So it looks like Matt Bradley had some parting words for some of his old teammates, namely Alex Semin. The Swordmaiden has the story here in case you missed it. Let's cut through to what counts--forget about what he said about everyone else including the Coach and OV. Semin is the one that has had the biggest target on him since the Caps turned into contenders three seasons ago. All you have to do is look at the numbers to see why. In his five seasons, his goal totals are: 38, 26, 34, 40, and 28. Good numbers for a journeyman, bad for someone like Semin who came in with high expectations. His playoff numbers are even worse as of late, though he improved on his abysmal performance of 2010 this past season.
I'll sum up Bradley's comments in one sentence: Everyone's thinking it, he's just saying it.
We Caps fans are all aware that when Semin is "on" he is untouchable, easily the best player on the ice from the offensive blueline to the goal line. Even better than Ovechkin as his shot is just about guaranteed to tuck underneath the sweet spot under the crossbar and the goalie's shoulders. That there is my favorite aspect of Semin's game. When "Good Sasha" shows up, no one can touch him, and he needs no help, especially on the power play.
But enough of the good. We all know what the knock on Semin always has been--his heart, or lack thereof. We've seen it time and again, whether it was the 2010 playoffs, an extended drought following an injury in 2008, or just other frustrating fits and starts in production. What is a bit shocking about Bradley's comments is that this is the first time an ex-teammate (to my knowledge anyway) has publicly taken Semin to task about his lack of desire. Much was made about Jason Arnott and his ability to take someone under his wing and make them better. Last year that someone was #28 and it had some effect, yet another reason I'm still scratching my head about the decision not to offer Arnott a contract. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Speaking of scratching heads, let's discuss another aspect of Semin's game--his emotion. I know what you're thinking. How can he have no heart but have emotion at the same time. Lemme 'splain. The man some of us lovingly refer to as Sasha has a tendency (at the worst of times, no less) to take a really bad penalty simply because he felt wronged on a certain type of play. So while he may not have any heart while the chips are down, he's certainly no robot when it comes to rough play. How about the hit from behind on Dan Boyle in the 2010 Olympics? And, lest we forget this? Yes he does have emotion--which leads to a lack of discipline. Never confuse a lack of discipline for heart. Some players have both. Semin does not.
To close let's use the ultimate yardstick. No, I don't mean goals. I'm talking dollars. What were you thinking this is Washington D.C.--EVERYTHING comes down to dollars here! Semin's contract is a $6.7 million cap hit, and as we all know, the Caps are a chandelier on the salary cap ceiling. At this point, nothing short of a 50-goal season would bring another year's extension. With five other UFAs and John Carlson and Mike green to try to re-sign? Don't bet on it. Semin's never given us his money's worth come April and he's not about to start. The chances are we'll be looking for more help on the backline anyway. The smart money will be on Sasha, Good or Bad, being dangled as trade bait by around the deadline or even the All-Star break. There's bound to be somebody looking for offensive help willing to part with some valued asset in order to get him. The last questions will be what that asset will be and will it be worth getting for what might have been.
Do svidaniya, Sasha...it was fun while it lasted.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Center Poker...Capitals Open with a Pair of Swedes
Without going into too much detail, I want to start things off by letting everybody know I've learned to see things in a positive light. So right off the bat let me say that I believe in out heart of hearts--as all of us Capitals fans--that we have a legitimate chance of winning the Stanley Cup this year. Now more than ever.
BUT (you knew it was coming!)
There is a question looming in the organization. No, it's not "when with the coach be fired" although that may come as soon as the next losing streak hits. It's the same question that went unanswered most of last season and for all of the season before that, and truly began the end of the season before that with the departure of Sergei Fedorov. You and I know what it is, but it has been momentarily forgotten by the big splash made by the Capitals, they who are now up against the Salary Cap ceiling like white on rice, stink on garbage, peanut butter on.....well you get the idea.
