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Another year gone by, another round of Rink Wraps complete, and another year of Alex Ovechkin exceeding expectations.

All the votes - more than 16,000 of them - have been tallied, and here are your final ratings for the 2008-09 Caps (and for more math-y goodness on the voting, check out fnralch's FanPost):

The bars in black represent the five-to-six range of "as expected," with the green and red indicating the unexpected, both good and bad.

Congrats go out to Michael Nylander for setting a new low, breaking Tomas Fleischmann's mark of 4.14 from last year, and to John Erskine, Flash and Milan Jurcina for delivering so little a season ago that their performances this year provided them with the biggest gains in this ratings racket (other than Brian Pothier, that is, whose mere ability to lace 'em up and contribute blew all expectations out of the water). On the flip side, Nyls, Shaone Morrisonn, Sergei Fedorov, Donald Brashear, Jeff Schultz and Chris Clark all saw big drops in their scores.

Oh, and the coach? The scoring system was a little different for him (i.e. based purely on performance), and he came in with an impressive 7.74.

It's somewhat ironic that on an individual level, well over half of the players rated here exceeded expectations (and only a half-dozen played below their anticipated level of performance), and yet the team as a whole probably fell short of where we'd have hoped they'd be at the outset of the season. One thing is for certain - another campaign with a similar end result and there will be a lot less green on next year's version of the chart above.

So what jumps out at you? Any surprises? With whose score do you most disagree?

From Alzner to Varlamov, we took a look at and graded 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. Now that we've covered the players, it's time to turn our attention to the man behind the bench, Bruce Boudreau.

Bruce Boudreau

Head Coach / Washington Capitals

Height: 5-9

Weight: 170ish

Born: Jan 9, 1955

NHL Seasons:2

Contract Status: Under contract "for a long time"

'07-'08 Rink Wrap:N/A

[Since a coach's season is hard to quantify beyond the numbers above, we figured we'd have a roundtable discussion on what Dirt, err, Gabby did well and what he may not have done so well. Feel free to weigh in on any of these points in the comments.]

J.P.: Alright, guys, time to Wrap the guy behind the bench. Let's talk regular season for now - what did the reigning Jack Adams Trophy winner do that impressed you over the first 82 games of the campaign?

DMG: I thought Boudreau did a very good job of mitigating the Capitals' two most dire early season problems - Jose Theodore's slow start and injuries to the defense.

The goaltending situation could have gotten very messy with Theodore underachieving and Brent Johnson keeping the team in games early on. Yet rather than stubbornly stick with a sub-par Theo just because he was supposed to be "the guy" or make the assumption that he had flaked out on the team, Boudreau was able to use the hot hand to help the Capitals win games without shaking Theodore's confidence.

When it came to the defensive injuries, I think Boudreau did something that he doesn't always do all that well: he put players in a position to succeed.  I know Gabby's said a number of times that he tries not to worry too much about matchups or whom his players are playing against but if you look at the quality of competition rating for the team's defensemen from this past season, it seems pretty clear Bruce was trying to protect the AHL callups.

Pepper: I agree on the goaltending point. While a certain legendary former Caps goalie once famously criticized Boudreau for not understanding goaltenders, Gabby seemed to have the pulse on all four (five?!) of them utilized this season, when to start them and when to rest or bench them, and that, of course, extended into the playoffs.

One could even point to the December 23rd "Miracle on 34th Street" for a microcosm of that ability which he showed this past season.

Second, his motivation of the players -- his positive, challenging messages to urge the players to tackle new challenges, push the limits of their game. Continual encouragement and second chances given. It didn't work out with all of the guys (and eventually, I fear, that sort of message will grow stale), but giving Brooks Laich a chance once ot play D, sending Alex Semin out on the PK, occasionally extending Matt Bradley's role beyond just a fourth-line grinder, are shining examples.

[Make sure to click through below the poll to read the rest of the roundtable after the jump.]

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From 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. Last up (sorta), Simeon Varlamov.

Simeon Varlamov

#40 / Goalie / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-1

Weight: 183

Born: Apr 27, 1988

NHL Seasons:1

Contract Status: $821,667 cap hit in 2009-10; RFA after 2010-11 season

'07-'08 Rink Wrap:N/A

Key Stats: In his first eight starts of the playoffs, Varlamov was 6-2 with a 1.51 goals against average and .945 save percentage.

