Ranking the Capitals: #23

by J.P. on Sep 10, 2010 1:45 PM EDT

In an effort to beat the summer doldrums, we're undertaking to rank - with your help - the Washington Capitals (only players under contract will be considered). The criteria is simple: who at this moment is the most valuable player in the organization who hasn't already been ranked? Put another way, if you could only keep one of the remaining players - because of what he brings on the ice or off it, his upside, what he could fetch in trade, and so on - who would it be? Consider age, potential, contract status, organizational depth, etc. - it's your call. And after you vote and defend your selection in the comments, help us out and suggest a name to add to the next poll. [Note: here's a recap of last year's rankings; previous "Ranking the Capitals 2010" posts can be found here.]

Welcome Cody Eakin to the list and Zach Miskovic to the poll...

Poll

Who's the next most valuable Cap?

John Erskine

44 votes

Andrew Gordon

57 votes

D.J. King

47 votes

Patrick McNeill

5 votes

Jay Beagle

3 votes

Anton Gustafsson

8 votes

Tyler Sloan

4 votes

Dmitry Kugryshev

27 votes

Francois Bouchard

2 votes

Zach Miskovic

1 votes

198 votes | Poll has closed

If this FanPost is written by someone other than one of the blog's editors, the opinions expressed in it do not necessarily reflect those of this blog or SB Nation.

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Comments

At this point the water gets really really muddy. It’s not that the guys are equal, but they’re just so close you can really make a case for anyone. I voted Kugryshev because he’s the only guy left that I think will make the NHL as a scoring-line winger.

My blog and Twitter, featuring coverage of the winger that has now terrorized over 70 NHL goalies.

by red army line on Sep 10, 2010 2:05 PM EDT reply actions

For me, the distinguishing factor at this point is upside potential. For example, if the player fell into a black hole, could they be replaced. And what is the likely maximum career arc for the player. So it was a choice between Kugryshev and Gordon, and I went with the Russian.

by meatball20 on Sep 10, 2010 2:13 PM EDT reply actions

I voted Erskine. He may not actually be #23 MVC, but if he’s going to be getting an opening night sweater I would like him to play like he is.

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by SmallZ827 on Sep 10, 2010 2:23 PM EDT reply actions

I think after Kugryshev and Gordon, if Erskine, Sloan and King are still there I’ll vote for them with this logic

by meatball20 on Sep 10, 2010 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Kugryshev is the only one left with serious upside, so I’m going with him.

Erskine Sloan King, all useful this year but replaceable fairly easily. I wouldn’t be saddened to see any of them traded. Andrew Gordon still has potential, but due to age it won’t be any more than a good grinder.

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by Bman21212 on Sep 10, 2010 3:57 PM EDT reply actions

King is not easily replacable, due to his fighting ability. There aren’t too many fighters of that quality. Otherwise, he might not bring much though. But definitely agree about Erskine and Sloan.

Never underrate the power of the hissy-cow.

by timmyv38 on Sep 10, 2010 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Fighting ability alone doesn’t make King valuable. At minimum wage, though, it is.

My blog and Twitter, featuring coverage of the winger that has now terrorized over 70 NHL goalies.

by red army line on Sep 11, 2010 3:42 AM EDT up reply actions

In a way, it does – mainly because it saves Brads. King might be able to be more productive in a better system with more time though. His very low salary certainly increases his value somewhat.

Never underrate the power of the hissy-cow.

by timmyv38 on Sep 11, 2010 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions

It depends whether you value the ability to fight on its own or not. I don’t. In some ways Bradley fighting is more productive, like Max Talbot fighting, since when someone who isn’t a fighter fights I think it’s more likely to light a spark rather than a fighter fighting.

My blog and Twitter, featuring coverage of the winger that has now terrorized over 70 NHL goalies.

by red army line on Sep 11, 2010 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

It also usually ends up with Brads getting hurt. I remember plenty of times when Brashear getting in a fight pumped the crowd and the team up, and I think the same would happen with King. Sometimes, you just need a player who can win a fight, and the Caps don’t really have anyone else who’s good at that. I don’t value King much overall though – but that could change if he can be more productive.

Never underrate the power of the hissy-cow.

by timmyv38 on Sep 11, 2010 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Erskine

This pains me, but Erskine is currently an NHL player, and most of the prospects on the list are longshots for the NHL, and even if they do make it several years from now, they’re unlikely to be impact players like an Eakin/Holtby/Johansson.

Erskine isn’t very good, but he’s presently the 6th best defenseman in the system. Until we acquire someone else, I think he belongs at #23.

As for Kugryshev not being replaceable, see Bouchard two years ago.

'Cause the end of what it was is what it is right now...

by D'ohboy on Sep 10, 2010 5:28 PM EDT reply actions

I find Tyler Sloan more palatable than Erskine as a 6. Just my opinion.

I have a twitter.
"Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat"

by Ovechwin on Sep 10, 2010 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions

If either of them is getting regular time as the 6th defenceman, the team for whom they are dressing is in big trouble. Neither is a palatable option as anything other than a 7th (or lower) D-man.

The guy is Peter Schumpmaker. Lord knows what a schump is, but you can bet your bippy his ancestors made them. What he's doing is far worse than crafting fine schumps.

by Steckel Me Elmo on Sep 11, 2010 2:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed—I’d rather take my chances with Sloan’s mobility than Erskine’s grit for 13-15 minutes a night.

back to cool special

by bigonetimer on Sep 11, 2010 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions

I think if you play him regularly, he will do better too.