Of course I'm talking about the lack of a true second line center. Yes, it's time once again to bring up the subject of number two, but the emphasis is on true. We're talking pure centers here. Your top line center has to be one of two things: set up man for your No. 1 scoring threat or the havoc creating, crease crashing terror that will create scoring chances and put pucks in the net. We already have Nicklas Backstrom, one of the niftiest set up men in the game, despite his down year. Number 15 out of 25, my ass.
So it's on to number two... and who do we have? A cursory look at the depth chart shows four names that stand out: Marcus Johansson, Matthieu Perrault, Brooks Laich, and Jeff Halpern. Those first two names I'll get to in a moment--let's first eliminate the last two candidates. Brooks Laich doesn't cut it as he is a natural winger and Jeff Halpern is now a third-liner at best. You folks already know what I think of Brooks Laich overall. This has nothing to do with that--he is most effective doing what he does off the wing. Halpie is great to have back and he'll provide a valuable veteran presence, but he has gotten on in years. While his durability was once beyond question, one has to wonder if he can step up and take on the rigors of second line duty when and if he's called upon to do so. Duties such as providing a consistent secondary scoring threat, taking key faceoffs, and keeping the other teams' lines in check when the matchups go the other way. We'll see...
As well as the Caps played last season, you have to have all your bases covered. A solid second line from wing to wing is one of those bases. So why wasn't a true pivot part of George McPhee's quest to improve the team if Uncle Ted's vault was going to be opened? It bothers me that for all their spending ways they only made a passing attempt to fill this hole with these moves. It's as if we as fans have a genie who grants us wishes we never asked for; giving us things we don't need. Don't even get me started on Brad Richards, that's one move I'm glad the Caps went nowhere near.
I just hope all these deals don't end up like cotton candy. You know, sweet and fuzzy feeling at the beginning but dwindling to nothing eventually?
No, the reason they didn't go after anyone was because of the remaining two candidates, Marcus Johansson and Matthieu Perreault. The Caps are pinning their hopes on these guys to fill in this gap that's been there a while. These two are not bad players. Johansson had his highs and lows all last season but ended up sticking with the team. Perreault made a better overall effort than the year before, but still couldn't seem to overcome consistency issues as he went the yo-yo route between D.C. and Chocolate City. We as Caps fans have to ask ourselves though--is this kind of stopgap measure going to get us over the hump?
We can hope that these two take that next step forward this coming season. We could hope for that, but wouldn't it have made more sense to have a legitimate No.2 pivot already in place instead of praying one develops over the course of a season? It's been said before--depth and chemistry are key. While we may have plenty of the first part, the second part will be an ongoing experiment. In other words a carbon copy of last year. Not too sure if that'll work out so well this time.
Johansson seems most likely to take over the No. 2 slot so that would give the team a pair of Swedes as its top two Centers. While I like his upside and his quiet grit, I'm not too sure he'll be able to take the punishment that will surely come with the responsibilities he'll face. I'll end with this--if you're going into a poker game with a pair, you better have a big pair. Because it may not be enough to Sweden the pot!
Ut för nu! (Out for now)
BUT (you knew it was coming!)
There is a question looming in the organization. No, it's not "when with the coach be fired" although that may come as soon as the next losing streak hits. It's the same question that went unanswered most of last season and for all of the season before that, and truly began the end of the season before that with the departure of Sergei Fedorov. You and I know what it is, but it has been momentarily forgotten by the big splash made by the Capitals, they who are now up against the Salary Cap ceiling like white on rice, stink on garbage, peanut butter on.....well you get the idea.
Of course I'm talking about the lack of a true second line center. Yes, it's time once again to bring up the subject of number two, but the emphasis is on true. We're talking pure centers here. Your top line center has to be one of two things: set up man for your No. 1 scoring threat or the havoc creating, crease crashing terror that will create scoring chances and put pucks in the net. We already have Nicklas Backstrom, one of the niftiest set up men in the game, despite his down year. Number 15 out of 25, my ass.
