The Noon Number

A lot can change in a couple years. Rosters change, opposing teams adjust, luck runs out. ‘09-’10 is a season where you can say “well let’s just repeat that” and get the same results. The Caps scored 46 more goals than any other team in the league – that’s not likely to happen again.

If we’re only using it in the context to account for Backstrom’s highest year, it’s incredibly distant from any other year. Not counting this year, in his other 3 years aside from the 33 in 09-10, his next highest year is 22…the ONLY other time he’s topped 20 goals. I think pointing out it was a very abnormal year (and noting he was still 7 shy of 40) is fair game.

No. They stopped scoring before the switch. Going back to it, even remotely feasible, just isn’t going to get AO 65 again.

The catch with the 09-10 template is that run and gun scores goals in regular season, but is not a winning template come playoff time. I have NHL center ice and I often flip over to Ducks games to see what ol BB is up to. He is not winning via run n gun, he’s winning with a balanced, traditional style that the Caps have yet to master.

Now I have watched since Dec as the Caps try to learn how to cycle the puck, dump n chase and play a deeper defense, and it is actually slowly coming about. They were horrible at cycling in Dec; no they can actually do it with some regularity.

But- from watching other teams and seeing what Dale Hunter is (reportedly) trying to so, the Caps are regularly failing to do a few things. They are still not hitting like they have grit. They don’t clear the crease with aggression. The transition is often weak, in that they are more likely to dump it to neutral than anything else.

I don’t think Dale Hunter is trying to build anything less than a Boston-level type of gritty, balanced game. But let’s face it – GM has made no trades whatsoever. This crop of players was largely trained for run and gun. They are not all transitioning well. Even BB could not get them to do it even tho it is now proven he also wants to run a more balanced game.

GM needs to bring in players that support Hunter’s plans. There is no way the Caps can meld to a new style without some changes. To leave a half-build run and gun team in place while the coach is building a balanced system is to leave the coach out to dry.

Era adjusted, the 09-10 Caps were one of the ten best goal scoring teams ever. It would be hard to get close again, even if they didn’t change a thing.

I just don’t see him hitting that mark. High 20’s, occasionally 30 in good years I can see. Topping out at 33 the year our O went nuclear doesn’t make me think he can go higher than that gain.

Nope. 28/52/80, year after year after year, is what this Backstrom fanboi had in mind.
Also, Fuck Rene Bourque with a chainsaw-wielding porcupine.

Maybe if Ovi gets injured for a significant period of time, and he is forced to shoot first a lot more. But I don’t think he’ll get more than 80pts and 40 goals. He’s just not that kind of player.