From Alzner to Wideman, we took a look at and graded the 2010-11 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2011-12. Now that we've covered the players and the coach, it's time to take a look at the architect of the team: General Manager George McPhee.

George McPhee

General Manager / Washington Capitals

Height: 5-9

Weight: 170ish

Born: July 2, 1958

NHL Seasons: 13

Contract Status: In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

'09-'10 Rink Wrap: 7.33

[Since a general manager's season is hard to quantify beyond a team's regular season numbers and projections about prospects and draft choices, we figured we'd have a roundtable discussion on what McPhee did well and what he may not have done so well. Feel free to weigh in on any of these points in the comments.]

The first question is a biggie - looking back at 2010-11, did George McPhee assemble a roster that could have reasonably been expected to compete for a championship?

Kareem: No, I do not think the roster was Stanley Cup championship caliber. Looking at the Caps position-by-position, I thought that McPhee assembled a very good defense (injuries notwithstanding) and a good goaltending tandem. And at forward, the Caps had good wings. But I did not think the team had the proper skill and depth at center to make a Cup-winning run. Jason Arnott and Marcus Johansson are nice players, but one's well past his prime and the other is a few years from it. If you go back and look at Stanley Cup finalists from the past several years, they ALL had second-line centers who could have played first-line center on other teams. That did not describe the Caps at center. But it's not an excuse for the obvious: the 2010-11 Caps woefully underachieved. The Caps should have been a third round team and could have made it to the Finals with this roster.

Pepper: Can't disagree with that assessment. McPhee's faith in the young defense tandem of John Carlson and Karl Alzner, and the goaltending "trio," paid off pretty handsomely for him. But, down the middle, the unwavering approach to building up that position has been, and continues to be, from the draft. In that regard, Johansson is, for sure, a few years from his prime. Other pivots in the organization who would assume a second line center position, and be able to perform all that is required from it, are still further away. In short, all the necessary elements of a Stanley Cup caliber team are not yet coming together at once.

But is that unwavering approach the right one to pursue, to the exclusion of all else, through, now, Alex Ovechkin's sixth NHL season? Is it ok that, in Ovi's career to date, the Caps have achieved only two playoff series victories, against the same team, seeded 7th and 8th in the respective seasons? Like we've all debated with respect to Coach Boudreau, how much of the blame for this mediocre playoff performance is on McPhee, and how much is on the offensive star corps of the Caps?

I think McPhee has been overly conservative in parting with assets and making creative, aggressive, potentially high-reward roster moves to shore up the key center position, as well as consistent, dependable secondary playoff-scoring punch, beyond trade-deadline rentals. And for a organization that has performed best in the post-season in the first one of McPhee's fourteen year-long Caps career, there is only so long that an organization can, or should, continue with the same brain trust at the helm.

David: I think fourteen seasons is a slight misrepresentation of McPhee's tenure with the Capitals. He took over in '98 and the team was humming along fine until the Jagr trade and while the trade itself made sense, the extension - Ted Leonsis' idea, by all accounts - was what sunk the team and forced them to start over. I think the lockout onward is the fair measure of McPhee's impact, and by that he has done pretty well.

J.P.: I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you guys here - on paper, the 2010-11 Capitals could have reasonably been expected to compete for a championship.

Goaltending? There was no reason to think that the tandem of Michal Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov wasn't capable of doing what Antti Niemi or Michael Leighton did a year earlier - somewhere between "good" and "good enough."

Defense? With the Carlson/Alzner duo up top, and (remember, on paper) pairings of Mike Green and Jeff Schultz and Dennis Wideman and Scott Hannan behind them (and John Erskine off the bench), the Caps had a six-deep group that's among the best of the Eastern Conference's playoff teams.

Forwards? Sure, the Caps weren't as strong down the middle as some other recent champs, but with an elite pivot manning the first line, a veteran presence who could still play a bit on the second and an emergent rookie on the third, it was hardly a fatal flaw (say it with me... on paper). Add to that two elite scoring wingers, secondary scoring from guys like Mike Knuble, Brooks Laich and Eric Fehr, a bit more depth behind them from the likes of Marco Sturm and Jason Chimera, and a theoretically solid checking line, this is a group that should have provided enough scoring and responsible defense.