Interesting Stat: Varlamov played in more combined regular season and playoff games (60) in the RSL last season than Jose Theodore played in the NHL this season (59).

The Good: Varlamov made his NHL debut on December 13 in Montreal (on Hockey Night in Canada) and stopped 32 of 33 Habs shots en route to a 2-1 win. He followed up that effort with a 4-2, 29-save win over St. Louis and a demotion to Hershey (where, incidentally, he went 19-7-1/2.40/.916 on the year), and would re-appear in D.C. in mid-March to finish out the season with a 2-0-1/2.87/.895 stretch (comprised of two good games and a stinker).

Despite good regular season numbers and an impressive pedigree, Varly was still a relative unknown (and the source of baseless ridicule) heading into the post-season, and a player who didn't figure to see much, if any, ice time. But neither his anonymity nor his back-up status would last long, as Varly became a household name soon after relieving Jose Theodore to start Game 2 of the first round series against the Rangers. The young Russian (who turned 21-years-old during the series) dropped that first game, but showed both skill and poise, neither of which deserted him for the remainder of the series, as he'd rally the Caps to a stunning come-from-behind series win after falling behind 2-0 and 3-1. His numbers for the series? 4-2/1.17/.952 with two shutouts, becoming the first Caps' netminder (and second ever) to have two shutouts in a playoff series since Olie Kolzig did it back in 1998.

Varly's hot streak continued for a few more games, as he opened the Penguins series with 33- and 34-save home wins and then gave the Caps a chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead on the eventual Stanley Cup Champions in Pittsburgh by stopping 32 of 34 shots through regulation (his counterpart, Marc-Andre Fleury, had made 16 stops on just 18 shots at the other end over the same sixty-minute stretch). But, eleven minutes into overtime, a Kris Letang shot from the point deflected off of Shaone Morrisonn and past Varlamov and, well, that was the beginning of the end.

But before we move on, this was pretty damn good, too:

The Bad: At times, Varly's concentration seemed to wander (see Chris Drury's Game 3 softy), and his occasional nonchallance with the glove was perhaps ominous foreshadowing of what was to come. Varlamov showed signs of both mental and physical fatigue as the playoffs wore on, and he admitted as much, even before the numbers started to show it.

But to chalk up the way Varlamov's post-season ended (1-3/4.88/.869 in his last four games) to a lack of endurance may be to excuse flaws in his game (namely his glove hand and his tendency to be overly aggressive at times) and the simple fact that Varly was no longer an unknown. Much like a rookie pitcher who mows down an opposing lineup the first time through the order but gets roughed up the second and third times facing the same hitters, teams have now gone to school on Varly - next year, he won't be catching many teams by surprise.

Finally, Varlamov sustained a knee injury in January that cost him more than a month. This, less than a year after a somewhat significant ankle injury, raises additional concerns about his durability.

The Vote: Rate Varlamov 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: How much can realistically be expected of Varlamov in 2009-10? What would it take for him to earn a 10 next season?

From 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. Next up, Jose Theodore.

Jose Theodore

#60 / Goalie / Washington Capitals

Height: 5-11

Weight: 182

Born: Sep 13, 1976

NHL Seasons: 12

Contract Status: Cap hit of $4,500,000 in 2009-10; UFA after the 2009-10 season.

Key Stat:  Theodore had a 2.52 goals against average and a .913 save percentage between December 26th and Match 31st and a 3.41 goals against average and .871 save percentage the rest of the season.

Interesting Stat: Theodore's goals against average and save percentage in Caps wins were 2.12 and .924; in losses they were 3.99 and .867.

The Good: As the numbers above indicate, the consistently inconsistent Theodore was good for much of the middle of the season and struggled at the beginning and the end of the campaign.  While his numbers from that stretch of quality play are, on a whole, solid but not spectacular, it's important to note that there were a number of times Theo carried the Capitals to victory: one-goal-against performances against the Flyers on January 6th and March 12th, a 23-saves-on-24-shots outing against Boston in January, and a 27 save night against the Red Wings on January 31st among them.

