2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Washington Capitals

by James Mirtle on Sep 29, 2009 7:00 AM CDT Comment 37 comments

More photos » by Neil Davidson - AP

Who's in: Mike Knuble, Brendan Morrison
Who's out: Donald Brashear, Sergei Fedorov, Brent Johnson, Viktor Kozlov

Outlook: The Capitals lost a pair of useful Russians to the KHL in the off-season, as both Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov took more to play in their homeland. To fill the gap, GM George McPhee signed on Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison, a pair of veteran North Americans who should be able to more than duplicate Fedorov and Kozlov's combined 74 points last season.

Knuble will be the biggest beneficiary of the move, as he's scheduled to slide in alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom on the top line and will add a welcome presence in front of the net. Morrison, too, could experience a bit of a revival, although his recent history — both injury and performance wise — raises a red flag.

Elsewhere on the roster, expect Semyon Varlamov to challenge Jose Theodore for starting duties from the get go, something that should give the Caps more consistency in goal than they've had since Olaf Kolzig left the picture. Washington's blueline could also be improved with healthy campaigns from Tom Poti and Brian Pothier, along with continued improvement from youngster Karl Alzner, who has earned a full-time role with the big club but may start in the minors due to salary cap concerns.

All in all, barring an injury to Ovechkin, this should be one of the most formidable teams in the Eastern Conference.

X-factor: Semyon Varlamov

For a more in-depth Capitals preview, visit Japers' Rink
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the Caps finish in the Eastern Conference this season?

1

97 votes

2

127 votes

3

51 votes

4

17 votes

5

7 votes

6

5 votes

7

3 votes

8

0 votes

9

1 votes

10

0 votes

11

1 votes

12

0 votes

13

2 votes

14

1 votes

15

13 votes

325 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

No 15th haters yet.

2nd. They don’t have the focus to carry on for 82 games. That being said, I think they win the Prince of Wales trophy (because Philly vs PIT is a 2nd round matchup).

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 7:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Watch out for Morrison. If Semin can stay healthy, Morrison could hit 60 points.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 8:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

What kool-aid are you drinking?

Morrison will be lucky to reach 60 games played, let alone points. Not to mention wasn’t Morrison playing alongside Getzlaf and Perry to start last season and how did that turn out? Then he centered Selanne with absolutely no success, so why would centering Semon be any different? This isn’t 2003 and there is no reason how anyone can expect more than 40 points out of Morrison this season.

It's never about the eventual destination, but rather the long journey and its challenging obstacles that are presented and what it takes to overcome them, that makes the taste of success all the more worthwhile!!!

by hawks61 on Sep 29, 2009 10:05 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dude, he played like 600 straight games without missing even one before he’s been banged up the past two years. The general trend of the injuries he’s had is a 1-1.5 season full recovery period, which he’s now had. I think Morrison will play 70+ games. Semin is the question.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And Sergei Fedorov hit 33 points in 52 games last year playing mostly with Semin and Fleischmann/Laich. Morrison looks like a better fit with more youth and speed.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’d play Fedorov’s a better player right now than Morrison. He’s probably still better than Morrison’s ever been.

I've been looking at the sky

by Back In Black on Sep 29, 2009 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe, but from what I’ve seen of Morrison, he’s faster (which better suits the Caps’ style), he has decent skills, is smart both ways, and can win draws (though not on the level of Fedorov). Fedorov may be better right now, but that doesn’t mean Morrison won’t be a better fit. Just look at Michael Nylander. Just because the Caps won’t play him doesn’t mean he’s better than Boyd Gordon. It just means Gordon is a better fit than Nylander.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Capital’s trainers tested BMo for a week before signing him. They concluded that he is fully healthy.

by hockeyman33 on Sep 29, 2009 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

1st in the East, out in the 1st round!

The Washington Capitals have all the offensive tools to become a legitimate President’s Trophy Champions. Add to the fact that teams like Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Detroit play in the two toughest divisions in hockey while the Caps play in the weakest, well that makes the Caps in my mind the overwhelming favourites to win this trophy. Ovechkin may win the Art Ross to go along with another Richard Trophy, and the goaltending duo of Varlamov and The-ODORE will be solid enough (like Osgood and Conklin in Detroit last season) to keep the Capitals ahead in many games.

Now here comes the bad news, the playoffs are a different ball-game and the Capitals have melted in the past 2 playoffs seasons. Needing 7 games to defeat the NYRangers sends off major alarm bells that this team lacks something to succeed in the second season. Their goaltending is quite possibly the worst in the NHL, to go along with an average (being generous here) defence points to an immediate demise within the first round in the playoffs for chances are they’re going to meet a more formidable foe this time in the first round (Ottawa, Buffalo perhaps?) that most likely won’t fold while holding a 3-1 advantage in the first round much like the Rangers and the Flyers the previous playoff season.