To me, the pieces were there. In a capped league, you're never going to have a "perfect" roster, but the 2010-11 Caps' was enough to give fans reason to hope they'd be playing in June.

David: I think your last point is the crucial one. Kareem makes a valid point himself when he points out that the Caps lack the kind of center depth other Cup Finalists have had, but if you're looking at a team and only seeing one personnel flaw that's keeping them from being a prototypical Cup team, in the capped world, that should be enough. I mean, we can talk about the center issue all we want, but each of the teams that have been in the Finals post-lockout have had warts. It's just that they were able to neutralize them, and I don't see the Caps doing that.

I guess the short version of what I'm saying is that the Caps didn't have a perfect roster, or the best roster in the league, but I think it was definitely good enough to win a Cup.

Becca: I’d agree that on paper this team was constructed well enough to compete for the Cup. Put them up against the rest of the East and in general you’ve got guys who are comparable to – and at times far more talented than – their counterparts on any of the 8 playoff teams.

They had a nice blend of youth and veteran experience, of flashy skilled guys and gritty blue collar players, to make a long run. They added depth at the deadline as well as more experience and, more importantly, a bit more stability down the middle with the acquisition of Jason Arnott. And as JP points out, Neuvirth and Varlamov are at least as capable as the goalies who competed last year (and in my mind they’re more capable of making an impact than Niemi and Leighton). It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that this team made it to the Finals if everything fell the right way.

Next non-question question - give me one good and one bad move that GMGM has made over the past 12 months.

[Ed. Note: Be sure to keep reading after the jump, beneath the poll]

Continue reading this post »

From Alzner to Wideman, we took a look at and graded the 2010-11 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2011-12. 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: 4

Contract Status: Under contract "for a long time"

'09-10 Rink Wrap: 6.38

'08-'09 Rink Wrap: 7.74

[Since a coach's season is hard to quantify beyond the numbers above, we figured we'd have a roundtable discussion on what 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.]

1. Many saw Bruce as being on the hot seat this year after a first-round collapse last spring - how would you say his work behind the bench compares to his work last season? Do you think the differences from last year to this year (both positive and negative) are a result of Boudreau's coaching, the changes in the roster or a little of both?

JP: Hmm. I think it's important to acknowledge that he did something this year that he hadn't really done before - he drastically changed the team's even-strength system mid-season, and had success with it. Granted, the change was no doubt necessitated, in part, by the fact that the goals weren't coming as easily as they had in the past (does anyone think they'd have changed to a more "playoff-friendly" style had they still been pouring in three-plus goals per game?), but the fact of the matter is he took the run-and-gun Caps (that had become the pop-gun Caps) and turned them into a very solid defensive team at five-aside.

He also managed to win the Eastern Conference with a rookie (and a near-rookie) in his top D-pairing, a couple of rookies occupying the second- and third-line center positions for most of the season, and a trio of baby-faced goaltenders.

That said, he wasn't able to get the power-play straightened out, and wasn't able to get anything close to the best out of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom (which is, of course, more on them than it is on him). And then there was the playoffs, where he couldn't coax even a single win out of his team in the second round.

My thoughts on Boudreau at this point are pretty well-documented. This past season was more of the same - which isn't to say "bad," just to say that I'm not sure it was progress. The team has seemed to have stagnated, and while there's plenty of blame to go around, a good bit of it falls on the guy behind the bench.

Pepper: J.P.'s absolutely right to credit Boudreau for getting his team to win the Eastern Conference again with so many inexperienced players at key positions. He's clearly a fantastic regular season coach. And in that regard, he might have exceeded his work of last season, given the roster he was dealt. Again, he demonstrated the skills at which he best excels: instilling confidence in young players and unleashing their talents on the NHL stage.

But I maintain, in the face of another playoff calamity and still no evidence to the contrary, that regular season success is his ceiling, at least for this Caps team. Post-season progress had to be made in 2010-11. And defeating an injury-depleted Rangers team that hung on the edge of the playoff seeding cliff, while allowing fans the anticipation of two more home games in the second round, did not to me represent progress. (And let's not forget that this Boudreau-led team, if not for a miraculous Madison Square Garden comeback in Game 4, seemed on its way to putting a first-round victory, over an opponent decidedly outmatched on paper, in doubt.)

