The Washington Capitals were fairly low key in their summer acquisitions. Let's take a look at what they accomplished.
McPhee bolstered his prospect pool with the acquisition of Keith Aucoin, who will most likely make an appearance in a few Caps games this season. He will continue to grow in the AHL, and will hopefully be a regular on the roster in a season or two.
There was the re-signing of Eric Fehr, who had made a couple of appearances with the big club. This 2003 draft pick will most likely remain in the AHL.
Graham Mink and Tyler Sloan were signed and will continue their careers with the AHL affiliate. I wouldn’t expect much from any of these signings, except perhaps with Keith Aucoin.
Key big-league signings over the summer were Brooks Laich, Mike Green, Boyd Gordon—and of course, Sergei Fedorov. Brook Laich enjoyed a breakout season under the new coach with 21 goals. I expect him to grow and pot another 20-plus goals this season.
Another player who had a breakout season was Mike Green, who was one of the top-scoring defenseman in the league. He was called on in many key situations for the Capitals. Mike should have another strong season, but probably will not post as many points. Hopefully, he won’t be another Bryan McCabe.
An important signing was defensive forward Boyd Gordon, who saw top minutes on the penalty kill and became known for his effective skills on the defensive side of the ice. He also became somewhat of a face-off artist for the team. I expect his point total to go up slightly, and for him to continue his strong defensive play.
Sergei was also an important signing, for everything he can and will bring to the team. I still believe he will find a bit more of his old form and excitement for the game and increase his point production.
With the unfortunate lose of Huet to the Blackhawks, McPhee had to move quickly to grab another goaltender. He was able to sign Jose Theodore from the Avalanche at a very reasonable price. Colorado was able to turn him back into the Hart Trophy winner that he was, and he should maintain a strong presence between the pipes.
George McPhee kept his mind during the offseason by keeping his money in his wallet. I am glad that he didn’t go after any big name players to play alongside Ovechkin, as the Caps have all the talent they need.
George was able to solidify his prospect base to protect the future success of the franchise; replace Huet with a No. 1 goaltender; keep the Caps' defensively strong players, as well as hold on to the perfect mentor in Sergei Fedorov.
Bruce Boudreau finally has the tools he needs to break further into the playoffs.
Great article about Fedorov from the Caps:
http://capitals.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=368524
comments (3) write a comment »
write a new comment
2 months ago
i think that mcphee did a fairly good job this offseason, and everything is in place for the team to move onto the next round. unfortunately, i don't think they'll get any further with the current tough teams, such as the pens, habs, flyers, and rangers. but they'll be really good in another year or two
2 months ago
Fehr will stay with the Capitals, unless they totally give up on him, which they won't. I think he will be a big part of the team this year. If they send him down, he will have to clear waivers, and they will lose him.
2 months ago
As far as keeping his wallet, I'm not sure where you're getting your numbers. I see the Caps probably relying on a long term injury exemption from their captain, Chris Clark, in order to cope with an arbitration award to their #2 defenseman, Shaone Morrisonn. This is the same Chris Clark who injured his groin muscle last winter and expected to be back during the regular season. The same Clark who publicly announced that he would play in game one of the playoffs. When you have to keep your captain on injured reserve an extra long time just to stay within the salary cap, even as the Salary cap has jumped up millions of dollars, you haven't exactly held onto your wallet.
What I can comfortably say, though, about the Caps' offseason, is that their money is well spent, since they have held onto everybody from their unbeatable end-of-season run except Cooke, Kolzig and Huet, and replaced the last of these fairly adequately with a younger, better known, more experienced player in Theodore. I'm not sure Jose Theodore got many votes for MVP last season, but he's played a lot in the NHL and he's won a lot in the playoffs, so for the next two years he's a decent bet.
write a new comment