So it's on to number two... and who do we have? A cursory look at the depth chart shows four names that stand out: Marcus Johansson, Matthieu Perrault, Brooks Laich, and Jeff Halpern. Those first two names I'll get to in a moment--let's first eliminate the last two candidates. Brooks Laich doesn't cut it as he is a natural winger and Jeff Halpern is now a third-liner at best. You folks already know what I think of Brooks Laich overall. This has nothing to do with that--he is most effective doing what he does off the wing. Halpie is great to have back and he'll provide a valuable veteran presence, but he has gotten on in years. While his durability was once beyond question, one has to wonder if he can step up and take on the rigors of second line duty when and if he's called upon to do so. Duties such as providing a consistent secondary scoring threat, taking key faceoffs, and keeping the other teams' lines in check when the matchups go the other way. We'll see...
As well as the Caps played last season, you have to have all your bases covered. A solid second line from wing to wing is one of those bases. So why wasn't a true pivot part of George McPhee's quest to improve the team if Uncle Ted's vault was going to be opened? It bothers me that for all their spending ways they only made a passing attempt to fill this hole with these moves. It's as if we as fans have a genie who grants us wishes we never asked for; giving us things we don't need. Don't even get me started on Brad Richards, that's one move I'm glad the Caps went nowhere near.
I just hope all these deals don't end up like cotton candy. You know, sweet and fuzzy feeling at the beginning but dwindling to nothing eventually?
No, the reason they didn't go after anyone was because of the remaining two candidates, Marcus Johansson and Matthieu Perreault. The Caps are pinning their hopes on these guys to fill in this gap that's been there a while. These two are not bad players. Johansson had his highs and lows all last season but ended up sticking with the team. Perreault made a better overall effort than the year before, but still couldn't seem to overcome consistency issues as he went the yo-yo route between D.C. and Chocolate City. We as Caps fans have to ask ourselves though--is this kind of stopgap measure going to get us over the hump?
We can hope that these two take that next step forward this coming season. We could hope for that, but wouldn't it have made more sense to have a legitimate No.2 pivot already in place instead of praying one develops over the course of a season? It's been said before--depth and chemistry are key. While we may have plenty of the first part, the second part will be an ongoing experiment. In other words a carbon copy of last year. Not too sure if that'll work out so well this time.
Johansson seems most likely to take over the No. 2 slot so that would give the team a pair of Swedes as its top two Centers. While I like his upside and his quiet grit, I'm not too sure he'll be able to take the punishment that will surely come with the responsibilities he'll face. I'll end with this--if you're going into a poker game with a pair, you better have a big pair. Because it may not be enough to Sweden the pot!
Ut för nu! (Out for now)
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Point Shots--Three for One
Back again I are after taking care of some personal business. And first off, I know I promised an article just on Varly, but a whole hell of a lot has happened this past month. So not wanting to fall further behind, I decided to do this one up Combo Platter style. My apologies to Messrs. Vogel and Ball. And awaaaayyy we go....
PUT VARLY ON A HARLEY AND SEND HIM...AWAY
Simeon Semyon Varlamov....Varly. Gone to join Flash in the land of the mountain High. What to say? It was fun while it lasted. And speaking of flash, Varly had plenty of it. I've got to say that's what I liked about him, he's got a lot of style. By the way, the "cocky" goalie isn't exactly a new concept in the NHL. For further study, I suggest looking over the careers of Patrick Roy, Jacques Plante, and Ron Hextall.
The knock on the guy of course was that he couldn't stay healthy. To put it in DC-talk, his approach in terms of his physical preparation was questionable at best. Which is funny when you consider that the exact opposite is the knock on Michal Neuvirth, at least as far as this is concerned. So we had an Odd Couple of sorts for a while as a goaltending tandem, for a while anyway.
But the guy had a way about him, no doubt. It wasn't just that he made saves or even the timing, it was the way he would make the saves. A flourish of the glove here, a fist-pump there. That confident (some would say overly so) attitude he had about him that said, "I don't care how many they shoot at me, I'm winning this game!" Olie Kolzig had that...maybe in a bit of a different sense, but he still had it.
Speaking of Kolzig, Varlamov doesn't quite rank as high as the Caps' legend, now associate goalie coach in terms of all-time greats. Still, he won one playoff series and took an eventual Stanley Cup champion to a seventh game. That's quite a bit more than many Caps' goalies of the past have accomplished, but doesn't measure up to past legends like Kolzig, Pete Peeters, and Don Beaupre. So as far as the history of the Caps is concerned, he's in the exact middle. Just had to throw that in there, being a hockey history buff and all.