So, ultimately, I think Bruce Boudreau failed in the mission last season, which was a deep playoff run (certainly giving a second-round opponent a back alley fight, if not getting to the Conference Finals). I can't say it any better or more clearly than did J.P. a month ago: "either Bruce Boudreau had the wrong message, or he had the right one and was incapable of getting his players to execute it. Whichever it was, it's ultimately a poor reflection upon the coach."

Becca: As everyone else has done, I have to categorize Bruce’s progression by regular season and postseason; in terms of the regular season I thought he was much better than last year, not just because he implemented (and was successful with) a new defensive system but also because he acknowledged the need for such a change after years of stubbornly sticking with the same offensive-minded style. One of the biggest criticisms of Boudreau in his time with the Caps has been an unwillingness to adjust, and the fact that he saw a need to do so and then implemented a system that was way out of his comfort zone – and his team’s, for that matter – is at least a small sign of growth.

As for the postseason, even that was slightly improved from last year, and that’s not just because it was the first series in which they defeated an opponent in less than seven games since Boudreau took over. Yes, they needed a "miracle comeback" in Game 4 to avoid pushing it to at least six games, but there also weren’t many times in that series where I felt like the team was being outworked by the Rangers – I’m not sure I could say the same for most of the playoff series in years past. He had them focused, at least in the first round; it was the second round where the wheels fell off.

That being said, they did fall off, and while you can blame injuries to key players for some of it the fact is that once again Boudreau was outcoached, this time by a rookie bench boss.

2. What are your thoughts on the system changes this team incorporated this season, both at the beginning (with a general focus on improved defense and penalty killing) and mid-losing streak (when the team moved to a trap-like system)? Were they necessary? How effective do you think they were?

[Ed. Note: Be sure to keep reading after the jump, beneath the poll]

Continue reading this post »

From Alzner to Wideman, we're taking a look at and grading (please read the criteria below) the 2010-11 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2011-12. Last up, Dennis Wideman.

Dennis Wideman

#6 / Defenseman / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-0

Weight: 200

Born: Mar 20, 1983

NHL Seasons: 7

Contract Status: $3,937,500 cap hit in 2010-11; $3,937,500 cap hit in 2011-12

Previous Rink Wraps: N/A 

Key Stat: 55% of Wideman's total points came on the power play, including three of his seven points with the Caps.

Interesting Stat: While in Florida, Wideman never went more than five games without being a minus; he was a plus or even player in all but two of his fourteen games with the Caps.

The Good: When the team acquired Wideman at the deadline for a draft pick and a prospect, they knew they were bringing in someone who could potentially boost the power play and bring a bit of stability to a blue line that had been worn away by injuries, most notably to Mike Green. And for the 14 games in which he dressed, Wideman was a more than adequate fill-in, skating just over 24 minutes a game for the Caps and providing the team with another puck-moving defenseman who could jump-start the attack. 

During his brief regular season campaign in DC, Wideman was on the ice for 20 Caps' goals (twice as many as fellow deadline acquisition Jason Arnott in just three more games) and just 13 goals-against. He was relied upon for a good deal of special teams work, with about a quarter of his average ice time coming either on the power play or the penalty kill, and he led the team in shorthanded time on ice per game, skating just over three minutes a night 4-on-5. During that time he was on the ice for just four power play goals against; he also skated close to four minutes a night on the power play, and had points on three of the six power play goals the team scored during his fourteen games.

The Bad: As solid as Wideman was for the Caps, he definitely had a few rough patches, particularly in a game against the Flyers in which he was on the ice (and at times responsible) for every single goal scored - for both teams - in an eventual 5-4 shootout victory for the Caps.  And considering that he was brought in partially to help out the power play, it didn't show much improvement overall and in fact connected at a slightly lower rate than it had over the course of the season, with just six power play goals scored on 37 chances for a success rate of 16.2%.

Like some of his fellow blueliners, however, Wideman's 2010-11 campaign with the Caps was cut short by injury when he sustained a leg contusion in a game against Carolina on March 29. He was eventually hospitalized with compartment syndrome, a nasty-sounding ailment that kept him out of the lineup for the remainder of the regular season and the entire postseason. That he had begun skating with the team towards the end of the first round was reason for hope that he could dress in the playoffs, but the Caps' quick exit in round two at the hands of the Lightning made it impossible for him to return to the lineup.

