Courtesy: Washington Post
The Washington Capitals need to do something or they’ll never make the playoffs. After the break, they seemed to be flying. Ovechkin was scoring. Laich was playing well. Holtby looked great. Green even found his offensive touch. Orlov scored a couple goals. Then the Flyers came back and beat them in OT on Sunday.
The Caps are a mediocre team; always have been. They have a great offensive upside, but they lack the heart to keep the lead. They beat themselves time and time again. Ovechkin is a great goal scorer. All Ovechkin does is score goals, but that’s it. He can’t do anything else. If you shut him down, you shut the team down. Sure he can go on a 23 game tear and score at will, but he’s not going to lead this team to the next level. That’s more than evident, and has been for 8 years.
What do the Caps need?
The Caps desperately need secondary scoring. Kutznetsov will be here in about a month or so, and he’ll be fine as a second or third line scoring option while he gets adapted to the system, but in my opinion, he’s just another Semin. He’ll probably end up playing with Ovechkin to sell tickets. He’s a fantastic player with the puck and can make plays in the offensive zone, but without the puck… well, he’s Russian.
We have decent grinders, but no one with a touch around the net besides Joel Ward. Troy Brouwer has done well as of late, but he’s done that before and disappeared. He hasn’t had much puck luck this year either. Grabovski has been a good addtion, and I hope we keep him around, but he needs to do more offensively. Backstrom also needs to get it together.
Matt Moulson would be a nice addtion, but the Caps would have to give up too much to get him, and I don’t think he’s worth what Buffalo wants.
Courtesy: Zimbio
The Caps also, or more importantly, need a shut down defenseman. Our defense sucks. Green can’t seem to figure out if he’s a star offensive defenseman or just a mediocre defenseman. He does well when there’s no pressure for him to do well in the defensive zone. He needs a partner who can control the zone and clear the crease and let Green make that first pass out. They could use a ‘Chris Phillips-type’ (Ottawa) player with Green. Orlov has been ok, but he can’t play with Green. If they’re both on ice, then who is playing defense?Jack Hillen will be back soon, which is great in my opinion. He’s a good player, and makes smart decisions, but he’ll need to get his timing back. Carlson and Alzner just need to stick together and build that chemistry back up. Nate Schmidt has been the best young defenseman the Caps used this year, but he needs development, and if the Caps rely on John Erksine all the time to clear the net, then they’re really in trouble. They could use a ‘Mark Stuart-type’ (Winnipeg) player to beat the opposition down in front of our net. There are too many blind shots going in because Holtby cannot track the puck with bodies in front of him.
Which leads me to goaltending.
Courtesy: Washington Post
Goaltending is an issue. I don’t care how well Holtby did his last three games. I don’t care how well he did in the playoffs two years ago. The Caps need a veteran presence in net to calm things down. Holtby can make big saves all he wants, but he doesn’t calm the play down when things get hairy in his own end. He’ll be great one day, but he’s not great yet. I liked having Huet and Theodore because they were smart, and knew how to control the play without being rash. Holtby will learn that one day, but I think he’ll have a better time of it without Kolzig as his goalie coach.
What do we have?
Not much.
The Caps have to get rid of Erat and Neuvirth, but who wants them? There’s not a lot out there for these two. If the Caps trade Erat, they will have to retain part of his salary. They could send both to New Jersey as part of a package to get Brodeur. Brodeur isn’t what he used to be, but he could still calm down the play and be smart. Jaroslav Halak is still another option as well. He just got traded to Buffalo and will most likely be flipped to someone else. GMGM probably thinks Halak is worth a shot because he single handedly beat the Caps in the playoffs while with Montreal. He’s not the same player. That’s why he was traded. The only real option I see that makes sense though is Cam Ward in Carolina. He could be available and he’s still a very good goaltender. The problem is his injury history, and the fact that it could cost us Holtby to get him.
Orlov is still solid, but makes dumb mistakes, which is why he could either be moved, or at least demoted to third line duty while he learns. If the Caps make a dramatic move, look for Troy Brouwer to be traded. His time in Washington could very well have come to and end. He’s a great player with a terrific shot, but he’s really all the Caps have to offer up and the only one they’d be willing to let go. Tom Wilson can fill that role when he needs to, and he really needs to get off that 4th line and start developing properly.
The Caps have a few prospects they can offer up as well. Connor Carrick, Nate Schmidt, Riley Barber and Phillip Grubauer are a few. Teams will inquire about them if the Caps are serious about making something happen. GMGM might not even be here after this year, but could make a dramatic move to keep his job. If the Caps don’t do anything and go on as is, then they don’t make the playoffs and we’ll have a firesale in the off season with everyone except the core players.
More to come…
