Is It Time For the Caps to Fire George McPhee?

Is a shake-up necessary in DC to get the Washington Capitals back on the right track? In a city where panic buttons are pushed after the first quarter of the Redskins season opener and coaches in the major sports hold shorter tenures than one term by the President of the United States the Caps are looking like a team that will be in need of a change to possibly get the team in gear. I don't usually write a team off from making the playoffs until certain points of the season.  For the Wizards, I can normally get a feeling 5 games into the season, the Nationals need to have a winning record by the trade deadline and the Redskins need to show me something by Week 8. The Caps however can rarely be written off because when they seem to be done, that's when they go on their run....until the playoffs then you can write them off.

Over the past five years I've been vocal  in my belief that the Caps window of opportunity to be a Stanley Cup contender was closing within the past two seasons. The team still has the talent to win and be a perennial playoff contender but at some point the current crop of talent would need to be broken up. As a fan its hard for me to want any member of the team gone, I'd be okay with some, such as John Erskine, being healthy scratches however. However also as a fan, I want to see this team achieve its maximum potential and for the past few years they haven't done that and while some of that falls on the players it also falls on management.

I believe many of the players have become complacent due to the success they've had finishing atop the Southeast Division for so long, even making a late season rally to squeak their way into a Top 3 spot in the playoffs last season. Once in the playoffs though the team, even when they had the best record in the NHL a few seasons back, looks over matched. Either opponents tighten up their defensive approach or the team gets away, ever so slightly, from what got them their success and tighten up a bit too much. Of course that late in the year injuries also play a role in many of the team's shortcomings but that happens to all teams so that excuse holds little water.

Over the past six seasons the team has made the playoffs every time, under three different coaches, 5 different goalies starting playoff games (Huet, Theodore, Varlamov, Neuvirth, and Holtby) and the many of the same forwards and defensemen while making a roster tweak at the trade deadline deal to upgrade a roster flaw. In the end its never just enough and the same issues come up, Ovechkin gets shutdown by the opponents, other players don't step up, mental errors pop up more, and a few unlucky bounces off of Caps players end up behind their own goalie (I'll avoid the yearly goalie interference calls that NEVER go in the Caps favor nor get called the same way twice). One other constant over the six seasons, and every year since 1997, is General Manager George McPhee.

Before I touch on GMGM lets look at how things have gone for the Caps since the start of the 2011-12 season. The team began the season with an amazing 7-0 start only to fall on hard times fast and by the end of November the team had fired head coach Bruce Boudreau. As the struggles mounted his coaching philosophy was called into question, as was his inability to get players to change or adapt come the playoffs and through this struggle. Boudreau had actually gotten the team to play differently in the playoffs the season prior but at the expense of their offense and it once again lead to an early exit. The fans and many of the players loved Boudreau but it appeared like he had lost the team, especially franchise player Alex Ovechkin. It was a shame because Boudreau held the best winning percentage in Caps history and while his offensive coaching style could be compared a bit to the NBA's Mike D'Antoni (circa Phoenix Suns) the difference was his style actually produced championships (in the US). When Boudreau was the coach of the Caps AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, he lead them to the 2006 Calder Cup championship and to the finals again in 2007. After being fired by the Caps Boudreau landed in Anaheim where he took over a struggling Ducks team (6-20-6) that went on to accumulate 38 points in its next 24 games before struggling and eventually missing the playoffs. During the 12-13 season the Ducks finished 30-12-6 and won the Pacific division but were eliminated by the 7th seed Detroit Red Wings. Currently the Ducks are 35-8-5 under Boudreau, the best record in the NHL.

Boudreau had been replaced by former Caps great Dale Hunter who was more of a defensive minded coach and maybe a tad less vocal than Boudreau when it came to ripping into the players. Hunter saw success in the OHL, winning one championship. Under Hunter's guidance the Caps got back on track and rallied to finish 2nd in the Southeast, 2 points behind Florida for 1st, and 7th in the Eastern Conference.  They got their with mainly Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth in net but when the playoffs came they turned to rookie goalie Braden Holtby. The Caps went to the second round of the playoffs before losing in 7 games to the New York Rangers and after the series Hunter stepped down. In all honesty he didn't seem to fit well with the team that had been assembled but the team did play better defensively under him. 