No matter what you might think of him, he had his moments while with the Capitals. Quite a few, in fact. Here is a Youtube tribute made by a fan containing six minutes worth of highlights, which collectively speak louder than anything I can say. Oh yes--"The Save" is included...it shows up at 1:55. Enjoy...or not.
ARNOTT SINGS THE BLUES AND HITS A SOUR NOTE
So the one guy I was kind of hoping the Caps would keep during all this fuss goes and signs with the St. Louis Blues. I said before we needed a playoff-tested veteran to help us out and I was sure Arnott was the guy.
Therefore, I was disappointed to hear about this signing. Anyone who's followed the game knows how it works--when you're a free agent, you can do business with whoever the heck you want and I respect that. But I have to say that this makes absolutely no sense.
It makes no sense to me because I remember his sentiments being that he wanted one more shot at a Cup, and he felt the Caps were his best chance. Perhaps his last chance. Admittedly, there has been limited success, but there are a lot of true believers who believe this team is on the brink of capturing the Cup. A lot of people outside the organization like this team's chances as well. No links or other trickery to back my point up here, just going to simply point out that the Caps finish among the NHL's top teams by the end of each of the last several regular seasons.
Now I'm not knocking the Blues, mind you. They are definitely one of the league's up and coming teams and should make the playoffs this year. They made that late season trade that included Kevin Shattenkirk, a fine young rearguard. The kind that produces points from the point and plays smart--in other words, my kind of defenseman. And he's just one blue-chip youngster (no pun intended) that they will grow with.
But, barring a few huge moves, the Blues won't truly contend for a Cup until Arnott is ready to call it quits. You can't tell me there wasn't some top-contending team that could have used his services. Of course you could say that he pretty much had no choice but to leave given how the Caps were spending--on everybody but him. I'm running out of fingers to point here.....but still.
Perhaps it may not have been as if Arnott could have named his own price, but even so, there is a dearth of quality second line centers around the league. So much so that it was labeled the Caps' Problemo Numero Uno for two seasons plus. All the more baffling considering Arnott was seen as the answer to said problem.
On top of that Arnott would have been another perfect component to the more hardworking style the Caps will hopefully be implementing this season. So I'll ask you the reader, was it the piece that no longer fit or did the whole puzzle change? Let me know because I'm still trying to figure it out.
DEFICIT SPENDING IN DC? NAH...
Going to make this one short and unsweet, but even with George McPhee's talent for maintaining the books, (he did after all intern on Wall Street for a summer) is anyone else concerned about the team's payroll figure this year? Especially when you consider that, according to Capgeek.com they are in the hole? If this were three years ago would they be asking for a bailout? Could Ted Leonsis solve the government debt crisis by offering a season ticket package? I know that would convince me of doing almost anything right now.
I jest of course. But all kidding aside, being up against the cap ceiling has consequences. Consequences that can doom a team's hopes for a prosperous season. It's not as if there aren't solutions, however. Many of these solutions seem to center around Tom Poti, he of the hard luck stories you find on 6 o'clock news. These have been discussed in expert detail here at Japers Rink by JP himself. I'm actually confident that it will all work out, but it's hard not to be negative when you see that minus sign in front of the cap space figure. And with that I will quit while I'm ahead.
But not before a long-awaited joke about Jaromir Jagr that I'm sure has already been made approximately 150,000 times. We as Caps fans don't really need to as ourselves...did it really come as a surprise that he disappeared for a while? I know I wasn't surprised. Go ahead you know you want to!
PUT VARLY ON A HARLEY AND SEND HIM...AWAY
The knock on the guy of course was that he couldn't stay healthy. To put it in DC-talk, his approach in terms of his physical preparation was questionable at best. Which is funny when you consider that the exact opposite is the knock on Michal Neuvirth, at least as far as this is concerned. So we had an Odd Couple of sorts for a while as a goaltending tandem, for a while anyway.
