Just When You Figured GM Out...

The Washington Capitals looked like they had goaltending set. But George McPhee thought bringing in some veteran presence wouldn't hurt either. The Caps sign Tomas Vokoun to a one year contract worth $1.5 million. Vokoun, rumored to be traded at the deadline last year to the Capitals now signs a contract with them.

"We are excited to add an elite veteran goaltender to the Capitals," said McPhee. "We now have a nice blend of talent, depth, experience and youth in the goaltending position."

Drafted in 1994 by the Montreal Canadiens, he was a long time Nashville Predator then Florida Panther. He is a goaltender the Capitals know well in the three games he played against them, he won all three with a .969 save percentage and a .98 GAA. Vokoun had a shutout streak of 142:04 last year to start the season.

Vokoun is a solid goaltender who seems to thrive on big games and plays tougher teams tough. But when things go wrong, they go wrong in a hurry for the 34 year old goaltender.

The Capitals looked like they were going to lean hard on their youth when they traded the rights to Russian goaltender Semyon Varlamov to Colorado for a pair of picks in next year's draft. McPhee instead brought in some proven backstopping in Vokoun to fill the gap left by Varly. 

Caps Notes:

• Capitals also signed another player that has played for them in Chris Bourque. Bourque spent last season with two teams in the KHL and has been signed to a 1 year contract.
• Matt Bradley signed with the Florida Panthers with a 2 year deal. Bradley will join former Caps Jose Theodore and Tomas Fleischmann.
• Roman Hamrlik addressed the media via conference call and he talked about his time dwindling in the NHL.
  

  “It’s a really good team that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup,” Hamrlik said. “The decision was clearly made. The money was not an issue. I’m not getting any younger and I really like that team. We played against [the Caps] in the playoffs and always watch them play, and it’s an honor to play for the Washington Capitals."

McPhee Flys Through Free Agency

The Washington Capitals' general manager George McPhee is a pretty simple kind of team builder. He pushed through NHL drafts stockpiling his farm team as he goes. When a hole opens up, he simply looks down his depth chart in Hershey and systematically fills positions with players he has observed and players he knows well. Very rarely has he gone outside that system unless there is a missing piece that needs replacing.

It was really no different in this year's free agency. Faced with a series of gaps in his team, McPhee simply looked to what he needed and focused on the players he wanted. He didn't jeopardize what he had built through countless good draft picks and trades in which he acquired youth and talent in a way that benefited the team he was molding.

He had some holes, mainly at the center position. With Boyd Gordon likely to test the market, McPhee didn't wait around and pulled the trigger to sign Jeff Halpern, a player he knows well, to a one year $825,000 contract (basically for rock bottom price). Too bad for Halpern they retired #11 for Mike Gartner.

McPhee also brought in a gritty, hard working forward in Joel Ward from Nashville. Ward was signed to a four year deal reportedly at $3 million a season. He amassed 29 points in 80 games this season, but his playoff numbers were fantastic with seven goals, six assists in 12 games played. GMGM brings in a fast skater and hard nose forward to the table in Ward.

There was some question on the blue line for the Capitals last season, so McPhee addressed that through free agency by resigning Sean Collins and signing Roman Hamrlik to a two year, $7 million deal. Hamrlik (a possible trade deadline chase for the Capitals in March), had 29 assists last season and was the Canadiens shut down guy. Hamrlik was fourth last season in blocked shots (192) and led the team in February in points (9, tied with 3 others), assists (9, led all NHL defensemen) and blocked shots (35).

McPhee also had a tough choice to make in goaltender. Semyon Varlamov was traded to free up the traffic jam of goaltenders caught in the Caps farm system. Varly spent a good portion of the season fighting for the number one spot with Michal Neuvirth. But injuries kept him out of the line up and there are rumors he will forgo the NHL to return to Russia to play in the KHL. McPhee traded the goaltender to at least get something in return. Which was Colorado's first round pick in 2012's draft and a second round pick in either '12 or '13.

