2008-09 Rink Wrap: Karl Alzner
by J.P. on May 18, 2009 7:00 AM EDT
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PrintFrom Alzner to Varlamov, we're taking a look at and grading the 2008-09 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2009-10. First up, Karl Alzner.
Karl Alzner
#27 / Defenseman / Washington Capitals
6-2
206
Sep 24, 1988
1
$1,675,000 cap hit in 2009-10; RFA after 2010-11 season
Key Stat: In thirty NHL games, Alzner committed one penalty - a minor for delay of game (he had just ten penalty minutes in 48 games at the AHL level this past season).
Interesting Stat: In 16 home games, Alzner had a plus-five rating, but was minus-six in 14 games away from the V.C.
The Good: Alzner was summoned from AHL Hershey in late November to plug a hole on an injury-decimated blueline, and despite not being eased in at all (he led all Caps' blueliners in ice time in his very first NHL game and topped twenty minutes in 13 of his first 17 games), he acquited himself incredibly well, posting a plus-eight rating in his first dozen games. The Caps as a team went 15-4-0 in Alzner's first 19 NHL games, including a 2-1 win in Toronton in which he scored his first NHL goal.
King Karl was third on the team in blocked-shots-per-minute-per-game (Tyler Sloan and Milan Jurcina were one-two), and Tom Poti and Sloan were the only blueliners on the team to face tougher competition at five-on-five. Alzner's Corsi Rating was second among the team's rearguards (Mike Green), and Caps goalies faced fewer five-on-five shots per sixty minutes when Alzner was on the ice than when any other defenseman was.
The Bad: Whether it was hitting the wall or something else, Alzner struggled after his strong start, and had a minus-nine rating and just one assist in his final 17 NHL games of the season. He ended up with the worst takeaway-to-giveaway and giveaways-per-minute-per-game ratios on the entire team and had the second-worst five-on-five GAON/60 (Poti) and the worst GAON/60 at four-on-five of any Caps defenseman.
Finally, Alzner has been sidelined recently in the AHL playoffs with what may be a concussion.
The Vote: Rate Alzner below on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential and your expectations for the season - if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.
The Discussion: What role do you see Alzner playing on the 2009-10 Caps? What will it take for him to earn a 10 rating next year?
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Before I think about next year for him, I just want to make sure hes ok! Concussions can be nasty, and if he he has one it really could mess up his career from now on. But for him really to take it to the next level, I think the main thing for Alzner is confidence. During that stretch where he struggled, it looked like he never wanted to touch the puck. He didnt take many shots, was constantly dumping the puck before looking for any other options, and overalljust did not look comfortable. Hopefully he’ll be ok this year, and come back with a strong camp next year
Depending on his head, er, upper body (not to mention how the logjam in back is cleared), he’s probably looking at 2nd or 3rd pairing maybe?
I agree. He struggled toward the end, there, but he also proved how effective he could be. The only issue is tjhat Juice, whom played SO MUCH BETTER with Alzner on the other side, probably isn’t a 2nd pair D regardless of the pair. He did have a good playoffs, but I’m not sure that brings him within Poti/Pothier. I don’t know how that’s going to affect Alzner, if at all.
by DrinkingPartner on May 18, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions
I voted 4. I imagine that’s a bit low, but I think for his high standing, I had hoped he would contribute more with the Caps and less with the Bears.
Yes, he is going to be good down the road hopefully, but there were a few disconcerting things about his game. He takes a lot of hits, i’m not sure he is ever going to be a great skater, he isn’t that physical and seems to be very nervous for a kid who should have had tons of experience in high pressure situations. I am nervous that he is looking over his shoulder and above him a bit much, instead of just letting things fall where they may, letting his obvious talents work things out, he seems to press.
Obviously, it is very early, and I’m being highly critical, but for a kid who was touted as NHL ready in his draft year, it certainly doesn’t look like it.
First, the reminder: Very, very, very rarely do D step into the NHL and have an impact right away. I can think of two last year, and both experienced an Alzner fade: TOR’s Luke Schenn who faded badly in the last 40 games and finished a team third-worst -12, and LAK’s Drew Doughty, who also got lost in the second half and who finished a team second-worst -17. (The difference between Alzner and Schenn and Doughty: TOR and LAK were bad teams and those guys needed to play 70+ games.)
