Lanky Livingston
Guest
Great article that has me really excited about this season. Yes, we've seen it all before, but this year's depth at forward & defense should have every Caps fan very excited.
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Over the past few years, viewing regular season, Capitals hockey, has been the near equivalent of being a tourist on the National Mall, for Independence Day. If you’ve never seen it before, watching fireworks brazenly burst about the Capitol, is a treat.
But for the local, the National Mall, Independence Day celebration is not that special, we're no longer awed by it. We've simply seen it before, we get it. Nor are we that impressed when the Capitals have another amazing regular season, we've seen it before, and in the end, it hasn't meant that much.
You see the playoffs, have humbled us, and made a few of us, a bit more cynical. For up till now, we've found that those regular season fireworks, have less military value, when used in a real firefight.
It simply comes down to this: Over the past few post-season's, the Capitals have been more bronze, than bite. Throughout most of the 1990’s, it was the other way around, but as the organization still hasn’t found the perfect post-season mix, the Caps have yet to shake a history of making playoff time, about as joyous as an IRS audit. We don’t need to cite examples here; they simply are too painful.
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But here’s the new deal. Things are about to change in this town, and for once, that change isn't merely superficial. Re-read this as many times as you want, the message remains the same: The Washington Capitals are going to win the Stanley Cup this season.
***
Why? Here’s why. With the additions of Joel Ward, (A high energy grinder, who became a big-time scorer in the playoffs) Troy Brouwer, (A potential 20+ goal scorer) and the out-of-nowhere acquisition of goaltender Tomas Vokoun, the Capitals finally have a team that from the very start, is readymade for post-season hockey. Keeping the ever versatile Brooks Laich around, didn’t hurt either.
That the Capitals are starting the season with such a solid team, is an important thing to consider.
Last year, with a burgeoning hole beyond 1st line center, the Capitals tried to plug Tomas Fleischmann in to the role of 2nd line center. Problem solved? Not exactly, and while picking up Jason Arnott before the end of the trade deadline, was wise, it turns out that he would not be the final piece of the puzzle, in producing a Stanley Cup champion. Chemistry simply cannot be bottled and sealed over-night; it needs an entire season to flourish.
And flourish it will. The pieces are all in place.
For right now, we’re talking about a team that has the big scoring threats of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin. We’re also talking about a group that with Brouwer, Ward, Mike Knuble and Matt Hendricks, should be able to win many of the battles in the trenches, and score those always meaningful, ugly goals.
With known secondary scoring threats, and all-around fundamentally solid players like Brooks Laich, Marcus Johansson, Jeff Halpern and Troy Brouwer, from top, to bottom, the Capitals have a versatile forward group that should be able to carry them to the highest level. This may be the finest collection of grit, finesse, and elite level talent that this organization has ever seen at this position.
***
Moving on, at defense, there are so many things to be excited about, and we aren’t just talking about the fact that Tyler Sloan is no longer here.
23-year-old Karl Alzner, and 21-year-old John Carlson, already have established themselves as the top two defensemen on this team. One has to dig deep for the numbers, which our friends at Japers Rink have already done for us, (Thank you!) but what one finds is that despite playing against the toughest competition, night after night, there are no better defensemen then Carlson and Alzner at keeping the play in the other team’s zone.
At 23 and 21, these two are just getting started, a fact that should be very scary for the rest of the NHL.
Much like the play of Alzner and Carlson, control is also a big part of Dennis Wideman’s game, and we couldn’t be happier to have him for a full season. (As was the case with Alzner and Carlson, the advanced statistics tell much of the story here.)
Last season, (Including time spent on a weaker Florida team.) Wideman started his shift, 391 times, during even-strength play, in the offensive zone. He kept the play in that zone, (Meaning that by the time the next whistle or break in play occurred, the puck would still be in the offensive zone,) 66.8% of the time, the highest percentage of any Capitals player.
Wideman is also very adept at tilting play to the other end, when play starts in the neutral zone. In 52.5% of the neutral zone shifts, that he started last season, when Wideman left the ice, the puck would be in the offensive zone.
But Wideman brings a lot more to the table then just zone discipline. He’s also a natural at transitioning the puck from one end to the other, and he is also a major force on the power-play. Nine of Wideman’s ten goals last season, came on the man-advantage.