After Hunter left, the Caps hired another former Cap Adam Oates. Unlike the previous two coaches, Oates isn't a yeller and screamer, instead he prefers to teach the players the errors of their ways. Under Oates the Caps scored the most power play goals and had the highest power play conversion percentage of all teams in the 12/13 season. Once again the Caps needed a strong late season rally to make a playoff push before being eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, again by the Rangers. Holtby also firmly unseated Neuvirth as the team's #1 goalie. This season the Caps had managed to achieve the best record in the Metropolitan division, for about an hour, and the top Power Play and Penalty Kill in the NHL but since that time in late Novemeber the team has been average, at best and currently have the 5th most points in the East, but are only 5 points from being in 13th place so there is little room for error over the next few weeks before the break for the Olympics.

Once again this year there is goalie controversy. It happened with Boudreau (Kolzig/Huet, Theodore/Varlamov, Varlamov/Neuvirth, Vokun/Neuvirth) and Hunter (Vokun/Neuvirth/Holtby) and now with Oates (Holtby/Neuvirth, Holtby/Neuvirth/Grubauer). While its nice to have an abundance of young talent in net, they also need to be given regular starts. Since Kolzig left, the team seems to find a possible franchise goalie only to have him replaced by the next young glove that goes through a hot stretch. Neuvirth lost his spot as the back-up (he'd prefer starter) when he stepped on a puck during pregame warm-ups which cause the team to call up Grubauer. Holtby was unseated by Grubauer after a couple bad games and seems to not be able to stop much of anything. After getting his first start in I think 6 weeks Neuvy had a great game on Friday only to end up a healthy scratch on Sunday.

Another problem is line chemistry. All three coaches have been guilty of not sticking with their lines for more than a few games. If players can't build chemistry together its only going to make it harder for the team to find that winning formula. Add to it each coach has a player that ends up in the doghouse and eventually wants to be traded and it makes for a bad atmosphere. Currently the Caps have 3 players that requested to be traded, Martin Erat, Dmitri Orlov and Neuvy. I don't see Orlov going anywhere, in fact I think he's played himself into the Top 6 defensemen rotation. Neuvy could be a nice trade chip while Erat needs to just be dumped.

And that is what brings me to McPhee. GMGM used to be able to have a Midas touch when it came to trades and free agency. Always able to find that right plug to fix a leaking ship. However when he traded promising prospect Filip Forsberg for veteran Erat it seemed like a move made just to make a move rather than one that would help now and in the future. Forsberg was amazing in international play while Erat toiled away in Nashville. Since coming to DC he's been a scratch or seen limited ice time, many times on the 4th line and his trade value is less than a bag of pucks. This trade screamed of they type the Bullets/Wizards would make in the 90s (Chris Webber for Mitch Richmond or Rasheed Wallace for Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant..actually liked Strickland so not too bad). That Erat trade is where GMGM lost me. I hated but understood the trade of Bondra (my favorite Cap of all-time) and was disappointed when he traded Dave Steckel and Chris Bourque but those moves either made the team better or were players that weren't necessarily in the team's long term future. GMGM has done a great job with being able to skirt the salary cap but it may be time for a change of the puppet master because the less things change, the more they stay the same.

By no means am I saying the season is over. I don't even know if a major personnel change is needed but mental changes are. I'd scratch Erskine except when the Caps play physical teams. I'd think about seeing what Mike Green looks like as a winger, though that means teaching him to also play in front of the net, and rotate Laich as a defenseman since he's filled in their previously but I don't know if his groin can handle it. At the very least don't let Green have the puck coming out of the defensive zone. Oates and GMGM need to find a way to make the team stronger mentally so as to not give up goals immediately following a Caps goal, they need to quit taking dumb penalties, figure out how to count so as to stop getting hit with, or luckily not getting called for, too many men on the ice and the team needs to avoid the delay of game (over the glass) penalty as much as possible. Of course its easy to say that from behind a computer and while watching the game from the outside but these are the things I think the team needs to focus on most as the latter ones have plagued the team for years. 

