Boyd Gordon's Past and Future

Washington Capitals checking forward Boyd Gordon is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.  He made $761,250 last season.  In order to retain his services, the Capitals will have to tender him at least a 1-year qualifying offer of 110% of his 2009-10 salary, which equates to $837,375.  Judging by his history and his recent season, all indications point to him accepting his qualifying offer. 

#15 Boyd Gordon

Russia Defeats Canada 5-2 at Worlds

Olympic golden boys Team Canada fell 5-2 to Team Russia in the Quarterfinal round at the IIHF World Championships in Cologne, Germany today, in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates.  Washington Capitals goaltender Semyon Varlamov held the Canadians scoreless until there was 6:08 left in the game after the Russians stormed out to a 4-0 lead on goals by Maxim Afinogenov, Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, and Sergei Fedorov.  John Tavares broke the shutout for Canada before Malkin added an empty net goal.  Matt Duchene added a goal for Canada with 14 seconds left for the final margin.  [Pictures]

#40 Semyon Varlamov

Jeff Schultz's Contract

Washington Capitals top-pairing defenseman Jeff Schultz is a restricted free agent this summer.  He made $715,000 last season.  In order to retain his services, the Capitals will have to tender him at least a 1-year qualifying offer of 110% of his 2009-10 salary, which equates to $786,500.  Judging by other young defensemen around the league, Schultz should earn quite a bit more than that, a multi-year deal in the millions.

#55 Jeff Schultz

Tomas Fleischmann's Contract

Capitals 3rd line left winger and occasional center Tomas Fleischmann is a restricted free agent this summer.  He made $725,000 last season.  In order to retain his services, the Capitals will have to tender him at least a 1-year Qualifying Offer of 110% of his 2009-10 Salary, which equates to $797,500.  Judging by other forwards around the league, "Flash" should be offered a multi-year contract worth at least 7 digits.

#14 Tomas Fleischmann

Eric Fehr's Contract

Now that Washington Capitals General Manager George McPhee has signed his top priority this offseason in Nicklas Backstrom, he can begin to focus on his other pieces.

Capitals 3rd line right winger Eric Fehr is a restricted free agent this summer.  He made $771,750 last season.  In order to retain his services, the Capitals will have to tender him at least a 1-year Qualifying Offer of 110% of his 2009-10 Salary, which equates to $848,925.  Judging by other forwards around the league, Eric Fehr should be offered a multi-year contract worth quite a bit more than that. 

 #16 Eric Fehr

Prospect Update: Mathieu Perreault

Today I will profile Hershey Bears center Mathieu Perreault.  Perreault is a 22-year old second year pro from Drummondville, Quebec.  He stands 5'10 and 174, though he seems much smaller than that on the ice.  So far he has played a major role for the Hershey Bears in this year's Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Hershey Bears tore through their first two playoff rounds in a hurry and now face the Manchester Monarchs in the Eastern Conference Final.  They defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 5 games in the first round and thumped the Albany River Rats in a second round sweep.

Bears #24 Mathieu Perreault

Perreault is Hershey's 5th leading scorer in the playoffs with 9 points in 9 games.  He already has twice as many goals in these playoffs (4) as he had in last year's Calder Cup run, and he has already eclipsed his career high in playoff points, passing the 8 (2-6-8) he scored in 21 games last year.

Remember Sergei Fedorov?

Sergei Fedorov left the Capitals in May 2009 to play with his brother Fedor in Russia after a season and a quarter as the second line center, but when offered the chance to play with his younger brother.  With Fedorov turning 40 in December and the Capitals not offering him the $4 Million they did for the 2008-09 season, it was likely his last chance to make some real money before he retired.

 #91 Sergei Fedorov

When he was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on February 26, 2008, Fedorov brought a veteran presence to the lineup and served as a mentor for many of the younger players, particularly the Russians.  He stabilized the forward lines after the injury to #2 center Michael Nylander and gave Caps coach Bruce Boudreau a second scoring threat at center to relieve the pressure on rookie center Nicklas Backstrom.  A sure-fire Hall of Famer, Fedorov had been one of the most dominant centers in the NHL for years, a physical specimen in his prime who scored 483 goals and 1,179 points, not to mention winning the 1994 MVP and 3 Stanley Cups and another 176 points in 183 playoff games.  He brought confidence and a swagger to the dressing room, but he was a shell of his former self, and as the 2009 playoffs closed, he was gassed after playing too many minutes. 

