Monday Caps Clips

What about your KHL contract? You have 2 years left, is it correct?

Yes, I do have two years left on my KHL contract. But I would really want to come over earlier. A compensation for my contract needs to be paid. It is my childhood dream to play in the NHL.

This makes me very happy. I was afraid after he’d said before that he wants to finish his KHL deal.

Hilarious comment of the day (from the Muir article)

A few days earlier, the B’s GM dealt the 15th overall pick as part of a package that landed first-line winger Nathan Horton from the Panthers. That’s just solid asset management. Now if only new team president Cam Neely can light a fire under Horton’s slow-boil competitive instincts

Anytime you include the phrase “solid asset management” with “Peter Chiarelli” in the same segment, you’re doing it wrong.

I’d take him in a heartbeat – more Clarkson alum on the Caps is full of win. Although the last Clarkson grad that played here happened to have a pretty lengthy injury history as well…

The Minnesota Wild liked Owen Nolan’s competitive fire the last two years but aren’t keen on bringing back the free-agent. He would like to finish his career in San Jose, where he has a home, although Washington or Pittsburgh, with a chance to win a Cup, would be better for him. It’s easier travel.

I think the trade of Ridley to the Leafs began the end of two eras. It certainly was the beginning of the end of Rids’ career as a player. He never was the same player after he left the Caps and wasn’t all that effective. It also might be the beginning of the end of David Poile’s run as GM of the Caps. He had built a good team in DC, but the team that was strong in the late 1980s and early 1990s was fading, and while the Caps had some success at the minor level (Portland, the farm team back then, was just coming off a Calder Cup championship), there were no results at the NHL level, especially in the post season. Part of that was the Penguins, of course, but one could say the high point of the Poile era was the 1994 playoffs when the Caps beat the Pens. The loss to the Rangers in round 2 wasn’t a surprise, the Caps actually played very well in that series, but they were playing the accumulated parts of the Edmonton Oiler dynasty as well as several players from the 1992 Blackhawks (who lost the Cup final) and of course the Rangers themselves. The Rangers were a better team in 1994.

Pearson didn’t do much of anything for the Caps, and Baumgartner never did much for the Caps either… all in all, not one of the high points in Poile’s career.

The saddest part of it all, was that Ridley was at the Caps season ticket holder draft party (as was I…) at the old Cap Centre to sign autographs during the draft. Unlike most players traded at the draft, Rids got a chance to get a round of applause and appreciation from the fans when traded at the draft… you could tell though that he was not happy about the situation…

Today kicks off a very busy week:

June 28: Qualifying offers due to restricted free agents Backstrom, Boyd Gordon, Eric Fehr, Fleischmann, Jeff Schultz and a handful of prospects.

June 29: RFAs who remain unsigned can begin talking to other teams.

July 1: Free agent signing period opens. After this year’s first round disappointment, GM George McPhee figures to be busier than he had anticipated. Also, Theodore, Joe Corvo, Scott Walker, Shaone Morrisonn, Eric Belanger, Brendan Morrison, Milan Jurcina, Quintin Laing (and Alexander Giroux) become unrestricted free agents if not signed prior to this date.

5: Deadline for players to request salary arbitration. (Hearing dates are usually held in Toronto in late July and August). Boyd Gordon, Schultz, Fehr and Fleischmann are eligible.

I’m still amused by GMGM’s wink at the Camera as he stood up from the draft table before making the first selection. Was that directed at the Camera, or someone behind it?

Anyone else feeling a little more suspicious after drafting these Russians that making a FA offer to Volchenkov is part of what the Caps have planned? There’s probably no relation between the draft and FA, but I do wonder if “what we’re doing in Ovechkin” (as GMGM said in explaining why the Caps are not afraid to draft Russian players) carries over to FA. I could also see a critical mass of Russians helping get these guys signed for a little less money.

I have a hunch that the Caps aren’t going to spend a lot to try to fix the 2C situation in FA. I’m not sure if they spend big on D, but you have to think the other Eastern contenders plan to with the way Hamhuis’ rights have been passed around.

The torn stick tape, the missing tooth…fantastic.

JT Bourne has a really interesting article about free agency and decisions to be made, from a player’s perspective.

Tweet from Bob M.

Waivers, likely for buyout purposes: Cheechoo, Ott; Nokelainen, Vandermeer, Phx; Koistinen, Fla; Kotalik, Cgy.

I thought Kotalik had promise with the Sabres, and now he’s being bought out?

Huge flame out for Cheechoo after that one year in SJ, if my memory serves me right.

OK, I apologize for (a) asking what is probably a question that has already been asked here a few times over the last few days and (b) not taking the time to search any harder than I already have for the answer…but here goes…

How are NHL teams allowed to draft players that are still in college or planning to attend? I know the NCAA has very strict rules about players accepting any kind of professional contract, compensation or even endorsement deals, so I’ve never been sure exactly how this works. I know that in other sports, players who go into the draft lose NCAA eligibility.

Per Hradek, Flyers also tried to contact Marty Turco. There’s a story up on the front page of BSH.

what time is the deadline for QO to RFA’s?

There is a reason that most players who become unrestricted free agents end up leaving the Rangers every year; Slats does not have the advantage, he isn’t willing to pay the bucks, so the player takes off and gets that money elsewhere.

Yeah… Sather won’t spend money. Haha. Maybe the UFAs leave because he’s already spent the money on other outside UFAs and can’t afford his homegrown players. But sure, convince yourself otherwise.

For the record, I’d be in total favor of acquiring Staal for the right price.

Caps Qualify Nine

Kindly discuss the news here.

Ken Campbell writes that Donald Fehr will be interim NHLPA executive director through the negotiations for the next collective bargaining contract.

very very interesting. bears watching.

Tales from the Draft Floor (Earl Sleek, Battle of California)

Short version: apparently JP is pretty cool, systems are a bit funny

2010-11 WASHINGTON CAPITALS
CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR
FORWARDS
Alexander Ovechkin ($9.538m) / Nicklas Backstrom ($6.700m) / Mike Knuble ($2.800m)
Alexander Semin ($6.000m) / * Patrice Bergeron ($4.750m) / * Eric Fehr ($1.400m)
Brooks Laich ($2.067m) / Mathieu Perreault ($0.717m) / * Owen Nolan ($2.000m)
Jason Chimera ($1.875m) / Dave Steckel ($1.100m) / Matt Bradley ($1.000m)
* Boyd Gordon ($0.850m)
DEFENSEMEN
Karl Alzner ($1.675m) / Mike Green ($5.250m)
* Jeff Schultz ($1.850m) / Tom Poti ($3.500m)
* Sean O\’Donnell ($2.000m) / John Carlson ($0.817m)
John Erskine ($1.250m) / Tyler Sloan ($0.700m)
GOALTENDERS
Michal Neuvirth ($0.822m) / Simeon Varlamov ($0.822m)
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS
(these totals are compiled using the bonus cushion)
ROSTER: 23; CAP:$59.4m; PAYROLL: $59.482m; CAP ROOM: $0.768m BONUSES: $0.850m