This allows the Capitals to call up Braden Holtby, who is starting to show some promise, to fill the role of back up or even fight Neuvirth for the number one spot. The jam of good goaltenders through out the system made it difficult to pick a clear winner, but McPhee cleared up the mess and got something worthwhile for it in the end.

On a grading scale:

Signed Roman Hamrlik, 2 years $7 million: A+

Signed Jeff Halpern, 1 year $825,000: C

Signed Joel Ward, 4 year $12 million: B

Acquired 1st round draft pick '12, 2nd round in '12 or '13 for Semyon Varlamov: A

A busy day for George McPhee. But he did make his team much better. Add the re-signing of Brooks Laich and the trade for Troy Brouwer, the Caps are looking to make things uncomfortable in the Eastern Conference.

Caps Notes:

• Hershey had a minor signing of Ryan Polutny and Matthew Ford. Both most likely will stay with the Bears for the season. 
• Former Capitals Jose Theodore, Nolan Yonkman and Tomas Fleischmann have returned to the Southeast Division with the Florida Panthers organization.
• Phoenix Coyotes signed Boyd Gordon to a 2 year $2.65 million contract.

Laich'n It

I guess we can stop trending Brooks Laich's name on twitter and endless blog post on whether we should keep him or dump him, because the Washington Capitals have resigned him to a 6 year contract (people who get flat tires after game 7 enter cheers here).

Per Caps PR:

ARLINGTON, VA. – The Washington Capitals have re-signed center Brooks Laich to a six-year contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
 
“We are very pleased to have Brooks Laich continue his career as a Washington Capital,” said McPhee. “Brooks has excelled as one of the League’s finer two-way players and is just entering his prime. His combination of size, speed, versatility and leadership makes him a valuable part of our club.”
 
Laich, 28, finished fourth on the Capitals in points (48), fifth in goals (16) and third in assists (32) while posting a plus-14 plus/minus rating and collecting 46 penalty minutes. For the third time in his career, he played in all 82 of Washington’s regular-season games and finished second on the Caps with 207 shots on goal. In addition, Laich closed out the 2010-11 campaign fifth on the team in hits (113) and won 51.3 percent of his faceoffs. He scored his 100th career NHL goal on Mar. 15 at Montreal and finished second on the team in points during the playoffs (7) while leading the Caps with six postseason assists in nine games. Laich also finished first amongst Capitals forwards in average shorthanded ice time per game (2:18) and was instrumental in leading the Caps penalty kill unit that ranked second in the NHL during the regular season.      
 
“I’m thrilled to make the commitment to remain a Capital,” said Laich. “It is a wonderful organization with terrific fans and I’m very happy to continue to call Washington home for many years to come.”
 
The 6’2”, 215-pound center set career-highs in goals (25), assists (34) and points (59) during the 2009-10 season and scored 20 or more goals in three straight seasons from 2007-2010. In 475 career regular-season games, Laich has recorded 237 points (100 goals, 137 assists) and is a plus-14. In 37 career playoff games, he has tallied seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points.
 
The Wawota, Saskatchewan, native is second among active Capitals players in franchise games played (474), fifth in points (237), third in goals (100) and fifth in assists (137). Laich is 15th amongst his 2001 draft class in points but is one of only three players in the top 15 to be drafted later than the third round.
 
Laich was a sixth-round draft pick (193rd overall) by Ottawa in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired from Ottawa along with the Senators’ second-round draft pick in 2005 (traded to Colorado) and future considerations for Peter Bondra on Feb. 18, 2004. 

Caps Sign Swede

6:00 am is much too early for some, but not for Japer's Rink who broke the story that the Washington Capitals have signed Swedish center/right winger Mattias Sjögren as daylight crept upon the metro area. The Caps who might be looking to add some size up the middle have signed the forward to the maximum amount a team can pay for rookies at $1.8 million.

Sjögren is a physical player at 6'2", 214 lbs. that the scouting reports claim is a player that doesn't shy away from the hit and asserts himself with well timed hits. The Capitals are addressing the size issue down the middle on lines 2, 3, 4. While his offensive skills are only labeled as decent, he can create space on the ice for himself.