But the guy had a way about him, no doubt. It wasn't just that he made saves or even the timing, it was the way he would make the saves. A flourish of the glove here, a fist-pump there. That confident (some would say overly so) attitude he had about him that said, "I don't care how many they shoot at me, I'm winning this game!" Olie Kolzig had that...maybe in a bit of a different sense, but he still had it.
Speaking of Kolzig, Varlamov doesn't quite rank as high as the Caps' legend, now associate goalie coach in terms of all-time greats. Still, he won one playoff series and took an eventual Stanley Cup champion to a seventh game. That's quite a bit more than many Caps' goalies of the past have accomplished, but doesn't measure up to past legends like Kolzig, Pete Peeters, and Don Beaupre. So as far as the history of the Caps is concerned, he's in the exact middle. Just had to throw that in there, being a hockey history buff and all.
No matter what you might think of him, he had his moments while with the Capitals. Quite a few, in fact. Here is a Youtube tribute made by a fan containing six minutes worth of highlights, which collectively speak louder than anything I can say. Oh yes--"The Save" is included...it shows up at 1:55. Enjoy...or not.
ARNOTT SINGS THE BLUES AND HITS A SOUR NOTE
So the one guy I was kind of hoping the Caps would keep during all this fuss goes and signs with the St. Louis Blues. I said before we needed a playoff-tested veteran to help us out and I was sure Arnott was the guy.
Therefore, I was disappointed to hear about this signing. Anyone who's followed the game knows how it works--when you're a free agent, you can do business with whoever the heck you want and I respect that. But I have to say that this makes absolutely no sense.
It makes no sense to me because I remember his sentiments being that he wanted one more shot at a Cup, and he felt the Caps were his best chance. Perhaps his last chance. Admittedly, there has been limited success, but there are a lot of true believers who believe this team is on the brink of capturing the Cup. A lot of people outside the organization like this team's chances as well. No links or other trickery to back my point up here, just going to simply point out that the Caps finish among the NHL's top teams by the end of each of the last several regular seasons.
Now I'm not knocking the Blues, mind you. They are definitely one of the league's up and coming teams and should make the playoffs this year. They made that late season trade that included Kevin Shattenkirk, a fine young rearguard. The kind that produces points from the point and plays smart--in other words, my kind of defenseman. And he's just one blue-chip youngster (no pun intended) that they will grow with.
But, barring a few huge moves, the Blues won't truly contend for a Cup until Arnott is ready to call it quits. You can't tell me there wasn't some top-contending team that could have used his services. Of course you could say that he pretty much had no choice but to leave given how the Caps were spending--on everybody but him. I'm running out of fingers to point here.....but still.
Perhaps it may not have been as if Arnott could have named his own price, but even so, there is a dearth of quality second line centers around the league. So much so that it was labeled the Caps' Problemo Numero Uno for two seasons plus. All the more baffling considering Arnott was seen as the answer to said problem.
On top of that Arnott would have been another perfect component to the more hardworking style the Caps will hopefully be implementing this season. So I'll ask you the reader, was it the piece that no longer fit or did the whole puzzle change? Let me know because I'm still trying to figure it out.
DEFICIT SPENDING IN DC? NAH...
Going to make this one short and unsweet, but even with George McPhee's talent for maintaining the books, (he did after all intern on Wall Street for a summer) is anyone else concerned about the team's payroll figure this year? Especially when you consider that, according to Capgeek.com they are in the hole? If this were three years ago would they be asking for a bailout? Could Ted Leonsis solve the government debt crisis by offering a season ticket package? I know that would convince me of doing almost anything right now.
I jest of course. But all kidding aside, being up against the cap ceiling has consequences. Consequences that can doom a team's hopes for a prosperous season. It's not as if there aren't solutions, however. Many of these solutions seem to center around Tom Poti, he of the hard luck stories you find on 6 o'clock news. These have been discussed in expert detail here at Japers Rink by JP himself. I'm actually confident that it will all work out, but it's hard not to be negative when you see that minus sign in front of the cap space figure. And with that I will quit while I'm ahead.