What Next Year's Team Should Look Like

Time to get over the loss to Montreal and start to look forward to next year. This is what I think next year's team should be and why.

(cap figures provided by www.nhlnumbers.com)

Forwards

Signed for 2010-2011

Alex Ovechkin $9,000,000, an elite player in the game, a must have for any great team.

Alex Semin, $6,000,000, a very talented but the caps should be very careful about a long term deal.

Mike Knuble $2,800,000, a great veteran player, and fits in well on the top line.

Brooks Laich, $2,400,000, a heart and soul guy and can play on any line.

Jason Chimera, $1,875,000, a fast gritty forward that every team would love to have.

Matt Bradley, $1,000,000, tough guy, a leader and not too expensive.

David Steckel, $1,100,000, good 3rd or 4th line center and a great face off guy.

Mathieu Perreault, $650,000, he could be a future second line centre.

Series Notes - Philadelphia Flyers

Here are some interesting notes on the Philadelphia Flyers.  

On The Shelf
With the injuries to center Jeff Carter and winger Simon Gagne, the Flyers are losing major firepower.  Carter has led the team in goals the past two seasons (46 and 33) and Gagne is their active leader in career goals (259).  Both players underwent foot surgery last week and are not expected to play in the second round of the playoffs. The Flyers literally shot themselves in the foot this time. 

  #17 Jeff Carter         #12 Simon Gagne

Flyers winger Ian Laperriere made a Quintin Laing-type play by blocking a shot with his face.  He is likely gone for the remainder of the playoffs.  He was one of their best penalty killers, something Philly desperately needs against the Capitals. 

#14 Ian Laperriere

Philadelphia-Washington Regular Season Series

Washington Capitals Record vs. Philadelphia Flyers:  3-0-1

 vs.

The Games
October 6 in Philadelphia:  5-6 Overtime Loss
Goalies:  Ray Emery vs. Semyon Varlamov and Jose Theodore
Caps PP: 1/5, Caps PK 5/8
Shots For: 36, Shots Against: 41
Game Winner:  Daniel Briere
Notes:  Mike Richards had a hat trick, Matt Carle had 4 assists, Matt Bradley fought Ian Laperriere, Varlamov was pulled midway through the game after allowing 4 goals. 


October 27 in Washington:  4-1 Win
Goalies:  Ray Emery vs. Jose Theodore
Caps PP: 1/3, Caps PK 3/5
Shots For: 36, Shots Against: 43
Game Winner:  Alexander Semin
Notes:  Nicklas Backstrom scored 4 points, Jose Theodore stopped Darroll Powe on a penalty shot. 

Faceoff Comparison: Philadelphia-Washington

I have broken down the faceoffs between the centermen on the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers.  For the purposes of this comparison, I am including numbers from both the regular season and the playoffs (through April 25th.)

I will focus this discussion on the four primary Washington Capitals centers who took the most draws against the Flyers this year:  Brendan Morrison, Nicklas Backstrom, and David Steckel.  I will also include notes on two leading Capitals faceoff men who saw limited action against the Flyers this year: Boyd Gordon (2 games) and Eric Belanger (1 game).

From the Philadelphia Flyers, I will focus on Mike Richards, Blair Betts, and Claude Giroux, the three healthy players who have taken the most faceoffs for the Flyers this season.  Top faceoff winner Jeff Carter (52.1% of 1,378 draws this season) is out indefinitely after foot surgery, surgery that is required because the Flyers shot themselves in the foot. 

Injured #17 Jeff Carter

It looks like the Capitals will have a tougher time in the faceoff circle this series than they did against the Canadiens.  Even without Carter, the Flyers have better faceoff men than the Habs and certain matchups are less than favorable.  That does not mean the Capitals will struggle, though.

