No . . . the Southeast might be the most improved division, which will come at the expense of the Capitals . . . and, the Caps will flat out suck on their own. San Jose went 17-58-5 in 1991-92 (39 points). I think a similar fate awaits the Caps.
___________
Play hard, shake hands, drink beer.
"LA needs two hockey teams like Switzerland needs two navies" -- Norman Chad (from "My 10-Point Plan to Save Gary Bettman from Himself")
If you've read this far, you probably could use a hobby
We'll have a slow start (a feeling of déjà vu), and will be competitive at the end of the season, but too late to make the playoffs.
That said, the other teams got (almost) two years older, which is bad for them. We got (almost) two years older, which is good for us. Our kids are ready to make an impact, I think. Ovechkin and Fehr should make the team and each one score more than Halpern's 19 goals in 2003-04 (he was our best scorer still wearing a Caps jersey at the end of the season).
If we sign a top center and a very good defenseman, of top level, we're decent, I think. If we don't, we suck.
I didn't know that when I posted. Interesting, but strange, nonetheless.
Clymer is also a RW, as far as I know. He's a defenseman converted to a RW a few years ago. He spent a lot of time on the Lightning's second line before being replaced by Fedotenko.
I don't really remember the other one.
Clark is also a 2nd-line RW that shouldn't be one. There will be a lot of competition for the spot, apparently. I believe Clymer could have it.
So Fehr is still our only potential top RW? Or perhaps we'll play Zubrus and Halpern on the same line:
Ovechkin-Halpern-Zubrus
Hmm. We still need a center, in my opinion. And an experienced d-man.
I'll gladly wager the following - the Caps will win just enough games to not get the first pick in next year's draft - thereby missing out on Phil Kessel.
"Haven't you seen 'Boyz n' the Hood?' Now one of us is going to get shot" -- Swingers
For the lines, I know they'll depend on the training camp and pre-season, but I've thought of this:
Ovechkin Cassels Zubrus
(goals + passes + size)
Semin Halpern Fehr
(Halpern, rewarded for his 2003-04 season, centering a more offensive line)
Pettinger Aulin Clymer
(a good checking line that can score)
Peat Sutherby Clark
(Sutherby must show more if he wants to play on higher lines)
Plus Gordon and Willsie.
Ovechkin should start the season with the Caps, of course. Other than him, the only player with no NHL experience that could make the team is Fehr, in my opinion. Fleischmann, Klepis, Laich, Johansson, etc, are not for now.
Fehr and Ovechkin are the same age: they'll be 20 when the season begins. I think they'll both make the team.
This message has been edited by marc_mehdi on Aug 10, 2005 11:05 AM
Actually , I am starting to think that 20 wins is beyond the Cappy abilities.
I have no idea what GMGM is thinking (his signing of Cassels befuddles me).
With Majesky (good one) and Biron (who also played a little on a checking line with Florida, but should only play defense on a team like ours), and without Witt, we're almost OK if Cutta and/or Yonkman can't win a job with the Caps. But we still need a boss if Witt leaves us. You can't only have kids on a defense. Our 9 best d-men according to the forecaster :
Witt (6'2, 30 years old, 568 NHL season games) Eminger (6'1, 22 in october, 58) Morrisonn (6'3, 23 in december, 44) Majesky (6'5, 29 in september, 145) Boumedienne (6'1, 28 next january, 47) Yonkman (6'6, 24, 12) Biron (6'6, 25, 201) Cutta (6'3, 24 in december, 8) Nycholat (6'0, 26, 9)
Witt's season games: 568. The eight other guys: 524.
You can be sure that Majesky and Biron make the team, and Majesky becomes our best defensive defenseman.
This message has been edited by marc_mehdi on Aug 10, 2005 8:15 PM
I'll be very surprised if Eric Fehr makes the Caps out of camp. I think his ticket is punched to Hershey for this year, perhaps with the odd "cup o' coffee" call up.
___________
Play hard, shake hands, drink beer.
"LA needs two hockey teams like Switzerland needs two navies" -- Norman Chad (from "My 10-Point Plan to Save Gary Bettman from Himself")
If you've read this far, you probably could use a hobby
I think I agree with you, FJC. We'll probably see him, because they want to see our kids show how they react to the NHL, but if they're trying to sign Mogilny, they think they only have one RW for the top two lines, and it's Zubrus. Clymer could play on the second line, anyway, if we don't sign any other good RW.
But If Fehr is a good goalscorer at the AHL level, we'll see him soon, because they don't want any veteran to take ice time away from our wunderkinder. It's Fehr that will play for the Caps in a few years, not Mogilny, and Fehr needs experience.
"Those who prove they can handle the job and the minutes will become part of our team’s core going forward" (Ted).
***
Caps traded today for defenseman Bryan Muir (6'4, 32, 181 season games).
If Witt leaves us, I think our defense is:
Majesky Eminger Morrisonn Muir Boumedienne Yonkman or Cutta (Biron)
This message has been edited by marc_mehdi on Aug 12, 2005 2:45 PM This message has been edited by marc_mehdi on Aug 12, 2005 2:39 PM
Muir has some injury issues and has not had much in the way of NHL experience (181 games across 10 seasons). I would guess this was a "Hershey signing."
It is the latest in what seems to be a warped effort by McPhee to assemble the tallest defenseman squad ever.
___________
Play hard, shake hands, drink beer.
"LA needs two hockey teams like Switzerland needs two navies" -- Norman Chad (from "My 10-Point Plan to Save Gary Bettman from Himself")
If you've read this far, you probably could use a hobby
I'll be very surprised if Eric Fehr makes the Caps out of camp. I think his ticket is punched to Hershey for this year, perhaps with the odd "cup o' coffee" call up.
With the rumor being two-way waivers, I think he's either going to be here or there on a permanent basis- they won't risk losing a guy like Fehr for nothing.
Yesterday, also: Caps re-sign Matt Pettinger and Louis Robitaille.
They sign free agents Boyd Kane (LW) and Jaimie Heward (D).
Boyd Kane only has 7 games of NHL experience, and seems destined to Hershey.
Jaimie Heward has 239 NHL games behind him, and has spent the last three seasons in Switzerland (a very good league): 16-46-62 in 109 games, with 208 PIM. He's 34 (35 next March) and 6'2. Another first-round draft pick for the Caps! We lead the league in that department, I believe. Heward sounds like an offensive defenseman with a good defensive play and could become a very nice surprise. Looks like it was a very smart move by GMGM (we'll see). Heward has probably played against very good forwards in Switzerland, and knows the NHL. We're back to Yonkman or Cutta, I think. Should be Yonkman (if healthy).
1. Ovechkin F 11. Witt D 12. Eminger D 13. Semin F 14. Pokulok D 15. Zubrus F 16. Klepis F, Heward D 17. Cassels F, Gordon F 18. Fehr F 19. Morrisonn D, Kolzig G 21. Biron D 22. Ouellet G 26. Sutherby F 27. Finley D, Schultz D 28. Johansonn F 29. Green D