On this team, Wideman, in my mind, replaces Mike Green as the unofficial 'X-factor’ on defense. He’s a veteran who plays a style that can be proactive in helping to jump-starting an offense, but controlled enough where he won’t get caught down ice while the other team counter-attacks. Wideman knows his first job is defense, and he plays that well.
As for Green, with so many fundamentally sound defensemen on this team, he can actually play a more loose game, where he takes more risks.
Green is a much better player when he is free to play his game, and with a better group of defenders that can cover for him, we expect Mike Green to be a much more active presence, on the offensive score sheet this sesaon.
And when Green does make a mistake, or jump too far into the offensive rush, at 37 years of age, new acquisition Roman Hamrlik might be just what the doctor ordered in terms of covering up those mistakes.
For even is his twilight years, Hamrlik is fleet enough to transition back from offense to defense when he needs to. With twenty NHL seasons under his belt, Hamrlik is also someone who should be a calming influence, on, and off the ice. Finally, Hamrlik is also very good at clogging up passing and shooting lane, as his team leading, 192 blocks last season can attest to.
With the Capitals suddenly much more deep on defense, Jeff Schultz, who needs to play far more physical in front of his net, now should be moved down to the 5th or 6th defenseman spot. While Schultz can be very fundamentally sound, and could, at least be a #3 defenseman, on many teams, the Capitals have enough depth at defense that they can make him earn his time, by forcing him to play with a little more venom. This depth is just another indication of a team that is Stanley Cup ready.
***
Finally, we cannot forget about the acquisition of Tomas Vokoun, the final bow on the enormous gift that was this off-season.
Vokoun came to Washington, despite a major cut in salary, because he saw the Capitals as the best place to win a Stanley Cup. That type of commitment speaks volumes for Vokoun, who put up decent numbers in Florida, despite having little defense to speak of. This battle-tested goaltender, is also very capable of stealing a playoff series.
At 35 years-old will Vokoun hold up for a full season? If he can’t, the Capitals have the very capable and ever improving Michal Neuvirth as a backup, so they’ll be in very good hands if that need arises.
As far as goaltending combos go, outside of Boston, you won’t find many teams that have a better one-two then Vokoun/Neuvirth. It is a championship worthy combo, and this is a championship worthy team.
Click link for the rest of the article.
-----------------------------------------
Over the past few years, viewing regular season, Capitals hockey, has been the near equivalent of being a tourist on the National Mall, for Independence Day. If you’ve never seen it before, watching fireworks brazenly burst about the Capitol, is a treat.
But for the local, the National Mall, Independence Day celebration is not that special, we're no longer awed by it. We've simply seen it before, we get it. Nor are we that impressed when the Capitals have another amazing regular season, we've seen it before, and in the end, it hasn't meant that much.
You see the playoffs, have humbled us, and made a few of us, a bit more cynical. For up till now, we've found that those regular season fireworks, have less military value, when used in a real firefight.
It simply comes down to this: Over the past few post-season's, the Capitals have been more bronze, than bite. Throughout most of the 1990’s, it was the other way around, but as the organization still hasn’t found the perfect post-season mix, the Caps have yet to shake a history of making playoff time, about as joyous as an IRS audit. We don’t need to cite examples here; they simply are too painful.
Advertisement
But here’s the new deal. Things are about to change in this town, and for once, that change isn't merely superficial. Re-read this as many times as you want, the message remains the same: The Washington Capitals are going to win the Stanley Cup this season.
***
Why? Here’s why. With the additions of Joel Ward, (A high energy grinder, who became a big-time scorer in the playoffs) Troy Brouwer, (A potential 20+ goal scorer) and the out-of-nowhere acquisition of goaltender Tomas Vokoun, the Capitals finally have a team that from the very start, is readymade for post-season hockey. Keeping the ever versatile Brooks Laich around, didn’t hurt either.
That the Capitals are starting the season with such a solid team, is an important thing to consider.
Last year, with a burgeoning hole beyond 1st line center, the Capitals tried to plug Tomas Fleischmann in to the role of 2nd line center. Problem solved? Not exactly, and while picking up Jason Arnott before the end of the trade deadline, was wise, it turns out that he would not be the final piece of the puzzle, in producing a Stanley Cup champion. Chemistry simply cannot be bottled and sealed over-night; it needs an entire season to flourish.
And flourish it will. The pieces are all in place.