It also ought to be mentioned that Theodore took Bruce Boudreau's decision to start Simeon Varlamov about well as could be expected.  Sure he got a little testy with reporters after being asked about the situation repeatedly, but ultimately Theodore's decision to accept his new role as cheerleader let the team avoid a potentially ugly locker room situation and focus on their task at hand.

The Bad: By the numbers "The Bad" of Theodore's season was pretty much October, November, December, and April, stretches that resulted in him finishing 36th of 46 qualifying goalies in goals against average and save percentage.  Beyond the numbers there's the question of how much confidence Theo's teammates had in him by the time he was benched in the team's first round playoff series against the Rangers.  Of course to those of us who aren't in the locker room it's pure speculation, but as soon as Varlamov skated out to take his place in net in Game Two you had to wonder if it was due in part to a team that didn't have faith in their netminder's ability, a question that became even more intriguing when the team seemed to play looser and more relaxed in front of Varlamov, despite his lack of NHL experience and youth.

The Vote: Rate Theodore 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: How actively, if at all, should the Capitals be shopping Theodore this offseason?  Is it safe for the team to turn the goaltending reins over to some combination of inexperience and uncertainty with Simeon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth and frailty in Brent Johnson (assuming he can be re-signed)?  Or would it be worth it to the team to keep Theodore as an insurance policy?  Finally, if the team does decide to try and move Theo, will they be able to find any takers and, if 'yes', who might they be?

From 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. Next up, David Steckel.

David Steckel

#39 / Center / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-5

Weight: 222

Born: Mar 15, 1982

NHL Seasons:4

Contract Status: $725,000 cap hit in 2009-10; UFA after 2009-10 season

'07-'08 Rink Wrap:6.93 rating

Key Stats: Steckel led all Caps forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (3:48) and face-off percentage (57.9%), finishing third and fifth in the League in those categories, respectively.

Interesting Stat: The Caps are 15-2 all-time (regular season and playoffs) in games in which Steckel scores a goal.

The Good: In his second full season in the League, Steckel set career highs in games played, goals, assists, shots on goal per game and plus-minus, and lowered his per game penalty minutes. He led the Caps in shorthanded goals (2) and points (3), was fifth among the forwards in hits and first in blocked shots, and took the second-most draws on the team (nearly 58% of which he won).

Those regular season numbers tell a bit of the story of Steckel's 2008-09, but they're not nearly as interesting as what followed in a post-season that saw the towering pivot center an incredibly effective third-line, score in each of the first two games of the second round and then give Caps fans their highlight of the season with his overtime game winner in Pittsburgh to force Game 7. Heck, he even raised his face-off percentage in the playoffs, including winning 63% of his second-round draws.

... And all of the above for a $512,500 cap hit (or less than 1/8th of what Sergei Fedorov earned). As Bruce Boudreau commented in the wake of the Game 6 overtime goal, "When you compete as hard as David does, sometimes good things happen to you. You can win with guys like that. A lot of coaches want guys like David Steckel." Indeed.

The Bad: It's hard to ding a guy who got no power play time and skated with low-quality linemates for a lack of offense, so we won't, even though Steckel is a guy just two years removed from a 30-goal/61-point AHL campaign (in a much different role, of course). And while it's not really "bad" and more a function of Boudreau's reluctance to match lines, it is worth noting that Steckel didn't play against particularly difficult competition this year. Frankly, it's hard to come up with anything negative to write about Stecks other than noting the virtually empty net into which he didn't score in overtime of Game 5 against the Penguins  - he is what he is: a very effective checking center who may be blossoming into a bit more.

The Vote: Rate Steckel 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: Can Steckel be the Caps' third-line center in 2009-10, or is he better-suited to man the middle on the fourth line? What will it take for him to earn a 10 rating next year?

From 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. Next up,Tyler Sloan.

Tyler Sloan

#89 / Defenseman / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-3

Weight: 205

Born: Mar 15, 1981

NHL Seasons: 1

Contract Status: UFA; Contract of $475,000 (league minimum) in '08-'09.

'07-'08 Rink Wrap:None

Key Stat:  During the regular season, he was fourth-best amongst Caps D in GA/60 (minimum 20 GP). 