So, context.
Alzner will be fine. He hit the rookie wall and contributed in Hershey. That’s fine. He’ll be here next year. The Caps have EIGHT legit, NHL-quality D who project to the NHL next year. (Agreed: At least one is likely to be moved.) Alzner’ll be a solid 15 mintues-a-night guy and he’ll be able to do a bit more when injuries make that necessary.
The extra-fun offseason parlor game for Caps fans this off-season will be this: Who projects to being the better pro: Karl Alzner or John Carlson? We’ll find out around 2013-2014.
by TylerG on May 18, 2009 8:30 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Your first sentence is one of the reasons I gave him a “6”. I think his time with the parent club proved that he is/will be a capable NHL dman…how strong remains to be seen. If he lives up to his potential I expect him to be a solid top 2 dman in the next 3-4 years, but should see atleast 14-16 TOI/G next year.
Somewhere, Sami Lepisto sheds a single tear. :)
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I shed more than that watching him in WSH last season.
His rights are extremely tradeable. Move him for a low pick and be glad you got something out of the asset.
i wonder how much that ruptured spleen will diminish his trade value. I was expecting Sami to be moved at the draft but now I am not so sure.
by Sombrero Guy on May 18, 2009 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Rather than move him straight up for a low pick I was hoping GMGM would use him in a package to move up (like Eminger) or in a package to get an NHL player that could help us right now. A low round pick doesn’t have much more value than Lepisto does right now and I’d hope GMGM could get more for a puck moving defenseman, despite the question marks.
The assumption is that 26 won’t be wearing a Caps sweater though right? And maybe not Juice either?
I know that Sloan is an old man at this point, but Bruce certainly seems to have an affinity for him. Does he have a shot at making the big club next year? Or is he going to be in the same role that he was all this year? (I guess no, yes)
Any thoughts on bringing back Kronwall, and what would be his chances?
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The problem here is that only Green is a top-2 guy, and only Poti is a top-4 guy. That leaves 6 guys for the third line and a scratch. Now, Alzner might well grow into a top-2 defender. And Schultz probably grows into a top-4 option. But I doubt it happens in time for ‘09-’10.
So in the short term the team has a glut of defenders who are acceptable in the NHL at the bottom of the depth chart (and don’t get me wrong, this is a lot better than it could be – there are no Ben Clymers in this bunch).
Erskine’s contract exacerbates the situation.
Agree with your comments re. Lepisto elsewhere. Trade him now while you still can.
I think the defense corps is a little better than you give them credit for: I see Green as a first pairing guy (duh) and both Poti and Schultz as solid second pairing options. What the Capitals really need is one more legitimate top four guy to help push people down the depth chart to where they’re more comfortable. However I think it’s possible Alzner or Jurcina could play that role next year (if we get a little lucky).
I love the idea of Alzner-Green. Green is going to pinch in and take risks. You want a guy behind him who can bail him out when it goes bad. That guy has to have perfect positioning and very good speed. I don’t care much about physicality on that pairing. What’s needed is discipline, hockey sense, and speed.
In other words, Karl Alzner.
by Gould Old Days on May 18, 2009 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Also, don’t forget, Green can be very physical when he puts his mind to it. The scouting on him before he was drafted was that he was a heavy hitter, not necessarily an offensive dynamo. I too have been envisioning a Green-Alzner pairing, a combo that if effective would stabilize the top of our blue line for quite some time.
Alzner if I recall correctly was pretty good defending the rush, e.g. 2-on-1.
by red army line on May 18, 2009 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions
The extra-fun offseason parlor game for Caps fans this off-season will be this: Who projects to being the better pro: Karl Alzner or John Carlson? We’ll find out around 2013-2014.
I’m not sure that 2013-14 will even be soon enough to determine that question. Hopefully it’s a good battle for a long time. I think an interesting parallel consideration is whether Carlson/Alzner become good enough to make Green either expendable or unaffordable.
a good battle
battle for what? i’m hoping they can pair up on the same line!! that’d be something to see!
by RedskinFan4Life on May 18, 2009 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Alzner suffered from the Dickensonian dliemna of great expectations, so I think a lot ot us were overly disappointed when he faltered in his last grouping of games. As Tyler pointed out, it’s not uncommon for rookie defenseman to hit a wall as the league figures out their weaknesses. I like the fact that he didn’t take many penalties, but that stat probably reflects the reality that he takes few risks (which is why he had so few takeaways). His numbers in hHershey -4 goals, 16 assists, +23, are pretty good, so I think the time on the farm has served him well. Next year, I see him getting top four minutes and eventually I think he’ll be a top two pairing with Green.
Wow, you got Dickens in there… and wasn’t ‘Dilemna’ a character in Austen? ;-)
I think Mo won’t be back, so yeah, that spot next to 52 is open….
The more I think about it, the more that that would seem to make perfect sense (thus retracting previous post). I mean, if conventional wisdom and public opinion leads to Mo being gone, there’s nobody whose got a mix of presence of mind/positioning and agility that could hang back while 52 jumps into a play.
I mean, unless 52/55 works for everyone.
by Bald Pollack on May 18, 2009 9:26 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know that public opinion factors into GMGM’s decision-making. But Mo isn’t worth a raise from $2M and he’s going to get one. I’d rather have Juice at $1M than Mo at $2-point-something.
Oh don’t get me wrong, I’m expecting Mo to be gone also, I just couldn’t think of another alternative to pair with Green, and 27 would seem to be it.
by Bald Pollack on May 18, 2009 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions
52/55 makes me want to smash my head on my desk. Schultz’s lack of speed would be killer.
by ns on May 18, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I don’t see any way Mo is back next year. As an aside, we all laughed at GM’s resigning of Erskine but given his play in the playoffs and his now more than affordable contract, is this the time to try and move him when his value is at it’s highest?
1) For such a young player at a difficult position to break in Alzner played very well/poised for the most part. He seemed to make his partner(Jurcina) elevate his game in the process. His hockey sense appears well beyond his age/experience.
2) That said, he does need to work on his strength as he was pushed off the puck too easily at times, but that shouldn’t be too alarming a problem for a youngster. Its something that can be improved with off ice work outs and more game experience
3) To be a “10” next season Karl would of course have to make the team, play top 4 minutes including the PK/PP and have 30+ points.
I find sometimes it's easy to be myself
sometimes I find it's better to be somebody else
Can we get an update on his injury?
He did not play yesterday either.
(http://stats.theahl.com/stats/official-game-report.php?game_id=1006037)
He got an 8 from me. As a rookie D-man I expected absolutely zero contribution at the NHL level. I just hoped for a good contribution and learning curve at Hershey so that he could come up next year. The fact that he did hit that rookie wall was the only reason he didn’t get a 10.
I expect that coming out of camp he will make the team next year, and will probably log 18 minutes per game. The sky is the limit on Alzer though, could easily see him as the stay at home guy for Green by the end of the season, logging 22+ minutes per game.
P.S. You are continueing a bad addiction for me here J.P. I’ve been a Caps fan for 25 years, but casually. In the last couple, I’ve started to lurk on the Caps board and WP. Now, you have me totally addicted to your site, and have learned more about hockey that I probably did in the last 24 years combined. And I’m not just lurking…now I’m posting. And you are tantalizing me with breakdowns and stats from every player this year? Seriously?
Dude: The Rink is the bomb. It’s all that and a bag of chips. It is THE (best) place for smart Caps analysis. Try Peerless too.
(And news: Post readers still don’t know about 55’s injury. Lame.)
by TylerG on May 18, 2009 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think “How’d he get hurt? He never hits anyone!” is the response you’d be most likely to see.
by Bald Pollack on May 18, 2009 9:40 AM EDT up reply actions
I voted an 8..
I took in a few considerations such as rookie year, overwhelming expectations and lousy (in general) partners.
How he improved Jurcina’s play alone warrants that grade. I would have loved for him to contribute a bit more offensively, but he did something in 6 games that Erskine couldn’t do in 52 (+playoffs): score a goal.
That’s a big exaggerated though, I will admit. Alzner did play 24 more games beyond that. Erskine ended the season 0-4-4, while Alzner went 1-4-5. Alzner’s TOI was 582:33, and Erskine’s was 873:18.
These are defensive defensemen though. Outside of 95% Green, a dash of Poti and a teaspoon of Jurcina, they hardly even shoot.
The Caps clearly need more SOG from the D. Mike Green was fourth among NHL D in SOG. Next Caps: Juice at 77th and Ersky at 154th. Big ouch.
Pothier played so few games in the regular season that I couldn’t even tell you what his actual stat was, but it looked to me like he was willing to put a puck on net now and then. Juice would have a much better SOG stat if he could hit the broad side of a barn :)
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Small sample and all, but Pothier ranked behind Green, Juice, Alzner, Erskine and Poti in shots per game, but ahead of Poti and Alzner in shots/minute/game.
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Alzner should be able to make the team next year if only because he can eat up defensive minutes and not take penalties. What I would really like to see is Alzner paired with Poti at even strength and on the PK let the two of them each get 25 minutes per night. It will allow Poti to take a few more chances on offense, and it will really benefit Alzner’s growth to be paired with a guy who does his job every night.
I expect Alzner’s offense to move up some as he matures, maybe to 3-5 goals and 15-25 assists a year, partly due to the development of his offense and part of it due to his being on the ice so much.
As for improvements, the only thing I’d want him to work on is the transition game, getting the puck out of the zone faster and up the ice. He could learn a bunch from Pothier and Poti on this. Plus, he needs to know that it is ok to occaisonally pinch down. If you never do it, then the forward opposite knows that they can cheat down towards the net when defending (they will anyway, since Ovechkin, Semin, et. al. usually require a double team…). If it’s done once in awhile, it can be devastating. He has enough speed that he can recover if need be.
Still, there is nothing here that won’t get better with experience, and I fully expect King Karl will be on the Caps backline for at least the next decade or so… (oh and eventually, I have no doubt there is an “A” or “C” in his future.)
Let's go Caps!
How many 21-year-olds with 30 games of NHL experience play 25 minutes a game? I’m guessing none. Pretty much ever. So don’t count on that.
Doughty (19) and Schenn (19) led rookies in average TOI at 23:49 & 21:32 respectively.
The youngest D-man last season with over 25 minutes per game was Mike Green (23) at 25:45.
by :hsughrofl: on May 18, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
There's no reason to believe...
…Alzner can’t be a top 4 d-man next year and get a lot of 5-on-5 and PK time (he’ll get the PK time by default as he doesn’t take many penalties, so he’ll be needed in killing them.) Personally, I’d like to see Green down to about 20 minutes a game where he is playing some even strength, but plays most of the power play time (much like today).
I see Alzner as being a less physical Adam Foote type of defenseman, who will keep the zone clean, keep his net empty, and ensure that the team has a chance to win every night. He’ll be 21 next year, and he won’t be a rookie, so I suspect he can handle a big workload.
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Pivonka on May 18, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s mighty optimistic. Tyler..forget 21 y/os…when was the last time Poti put up 25 minutes in a game?
When he was healthy earlier in year, he did. Poti should lead the team in TOI.
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Pivonka on May 18, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
By my count he played in 5 games where his TOI was over 25:00…1 of them against the Penguins…and only 12 games where his TOI was over 24:00…
In those 12 games the Caps were an impressive 3-4-5. And I might add that ~50% of those games were during the west coast stretch when Green was hurt.
Bottom line is that Tom Poti is not a top-2 dman…if I had my druthers he’d be a top-4 dman not seeing more than 21-22 minutes a game.
I graded the King at 7
He did fine, and was better than I expected at the outset of the campaign. I thought all along that he needed 40 with the Bears before he was called up—it’s a huge, HUGE jump from juniors—but injuries derailed that plan and I admired his solid D skills for such a young player. The wall he hit is standard fare, Doughty be damned.
I would be pleased if Alzner made the team as half the 3rd pair, but I’m not holding my breath because I have a hunch that the Caps are shopping for a real bastard shutdown Dman type (Komisarek), who is going to crowd the corps. In my opinion, it’s the real piece we lack right now to move forward. I acknowledge in advance that an MK may require moving other assets, like a Semin. What I can tell you is that we do not have a guy like this in our organization currently, and before the Carlson chorus pipes up, please: he is years away. Ditto on the King.
from the house that Red Jesus built
Komisarek is not a shutdown guy. He’s slow and really, really struggles (and takes bad penalties) against players with speed. In today’s NHL that’s a problem.
I disagree with that characterization of Komisarek. He is definitely a shut down guy. He may be slow but guys with that size and physicality get paid over 6 million a year (and there are really only one or two of those guys, tops). He was hurt all year and MON had goalie problems so this isn’t a good year to judge him on. He was a beast last year for MON and has gotten better every year he’s been in the league. We don’t need him skating all over the ice creating things, we just need him to watch Mike Green’s back and clear the crease. If Shamo can fill that job, then Komisarek definitely can. And yeah, I am completely biased in favor of Komisarek.
He may be slow but guys with that size and physicality get paid over 6 million a year
Should say “with that size and physicality that can skate well”
He’s worth $1.5M less than Z. Chara? I dunno…
Komisarek’s Corsi is a -7.3, in the bottom third of MTL players. In terms of GAON he was one of MTL’s worst D both 5-on-4 and 5-on-5. He’s a classic case of a guy who makes big hits having a reputation that exceeds his performance.
No, he’s not worth 6 mill. My point is that guys that have his physicality and size but can still skate well (Phaneuf, Chara, Pronger, Maybe Shea Webber soon enough) are all going to make 6+. Komisarek is gonna make about 4.5, and I think that is reasonable and affordable (for us). His numbers his year are skewed by several factors, including his bum shoulder all year and a pretty inconsistent team effort all around. He is also a classic player that cannot be evaluated and defined by his numbers since he doesn’t bring much offense. I wouldn’t focus so much on this year’s numbers, he has consistently gotten better throughout his career and is just now approaching his prime. He brings an element to our D that nobody else does consistently, and even if he isn’t a great skater he is better than Shamo, Juice, or Erskine (the only real physical D we have).
Brooks Orpik got $3.75m last summer (which may even have been a hometown discount) – will Komi be just a bit more than that?
Wonder what Beauchemin, Scuderi and Mara will go for.
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Scuderi
Is he going to be strictly a monetary issue? I don’t know enough about him to know what he’s worth, but I’ve got to assume at this point that no one is leaving Pittsburgh 100% voluntarily.
Scuderi is making 725K right now and coming off a series in which he’s being credited with controlling AO. I’d say he’s in line for a raise.
About that. Eight goals, fourteen points is controlling AO? So he would have had twice that otherwise, bum groin/wrist and all?
But my question was how much money is too much that Pittsburgh has to let him go? Are they cap tight?
Read something about how Scuderi was actually covering Ovechkin on only one of his goals. The others were PPGs/on a line change/on Hal Gill.
by red army line on May 18, 2009 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Beauchemin, Scuderi, Mara, Morris, Ohlund, Bowmaster. There are a lot of D that are going to be looking for deals this off-season, hopefully we get the right one. Orpik definitely took a hometown discount and he was really only working off of one great year shift. Komisarek was a first round pick that has steadily improved his game, he should get more than Orpik though I’d love it if we could snag him for the same price.
I’ll take Mara or Scuderi for $1000, Alex. Bouwmeester is likely to be out of our price range. Mara definitely has the mean streak we need, but Scuderi is no slouch and will probably go for a good deal.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Bowmaster will definitely be out of our price range. I don’t even think it’s worth it to go after Scuderi or Mara since they will both probably want longer term deals and neither is going to be a top pair guy. We have plenty of 4-6 guys, we need a 1-3.
I would shit golden biscuits if we could sign Beauchemin. I wish like hell we had a player like him, even with his age.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on May 19, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Given that Wade Redden got 6 mill a season, I would say 10 for Komi, 12 for Beauch, 8 for Scuds and Mara will take whatever Sather gives him so he doesn’t have to leave NY.
I have a blog too! www.scottyhockey.com
Let's Go Rangers!
by Scotty Hockey on May 18, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Meh. I thought it could’ve been tougher. :)
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12 is definitely going to be above the maximum. And I have a hunch contracts are going to take a downturn this year with the economy. Maybe we can work this to our benefit.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on May 19, 2009 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions
As long as there are bad GMs there will be bidding wars over-inflating the price of attractive (and less so) FAs. The terms may be shorter this time around but I still think we are going to see some high bidding and overpaying going on.
I’m not saying that the terms won’t be shorter, I’m saying that with the salary cap going down, and no player is allowed to earn more than 20% of the salary cap maximum, no way is the Cap going above 60 million this year.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
by Whiter Mage on May 20, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Sure he can be evaluated on his numbers. I wasn’t pointing out his G totals, but three stats that should be relevant for a shutdown D. And Komisarek’s numbers weren’t real good in any of ’em.
Those numbers definitely don’t paint a full picture. Considering you are painting him as a heavy hitter you don’t include his hits. You also don’t include his Qcomp or Qteam. What if the shots against when he is on the ice are largely from the perimeter but no shots come on rebounds or from in close? That won’t be revealed by Corsi, but it shows how well he does his job. He is expected to keep goals out of the net, not put them in. It is much harder to tell how well a guy keeps pucks out of the net because stats relating to that measure are always “five man stats” (or 4 if on PK). I maintain (and I’m not alone) that defensive defensemen are the hardest to judge by numbers, that is why offensive numbers end up being so important in the Norris race. You can point to 3 stats in an injury prone year and draw the conclusion that he’s not very good in his own end. I don’t think you’re looking at the full picture.
Agreed. But if Komisarek’s 5-on-5 GAON and his 5-on-4 GAON are both in the bottom third of his team, it stands to reason that his comp numbers aren’t going to be real good, right?
I think he was probably faced against high Qcomp most of the time so that number will be high. If your goalie doesn’t bail you out on occasion your numbers will suffer (and we know what happened with MON this year). Qteam is harder, he could be with checkers (low Qteam) or the top line (high) but since he plays more PK and no PP he probably spends more time with checking players and has a lower Qteam than, say, Markov. I haven’t looked at any of these numbers, though.
Doesn’t his shoulder injury concern you when you’re about to open the checkbook?
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Yeah GMGM should think about it. It depends how bad the injury is, whether he needs surgery or just rest. If we had to re-sign Green right now how much pause would his shoulder injury give you?
I dunno. I’m not a doctor. But I’d have better access to his doctors, since the injury happened while he was on this team.
Point being, a big hitter with a bum shoulder raises a red flag and would require some very serious due diligence.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
For what’s it’s worth, my wife is a physical therapist who specializes in shoulder rehab. I told her what Green had injured (the AC joint) and she said that’s an extremely painful injury that really limits shoulder strength. Honestly, she was shocked he was able to play with the injury because it can be that painful. The good news is that’s normally not what you would call a chronic shoulder problem when compared to something like a rotator cuff. The bottom line is that it’s probably not an injury that’s going to linger too long. Unless, of course, it’s more serious than what they’re saying.
good points by both you and Tyler…To clarify, I used Kom as a prototype for what I feel we truly and dearly need in our org. If John Erskine can play Bruce’s system, I think Kom can fit in. I also understand Kom to be an excellent team guy and his best years ought to be ahead of him.
I, for one, would not blanch at 5yr/$24M-$27M if that shoulder is healthy.
from the house that Red Jesus built
Komisarek is a shut down guy when he’s paired with Markov. Given the choice of having only one of them, I’d want Markov. He’s got speed, power, and a helluva shot. It’s a shame Markov was elected to the All-Star game in that Montreal fiasco, not because he was elected, but because of the crap the fans pulled. He deserved to be elected to the Game as he is Montreal’s best player right now.
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Pivonka on May 18, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Funny – viewed sideways, this poll is flippin’ us the bird.
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Bird! Bird! Bird! Bird is the word!
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Pivonka on May 18, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Alzner long term would just make me giddy. If he’s capable of being the great positional SAH d-man that he seems to have the potential for, put him with Greener and make Green a true rover with the top line. I dunno. I’m all for trying it.
I'm so sick and tired of the refs explaining the calls like this is the NFL.
To get a 10 from me next year -
On the big club roster for 82, 5/35/40, <30 PIM, show some willingness to throw a hit, top-3 on team in D takeaway/giveaway, +10 or better, establish himself as 2a/2b (player, not pairing) on the defensive depth chart.
To get a 5 from me -
On the big club roster for 50-60, 2/15/17, become a 2nd-pairing regular, gain experience on the PK (to hopefully improve it…)
-d
And TOI is a key stat for me for Alzner. He gets a 10 from me if he averages 28+ and is effective. He gets a 5 from me if he averages 20+ and is effective.
by Gould Old Days on May 19, 2009 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions
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