BT's 2008/09 NHL Season Preview: The Washington Capitals

To go along with Alexander the Great, the Capitals feature a second talented young Russian in Alexander Semin. Although he’s small (listed at 6’2 and 181 lbs), Semin has the ability to perform at a high level. Although injuries derailed him slightly last season, Semin was able to post a solid 26 goals, and with more consistent playing time (thanks to the hope of more consistent health) Semin could easily break the 40 goal barrier (remember he scored 38 in 2006/07) and reach the 80 point level this season.

Coming off a sturdy rookie season, Nicklas Backstrom (the centre, not the goalie) will be looking to eclipse his 69-point breakout, and if he sees a lot of playing time with either Ovechkin or Semin, Backstrom could break out with 80-85 points, if he can stay healthy once again (he played in all 82 games last year).

Along with Backstrom, the Caps have a plethora of dependable young centremen. Both Boyd Gordon and Dave Steckel provide big, physical presences down the middle as both are huge (Gordon is 6’1, 204 lbs and Steckel is—no joke—6’5, 222 lbs.). Brooks Laich is another player who can put a big body to use in a two-way game, but the former Senators’ prospect really started to find his offensive game last season, and he could provide some scoring depth if given a little extra ice time.

If the youngsters down the middle get gun-shy though, both Sergei Fedorov (who found another level with Washington last season we hadn’t seen from him in years: 2 goals, 11 assists, in 18 games) and Michael Nylander (37 points in 40 games) will be expected to step up. Both are interesting cases as Fedorov didn’t really find his game until he came to Washington last season (so it’ll be interesting to see if he can hold on to it) and Nylander finished the season with shoulder surgery. But if they can find last season’s forms, then neither are causes for concern.

Down the wings, Tomas Fleischmann will look to continue his development, and may find himself ascending the depth chart in Washington if he starts to produce like he did in the AHL and WHL (at or near a point-per game).

Chris Clark and Donald Brashear will be adding some grit and experience down the wings, while Eric Fehr and Chris Bourque will be expected to begin to come into their own as pieces of a strong Caps future.

Quintin Lang and Matt Bradley are great depth options for a team that has a lot of skilled young players.

Mike Green: Busting Balls since the 2008 playoffs against Philly…

Remember that? The impact? The sound? The image of Patrick Thoresen rolling around in agony after Mike Green ripped a shot off of his manhood?

And that big shot is just one of Green’s assets. He also skates, hits, and has already reached star status with 56 points last year—quite the upswing from his 12 points in 70 games in 2006/07.

Joining him on the blueline will be depth option, and former-London Knight Jon Erskine and the offensive-minded Tom Poti (who could easily regain footing at the 40-point plateau this season with so many weapons at forward).

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