I have a twitter.
"Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat"

by Ovechwin on Sep 11, 2010 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Sloan’s positioning and hockey sense aren’t good enough to really put that mobility to good use though. Erskine is slow, but his positioning is generally better and he at least brings something that the D lacks. Erskine is at least very effective at controlling pests like Avery in front of the net. I don’t like either at 6, but I’d prefer Erskine at 7 and Sloan at 8.

Release the Mackan!

by Killer_Carlson on Sep 11, 2010 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I know 89’s quality of competition is a little weak, but I’d disagree that he doesn’t put his mobility to work when he does get his minutes. I’m not trying to argue that Sloan is a legitimate 6D, I’m just expressing preference over Erskine as such in our current lineup.

back to cool special

by bigonetimer on Sep 11, 2010 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions

And I’m just expressing that Sloan’s skating brings less to the table than does Erskine’s physicality. Sloan is still caught out of position and is so slow making decisions and reacting to the play that it neutralizes his skating. One advanced stat doesn’t change that, especially when he is among the worst on the team in other advanced stats like GAON/60, +/-ON/60, GFON/60 and rating.

Release the Mackan!

by Killer_Carlson on Sep 11, 2010 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

And Erskine is among the best. E4’s +/- ON60 was middling on the team, which is pretty good for a 6D, and it was better than John Carlson, for example.

My blog and Twitter, featuring coverage of the winger that has now terrorized over 70 NHL goalies.

by red army line on Sep 12, 2010 3:19 AM EDT up reply actions

Erskine may suck, but he’s demonstrably a better defenseman than Sloan in almost every regard, save straight-line skating ability. Sloan was a fringe-y AHL player, and he really doesn’t belong in the NHL on a regular basis.

'Cause the end of what it was is what it is right now...

by D'ohboy on Sep 11, 2010 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

Also, your opinion on Sloan is pretty clearly biased. :)

'Cause the end of what it was is what it is right now...

by D'ohboy on Sep 11, 2010 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m being serious this time!

I have a twitter.
"Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat"

by Ovechwin on Sep 11, 2010 10:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Kugryshev might not pan out, you are right. But you could say the same about 1st round picks too. I simply don’t see any way that Erskine has more upside and thus fetches more in a trade than Kugryshev.

Proud member of the Popsicle Division of the Cupcake Conference.

by Bman21212 on Sep 11, 2010 2:42 AM EDT up reply actions

At this point I could have gone 8 different ways. I decided to go with Patrick McNeil. Normal d-men take awhile to develop. I still continue to hear good things from the folks who regularly watch/cover the Bears on him. Given the Caps thin blueline for this year and the future I like his chances of contributing in the next couple of years. I gave up on Lepisto too early. Not making that mistake again.

"The most important thing - to get to the playoffs and move on." Evgeny Kuznetsov

by Carl Putnam on Sep 10, 2010 7:05 PM EDT reply actions

Good argument. I’m still skeptical about him but maybe that’s just because he’s always been so under the radar. I don’t think Kuger or Bouchard are ever going to pan out as top 6 so I let Gouldie sway me into A. Gordon, finally. Realistically he’s probably only a 4th line player, so I shouldn’t even consider him, but he may have some offensive upside to play on the third line. I bet McNeil gets a few preseason games this year. There are fewer guys that need looks and he’s the only guy left in HER that might have any sort of realistic chance to play for the Caps regularly in the future.

Lockout talk makes me want to go out and choke an old lady - Elliotte Friedman

by Rob Parker on Sep 11, 2010 2:59 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m still on Gordon, who seems to fly under the radar and then surprise pleasantly at every level. His is just a story of constant, steady improvement. Above all else, this is a guy who was plugged into the hole left by Graham Mink as an experiment, and who rose to the challenge and didn’t just claim that #1 Line RW job, but excelled at it. I think he may be a late bloomer with a real NHL future.

Atta dinnin stick a who!

by Gould Old Days on Sep 12, 2010 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I went for A. Gordon mostly because I like his attitude. And his blog at RMNB…!

Little things are important in the playoffs, and those little things should be recognized. Things that might go unnoticed in a regular season game like a good back-check, a chipped puck out of our zone, or a smart line change can draw as much attention from the team as a goal from the highlight reel. A winning team knows that any play can impact the game, and without those character guys doing a lot of the grunt work, the team would never find itself in a position to score winning goals at all. Recognizing these plays is part of coming together as a team and respecting the fact that without everyone pulling on that rope together, we won’t go anywhere.

We knew we couldn’t take back the bad bounces that happened. We couldn’t play that period over again. But we knew if we used the last 40 minutes to play the way we know how, and stick to the game plan we could give ourselves a chance. From that point forward our attitude was completely different. We started shooting the puck, driving the net, limiting the odd man rushes against and only made high risk plays when it absolutely had to be done. By not giving them anything for free, we slowly started to take over. Every shift was like shooting a little more energy into our veins. We started to believe in ourselves and our abilities again. By the time the third period started, we had our swagger back.

"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."

by capsyoungguns on Sep 11, 2010 8:03 AM EDT reply actions