Interesting Stat:  He, and Karl Alzner, were the only Caps D to draw more penalties than they committed at even strength (again, 20 GP minimum).

The Good:  Most of Caps Land had never heard of Tyler Sloan, signed by Washington to a one year deal on July 2 of last year.  Except those who closely followed the Hershey Bears during their first Calder Cup run in the era of Capitals affiliation -- Sloan was an emergency signee for Hershey and saw two games of 2005-06 playoff action in the A.  But when Sloan took his first NHL shift in his home town of Calgary, and crushed Flames F Daymond Langkow in the neutral zone, with an open-ice hit fit for a year-end league highlight reel, we all took notice.

Yes, "Cinderella Man" provided one of several feel-good stories of the season for Les Capitals, his long-winding journey to the summit of the hockey world.  A rags-to-riches to rookie dinner tab tale, punctuated by his first NHL goal, a third period tie-breaker that could have been a game-winner, and finishing up with a healthy dose of ice time in the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

Ok, that's all well and good, but how did Sloan fit it to the bigger 2008-09 Capitals season picture?  Well, principally, he provided solid injury support, most often paired with Tom Poti, during the months of November and December, when all of Mike Green, Jeff Schultz, Shaone Morrisonn, and even Poti himself, spent time on the shelf.    And, as for injury insurance, Sloan was as cheap as they come, earning the league minimum (and yeah, he probably was really liking it).

He was an effective penalty killer, earning the second (to Green) lowest GA/60 ratio at 4-on-5 amongst Caps D, and was on pace to block more shots on the PK than all Caps D but Alzner (in each case, minimum 20 GP).

I even suggested that Sloan could've, perhaps should've, seen more playoff action, later in the second-round Penguins series, over an severely injury-compromised Green.  Think I'm crazy?  Well, the Penguins didn't score while he was on the ice in his two GP (Games 2 and 3), either at even-strength or on the PP.  And Sloan stayed out of the penalty box.  According to Brian Pothier, after Sloan's NHL playoff debut, "[H]e just makes great decisions....I don't think he made a mistake [in Game 2]."  Green was a -4 at ES during the post-season; Sloan, a + 1.  So for what that's worth.  

Feeling underwhelmed?  Well, at least his name evokes a legendary indie rock band from the Great White North.

The Bad:  At times, admittedly, Sloan looked more like a Las Vegas Wrangler than a Washington Capital.  For stretches he would efficiently clear the puck and at other times make dangerous clearing attempts that would directly result in goals, or highlight-reel saves.  Like we saw a bit with Alzner last season, the pace of the game tends to wear on an NHL rookie, after the adrenaline of the call-up, and excitement of playing in the show, begins to subside.

And Sloan doesn't get many pucks on net, shooting less frequently than even Morrisonn or John Erskine.  So he's really a defensive-defenseman.  (Though Marty Turco might disagree.)

But seriously, going into this season, what did you expect from the first #89 in Capitals history?  So . . .

The Vote:  Rate Sloan 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:  Is Sloan worth resigning as injury depth for 2009-10, up to what price (assuming he could garner an offer from another team)?  What re-signings of other Caps D not currently under contract (Morrisonn, Milan Jurcina, Schultz, Bryan Helmer, Sean Collins, Sami Lepisto) would make Sloan expendable?

Update:  Per the team, Sloan has been re-signed for next season.  Further details have not yet been disclosed.

From 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. Next up, Alexander Semin.

Alexander Semin

#28 / Left Wing / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-2

Weight: 205

Born: Mar 03, 1984

NHL Seasons: 4

Contract Status: $4,600,000 cap hit in 2009-10; RFA after '09-'10

'07-'08 Rink Wrap:6.51 rating

Key Stat:  During the regular campaign, Semin finished with the highest GF/60 on the 2008-09 Capitals, an eye-popping 4.11 (Alex Ovechkin was second at 3.72), and also had the best GF/60 vs. GA/60 differential (1.84). 

Interesting Stat:  His GF/60 vs. GA/60 differential through 14 playoff games was exactly zero.