I'm sure there are other things that can be pointed to, mainly using sabermetrics like Corsi and numbers like that but I just don't understand them. I love numbers and understand the baseball ones but I haven't spent enough time or don't care to investigate the hockey ones yet because I fear it'll take away from part of the game I've come to love. I prefer to watch a game where guys hit, score, fight and make great saves without trying to figure out what players match-up best and where. That's the coaches job.

Goodbye Bruce Boudreau...It's Time For A F***ING Adjustment

Since the Capitals got blown by a group of AHL players in Buffalo I have had a hollow feeling deep inside. That was by far the worst work ethic I have ever seen by this team since Glen Hanlon...right before his firing. In the locker room the players reiterated what the coach had been saying, they didn't work hard enough, they lacked confidence, they...it doesn't matter what else...they QUIT on their coach.

Last night as I went to bed I read that former Cap, now hockey analyst, Nick Kypreos had said that Boudreau would be gone within 24-48 hours and that Dale Hunter could be the next coach of the Washington Capitals. As I read through info that other reporters were writing, including that of Puck Daddy, I felt a little assured that Boudreau may once again survive the team's tailspin. What I did know what that if it was going to happen it would be done before the team's next game or after the team's homestand, because they would not give the Penguins the satisfaction of putting the nail in the proverbial coffin of Gabby's tenure in Washington.

Having met Boudreau a few times at Caps events I have always found him to be a jovial guy. He was more like you're crazy uncle, a goofball, who didn't really care how he came across. He has done so many commericals that just left you laughing...I wonder how long before they get pulled.

Four years ago Bruce Boudreau was hired at Thanksgiving. The Capitals were a terrible team at the time, wasting Ovechkin's talents while being bottom dwellers of the league. At the time of Bruce's hiring he had been the coach of the Caps minor league affiliate, Hersehy Bears.  While die hard Caps fans, the whole handful at the time, and Bears fans, may have known who he was, no one else did. A ton of who is this Boudreau fellow articles would pop up in the days after his hiring. He wasn't a big name hire, not that the Caps were a team to do that anyways, but this was a city where the coaches are sometimes more well known than its players (Joe Gibbs, Wes Unseld, Doug Collins). 

After Boudreau came in the team took off, so much so they made the playoffs, thought to be a long shot when he took the job. Boudreau and his wacky quotes, jokes and facial expressions endeared him to the DC media and the Caps fanbase; one that had been lost from the lockout, Jagr acquisition, and fire sale. He was a breath of fresh air to a city who has had a bunch of big name, big ego, no result coaches.  Just last week Boudreau became the quickest coach to win 200 games in his NHL coaching career but that should have been reached weeks earlier.

Last season the Caps struggled leading up to the Winter Classic. Fans called for Boudreau to be fired at that time but the Caps stayed the course, got hot once the HBO cameras finished rolling, and took the top spot in the East again.  Hell this is a team that just two years ago was the BEST team in all of the NHL during the regular season. Unfortunately when it got to the playoffs the team couldn't peform like it did during the season and quickly was taken out either in the first or second round, those most series went 7 games. Some losses came from bad calls and some came from the team failing to adjust.

Adjust - that is the term that will describe Boudreau's tenure in Washington. When he came in the team adjusted, scored and the team quickly became BIG TIME. The Ovechkin vs Crosby rivalry had quickly turned into a pure hatred between both the Caps and Penguins and the NHL decided to Capitalize on it. Two years ago when the Caps were ousted by the 8th seed Canadiens the team failed to adjust its playing style and was elminated in 7 games.  At that time teams learned how to shut down Ovechkin and in turn the Capitals. Back to the drawing board next season and the Caps were to learn from their mistakes.  After some early season struggles, and offensive struggles of Ovechkin and Backstrom the team adopted a defensive play style and learned to score and then clamp down and not try to not win at a fast paced game. It worked! The team got hot and back to the playoffs they went. This time to the second round where they were shut down by the 1-3-1 defense of Tampa Bay because the team failed to adjust throughout the series. The team came back this season and started a team best 7-0-0 but after they smoked the Red Wings something changed. Boudreau had shown he wasn't going to play favorites and that everyone, even the team's captain would be held accountable. That didn't sit well with Ovie, as he demonstrated on the bench, and while he said after the game that he should be and had said in pre-season he'd be fine with it it was obvious that actions do speak louder than words. Since the Caps played Detroit and have been in their free fall the Caps once again did something the they failed to do consistently under Boudreau. They didn't adjust. For consecutive games the team failed to get the puck out of the defensive zone which in turn lead to goals by the opposition. Add to it the team failing on the Power Play and allowing 4 shorthanded goals in the past week it was clear things weren't working.