But not before a long-awaited joke about Jaromir Jagr that I'm sure has already been made approximately 150,000 times. We as Caps fans don't really need to as ourselves...did it really come as a surprise that he disappeared for a while? I know I wasn't surprised. Go ahead you know you want to!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Free Agent Day Doings--The Rundown
Ahhh, Free Agent Day...the last bit of activity before the great big nothing for three months.
They say if ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, maybe the Caps' brain trust figured something was broke, because they sure did make the proverbial flurry of moves yesterday. So much of a flurry in fact that I'm still brushing the snow off the front porch.
Just going to briefly go over all the deals one by one then give the overall analysis at the end:
First and probably biggest, we get Roman Hamrlik...$7 million over 2 years. He adds experience and so much more to a formidable D-corps. A valuable addition to the never ending carousel of blueliners that need to be ready for duty come playoff time.
Next up we have Joel Ward, a tenacious winger with bite of a bulldog. Although not quite like the bite of another winger. Four years, $12 million. This guy's a keeper, despite the somewhat steep price.
Another big deal that didn't net a player but left us minus a goalie was the Semyon Varlamov trade. We get back a first round pick next year and a second rounder in either one of the years after that. This one merits its own article, if not to give old Varly a nice sendoff.
A somewhat lesser signing is a homecoming for Potomac's Jeff Halpern. He'll be sporting a different look though as the number 11 he wore has since been retired.
And a latecomer deal, not to mention the headscratcher of them all-- Goalie Tomas Vokoun signs for $1.5 million for a year. At least we know what he can do, and it's going to be much more than riding the bench and/or doing rehab.
By the way, Varly's short but interesting stint here deserves its own article as far as I'm concerned so you will see one eventually.
Okay, so what do all these deals mean? More of that wonderful math concept of subtraction by addition. This has been taken care of to some extent--we lost Boyd Gordon to theGoldwater Phoenix Coyotes. Get yourself a nice tan, Boyd. Darn it, now we need a guy who will win a faceoff more than half the time.
Hamrlik's arrival also means that Scott Hannan is the odd man out in the D-corps, because there's no way in hell they let Karl Alzner go without a fight. Just so everyone knows I'm saying that and not the General Manager.
The Minuses:
The biggest loss I can see here is Boyd Gordon's faceoff ability. It is indeed becoming a lost art as we've now traded away two centers who displayed considerable skill in that area.. But as we've all learned, it's about putting the puck in the net, something than can be done without winning a faceoff. Oft-injured
as he was, I kind of hated to see Varly go--he had that flashiness about him that made him fun to watch.
The Plusses:
Most of these I've already mentioned--Vokoun adds instant goalie cred to a team that is considered shaky in that area--little wonder why McPhee took the deal when the opportunity came up. I really like Joel Ward and what he can do. Given the Bruce's penchant for juggling, you just might see him on OV's or Semin's opposite wing--wouldn't THAT be a sight? Hamrlik is basically an older and hopefully much wiser Mike Green. I might be stretching that a bit, I know. Halpern adds veteran depth down the middle and perhaps can take some of those key draws Gordon used to do. We even get something for the future--a potential top 10 draft pick for next year.
Even:
BUT...the biggest question of all is this: What, if anything, is to be done about current FAs Jason Arnott and Troy Brouwer? Personally I don't want to see either one of them go because they're both a good fit for the playoff style hockey this team needs to start being used to playing. Only thing is, the Caps have spent almost as much as Congress in the last couple of days. As a result, they are now a coin's throw away from the cap ceiling with barely a half million to spend. So unless either one of these guys feels like taking a huge pay cut or another trade is made, they're gone. One assertion is that the new Winnipeg Jets would make a play for Arnott. Can't blame them but, yikes to have to play him six times a year and then perhaps the playoffs? While I do like Joel Ward, this makes the Troy Brouwer signing a lot less sense. Not to mention it's never easy to justify $3 million a year for a plugger, even if he is one of the best. Maybe this is just a classic case of stocking the fridge until it's about to burst open? Perhaps Tom Poti's poor health can provide an extra icebox and they can keep both. That would give the team 15 forwards..logjam anyone? DJ King, get to know the pressbox very well...again.
