-24-8, 108 points, second in East, Lost in Conference Semi-finals in seven games to Pittsburgh Penguins

Additions: Mike Knuble—F (2 years/FA), Brendan Morrison—F (1 year/FA)

Subtractions: Donald Brashear—F (FA), Sami Lepisto—D (FA), Brent Johnson—G (FA), Sergei Fedorov—F (FA)

While Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to jump out to quick success with their batch of young superstars, the Washington Capitals are still trying to make the jump to that next level.

With the evolution of Semyon Varlamov during last year's playoffs however, the Caps may have found one of the final pieces to their own championship puzzle in their bid to compete with the new Kings of the NHL.

Even with that new goalie the Caps could still use a few more pieces to help support that jig-saw.

Green with envy…

While many NHL teams feel that way about Mike Green—wishing that they could have a 70-point defenseman of their own—the Caps are actually the envious ones.

After the dynamic Green (who joined the elite eight of NHL defensemen with 30 goal seasons), the Caps roster is slim pickings on defense.

Offensively there's not a lot to choose from. While Brian Pothier became a feel-good story for the Caps last year when he returned after missing 13 months with a concussion, he'll need to be a source of sure-handed production to retain ice time with the Capitals. If Pothier can sneak his way back into the 25-point range, then he’s a perk for this team—if not though, he may just be taking ice time away from some of the younger blueliners.

Tom Poti is a great alternative as an offensive defenseman (as well as a solid penalty killer), but the veteran has held out of 30 games last year due to a wonky groin. If Poti can stay healthy this season and erase the problems that dogged him last year, then he adds becomes the number two option behind Green offensively.

If he can't stay in the lineup and the groin troubles return, hampering his mobility, it won't take teams very long to key on Green and shut down the offensive attack from the back end.

Shaone Morrisonn has started to turn into a reliable penalty killer for the Caps (averaging just under three minutes per game for them last year) and a solid late-pairing defenseman, but relying on him too heavily could spell disaster, while the same can be said for Milan Jurcina.

As the heavy weight on defense, John Erskine is a good physical presence, but he’s shown a lot of inconsistency. As his ice time went up following a concussion mid-season last year, Erskine’s performance did as well. Erskine was also burdened with a heavy workload during the Pittsburgh series, but did have trouble with the top-end talent.

With being 29, many would assume that there isn’t much "developing" Erskine could do, but if he can show up consistently and turn away the big names then he may be more than just a low-pairing shutdown guy playing big minutes.

Getting past the returning members of last year's core, this is the most telling stat: Jeff Schultz, Karl Alzner, and Sami Lepisto garnered more ice time per game than just two of the Capitals defensemen (Green and Poti) and Alzner and Lepisto were fresh to the NHL.

Whether it was because of circumstance or necessity, the Capitals still put big workloads on the shoulders of their young guys.

Going forward, Schultz looks set to start his third full season (fourth overall) with the Caps as he prepares himself to take on a heavier workload, while Karl Alzner deserves the opportunity to work his puck-moving abilities in tandem with the heavy shot of Mike Green.

This year may be a year of transition on the back end in Washington, as the youngsters have earned their shots, and some of the veterans may not be able to keep up with the fresh blood.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?