Many games it seemed like certain players on the team had checked out, mainly the leaders, Ovechkin the Captain being the main one. Whether it be not shooting, not getting back on D, freelancing or giving up on the puck after he lost it in the offensive zone he just wasn't there. I thought after the Caps came back against Phoenix they had turned a corner, I was wrong.

At 8:15am this morning I got a text from Pam telling me Japer's Rink was reporting Boudreau had been fired and Hunter had been hired. Sure enough that was the case and I just felt bad for Bruce. He didn't deserve this. It would appear that he lost the team a while ago, or at least some of them, but if they aren't going to listen its easier to find one fall guy than 25. Maybe this will put coach out of his misery. He can now concentrate on the holidays, watching his kids grow up for the next few weeks or months, and getting Hagen Daas at 9am, rather than having to treat his players like they were kids...and honestly I think that remark by him is what lost the team, but he was correct. There is no doubt Boudreau will find another NHL head coaching job if he wants it. I hope he goes into doing some commentary for a bit, either for CSN Washington or ESPN or the NBC Sports Network or the NHL Network. I also hope he dishes some dirt on what went on behind the scenes and gives his honest take on certain players and how things were run. I'm not sure he will though because that could hamper his chances of getting another job in the NHL but man would it be fun.

Part of me hopes the Caps continue their freefall under former Cap and new coach Dale Hunter, but the Caps fan in me hopes the change in voice leads to a resurrgence. If it doesn't then its more proof that it was the players than the coach, though some will say that Hunter doesn't have any solid coaching experience outside of his 10 years in the OHL and the Caps just wanted to bring in a former player to help stabilize the fan base.

I love Dale Hunter, he was a hell of a player and one of the best Capitals in the team's history. Dale knows what its like to play with that "C" on his chest and how to rally his team. He's going to be able to teach Ovechkin that and he'll lay into his team much like he did his teammates back in the day. He's hard nosed and won't take any shit and I like that. Its a shame that it came to this though. When it comes down to the coach or the players though it'll be the coach 11 times out of 10.

Come next Tuesday I will be picking up the HBO 24/7 Caps vs Pens DVD just to relive some of Bruce's funniest moments. Again I want to thank Bruce for all he did for this team, the players, the fans, and the DMV area. You are once FUCKING good coach who didn't FUCKING deserve to go out the way you did. Its a shame you couldn't get a Cup in DC but I have little doubt if you stick to coaching that you should be able to.

If The Players Won't Drop the Gloves and Throw Punches Then I Will

No more Mr. Nice Caps Fan Blogger.

I haven't updated this in some time because I've just been left dumbstruck by how the team has played. Usually I want to give myself a day or two to sit on the team's performance before I even consider writing. I'm writing this with over 7 minutes remaining in the 2nd period of a current 4-1 deficit to the Maple Leafs.

Having attended the game against New Jersey last Saturday I can say the team was pathetic after the first period and the refs helped them with that by missing some very obvious penalties. This has been a huge thing for the past few games. The refs aren't THE reason a team loses but they can affect the outcome. Case in point the phantom trip call on Wideman in the NJ game, the diving calls on Semin when he's legitimately taken down but he has a reputation, the "missed" calls on trips/hooks/interference when refs are looking right at the play. Against Winnipeg Semin went down behind the net and no penalty got called on the Jets player but Semin did get one for giving the ref an earful. Tonight what should have been a hooking minor on the Leafs and a power play for the Caps was nullified because the ref felt that Semin's would need to sell the hook and chance injury by going feet first into the boards. Moments later the Leafs score.