Well, when did spending money in Washington DC make much sense anyway, huh?
PS, Happy Canada Day (late) to my friends north of the 49th!
They say if ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, maybe the Caps' brain trust figured something was broke, because they sure did make the proverbial flurry of moves yesterday. So much of a flurry in fact that I'm still brushing the snow off the front porch.
Just going to briefly go over all the deals one by one then give the overall analysis at the end:
First and probably biggest, we get Roman Hamrlik...$7 million over 2 years. He adds experience and so much more to a formidable D-corps. A valuable addition to the never ending carousel of blueliners that need to be ready for duty come playoff time.
Next up we have Joel Ward, a tenacious winger with bite of a bulldog. Although not quite like the bite of another winger. Four years, $12 million. This guy's a keeper, despite the somewhat steep price.
Another big deal that didn't net a player but left us minus a goalie was the Semyon Varlamov trade. We get back a first round pick next year and a second rounder in either one of the years after that. This one merits its own article, if not to give old Varly a nice sendoff.
A somewhat lesser signing is a homecoming for Potomac's Jeff Halpern. He'll be sporting a different look though as the number 11 he wore has since been retired.
And a latecomer deal, not to mention the headscratcher of them all-- Goalie Tomas Vokoun signs for $1.5 million for a year. At least we know what he can do, and it's going to be much more than riding the bench and/or doing rehab.
By the way, Varly's short but interesting stint here deserves its own article as far as I'm concerned so you will see one eventually.
Okay, so what do all these deals mean? More of that wonderful math concept of subtraction by addition. This has been taken care of to some extent--we lost Boyd Gordon to the
Hamrlik's arrival also means that Scott Hannan is the odd man out in the D-corps, because there's no way in hell they let Karl Alzner go without a fight. Just so everyone knows I'm saying that and not the General Manager.
The Minuses:
The biggest loss I can see here is Boyd Gordon's faceoff ability. It is indeed becoming a lost art as we've now traded away two centers who displayed considerable skill in that area.. But as we've all learned, it's about putting the puck in the net, something than can be done without winning a faceoff. Oft-injured
as he was, I kind of hated to see Varly go--he had that flashiness about him that made him fun to watch.
The Plusses:
Most of these I've already mentioned--Vokoun adds instant goalie cred to a team that is considered shaky in that area--little wonder why McPhee took the deal when the opportunity came up. I really like Joel Ward and what he can do. Given the Bruce's penchant for juggling, you just might see him on OV's or Semin's opposite wing--wouldn't THAT be a sight? Hamrlik is basically an older and hopefully much wiser Mike Green. I might be stretching that a bit, I know. Halpern adds veteran depth down the middle and perhaps can take some of those key draws Gordon used to do. We even get something for the future--a potential top 10 draft pick for next year.
Even:
BUT...the biggest question of all is this: What, if anything, is to be done about current FAs Jason Arnott and Troy Brouwer? Personally I don't want to see either one of them go because they're both a good fit for the playoff style hockey this team needs to start being used to playing. Only thing is, the Caps have spent almost as much as Congress in the last couple of days. As a result, they are now a coin's throw away from the cap ceiling with barely a half million to spend. So unless either one of these guys feels like taking a huge pay cut or another trade is made, they're gone. One assertion is that the new Winnipeg Jets would make a play for Arnott. Can't blame them but, yikes to have to play him six times a year and then perhaps the playoffs? While I do like Joel Ward, this makes the Troy Brouwer signing a lot less sense. Not to mention it's never easy to justify $3 million a year for a plugger, even if he is one of the best. Maybe this is just a classic case of stocking the fridge until it's about to burst open? Perhaps Tom Poti's poor health can provide an extra icebox and they can keep both. That would give the team 15 forwards..logjam anyone? DJ King, get to know the pressbox very well...again.
Well, when did spending money in Washington DC make much sense anyway, huh?
PS, Happy Canada Day (late) to my friends north of the 49th!
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