The Good:  Semin reached NHL career highs in points, GWGs, and +/- this past season, despite playing in the fewest number of games of the last three seasons.  Overall, he finished 16th in the league in goals scored, in 62 GP (fewest of the top 20 snipers in the league).  (He also erupted in an unprecedented display of raw emotion, pummeling the back of Rangers D Marc Staal to provide a wholly-unscripted and spontaneous hockey fight for the ages, drawing the Verizon Center crowd out of their seats to a standing O.)

He was a force in the first-round Rangers series, scoring 5 goals and 3 assists in the seven-game set, failing to register a point only in Game 2, a 1-0 Rangers victory.  (Though mention of his production during that next series is conspicuously absent.)

The Caps' power play finished as second-most productive in the league, and Semin was largely responsible for that production.  He was third in PP TOI/60 behind Ovechkin and Mike Green, and second in PP PTS/60 only to Nicklas Backstrom.  Having Semin as a shooting option was indispensible to such profilic scoring with the extra man this season.  Even if his PP goal total dropped slightly from 2007-08 (10) to 2008-09 (8), his season PP points total increased 50%, from 20 to 30.    

Through the first month of the season, into mid-November, Alex Semin was looking like the league's Hart trophy winner, and Ovechkin was, for a moment in time never to be repeated (we hope), looking like "the other Alex."  Semin was leading the league in goals and points, particularly scoring clutch goals, and crushing would-be division rivals with a scintillating display of offensive might, a dominance that had Caps Nation delirious with joy.  On a night when the division lead was on the line, and a statement needed to be made to the only legitimate challengers to the Southeast crown, in Carolina, Semin, on the (sometimes infamous) line with Ovechkin and Backstrom, unleashed a shock-and-awe attack at RBC Center, and the game was over well before the final horn.  Coach Boudreau decreed, of that top line, "They can be cute if they are going to get five goals a night."

The Bad:  And therein lies the dilemma with a still young and developing Sasha Semin.  With the ice as his canvas, he's a master artist.  He possesses breathtaking natural talent for executing a myriad of critical elements of the game of hockey.  To watch his artistry, which has only been further refined and enhanced during his young career, is to be reminded of why the game is so captivating.  And for all of his supreme skills, Sasha is well within his right to, rhetorically, ask "What's so special about [Sidney Crosby]?" and declare that "[Patrick Kane] is a much more interesting player."  Because Semin thrills the fan with feats of dexterity like perhaps no one in the game right now. 

However, though witnessing the slick sniper may richly satisfy the assembled on a given game night, there's quite a lot of brilliance to go around in absorbing the NHL game, to make the price of admission worthwhile, and I think we'd all trade a bit of the flourish for a greater focus on ultimate victory.  In short, there's beauty in ugliness when it comes to hockey.  (Just ask the Penguin fan.)  Crosby's name will soon be etched into the legendary barreled base of the Stanley Cup, while neither Semin's nor Kane's name will be found there, as of yet.  Semin simply tries too often to make the jaw-dropping play, when a more straightforward approach is more effective.

Next, what some may call the most significant, acute liability of Semin's game:  his penchant for commiting minor restraining fouls.  For most of the season, Semin led the team by far in RF/60.  And he committed 10 more minor penalties overall in the 2008-09 season than in the season before, in roughly the same number of GP.  Notably, Semin committed just five restraining fouls in 14 playoff games, an average of roughly 0.9 RF/60.  Better, when it counts most, but still not great for an elite player.

Why so many penalties?  The answer can, at least in part, be found in his exorbitant shift lengths.  Sasha gets tired, but still he won't quit on the puck when it's lifted from him.  No longer able to overtake his opponent with skating stride, he uses illegal methods to attempt to take back the biscuit. 

All that being said about penalties, Semin drew about as many penalties as he committed (20 taken and 19 drawn in the regular season, and 6 taken and 7 drawn, at even-strength).  Still, with his game-breaking skill, he could improve on that ratio.  When it comes to driving the net, and taking hangers-on with him, to borrow a phrase, sometimes he feels like a nut, and sometimes he doesn't.

Finally, I often find it difficult to criticize a player for not playing through pain, because I honestly have no idea of what that player is enduring (especially, as in Semin's case, if I don't have the opportunity to have a meaningful dialogue with him.)  Or for being injury-prone, that the frequency of injury or extent of time on the IR necessarily evidences a player's lack of commitment to the game or to his teammates.  (See, e.g., Peake, Pat, for a clear example to the contrary.)  And so I won't question Semin's commitment. 