Game 7 Prediction

This is for you, Johnny-Come-Lately sour-puss, old time Caps fans who can't forget the past, and for all those crazy Habitants who really think Montreal will win.  If you're a bandwagon fan, hop on.  You won't be sorry you hitched a ride on the Caps Wagon, even if you leave for baseball in a few weeks, but don't tell us about our team if you just started watching last month.  For you old timers - This is not the same team you watched in Landover.  For you Habs fans - this is in English. 

The Washington Capitals will take the ice with a new look/old look team.  Deciding he needs some more experience on the ice, George McPhee brings Craig Laughlin, Alan May, and Ken Sabourin out of the studios back onto the ice for one final choke-job.  Laughlin, a veteran of the 1985 and 1987 choke job teams, leaves the Comcast color job to don his old #18, which he takes back from Eric Belanger along with the rest of his teeth by laughing-gassing him on the dentist's chair. Unfortunately for Locker, his jersey is in black and white, since nobody can seem to remember him playing on a color TV set.  Alan May, veteran of the 1992 choke team, leaves the Comcast studios and wins a game of rock-paper-scissors to take #16 back from Eric Fehr.  Fehr reverts to his old #14 since Tomas Fleischmann has been declared dead after going missing for so long.  Ken Sabourin, the radio color analyst and veteran of the 1992 choke job, once was the proud wearer of the number 8.   He loses his jersey number Rochambeau battle with Alex Ovechkin, who countered Sabby's scissors with the response "Russian Machine never loses," and instead takes his other Caps uniform number, #2.

Western Playoff Predictions, Round 2

First Round Recap
For once my First Round predictions out West were better than my picks back East.  I nailed all 4 first round series, with one minor exception.  That's not to say my Round 2 picks will work, though.

#1 San Jose Sharks def. #8 Colorado Avalanche in 6 games
#2 Chicago Blackhawks def. #7 Nashville Predators in 6 games
#3 Vancouver Canucks def. #6 Los Angeles Kings in 6 games  (I said they'd do it in 5)
#5 Detroit Red Wings def. #4 Phoenix Coyotes in 7 games

Second Round Predictions
#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
Having home ice advantage should help the Sharks quite a bit, as will not having had to play a 7th game in their series.  Detroit is a veteran, playoff tested team, and the Sharks are early round chokers, right?  That said, San Jose will win the series.  Goaltending isn't a big strength for the Red Wings or the Sharks, both teams have a lot of scoring talent and veteran defensemen.  Detroit may have dominated the season series, but the Sharks are just as tired of losing as Detroit is just tired.  That's not to say Detroit will make it easy for them.  San Jose will advance in 7 games. 

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #3 Vancouver Canucks
A fairly even season series and both teams played to 6 games in the opening round.  Vancouver has been getting superb goaltending from Roberto Luongo and he's much better than what the 'Hawks have.   Bth teams have excellent offense and some injury issues on defense.  Chicago's home ice may be the deciding factor, but I think it will be goaltending.  Vancouver in 6.

Elimination Game

There were 18 individual Capitals out there instead of a team in Game 6.  The Caps have got to play like a team, crash the net for rebounds, deflections and screens and stop making a decent goalie look like a god.  Jaroslav Halak is not Patrick Roy or Ken Dryden, Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin need to tone it down.  The Caps didn't exactly make it difficult for him, they let him see the shots, they let him get set for shots, didn't get second chances, and when they did, they put the puck into his leg pads or his chest.  Alexander Semin 15 feet from the goal with nobody within 10 feet of him should be an automatic goal, and Semin shot it like his kid sister was in the goal and he didn't want to hurt her feelings.  Yeah there were a few bounces that didn't do the Capitals' way, but it's funny you only seem to notice them when you're losing. Get traffic on Halak and make him uncomfortable, then tell me he looks like Patrick Roy. 

Is it time for fresh troops?

With the uninspired play displayed by several Capitals in Game 5, it might be time to deploy new soldiers for Game 6.  The first reason is the players who were benched will be raring to go, the second reason being the players who get benched will be raring to go the next time they play.

The question becomes, what do the Capitals have on the bench and what does that mean for the lineup?

Forwards
Center David Steckel is a known quantity in these playoffs, having already appeared in the first two games of the series.  He had a +1 rating, no points or penalties, and won 14 of 24 faceoffs (58.3%). 

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#39 David Steckel