Good work JP.

P.S. It was already 80˚ at 6 am in DC.

Filling The Holes - Centers

The Washington Capitals may be able to fill some problem areas with free agents this summer. Of the three areas that need work is a second or third line centers. The available free agents this summer have some pretty solid names. I came up with ten possibilities George McPhee could go with to bolster some secondary scoring behind the top line of Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, and Mike Knuble.

1. Patrick Marleau (31 years old, 11 NHL seasons, last season's salary $6.3 million) - The San Jose forward comes with a hefty price. Since his recent production after Ron Wilson left for the Toronto Maple Leafs, many say that he is un-coachable. Would you waste a good $6 or $7 million on a player that is temperamental and may cause rifts with the coaching staff? Let him stay in San Jose.

2. Matt Cullen (33 years old, 11 NHL seasons, $2.8 million) - Now here is a name that raises an eyebrow. Especially after the series he had against the Penguins where he produced 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists). Cullen can bring some grit and scoring as he turned in a 48 point season with Carolina and Ottawa this season. The price tag is okay too, if it stays below $3 million.

3. Craig Conroy (38 years old, 14 NHL seasons, $1.o million) - Conroy doesn't really add scoring, but will bring some grit and some defensive stability that might be good. His age is a factor and he did sit out 12 games last season with knee issues. If McPhee wanted a more defensive two way, Conroy is an interesting choice.

4. John Madden (37 years old, 10 NHL seasons, $2.75 million) - Another defensive minded center that won't add scoring, but will be a solid two way. However, he does bring a lot of good Cup experience to the table, something not to overlook for a team that wants to go far in the post season.

5. Mike Comrie (29 years old, 8 seasons, $1.25 million) - Comrie brings a lot of heart and some feisty play, but he doesn't really produce. He was stuck on a bad, bad team in Edmonton last year, and his numbers were dismal. His best year was 3 years ago when he was with the Islanders. He had 49 points in the regular season then, but since it has been a struggle for him to even reach the half way to 40 points in a season.

6. Tomas Plekanec (27 years old, 5 seasons, $2.75 million) - Plekanec has brought some scoring to a struggling Habs' team. He is coming off of a 70 point season, pretty huge. He has a small price tag, but that could balloon in the open market if he goes far in the playoffs. I like Plekanec for this team, but not sure if the Habs want him to leave the nest.

7. Chris Higgins (26 years old, 5 seasons, $2.25 million) - Higgins is another two way, more defensive style player. Too much money for a player that only had 17 points last year. He has had some good number with Montreal back in the day, but of late hasn't produced much on the offensive side.

8. Scott Nichol (35 years old, 9 seasons, $750,000) - Nichol may not add much offense, but he is a gritty hard nosed player that will go to the net. Most likely he will be resigned in San Jose.

9. Matt Stajan (26 years old, 6 seasons, $1.75 million) - Great, except for the fact he was resigned by the Flames to a four year contract extension. Doh.

10. Kyle Wellwood (26 years old, 5 seasons, $1.2 million) - Not much of a scoring threat, Wellwood does bring a hard work ethic to the ice. He also brings a foot injury.

Not much to choose from I know. Best bet for the Caps is to try and resign Brendan Morrison and Eric Belanger. The pair want to be here and a full season for Belanger can only help fit in. There doesn't seem like ther is much more out there for the Caps to pull from. I do like Cullen and Plecanec as some possible replacements that could had a dimension of scoring to help out the top line.

Filling The Holes - Goaltenders

Over the next three days, I will be looking at holes the Caps may want to fill with free agency over the summer. Now, I don't claim to be a NHL general manager, nor do I have any experience at being one. So for the most part this is just fantasizing what George McPhee will do in the coming months to make his team better.

The three areas that can be solved with free agency will be goaltending (if he decides to move away from resigning Jose Theodore), second and third line centers, and veteran stay-at-home defensemen. Today, it's goaltneders.