The Capitals are an extremely talented team with loads of firepower that can win them any game but as we all know the playoffs are a different season and the Capitals are severely lacking in 2 specific areas that may end up being their Waterloo. Bad goaltending combined with an average defence will be the undoing of the Capitals who still have room to grow for as of right now this team reminds me of those Red Wings teams from 92-94. This team may eventually win a Stanley Cup, but not this year .

by hawks61 on Sep 29, 2009 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just sayin’ our AHL squad beat your NHL squad…just sayin’
Read the preview on Japers’ Rink. I won’t bother refuting all your arguments here. Every team has its weaknesses, but in my opinion the Caps’ are way overdone because of their expectations.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Needing 7 games to defeat the NYRangers sends off major alarm bells that this team lacks something to succeed in the second season.

That sounds like cherry picking a fact to have it match your hypothesis. By the same logic you can say that they took Pittsburgh to seven and therefor can play with the best. It’s a lot more complex than that.

Their goaltending is quite possibly the worst in the NHL, to go along with an average (being generous here) defence

The defense is above average: if it weren’t for the poor goaltending and discipline issues the Caps GAA would be pretty good.

by David M. Getz on Sep 29, 2009 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

6th best team 5-on-5 last year. In 07-08, after the trade deadline (they got Huet to be the starter, Fedorov as #2C, and Cooke to play 3LW), they had the best GAA of any team in the NHL. That means that when they play inspired hockey, they can play with the best of ‘em (and frankly, beat the best of ’em).
What stood out last year was the minor penalties and poor PK, coupled with half a year’s worth of poor goaltending from Jose Theodore (after Christmas, he was good, not great though). Not a formula for good GA numbers.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m excited about our PK this year. Laing will be blocking shots all over and that will tremendously help us.

by hockeyman33 on Sep 29, 2009 7:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Their goaltending is quite possibly the worst in the NHL,

Ummm….you’re reaching a bit. Just a little. It’s not even the worst in their own division.

by Afino on Sep 29, 2009 2:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He does have an inspired nickname: Jose Three-or-more. I’d say that Phoenix goaltending was rather sad last year; Bryzgalov ended the year at almost 3.00! I think that number just might get worse this year.

Occam's Razor keeps the cutting clean.

by russellguldin on Sep 29, 2009 8:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

well, right now i see 7 unreasonable pens fans…

by hockeyman33 on Sep 29, 2009 7:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

First in the East

Who else is going to take it?

Boston regresses to the mean, Pittsburgh suffers from the loss of key blueliners and Philly succumbs to Ray Emery not being a credible netminder.

This is a better team that last year’s, which won 50 games while taking most of Feb and March off, having a horrible run of injuries among the defense, and decreased productivity from Fedorov and Kozlov. Barring injuries, they ought to win the East.

They probably need an upgrade or two at the trade deadline to get past 2 playoff rounds, but we’ll see how that shakes out.

huh??

by fat_daddyo on Sep 29, 2009 8:32 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Pittsburgh still has a better “defense” than Washington.

You talk about Philly’s goaltending, but Varlamov has never played a full NHL season, and we all know about Theodore. While regardless it’s better than Philly’s, it is not without questions. Pittsburgh has Fleury, a goalie that despite being only (soon to be) 25, has already been around the block a couple of times and most importantly, won a Cup.

Look, I can give Washington 2, but not 1. Pittsburgh until proven otherwise, unless Washington really takes advantage of Southeast charity, or Pittsburgh has the Cup hangover.

by Afino on Sep 29, 2009 9:27 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would have no problem ranking the Capitals higher than the Penguins in the regular season. At the same time, Washington’s seemingly going with the same cast of defensemen that got torn up last playoffs and bigger question marks and unknowns in net than Pittsburgh.

Add that to the Pens record in the Eastern Conference playoffs the past two seasons and you’d have to rank them as the top team in the East right now. But that doesn’t mean they’ll be #1 at the end of the regular season. I think some other teams, like Boston and Washington, ought to have better regular seasons.

Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*

*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night

by Hooks Orpik on Sep 29, 2009 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have the Caps at #2, behind Pittsburgh. I agree that Boston will get a little worse. I’d be surprised if the Caps maintain focus long enough to capture #1.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

When will people learn that the Southeast isnt bad anymore? They have the Caps, who can get first in the East this year, and the Canes, who made it to the Eastern finals last year. FLA almost made the playoffs, Tampa has loads of skill but isnt great and Atlanta isn’t good either. This is the added places of the predictions from The Hockey News, which is fairly unbiased.

