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Pick ‘Em: Morrisonn or Jurcina?

“[W]e didn’t want to carry eight defensemen again because it’s too difficult for everyone to operate that way. It’s hard for the head coach because you know you have someone sitting out, and someone is unhappy. And it’s hard on the players.” – George McPhee, 6/21/08

Despite the quote above (given in the wake of the Steve Eminger trade), the Caps currently find themselves with eight defensemen on their NHL roster. Has it been difficult to operate? It certainly seems as if the defense has performed better over the past couple of weeks due, in part, to a more or less static group of six defensemen and regular pairings, the result of John Erskine‘s injury and Tyler Sloan‘s scratches and fill-in duty up front.

If and when Erskine and a forward or two get healthy, the Caps will be back to a roster with eight active defensemen on it – not to mention salary cap concerns and a presumptively NHL-ready blueliner in Hershey – so one would think that McPhee will be looking to make a move.

Two potential candidates for such a move are Milan Jurcina (for and against whom extensive arguments were made this past summer) and Shaone Morrisonn. Their number so far this season:


GP G A P +/- PIM TOI/G ES GAON/60 SH TOI/G SH GAON/60 Hits BkS SOG
Jurcina 11 0 2 2 7 10 17:11 1.17 2:52 3.79 19 15 9


GP G A P +/- PIM TOI/G ES GAON/60 SH TOI/G SH GAON/60 Hits BkS SOG
Morrisonn 11 0 2 2 2 8 17:16 2.30 2:16 9.71 24 18 7

Both players are set to become unrestricted free agents after this season, a campaign for which Morrisonn will make a not-insignificant $600,000 more than Jurcina.

If a rival general manager approached George McPhee with a palatable deal and told GMGM he’d take either one of the former Bruins to make it happen, whom would you rather the Caps hold on to? Does Mo’s proven chemsitry with Mike Green come into play? What about Jurcina’s physical edge on a bluelinenot known for its hitting? And long-sleeved t-shirt or hoodie? Vote below on a question five-plus years in the making

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