But, nevertheless, managing an NHL franchise to win a Cup involves cold calculation, and the propensity of a player to be out of the lineup due to injury has to factor into the long-term planning of the team's personnel on the ice.  Semin's now played in 63 and 62 games in the last two seasons:  is this all that we can expect for next season as well?  Perhaps, with all of the offensive talent on this Caps team going forward, missing 20-odd games in the regular season is not so relevant.  But he was also busted during the playoffs.  So it appears that, aside from the first month of the season, there was hardly a time when Semin was not nursing some serious ailment.

The Vote:  Rate Semin 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:  Can Semin again play a full, or nearly full, season, and reach his 50-goal potential?  Is he one of those players with über skill but less of that vaguely-defined hockey sense to match?  What will it take for him to earn a 10 rating next year?

From 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. Next up, Jeff Schultz.

Jeff Schultz

#55 / Defenseman / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-6

Weight: 221

Born: Feb 25, 1986

NHL Seasons: 3

Contract Status: RFA; qualifying offer of $715,000 needed to retain rights.

'07-'08 Rink Wrap: 6.32

Key Stats: In his three NHL seasons, Schultz has been tied for first, first, and second among Capitals defensemen in plus-minus.  He also has the highest plus-minus among all Caps skaters in that time frame.

Reminder Interesting Stat: Schultz is younger than both Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green.

The Good: Schultz once again had a year of generally consistent, solid-but-unspectacular play, proving himself to be an effective defenseman and one capable of playing second pairing minutes, coming almost exclusively five-on-five (Schultz had the second most even strength minutes per game among Capitals defensemen) and on the penalty kill (Schultz was also second in shorthanded time per game).

In five-on-five situations Schultz was one of only two Capitals defensemen - Mike Green was the other- who had a GFON/60 than was significantly higher than his GAON/60.  It's also worth noting that both of Schultz's regular defensive partners, Green and Milan Jurcina, had their rate of team goals for go up and the rate of team goals against go down when they were paired with Sarge as opposed to other partners.

Four-on-five Schultz was one of the team's better penalty killers, making use of his big body and long reach to post a better four-on-five GAON/60 than Shaone Morrisonn, Karl Alzner and Tom Poti.

What is perhaps most impressive is that Schultz played so many difficult minutes without making very many mistakes: he took fewer penalties than any defenseman other than Alzner and gave the puck away fewer times per game other than anyone aside of Morrisonn.  What Schultz does best may just be what's most likely to go underappreciated by fans: being able to take a regular shift at the NHL level without making mistakes.  That in and of itself is a skill few people in this world posses and while it's not as flashy as a big hit or a fight, it's a lot more likely to help your team win a hockey game.

The Bad:  Schultz might do a pretty good job of mitigating the weaknesses in his game, but they're still obvious and they're still significant enough to cause him problems.  He's about as awkward-looking a skater you'll find at the NHL level (tossing out guys who are only in the league to fight) and his deliberateness with the puck and clumsy hands make handling the puck a problem, especially when trying to keep it in at the point.  Sarge also plays for too tentatively at times, and has a tendency to get caught flat-footed as a result of slow decision-making.  No matter how aware Sarge is of these issues, they're ones skilled forwards will be able to exploit until the big guy simply gets better.

Schultz's offense was a disappointment too.  It's not that anyone expect Schultz to contribute much from the blue line - that's simply not his skill set or mentality - but that he didn't score a single goal with a goaltender in the opposition's net after potting five during the '07-'08 campaign has to be considered a step backwards.

And then of course, there was this:

Of course, we now know Schultz was playing with a broken rib, making it difficult or even impossible for him to move in the way he would have needed to in order to be able to make the play.  Still, that's the kind of ugly, high-profile gaffe that can stick with a kid.

The Vote: Rate Schultz 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: Where does Schultz ranked in the Capitals' defensive heirarchy going into next season?  Has he solidified a top four role for himself or will Jurcina, Alzner, and possibly even Pothier make it possible that Schultz finds his way to the third pairing?