Despite all this its not why the Caps are losing games by multiple goals. The goalies have been very sharp against the Caps but the Caps kill themselves game in and game out. Caps get Power Plays and then fail to set up or keep the puck in the zone. Failing to get shots off or take penalties early on killing any chance of success. Many are quick to point out that Mike Green is injured so the team doesn't have a major weapon offensively, a puck mover, a guy on the point...BIG FUCKING DEAL!!!! The team has had to win the past few years without Mike Green...they know how to play without him, they have a ton of veteran defensemen that can fill in. They have players in the minors that can be called up.

The Caps are missing two guys, Green (a big piece) and Beagle (easily replaceable). The Devils were missing Kovalchuk...fitting given the fight he and Green had last year, and the Leafs have 7 players out including their awesome starting goalie Reimer. Sad thing is the Caps had the stats against the Leafs backup and he struggled at home this year.

The team is lacking in fundamentals. This is not the same team we saw start the season 7-0-0. That team fucked up and managed to find win, to atone for their mistakes. Now they just bury themselves. Ovechkin continues to regress...everyone knows what he's going to do when he enters the zone and they stop zone in on him and he gives up the puck, if he doesn't lose it beforehand...wild idea Ovie...learn to ADAPT and try something NEW. I honestly think much of his problems Captain...take the C off of him.

The players keep saying that they want to be held accountable for their play but after they are they fail to respond. They aren't learning shit. Ovie sulks, Sasha Fierce continues to live in the penalty box and some others just don't step it up.

In the Winnipeg game the first two goals were scored because the team played like shit in their own zone. They couldn't get the puck out, that's been consistent most of the season, but they didn't even get it out of the corner and then Evander Kane put two past Neuvy. First goal tonight by Toronto came when Schultz tried a lazy pass that hit the coming Leafs player and lead to the score. The Caps continue to be nonchalant in their own zone with the puck as they get pressured and turn it over...quick Boudreau have them work on that in practice. I see it once, during the game, you have the fucking tapes for them to study.

Its not just the players or the injuries its also the coach. You can't have players play two games on the same line, switch it up during the game, and then change the lines in full after the second game trying to find chemistry. Do you know how you gain chemistry? You allow the same players to play on the same lines in practice and in games for weeks, not days at a time. You don't break up Carlson and Alzner, which is your top defensive pair! You don't put Knuble on the 4th line when he and the team are successful when he's on the 1st or 2nd line...and if you do and the team is sucking then you right that wrong and MOVE HIM THE FUCK BACK UP! Great the team is 8-0 with Mike Green...without him you're 2-7-1 after tonight.

The players need to have a players only meeting and call each other out. Just let it fly. Break something, hit something, put in work! Sure they haven't had the puck bouncing their way but they've also had opportunities and missed them. I can't count a handful of times the team has had an open net and either didn't have a  player in position for a rebound or made one too many passes. Hell in the Winnipeg game they had a 2 on 0 breakaway and Laich shot it high and wide, celebrated thinking he scored and it lead to a goal the other way.

I don't want to say the sky is falling as its still mid November but losing can be contagious as can winning. Glen Hanlon lost his job around this time and Bruce took over. I don't want to see that happen again. I love Boudreau but it almost feels like he's losing the team, if not the captain. They say they love him, I think they do but sometimes it takes a different voice to get through to players. I'd prefer that voice to be from one of the players and not a new coach. Its time to stop playing like you're the best team in the league. Not only have you been exposed for not being the rest of the league is considerably better than last year. There is a ton of parity right now and the Panthers, Bolts are right there with this team, the Senators and Leafs who were expected to be bottom dwellers are there too and the Rangers and Bruins have brushed off slow starts and are each riding 7 game winning streaks...hey remember when we had that?

I now miss the Cardiac Caps that were taking years off my life, but winning, with those close games late in regulation...it really sucks losing years off your life in blowouts or because the team doesn't come close to giving the effort they should and one feels the need to yell at them through the TV from their recliner as if the players can hear them...maybe I want to be "that voice"

Mike Green PLEASE HURRY BACK but to the rest of the team..step it up and learn to win without him

I'll be at the game on Monday night and I expect a much better effort vs Phoenix and I expect GOAT, and many others to let the team have it if they're not

Off-Season...Where to Start and What Should Change

So here we go with my first official Caps blog post. I'll do a formal introduction in the near future but for now I've decided to go with something I've been putting off for a while...