The Vote: Rate Wideman 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: As someone who spent a quarter of his time on special teams last March, what do you see Wideman’s role being on the power play and penalty kill going forward, particularly if Mike Green and John Carlson are healthy? What are your expectations for him offensively next season? After a month of skating with a number of different defense partners, who would you like to see Wideman be paired with next year? Finally, what would it take for Wideman to earn a '10' next season?

From Alzner to Wideman, we're taking a look at and grading (please read the criteria below) the 2010-11 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2011-12. Next up, Semyon Varlamov.

Semyon Varlamov

#1 / Goalie / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-1

Weight: 183

Born: Apr 27, 1988

NHL Seasons: 3

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

'09-'10 Rink Wrap: 6.41

'08-'09 Rink Wrap: 8.56

Key Stat: Twenty NHL goaltenders played more minutes in 2010-11 than the 3,087 Varlamov has played since becoming a full-time NHLer at the beginning of the 2009-10 season.

Interesting Stat: Varlamov is 5-2-1/1.87/.934 in his career against the Tampa Bay Lightning, including a 2-1-1/1.49/.949 mark in 2010-11... but didn't see a single minute of ice time in the Caps' second round sweep at the hands of the Bolts.

The Good: Coming off a season in which he posted rather pedestrian numbers (including a 2.55 goals against average and .909 save percentage), Varlamov set career bests in both GAA and save percentage, the former of which ranked fourth among NHL goalies who started at least 25 games, while the latter ranked fifth in that group by a few ten-thousandths of a point. The trio of netminders ahead of Varly on both lists? The three Vezina finalists. Not bad. And even when Varlamov wasn't good, he was (with one notable exception) usually good enough to win - while he posted a 1.58 GAA and .946 save percentage in his 11 wins, he had a 2.49 GAA and .919 save percentage in his 13 losses other than The Manhattan Massacre. In fact, throw out that one game and twenty rough minutes in Anaheim and Varlamov had a sizzling 1.94 GAA and .934 save percentage on the campaign.

Varlamov's season peaked at the turn of the calendar year, when, over a four-game span, he rang up a 3-0-1/.988/.969 mark, shutout the Habs, and won the Superbowl Winter Classic. He also seemed to be rounding into form nicely upon returning from injury at the end of the year, posting save percentages of .913, .923 and .939 in his three games leading up to the the regular season's conclusion.

On a couple of historical notes, Varlamov's .924 save percentage in 2010-11 is the highest single-season mark in team history (minimum 15 games played) and has him sitting atop the franchise's all-time ledger in that category (just ahead of teammate Michal Neuvirth; the two rank second and third, respectively, in Caps all-time GAA).

The Bad: My kingdom for a groin. Yet again, Varlamov was hampered by injuries and unable to play anywhere close to a full season's worth of games. In his three seasons in North America, Varlamov has played 33, 29 and 30 regular season games between Washington and Hershey. This year's injuries cost Varlamov his job... and possibly his shot at a big NHL contract.

Beyond the injuries, there's the record - 11 wins and 14 losses - that's mildly concerning, but that should be taken with a shaker of salt, given the sparkling save percentage. Really, "The Bad" starts and ends with Varlamov's 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: All things considered (Varlamov's health, his leverage vis a vis the KHL, Neuvirth's contract, Braden Holtby's emergence, etc.) what is the maximum deal to which you'd like to see the Caps re-sign their Russian netminder? Should the Caps entertain trading Varlamov this summer? What would it take for Varly to earn a '10' next season?

From Alzner to Wideman, we're taking a look at and grading (please read the criteria below) the 2010-11 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2011-12. Next up, Marco Sturm.

Marco Sturm

#18 / Left Wing / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-0

Weight: 194

Born: Sep 08, 1978

NHL Seasons: 13

Contract Status: $3,500,000 cap hit in 2011-12; UFA thereafter

Previous Rink Wraps: N/A

Key Stat: Sturm shot 4.2% with the Caps this year in 27 total games.

Interesting Stat: Sturm took only three minor penalties in 18 regular season games with the Caps.

The Good: The late season addition of Marco Sturm was supposed to solidify the top 6 forward rotation, providing the Caps a forward who could fill in on the second line, or a dose of speed and defensive shutdown capability on the third line.  Seeing that he was acquired for nothing - literally a waiver wire steal - the thinking was that any output he could provide on a deep post-season run would be gravy.

On the defensive side he was excellent. His 1.90 5-on-5 GA/60 (calculated over 18 regular season games) would place him fourth among forwards on the Caps behind Brooks Laich, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom. He moved the football up field puck up ice better than any of his teammates, finishing +3.32 in expected zone shift finish - tops on the team. His CORSI rating (which includes 17 games with the Kings) was a respectable +3.66, indicating that he was a solid player no matter who he was playing with. He was good in the locker room, good at the little things and willing to do whatever the team asked him to.

The Bad: Offensively, Sturm didn't produce much, nor did he finish. He put up 30 shots in 18 regular season games, and a 3.3% shooting percentage earned him exactly one measly regular season goal with the Caps. His seven regular season points (1G, 6A) in 18 games with the Caps came out to a 0.39 ppg average, below his career 0.54 ppg average. What made his lack of production more disappointing was that when he was on the ice, scoring chances tilted in the Caps favor 56.4% - and he still couldn't put points on the board.

He also couldn't find much traction in the line-up, shuffling between the second and third line, and finishing with 14:01 of ice time per game with the Caps, the lowest of his career. Ultimately, Sturm never really meshed with any centers. He didn't play poorly (finishing +0.1 in GAETAN) but he also did not have much of an impact on the performance of the team in the regular season or the playoffs. His lone playoff goal was a "too-little-too-late" score in Game 4 against Tampa, when the Caps were already cooked.

And so Sturm enters this pivotal summer - likely his last major payday as an UFA - as an intriguing prospect, a player who can provide solid-if-not-spectacular play when in the line-up, but an oft-injured one who has failed to play a majority of the games in two of the past three seasons.

The Vote: Rate Sturm 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: Should the Caps consider re-signing Sturm? If so, what is a realistic contract (amount and length) and what role should he play? What will it take for Sturm to earn a 10 rating next year?

From Alzner to Wideman, we're taking a look at and grading (please read the criteria below) the 2010-11 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2011-12. Next up, Tyler Sloan.

Tyler Sloan

#89 / Defenseman / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-3

Weight: 205

Born: Mar 15, 1981

NHL Seasons: 3

Contract Status: $700,000 cap hit in 2011-12; UFA thereafter

'09-'10 Rink Wrap: 4.53

'08-'09 Rink Wrap: 7.03

Key Stat: Sloan skated 14 minutes or more in only nine of his 33 games played in 2010-11.

Interesting Stat: He earned five of his six points on the season at home (14 GP) and was a +1 in friendly confines.

The Good: Though decidedly hidden from top line competition, Tyler Sloan nevertheless provided a steady, if unremarkable, defensive effort, allowing virtually the same goals against per 60 minutes of play (2.49) as he did in the 2009-10 season (2.44).

It's worth noting that, in those nine games in which Sloan playing 14 minutes or more, the Caps were 6-3. 

Only John Erskine and Mike Green registered more hits per 60 minutes on the Caps' defense than Sloan.

The Bad: His goals-for vs. goals-against per 60 dropped considerably from a decent 0.12 in the 2009-10 season to a ragged -1.02 last season, suggesting that his play in 2010-11 quite demonstrably hindered the offense.  And his season on-ice Corsi number, a shockingly negative outlier, bears that out as well.  For sure, Sloan benefited from playing nearly a quarter of his shifts in 2009-10 with a healthier Tom Poti.  And this past season, majority pair mate with Sloan, John Erskine (who also in turn played more often with #89 than with any other D-man), managed to stay in the black when the regular slate concluded.  So draw your own conclusions there.

Last season, Sloan was lauded for his versatility at being a swingman, holding down a checking line forward position when necessary.  Not so in the 2010-11 campaign, where Sloan saw no time at forward and got a sweater for fewer games, and less ice time in those games, than a season ago (and declining in TOI/G for the second consecutive season).

And speaking of "hidden" in the Good above, Sloan was largely kept off of the PK, averaging barely 20 seconds of ice per 60 minutes for all Caps D (20 GP minimum).

Finally, when injuries to the blue line in elimination game four of the second round of the playoffs called for desperate measures to ice three defense pairs for the Caps, it was Sean Collins, who spent most of the season in Hershey, that got the nod, and not #89, who was part of the big club all season long.  Good thing for Sloan that he's the one signed for one more NHL season.  But maybe not so good for the Caps.

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: As was a question for the past two seasons, will Sloan break training camp with the Caps?  If so, where does his name now slot on the depth chart when the injury bug smites multiple blueliners?  Would the organization risk exposing him to waivers, as it had not done in 2010-11?  Will we ever see #89 play a forward position again?

From Alzner to Wideman, we're taking a look at and grading (please read the criteria below) the 2010-11 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2011-12. Next up, Alexander Semin.

Alexander Semin

#28 / Left Wing / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-2

Weight: 205

Born: Mar 03, 1984

NHL Seasons: 6

Contract Status: $6,700,000 cap hit in 2011-12; UFA after 2011-12 season

'09-'10 Rink Wrap: 8.03 rating

'08-'09 Rink Wrap: 7.46 rating

'07-'08 Rink Wrap: 6.51 rating

Key Stats: Semin played in 65 games this season, exactly his career average after six seasons.

Interesting Stat: In 10 career playoff elimination games, Semin has scored 10 points.

The Good: Over the past seven seasons, the enigma known as Alex Semin has driven the Capitals fan base crazy. One stretch he is the best player on the ice, setting up plays, toying with defensemen, scoring goals, and flashing what may be the NHL's best set of hands. The next stretch he's invisible, except for the untimely defensive zone giveaway and the ugly offensive zone hooking penalty. You never know what you get with Semin, and, consequently, you have a much-divided fan base when it comes to determining his value to the team.

Lest there be any doubt, Alex Semin is a puck possession machine. His SC% of 57.5% was tops on the team (minimum 20 GP); he finished third on the team in GAETAN at +27.0; his 5-on-5 ON/60 was the runaway leader at +1.59; his 5-on-5 CORSI of 11.1 was second on the team; his 5-on-5 shots allowed per 60 was the best of any top 9 forward at 25.4 and he was third overall in 5-on-5 GA/60 at 1.73. The last two stats are not to be overlooked, considering the criticism he gets for inconsistent effort in his own zone. The fact that he keeps the puck away from the other team is his best defensive trait. And in the process, he often forces the other team to take a penalty while attempting to shut him down - his 1.0 penalties drawn/60 is fourth-most on the team.

And he does all of this without an everyday centerman. This year he has skated at least 100 minutes with five centers (Nicklas Backstrom, Jason Arnott, Tomas Fleischmann, Mathieu Perreault, Marcus Johansson). Certainly the Caps have not done him any favors with their carousel of 2Cs.

Finally, it should be noted that Semin's solid start to the season carried the Caps offensively, as he amassed 25 points in the first 19 games and staked the Caps to a 14-4-1 record. And after being vilified last season for his performance against Montreal, he answered the bell in the Rangers series, putting up four points in five games, including one splendid OT game-winner.

The Bad: As solid of a puck possession season Semin had, he did not do enough of what he is paid handsomely to do: score. His 28 goals were the lowest since 2007-08; his TOI/game declined by 1:03 this season; his shots dropped from 3.8/game last season to 3.0 this season; and his points per game declined from 1.27 in 2008-09 to 1.15 in 2009-10 to 0.83 in 2010-11, a 35% decrease over two seasons. These stats were accumulated playing with strong teammates, weaker competition and with a large number of offensive zone starts (55%). Meanwhile, his cap hit will increase to $6.7M in 2011-12, up from $4.6M in 2009-10 and $6.0M this past season. That's a 45% raise in two seasons. Ultimately, Semin's costing more and producing less, not a good situation for a well-paid "core" player, especially one who is not looked upon to provide any leadership in the clubhouse. He's simply here to score goals.

In Semin's defense, some of his drop-off in production can be explained away by the Caps move to a defensive-minded system halfway through the season. Another chunk of it can also be explained by the Caps mediocre power play, which cost Semin nine less power play points than the previous season. (However, some of the power play blame has to rest at #28's skates too.) Another explanation, though, is that the book on Semin is out. Force him to the perimeter, play him physical, frustrate him into taking long shots, take away his space so that he can't launch his potent wrister, and never let him behind you. The whispers are that Semin won't pay the price and go to the front of the net, that he won't put up a fight if you take liberties with him, that he won't adjust to adversity on the fly, and that he'll simply disappear into the backdrop. The Tampa series didn't help dissuade the detractors.

Then there are the injuries. After six seasons, it's fair to say that Alex Semin playing more than 65 games per season - his career average - is exceeding expectations.

Finally, there is the inconsistency. Good Sasha showed up the first 19 games, racking up 25 points. That same caliber player did not show for the final 46 games, where he managed only 29 points. The inconsistency plays out beyond missing out on goals and assists, it manifests itself with the mental mistakes, including the lazy and still-all-too-frequent HHT penalties (most penalties taken per 60 minutes on the team), the cutesy passing and the failed clears. It ultimately prevents a good player from being a great player.

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: Does Semin still fit on a more defensive-minded Capitals squad? If so, should the Caps invest in a veteran, skilled center that can get more out of Semin, or is it time to consider trading him? If he stays, what will it take for Semin to earn a 10 rating next year?

From Alzner to Wideman, we're taking a look at and grading (please read the criteria below) the 2010-11 season for every player who laced 'em up for the Caps for a significant number of games during the campaign, with an eye towards 2011-12. Next up, Jeff Schultz.

Jeff Schultz

#55 / Defenseman / Washington Capitals

Height: 6-6

Weight: 221

Born: Feb 25, 1986

NHL Seasons: 5

Contract Status: $2,750,000 cap hit through 2013-14; UFA summer 2014

'09-'10 Rink Wrap: 7.63

'08-'09 Rink Wrap: 4.93

'07-'08 Rink Wrap: 6.32

Key Stats: Schultz led the League's second-best regular season penalty killing unit in shorthanded ice time per game (minimum 22 games).

Interesting Stat: Since the lockout, only Nicklas Lidstrom has a better plus-minus among NHL blueliners than Schultz, who hasn't finished a season with a minus rating since his penultimate year of Juniors. 

The Good: At five-aside, Schultz faced the toughest competition among the team's defense corps, with the exception of the top pair, and did so without the benefit of a consistent partner - whereas in 2009-10 he skated more than half of the time with Mike Green, in 2010-11 that number dropped to just over 40%, with him seeing regular time with Scott Hannan and Dennis Wideman, among others. In those relatively difficult minutes, Schultz fared, well... we'll get back to that in the next section (though it should be noted that Sarge took so few penalties he made Karl Alzner look like a thug, so there's that).

Where Schultz did perform well was on the revamped penalty kill, where he not only saw tough competition, but also posted the best GAON/60 of the team's D's who averaged more than 1:30 of shorthanded time per game (thanks in no small part to his netminders making a lot of saves behind him).

Schultz also played well in the Caps' first-round series against the Rangers, playing five games without being on the ice for a single goal against while leading the victors in plus-minus.

The Bad: Let's face it - Jeff Schultz regressed in 2010-11. As has been the case throughout his still-young NHL career, to get an appreciation for "The Good" from Schultz requires diving a bit deeper than simply glancing at his traditional stats (plus-minus and blocked shots aside). Unfortunately, this time around, the deep dive reveals more bad than good. At even-strength, Schultz was on the ice for as many goals-against as goals-for; the only defenseman who was with the team all season to play more than 21 games and finish with worse +-ON/60 was Tyler Sloan (and if not for a strong PDO, Schultz's numbers would look even worse). His Corsi was pretty lousy, shots-for and shots-against poor, and his offensive rate stats woeful. And despite good numbers on the PK (and with the caveat that he played relatively big minutes on that unit), no Cap was on the ice for more goals against per game than was Sarge.

Back to surface level, Schultz posted the worst offensive numbers of his career, more than halving his goals and assists from a season prior and firing fewer shots on goal per game than during any of his NHL seasons to date.

Finally, Schultz seemed to hit a wall in the second round of the playoffs, as he was on the ice for six Tampa goals (two on the power play) in the four games. Only Marcus Johansson (minus-5) had a worse plus-minus against the Bolts than did Sarge.

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: Schultz's 2010-11 season: aberration or something more? How much of his down year can be attributed to a lack of playing time with Mike Green (or any consistent partner for that matter), or on losing a month of training and 25 pounds in the off-season while battling mononucleosis? Where does he fit in going forward? What will it take for him to earn a '10' next season?