For right now, we’re talking about a team that has the big scoring threats of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin. We’re also talking about a group that with Brouwer, Ward, Mike Knuble and Matt Hendricks, should be able to win many of the battles in the trenches, and score those always meaningful, ugly goals.
With known secondary scoring threats, and all-around fundamentally solid players like Brooks Laich, Marcus Johansson, Jeff Halpern and Troy Brouwer, from top, to bottom, the Capitals have a versatile forward group that should be able to carry them to the highest level. This may be the finest collection of grit, finesse, and elite level talent that this organization has ever seen at this position.
***
Moving on, at defense, there are so many things to be excited about, and we aren’t just talking about the fact that Tyler Sloan is no longer here.
23-year-old Karl Alzner, and 21-year-old John Carlson, already have established themselves as the top two defensemen on this team. One has to dig deep for the numbers, which our friends at Japers Rink have already done for us, (Thank you!) but what one finds is that despite playing against the toughest competition, night after night, there are no better defensemen then Carlson and Alzner at keeping the play in the other team’s zone.
At 23 and 21, these two are just getting started, a fact that should be very scary for the rest of the NHL.
Much like the play of Alzner and Carlson, control is also a big part of Dennis Wideman’s game, and we couldn’t be happier to have him for a full season. (As was the case with Alzner and Carlson, the advanced statistics tell much of the story here.)
Last season, (Including time spent on a weaker Florida team.) Wideman started his shift, 391 times, during even-strength play, in the offensive zone. He kept the play in that zone, (Meaning that by the time the next whistle or break in play occurred, the puck would still be in the offensive zone,) 66.8% of the time, the highest percentage of any Capitals player.
Wideman is also very adept at tilting play to the other end, when play starts in the neutral zone. In 52.5% of the neutral zone shifts, that he started last season, when Wideman left the ice, the puck would be in the offensive zone.
But Wideman brings a lot more to the table then just zone discipline. He’s also a natural at transitioning the puck from one end to the other, and he is also a major force on the power-play. Nine of Wideman’s ten goals last season, came on the man-advantage.
On this team, Wideman, in my mind, replaces Mike Green as the unofficial 'X-factor’ on defense. He’s a veteran who plays a style that can be proactive in helping to jump-starting an offense, but controlled enough where he won’t get caught down ice while the other team counter-attacks. Wideman knows his first job is defense, and he plays that well.
As for Green, with so many fundamentally sound defensemen on this team, he can actually play a more loose game, where he takes more risks.
Green is a much better player when he is free to play his game, and with a better group of defenders that can cover for him, we expect Mike Green to be a much more active presence, on the offensive score sheet this sesaon.
And when Green does make a mistake, or jump too far into the offensive rush, at 37 years of age, new acquisition Roman Hamrlik might be just what the doctor ordered in terms of covering up those mistakes.
For even is his twilight years, Hamrlik is fleet enough to transition back from offense to defense when he needs to. With twenty NHL seasons under his belt, Hamrlik is also someone who should be a calming influence, on, and off the ice. Finally, Hamrlik is also very good at clogging up passing and shooting lane, as his team leading, 192 blocks last season can attest to.
With the Capitals suddenly much more deep on defense, Jeff Schultz, who needs to play far more physical in front of his net, now should be moved down to the 5th or 6th defenseman spot. While Schultz can be very fundamentally sound, and could, at least be a #3 defenseman, on many teams, the Capitals have enough depth at defense that they can make him earn his time, by forcing him to play with a little more venom. This depth is just another indication of a team that is Stanley Cup ready.
***
Finally, we cannot forget about the acquisition of Tomas Vokoun, the final bow on the enormous gift that was this off-season.
Vokoun came to Washington, despite a major cut in salary, because he saw the Capitals as the best place to win a Stanley Cup. That type of commitment speaks volumes for Vokoun, who put up decent numbers in Florida, despite having little defense to speak of. This battle-tested goaltender, is also very capable of stealing a playoff series.
At 35 years-old will Vokoun hold up for a full season? If he can’t, the Capitals have the very capable and ever improving Michal Neuvirth as a backup, so they’ll be in very good hands if that need arises.
As far as goaltending combos go, outside of Boston, you won’t find many teams that have a better one-two then Vokoun/Neuvirth. It is a championship worthy combo, and this is a championship worthy team.
Click link for the rest of the article.