Once again the Capitals ended their post-season quest early. A lack of sticking to the system coupled with injuries, always the injuries, brought the season to a sudden stop and an off-season of questions to a new beginning.

The first question was: Who is to blame for the team's performance in the playoffs?

Many of the writers, bloggers, TV personalities and other "experts" said Boudreau had to go. WRONG! He's the one thing that is right for this team because his players respect him and listen to him the problem is he doesn't hold them accountable enough when they break away from what makes them successful.

Another question was: Which Caps stay and which Caps go?

Let's start with the free agents.

Brooks Laich: He's a glue guy. He can do so much, he's a fan favorite, and if he'd be willing to be more of a voice rather than a quiet team leader he'd be the perfect candidate for being the team's captain (I chose him when Clark was traded). He won't come cheap unless he passes on millions and gives the home team a nice discount. Verdict: STAYS!

Jason Arnott: If he's willing to come back for around the minimum I think he's worth having. Arnott played well enough and was a leader in the locker room and is someone that Ovie can learn a thing or two from. The team also needs a solid Center and Arnott's probably about as solid as they'll come based on the free agent crop unless they can manage to nab someone in a trade. Verdict: Toss-Up....but again STAYS (if cheap) otherwise MP85 gets a longer sip.

Scott Hannan: Hannan isn't a point producer he's a shut down Defenseman. At times Hannan seemed to get beat easily and other times he showed exactly why the team traded Fleischmann for him and he fit perfectly with the new style that was adopted after the trade. The problem isn't so much that Hannan will cost too much money to keep or that age may soon be catching up to him, its that the team has a ton of defensemen with some rising stars set to come up in the coming years. Verdict: Adios!

Matt Bradley: Matt Bradley doesn't do anything particularly well and is a player that is replaceable but he's also a grinder. He digs deep and gives that extra effort. Perfect guy to have on your checking line and he'll occasionally mix in a fight once in a while or stand up for his teammates. Brads is loved by the fans but the Caps could use more production from his spot and there are a ton of guys in Hershey or are more than ready for an opportunity in Washington. Verdict: A painful Adios!

Boyd Gordon: Ah probably my least favorite Cap..well except for the next guy on my list. It seemed for years that every time I looked at the line-up Gordo was injured and when he didn't play he just agitated me, which was a shame because I'd have preferred he agitated the opposing team's players. Gordo surprised me this year with his play especially after the trade of Steckel (oh how I wish it was Gordo gone over Stecks in that deal). Being an unrestricted free agent the Caps only have a chance to match an offer to Gordo if he allows them to do so. I prefer they don't. I know he can win faceoffs, which is something our Centers have trouble with but I'm still bitter he's here and #39 is not so....Verdict: Adios!

Michael Nylander: Okay he's honestly only on here because of how I started my post about Gordon. Its a shame the way Nylander got hurt and the severity of the injury he sustained but lets face it, he's the reason Chris Bourque didn't make the team two years ago, got claimed by PISSburgh, and now is playing in Russia. Verdict: Good riddance now that the walk to the Electric Chair

Marco Sturm: Sturm isn't even a shell of his former self. He doesn't fit with the other Caps players, he's been more of a top 2 line talent that would now only be around for depth and would usually be a healthy scratch. Caps don't need older guys they just need hard workers and while Sturm might be that he doesn't fit the 3rd or 4th lines of this team. Verdict: Adios!

Sean Collins: Ummm...yeah next Verdict: Adios

Karl Alzner: Caps fans have been waiting for the Carlzner marriage to come to DC and it finally came this year and the young kids came through better than expected. Alzner is a restricted free agent and could be what Scott Hannan has been in the past. He won't be an offensive juggernaut but we don't need him to be. Carlson brings the offense while Alzner brings a little extra D. Alzner is a huge part of this team's future. Verdict: STAYS long term!

Semyon Varlamov: This is the toughest choice for me as a Caps fan. Varly, when healthy, can be spectacular but the problem is he's rarely healthy. He won over the hearts of Caps fans a few years ago when he kept outplaying Jose Theodore and played strong in the playoffs as a rookie netminder but in a town of "What Have You Done For Me Lately" Semyon lost his job to Neuvy and was outplayed by Braden Holtby, in some eyes, so that he's seen as #3 on the goaltending depth chart. Varly is a RFA though so the Caps can match any offer, or he could go back to Russia. I think if the right deal comes along you have to think long and hard about a sign-and-trade with a Western Conference team. If, and its a big one, his groin/knee issues are behind him Varly will be a good goalie somewhere but he also seems to be a goalie that scrambles and gets lucky more often than not when he makes those big highlight reel saves. Verdict: Sign-and-trade for more parts.

Trade Options:

Mike Green: 2010-11 was a terrible year for Mike Green. He wasn't scoring like we were accustomed to, he dealt with at least 2 concussions and a variety of hits to the head and once he was finally healthy he took a puck to the face. Its a damn shame that the year Greenie starts playing defense like the fans have been screaming he needed to do he blocks two pucks with his face...now if only they can teach him to use other parts of his body. Mike has a wicked hard shot and its been discussed for years that maybe he'd be better served as a forward than a D-man and I think this is the year to try it out. What could it hurt? If all of our defenseman come back healthy we're going to have an abundance so why not move him up to an area where we continuously have to go down to Hershey? As a forward Green won't be expected to block as many shots like he had/needed to this year and it adds some versatility to the line-up in that he can switch back to defenseman if an injury occurs in the line-up, if the experiment fails or in late game situations when the Caps are down. Verdict: Stays and plays a new position

Alexander Semin: There isn't a more frustrating player than Sasha. He's officially the Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde of the Washington Capitals. He scores in spurts or against certain teams and then disappears for a while. He' my reasoning for why certain players should always have 1 year contracts, they tend to always show up and play better when working for a new deal (see Jose Theodore the year before he comes to DC and his last year in DC, or Larry Hughes before coming to the Wizards and his last year with them). I love Sasha even though I'll be screaming at him when sitting in Section 409 or in front of my TV to stop lollygagging on the ice, or to play it instead of waiting for it to come to him and then skating across the ice for a change or to stop trying to be too damn fancy with the puck. Verdict: While I made no case to keep him, I say STAYS...if only because I need to rock my "I Got An Erection for Ovechkin While Screamin' For Semin" shirt at the phonebooth next year

Eric Fehr: I'm not a big fan of Eric's so I could take him or leave him. He was having a slow year, as were most Caps, when David Steckel decided to go play brick wall and dislocate for Eric's shoulder. I can only invision him as a 20-25 goal 20 assist, no more than 50 point scorer. Verdict: I'd personally trade him in favor of Green and Chris Bourque...but if he stays he probably ends up on IR more than the ice


Jeff Schultz: Sarge has never been one of my favorites, especially after he fell and bruised his ego in the playoffs a few years back and missed the remainder of the playoffs. Verdict: Stays til Orlov can play

Players Up/Down/Over/In
I won't lie I'm no expert on the salary cap situation or which players can or can't play with the team this year so if some I name can't play this year we need to find a stop gap until they can...here we go

1st Line
Knuble/Backstrom/Ovechkin

2nd Line
Semin/Johansson/Green

3rd Line
Chris Bourque (Fehr or Galiev)/Arnott (Perreault or Eakin)/Laich

4th Line
Hendricks/Beagle (Perreault)/Chimera

Defensive 1
Alzner/Carlson

Defensive 2
Schultz/Wideman

Defensive 3
Lumberjack aka Erskine/some free...I'm thinking Hejda or Babchuk

Goalies
Neuvirth
Holtby

I also would not be surprised to see the Caps take flyers on two former Caps in Jeff Halpern and Tomas Fleischmann

Were these all the questions? No. Do I have the right answers? Doubtful. I do believe the Caps window with their current group is closing but I also don't believe a major shake-up is necessary. I don't get paid to make the personnel decisions but I surely pay enough in tickets and merchandise to feel I can be openly critical of the team and I will. More often than not common sense will give way to my personal feelings but I'm just looking to have fun with this blog.

Till next time...Rock the Red