SE – 41
ATL – 40
NE – 39

This shows that in standings, all 3 divisons are pretty much the same. SE has 13 and 14, ATL has 12 and 15, and NE has 9, 10 and 11. A few years ago, when the Caps sucked too, the Southeast was horrible, but the story has changed.

by hockeyman33 on Sep 29, 2009 7:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The southeast has never gotten more than two teams into the playoffs. The Atlantic has never gotten fewer than three in.

The Daily Forehand -- SB Nation's Tennis Destination.
Broad Street Hockey.

by Ben Rothenberg on Sep 30, 2009 1:40 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If they can get rid out the Nyls curse, then they can get that upgrade to fit in the cap.

by hockeyman33 on Sep 29, 2009 7:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

James,

Another goalie as the X-Factor.

That makes ten, Calgary, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, Los angeles, Ottawa, Philadelphia (already mentioned inthe blog entry), Toronto (go figure) and Washington.

One out of three teams has an X-factor goaile. how does that compare to last year’s season preview?

My gut tells me this year is higher than average. Perhaps you have factored in the compressed schedule in an Olympic year, look at all the back to back games, Philly has 15, Chicago has 19. Many teams have 15 and 16 (Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia have 16) game March’s.

Backup goaltending will make or break many teams playoff efforts

by cubanpuckstopper on Sep 29, 2009 9:22 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Which means Buffalo is totally f’ed.

Yay Darcy Regier!

by Afino on Sep 29, 2009 9:24 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s worth noting that the Caps’ minor league affiliates won the Calder (AHL) and Kelly (ECHL) Cups, respectively.

by VA Libertarian on Sep 29, 2009 12:31 PM CDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

Those trophies are nice, but they don’t mean a heck of a lot down the line. Especially when it’s on the back of the Alexander Girouxes of the world.

Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.

by saskhab on Sep 29, 2009 1:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Giroux is an anomaly, a career AHLer who has just enough at that level but fails in the NHL—his instincts are good, but he’s a poor skater and can’t finish at the NHL level.
If you’re talking about a Mathieu Perrault or Chris Bourque, however, then there is something good there. A few years back Mike Green, Jeff Schultz, Tomas Fleischmann, Eric Fehr, Brooks Laich, and Boyd Gordon all won the Calder Cup with Hershey. Now they’re all NHL regulars.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s just like baseball and their “Quadruple A” players – ones good enough to light up the top minor league level, but not good enough to be an NHL regular due to one or more fatal flaws.

by Afino on Sep 29, 2009 2:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The difference is guys who spend two years there and the guys who spend 10 years there.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Most are of the former variety: the AHL has a rule about max 3 guys with 200+ games AHL experience. Dunno about the ECHL.

by red army line on Sep 29, 2009 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m pretty sure the ECHL has a similiar rule.

I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.

by Smoboy41 on Sep 29, 2009 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

On the 2006 team, Fleischmann and Green were awesome (Green has always been awesome), but the veterans played a huge role: namely Cassivi in goal, Nycholat on D, Mink, Forbes and Kane up front, plus Kris Beech who wasn’t quite a vet at that point. Steckel, Laich, and Fehr played strong supporting roles as well.

Having good prospects doesn’t equal Calder Cups, so I think it’s a bit of an irrelevant topic to bring up. Montreal’s AHL team won the Calder in 2007 (beating Hershey), and their ECHL team won the Kelly in 2008. Sure didn’t do a lot for the Habs in 2009. sigh

Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.

by saskhab on Sep 30, 2009 12:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m pretty excited about the Caps’ goalies this season. And once Theo is gone, we’ll have a more mature Varly and Neuvirth.

"My face is my mask."

by jakeshapiro on Sep 29, 2009 1:08 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

GM George McPhee signed on Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison, a pair of veteran North Americans who should be able to more than duplicate Fedorov and Kozlov’s combined 74 points last season.

It should be noted that Knuble and Morrison have not only been teammates, but linemates, albeit 15 years ago when Morrison was a freshman at Michigan, and Knuble was a senior. I’d love to know what the dynamic between them is, because Knuble was a huge influence on not only Morrison, but that entire class.

Morrison was a member of perhaps the best single class in NCAA hockey history, along with Jason Botterill, Warren Luhning, John Madden, Mike Legg, Blake Sloan Harold Shock, and a couple of non-entities like Chris Fox. What was amazing is that every one of those players stayed at Michigan all four years. Mike Knuble did the same thing, turning down a big offer from the Red Wings after his junior year. Knuble was credited with building an ethos, including coming back and talking to current players, of not going pro early. That lasted about six years, before Mike van Ryn left early to exploit a loophole in the rules on draft rights.

by J. Michael Neal on Sep 29, 2009 1:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs