Pick 'Em: Bringing Back One 2009‑10 Cap
by J.P. on Dec 17, 2010 3:00 PM EST
in Pick 'Ems
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PrintFollowing last spring's early exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Washington Capitals (unsurprisingly) saw a bit more roster turnover than they had in recent summers, as a number of seasoned NHL veterans made way for younger (and cheaper) talent. The departures drained the team of depth and left some holes (and certainly some question marks) in the lineup, most notably down the middle, on the blueline and in net, as the team committed to evaluating the kids.
More than one-third of the way through the season, each of those potential "trouble spots" on the depth chart have been realized in varying degrees and many of those same questions and concerns persist. Whether or not they will be addressed from within or from outside the organization (or not at all) remains to be seen, of course, but our question for today is this: If you could bring back one of the following now-former Capitals from the 2009-10 team (and his salary would be of no concern), whom would it be?
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At least they'll remember me at the Alumni game
The OatesStache: Tickling taints since 1975.
by Rather Bengt on Dec 17, 2010 3:06 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Heh.
FWIW, I only went with guys that left as free agents (sorry Clarkie and Pothier) and are still NHLers (sorry Laing and Giroux).
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So… Eric Belanger is on pace for another 37-point season. Brendan Morrison isn’t that good on the dot and is on pace for another 45 points season. None of Corvo, Juice, or Morrisonn are playing that well.
On the other hand, the Caps have hit a rocky stretch of goaltending. Neither Varlamov nor Neuvirth are waiver-eligible. And Theodore is outplaying Niklas Backstrom at the moment. Gotta go with Theo here.
One night, I declared that Theo would steal Bakcstrom’s job. Mr. B then said I was cut off from the vodka shots.
Pledge Drive 2010-2011: SO KIDS CAN!! Help build a playground
agree: theo was very solid, good, in the second half...
of last season, then got treated rather shabbily in the playoffs. Does Varly inspire this team? He and Neuvirth are young, but I’m doubting it. Belanger is a nice player, but reminds me of flash—just doesn’t really produce much.
by slipperyice on Dec 17, 2010 11:49 PM EST up reply actions
Makes nofuckingsense. Here you can have a player – for free – and you wouldn’t take any of them? I can see not taking the G or a C – maybe you want to see what 1/30, 85/90 can do. But to not take one of those three D – and bump 89 down on the depth chart? For free? I don’t get it.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
No one is really free, they’re just without a cap hit. If you bring Belanger or Morrison back, it costs you development of 85 and 90 (though, I’m okay with that price). If you bring Theo back, it costs you development of 1 and 30, and you probably don’t sign Neuvy to a stupidly cheap extension. If you bring Corvo back, Sloan would rarely see NHL ice, but who is Corvo going to play with? I don’t really want him paired with Erskine, don’t like him with Poti, maybe he’d be okay with Hannan, but I’m not sure I like that either. Corvo didn’t strike me as they type of player who is okay with being a regular healthy scratch…
I can’t really defend passing on free NHL talent, but I can see some arguments for passing on some guys.
I am a hockey fan first, and a Caps fan second.
by iwearstripes on Dec 17, 2010 3:51 PM EST up reply actions
Like I said, I get that with respect to the goalies and centers. I don’t get it on D. There are three players there who are clearly better than at least one of the guys on the Caps’ NHL roster who doesn’t have the developmental upside of the kids in goal or down the middle.
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I voted “none.” I honestly don’t think any of these guys would help the team win in the playoffs, except maybe as injury depth. In other words, I didn’t see any of them as worth a roster spot on the active roster or as the 1st reserve come playoff time.
The 2C hole needs to be filled by someone other than B-Mo or Belanger. If the Caps had B-Mo or Belanger, it would decrease the odds of filling that gap with someone good. And I don’t have a problem using two of Perreault-Johansson-B. Gordon-Steckel-Hendricks as the 3 and 4 Cs. Those two players are just the wrong fit fo this team right now.
I don’t want the Caps to carry 8 D, and I’d rather have Erskine than Morrisonn (who just sucks) or Corvo (wrong player for this team). And Juice can barely crack the roster of the worst team in the league. Likewise, I don’t want to carry 3G. That was a mess. I’d rather have Varlamov and Neuvirth than Theo.
So yeah, maybe I read the prompt wrong. If we’re looking for a replacement for Jay Beagle or Tyler Sloan or Braden Holtby, then sure, any one of these folks would be better. But all three of those guys should be in Hershey come April, the good lord willing. I wouldn’t replace anyone who should be in Washington with one of them.
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Dec 17, 2010 4:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
If you’re a believer that you need 8D at a minimum, I don’t see how you can not take one of the three in the poll and bump Sloan down to 9.
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Any of those three are better than Sloan. Like I said, maybe I interpreted the prompt the wrong way, but I do think it’s telling that none of the people listed would break my top 7 D, my top 14 forwards (once the 2C hole is filled, which neither of them could do), or my top 2 goalies.
Belanger, by the way, gave me the most trouble, not any of the D. I really think Morrisonn and Juice are terrible, and Corvo should never be brought back. I’d rather have Theo than any of the D.
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Dec 17, 2010 4:44 PM EST up reply actions
There’s really a set of circumstances under which you would take Joe Corvo back on this team?
You had me at no problem.
maybe if he was really cheap… like free.
I am a hockey fan first, and a Caps fan second.
by iwearstripes on Dec 17, 2010 5:15 PM EST up reply actions
Me? No. In fact, I told David and Pepper that I’d fight anyone who voted for him. Pepper pointed out that 8 had and I said I was comfortable taking on any 8 people who would vote for Joe Corvo at once.
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I would pay to watch this go down.
Less drama, more hockey
by SeattleCapsFan on Dec 17, 2010 6:02 PM EST up reply actions
only if we could offer him up as a sacrifice to the hockey gods for an end to this losing streak.
Pledge Drive 2010-2011: SO KIDS CAN!! Help build a playground
No way in hell. Too many issues under that helmet without enough production (offensively or defensively) to warrant a recall. He should be a lot better than he is, given his talents, and the Caps don’t need any more of this.
On, and as a sacrifice, you might get more out of putting a goat in his place.
Got my user name back from the dingo...
I would take Corvo back so that Ovie wouldn’t have the worst tattooos on the team.
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
I’m surprised ‘none’ isn’t doing better. A roster space is a roster space. And yeah, I’d love to see magically getting rid of Sloan on the menu.
None of those F/G were part of the solution. Juice and ShaMo are serviceable, but I’d rather experiment with someone with an upside or a different dimension to their game.
Choking since 1985.
I’d love to see magically getting rid of Sloan on the menu.
It is – pick a D and Sloan goes away.
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What I was really voting for was – “none of the above/door #3”.
If the spirit of this really is limited to that list, by all means Juice or Mo. But then again, that’s why Juice and Mo make 2 and 3 times what Sloan does.
Theodore wouldn’t play past April and I think both those centremen are way beyond their usefulness.
Choking since 1985.
Unfortunately, Juice makes less than 50% more than Sloan, not double.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
They cost you a roster spot, and none of those guys is going to actually help you win. I want someone better than those guys.
Patron saint of quality footwear.
by fat_daddyo on Dec 17, 2010 7:01 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
What fat_daddyo wrote in 25 words > what Gouldie wrote in 234 words above
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Dec 17, 2010 7:10 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I saw that after I posted. I figured the odds of someone beating me to it were pretty good, but I was too lazy to read the whole thread. Ah, well.
Obviously, I voted “none of the above”.
Glad to learn that Belanger is a cancer, that makes me feel better about not voiting for him.
I could in no way countenance Juice or ShaMo, and the rest of the options don’t pass the sniff test, imo.
Patron saint of quality footwear.
I disagree with that. I think Belanger’s better than Steckel in a depth role and more suited to playing on the second line should the need arise. Plus, his addition would mean D.J. King was off the roster, and there’s no way you have a better shot to win with D.J. King than Eric Belanger.
by David Getz on Dec 17, 2010 7:17 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I’d like to see both Steckel and King be healthy scratches come the playoffs.
8-19-22
21-2C-28
25-90-16
26-15-10
In my opinion, Belanger doesn’t push any of those guys out of the active lineup (especially not 2C). But yeah, Belanger’s definitely better than Stex or King.
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Dec 17, 2010 7:23 PM EST up reply actions
Well, King is another story, and I could certainly live without him.
Belanger as a 2C is still trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. He’s just a slightly softer sow’s ear than anyone else on the roster. We’ve seen what he looks like as 2C. It didn’t work. It wouldn’t work again.
The 3C hole is a better argument, but I think the development cost to MarJo is too high.
Plus, JP says he’s a cancer*. So there’s that.
*May not be a 100% factually accurate recounting of JP’s position.
Patron saint of quality footwear.
I went with none of the above, mostly because I didn’t understand the “for free” portion of it.
Corvo, Juice and Morrison at their contracts, I wouldn’t rather have than the guys we do.
Theo is a great guy but we’re better off giving the kids some experience.
Belanger was the logical choice and I would have picked him, but was thinking it would have cost the caps close to 2 million if they had pulled the trigger on the deal in the summer.
Because now I can justify browsing and commenting during the work day with the argument that I am promoting my business.
by Sombrero Guy on Dec 17, 2010 11:52 PM EST up reply actions
and having BMo or Belanger at 2C lets the caps fool themselves into thinking they don’t really need an upgrade there at the end of February.
Because now I can justify browsing and commenting during the work day with the argument that I am promoting my business.
by Sombrero Guy on Dec 17, 2010 11:54 PM EST up reply actions
Well, we went with “(and his salary would be of no concern)” because otherwise “none of the above” would run away with the vote.
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Belanger would have provided stability at the 3C position. I have to imagine that having no stability at both 2/3C has to mess with the chemistry. We’re wondering why Chimera and Eric Fehr look like shit this year, maybe it has something to do with that.
McPhee’s biggest mistake of the offseason IMO was botching the Belanger re-signing. Still bitter about that.
The Kolzilla PR department has advised me to post a link to my work at Inside Hockey, so here it is.
www.Insidehockey.com
It may not be GMGM’s fault. We don’t really know what happened, but if Belanger’s camp leaked the news, which seems likely, and that was the cause of the breakdown, then it’s on Belanger and his agent, not GMGM.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
That signing would have been an absolute shitshow for the team’s cap. McPhee was saved by someone else’s incompetence.
I voted Belanger here because of the stipulation that salary is irrelevant. But in the real world, Belanger’s salary was way too high for a 3d liner, especially given the team’s other holes/cap issues.
Belanger, and by a huge margin. Immediately you narrow it down to the Cs because that’s our biggest problem right now. Belanger isn’t anything special, but he’s reliable defensively for the most part, and he can at least pretend to play along with the second line (Semin and Laich). He makes a good transition to 3C, where he really fits better, if/when Mackan or MP (surprisingly) become ready to carry the 2C duty. BMo isn’t much of a 3C, isn’t as good defensively, and faded hard after the first 1/3 of the season last year.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
Agree with the group here – it’s Belanger, and it’s not close (though I admit that a few weeks ago I might have voted ShaMo in a Fahey-induced moment of weakness).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Shamo because he’s healthy? Or because you like him better than Juice?
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
I think he’s a more reliable blueliner than Juice, both in terms of health and decision-making. Juice has more natural ability, but it just never has come together for more than the briefest of stretches. ShaMo is more of a known commodity. Less upside but fewer valleys, which I think is what you’d want out of a back-end defenseman (presumably this is “The Erskine Principle”).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Sounds a lot like the debate I had with D’ohboy.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
Don’t get me wrong – I’m far from passionate in my choice here. It’s nearly a coin flip for me.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Yup, I had no illusions that you were pining for Shamo. Just a little surprised that he got the nod over Juice. The consistency v. upside was basically the crux of the debate I had with D’oh last year.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
I voted Juice pretty much exclusively because of the money discussion re: Erskine’s extension.
"If you don't shut the [hell] up, I'm going to kick you in the balls so hard your dentist is going to have to work around them at your next cleaning."
by Bald Pollack on Dec 17, 2010 4:48 PM EST up reply actions
That’s certainly his strongest point. But given that this is a hindsight exercise I couldn’t ignore that he’s been hurt for large parts of the season, and played poorly during the rest. I’d take him over Sloan, for sure, but he’s not really making me miss him at all.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
Speaking of hurt FA D’s, Willie Mitchell has played 15 games this year and is now week-to-week with a lower body injury. FYI.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I haven’t been following that closely. Have LAK at least gotten IR relief (whether LTIR or regular IR to just free the roster spot) or is he doing the DTD thing for weeks on end like Selanne and Varlamov earlier in the year.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
Dunno. I don’t think he’s been on LTIR at any point (not sure they’d need him to be, anyway).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Yeah, the LTIR isn’t a big deal for the money. In general I think fans overrate the LTIR exemption. Unless you have significant LTIR money at the trade deadline or you have a guy that isn’t going to return for the season then LTIR really isn’t much of a benefit.
What does matter is whether you have a roster spot to replace the guy. If you are dealing with a guy that is in and out of the lineup with a wonky groin, you don’t want to just put him on IR because then you completely lose the option. Of course, then you’re burning a roster spot. That kind of thing would be a problem for the Caps (maybe it has been) when you have a flu tearing through the locker room.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
Yeah, definitely – I read too quickly and read it as “LTIR relief” somehow.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I picked BMO, but it was a toss up w/ Belanger. Just think a veteran C would be nice to have right now.
Good to see Juice has 14 SOG’s in 11 games. He needs to unleash that cannon more often.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
wasn’t one of the complaints about Juice’s offense the “OG” part of “SOG”? Maybe 14 SOG in 11 games is more significant than it seems
LET'S GO CAPS!!!
Yeah, I was going to add a snarky comment that 14 SOGs for Juice means he has probably attempted100 shots. But he’s playing on the Island so he’s suffering enough.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Dec 17, 2010 7:01 PM EST up reply actions
he’s playing in the NHL, so it can’t be that bad.
Pledge Drive 2010-2011: SO KIDS CAN!! Help build a playground
Theo – I liked him as a person. I liked how he handled his role last year. But I just can’t see him with this year’s Caps. i am committed to the Neuvy-Varly tandem.
Belanger /BMo – I liked Belanger when he was here. I liked his grit and I liked his faceoff skill. I also saw him more fit for the 3C role than 2C. BMo on the other hand I saw more fit for the 2C role. I liked using him on the point on the PP. I didn’t like the after Xmas swoon.
The D-men – Corvo and Morrisonn- No. Nada. Not at all Juice is the most preferable of the three and I would like him a helluva lot more than Fahey and or Sloan.
None of the Above— Barely remember him. I think I forgot him when I was calculating the NCC/60 Totals.
Answer – Belanger over BMo. More durable. More consistent and can win faceoffs. I would like him as a 3C
The OatesStache: Tickling taints since 1975.
Your opinions are on a par with mine. I figured it was time for Theo to go since it was time to go with the kids. He was a great veteran to have for the team but the kids are now ready.
Morrison was great the first half but not so great the second half. Belanger’s essentially a third liner. There are times I wonder (since the Caps are in a losing streak) if Morrison is the missing ingredient but given his age and the fact that he ran out of gas, it seemed that the best strategy, for now, was to go with the kids.
I like Juice and certainly prefer him to Sloan or Fahey but he is behind our current group of D-men for upside. (Given that he’s not having a good year with the Isles anyhow justifies our decision to let him go.) Morrisonn — time for him to go. Corvo — did not fit into our system at all.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Belanger, and not close. Tough. Would fill a void at 3C where he’d win faceoffs. Remember the problem (aside from the NYR game) is that we’re not scoring goals, which is shocking considering that several of these losses have been without 52 and 55. Not that Belanger helps score goals, but he’d do more to help the offense than the other options here, just by giving some consistency to the third line – centering Chimera and maybe Fehr.
I’d like to have back both of the guys pictured, though Belanger seems like a much greater loss given the lack of depth down the middle. Theo would be an unaffordable luxury, and given the way Neuvy and Varly have played, I’m not sure he’d be an upgrade most nights thus far.
I am a hockey fan first, and a Caps fan second.
I voted Belanger as well, but I did it almost entirely for intangibles. (Yes – I’m a bit of a broken record on this concept.)
Belanger has to be admired by the teammates for his toughness. No one will ever forget his teeth incident. Heck, BB even mentioned it on the HBO trailer.
He’d score his points and win his face-offs, but he’d be a respected leader in the dressing room. I think we could use that now.
Life With Spidey -- a blog about sports, travel, work, family and fun.
Representing Caps fandom in the Gateway to the West.
Just curious – why are you under the impression that he’s a respected leader in the dressing room?
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I don’t know. Just seems to me that he would be. I’ve got no factual knowledge.
Life With Spidey -- a blog about sports, travel, work, family and fun.
Representing Caps fandom in the Gateway to the West.
Reason I ask is that I’ve heard and read speculation to the contrary. Trying to source it online. Here’s a starting point.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Wow. That’s an interesting read. Thanks.
If that’s accurate, then that could have been a problem for the current team, but it might have been awesome for HBO.
Life With Spidey -- a blog about sports, travel, work, family and fun.
Representing Caps fandom in the Gateway to the West.
That was a good read. Thanks JP.
I hear Owen Nolan was always pointing at teammates and shooting pucks at them.
The OatesStache: Tickling taints since 1975.
by Rather Bengt on Dec 17, 2010 3:46 PM EST up reply actions
Here’s a nice Belanger-related fancy from Jacques Lemaire circa October, 2007:
“When we got him, I felt that he’s going to get 20 goals,” the Wild coach said. “Now, I feel he’s going to get 80 points.”
He had 37 points in 75 games that season. Close, Jacques.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I agree—interesting stuff. Although I think I guy who’s singled out for being intense is not necessarily good nor bad. But the poster’s math does make you wonder.
I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Shane Hnidy—a friend of mine was in Kazakhstan a few years back adopting his daughter and in the group of North Americans there adopting kids was Hnidy and his wife—he said they were totally decent people. (So it couldn’t have been him….)
We're Hüsker Dü and we're on MTV. Who are you, and what are you on?
by bilspacecadet on Dec 17, 2010 4:29 PM EST up reply actions
Redundent I know, but good read.
My reason for picking Belanger was for his intensity. Again, I was never in a locker room with the guy so I can’t speak to that issue. But actions speak louder than words more often than not. The guy had his mouth blown appart and returned to the game. I just feel like the Caps could use some of that intensity right now. Seems like the only guy on the roster remotely close to that level of badassness is Hendricks (I suppose Laich as well after the game the other night). Anyone else think the team could at least use that kind of intensity?
Caps 'n Bears
I agree. He’s putting up better numbers on a much worse Team (arguably). Intangibles be darned, Belanger didn’t help his own cause this summer by going with that snake of an agent and was clearly a much bigger hero in his own eyes. I like BMO’s humility and what he doesn’t have in size he more than makes up for in grit.
"Baseball was my first love... hockey is a sultry temptress and stole my heart." - Corey Masisak
I’d bring back Flash. Then I’d trade him again. What?
At the start of the season, I’d have said Theo, but then I expected even worse out of Varlamov, Neuvirth, and Holtby.
by Gordon Arsenoff on Dec 17, 2010 3:56 PM EST reply actions
I’d bring back the 2009 version of Ovechkin.
by wickedwitch on Dec 17, 2010 4:10 PM EST reply actions 13 recs
How do I vote for the guy who had a hat trick in his last game?
We're Hüsker Dü and we're on MTV. Who are you, and what are you on?
by bilspacecadet on Dec 17, 2010 4:12 PM EST via mobile reply actions
With eyes closed and holding your nose.
The OatesStache: Tickling taints since 1975.
by Rather Bengt on Dec 17, 2010 4:33 PM EST up reply actions
done and done.
We're Hüsker Dü and we're on MTV. Who are you, and what are you on?
by bilspacecadet on Dec 17, 2010 7:41 PM EST up reply actions
Viva la Jurcina!
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Pleasure and pain, though directly opposite are contrived to be constant companions.
Belanger...
If only so that the team dentist has a back up if necessary…
Washington Capitals 2009-10 = Quebec Nordiques 1994-95
--- D'ohboy
went with BMo, but now
after having read the comments above and thought about it a bit more I’d go with Belanger. I just hate the D listed compared with either of the C
A danger to myself and others on the ice
ShaMo if only because he’s better than Erksine and would put actual heat on the top 6 to play well.
BMo and Bella were and are 3C’s. Wouldn’t help the team though Bella could at least instill some backbone into the team when he pulled out another 6 teeth on the bench.
Bruce Boudreau when asked about Brooks Laich's return to the lineup, he said: "He just adds another dimension to our team. If it was puzzle, he just fits that thing. He completes us."
Brooks Laich completing everything from teams to tires and everything in between.
I’m not exactly sure why “just a 3C” is such a knock. Do we really have a 3C on the team right now? Obviously 2C is ideal, but I think our hole encompasses both 2 and 3C at the moment.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
Agreed – we have two holes that need to be filled.
Um…
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I know I’m weird, but I would like to see Johansson go into the playoffs as the 3C
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Dec 17, 2010 5:50 PM EST up reply actions
I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you, but I don’t think he’s ready to take the 3C by the throat right now, so it’s still a hole. Given his recent healthy scratch I’d say that BB probably agrees. Does he have the potential to be a reliable 3C come the playoffs? I think so, but I also haven’t seen enough to make me think “we definitely have the 3C taken care of.”
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
There are also a fair number more 3Cs available at the trade deadline than 2Cs. John Madden, Todd Marchant, Eric Belanger (should the Coyotes collapse), and Brendan Morrison could all fit in that role for the Caps.
I’m not sure I buy John Madden as a 3C anymore. BMo obviously didn’t work. Belanger could work if PHX collapses, though I wonder if there’s bad blood there. I guess Marchant could work but he doesn’t exactly stoke me.
Drunk Guy: "Alex Ovechkin is playing more like Magic Johnson than Michael Jordan this year."
Laichitor: "He has AIDS?"
I can’t imagine Belanger coming back here. Regardless of who was at fault in the negotiations this summer, I don’t see him coming back. Imagine the advice he’d have for Semin.
I am a hockey fan first, and a Caps fan second.
by iwearstripes on Dec 17, 2010 11:03 PM EST up reply actions
Belanger
Veteran C, would be able to tailor his game to make up for the youth of MJ90 and MP85, wanted to be here, and lost teeth for us. Not a close decision at all.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
by skyywise on Dec 17, 2010 8:00 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Did he really want to be here? He turn down a 2 year deal offered at the end of the season, only to come back after July 1, when he couldn’t find a better offer. It seemed like the Caps were more interested in bringing him here than he was being here.
"I would feed them lefts until I was pretty much tired of doing it." - Alan May, JRR, 10.16.2010
I recall reading he wanted to be here before his last contract with the Wild. As for this past offseason, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt because there is always a difficult balance between where a player wants to play and the business of the game.
I’m not saying here that he would have been a great 2C, but I do think that the two 3C youngsters we have would have done well with a more veteran and mentoring presence at their position, which is not intended as a knock on NB19 since he is still young himself. I don’t think that the other players we lost didn’t bring anything we don’t have otherwise.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
I went with Theo. BMo was inadequate at 2C last season, and I don’t think that would be any different. Belanger was decent at 3C (but not that good), but 3C isn’t that big a hole right now. The less said about Corvo the better. I don’t see ShaMo or Juice as being an upgrade, except over Sloan – but if I’d thought about that before voting, I’d have probbaly voted for Juice. Theo isn’t someone we necessarily need, but it would be nice to have a veteran goalie who can fill in when Varly’s groin goes.
There is no problem a hammer cannot either fix or make irrelevant.
At this point, we don’t necessarily need netminding, but Theo’s resilience in adversity (2007-08 in Colorado, after the Avs considered buying him out, and 2009-10 here, after being benched in the 09 playoffs and losing his son) might be a good example for the team.
Don’t make fun of my obsession over ketchup dispensers ever again! ;) Ted Leonsis
by miseenjeu on Dec 17, 2010 11:04 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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