Jose Theodore was the best goaltender in the second half of the season for the Capitals. But even that effort left many wondering if the Caps were solid enough in net. McPhee basically has some options if he doesn't sign Theodore. But the market for goaltenders is a bit thin, at best.

1. Marty Turco (35 years old, 8 NHL seasons, last year's salary $5.4 million) - The Dallas Stars let Turco go, vowing to take their goaltending in a different direction. That leaves the three time All Star to look for work. Turco brings some veteran savvy and a cup ring to any team that might be looking. When Turco is on, he is on. He has had the best save percentage in the league twice. But when he is bad, he is bad.

2. Dan Ellis (30 years old, 3 NHL seasons, $2 million) - Ellis was Nashville's saving grace a couple of seasons ago. Since then he has been riding the bench. A fan favorite in Nashville, it is unlikely he will try the free market and the Preds will work on getting back into the fold.

3. Marty Biron (33 years old, 11 NHL seasons, $1.4 million) - Biron was Philly's answer in net. He did lead them to an Eastern Conference Final, but they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins. From there he has fallen from grace. The long time Buffalo back up to Ryan Miller, Biron has signed with goaltender-laden Islanders and has been in the AHL on a conditioning stint to finish the season. Biron has some big game potential, but his age is a factor.

4. Ray Emery (26 years old, 5 NHL seasons, $1.5 million) - Uh, no.

5. Antero Niittymaki (30 years old, 5 NHL seasons, $600,000) - Niittymaki is a mixed bag of goaltender. One night he is spectacular while the next night he can be lit up for 6 goals. His consistency is key, and it's likely he won't stay in Tampa another year. If the Capitals go with Varlamov, Niittymaki wouldn't be a bad back up for the Capitals.

Of all of these options, I think the best bet is to resign Theodore for another season and work Varly in a bit more. Ellis or Niittymaki might make sense if the Caps go away from Theo, but the Caps will have to put all their horses on Varlamov to be a full fledged NHL goaltender and get at least 40 to 50 games under his belt.

McPhee could bring up both kids Nuevirth and Varlamov to share duties in net. But both have injury bugs from time to time. The best bet is get a capable back up just in case.

Jurcina Scores Big

Milan Jurinca was awarded a one year, $1.4 million contract in his salary arbitration hearing. It was a hearing that was reported as very professional between both parties. The Capitals can not walk away from Jurcina's contract and he should become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Shaone Morrisonn was awarded a one year, $1.975 million contract last summer for his arbritation hearing. He signed his qualifying offer this summer to remain with the Capitals.

Update: Okay, maybe the score isn't that big, official word is Jurcina was awarded a one year, $1.375 million contract in arbitration.

Johnny Signs With Pens

Brent Johnson signs with the Pittsburgh Penguins after becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. For the Capitals, it is tough to see a good goaltender go. But the log jam of goaltenders in the system makes decisions easier for the Caps. It also gives Semyon Varlamov a chance to prove himself for an entire season.

Johnny experienced one of his best seasons last year with the Caps. Known mostly as a back up for Olaf Kolzig, he nearly took the number one job from summer signee Jose Theodore before injuries hindered his game. His season ended with the Capitals after he went for hip surgery in early February.

He maybe best remembered last season for his unbelievable save on a breaking Blake Wheeler on December 10th against the Boston Bruins.

If Johnson can stay healthy, he should be a good back up for Marc Andre Fluery in Pitt.

Gordon Resigns

Boyd Gordon accepts his qualifying offer of $761,250. Seems small change for a very important part of the Capitals penalty kill and face off man. Having Gordon in the hand definitely makes the defensive side easier for the Capitals.

For more info, check WashingtonCaps.com.

Caps Sign Brendan Morrison

The Caps get a centerman by signing veteran Brendan Morrison to a one year contract.

More info on WashingtonCaps.com.

Details to come soon, right now I am walking into a happy hour.

Jurcina Files For Arbitration

Milan Jurcina is the only Capital that filed for arbitration, as is his right to being a restricted free agent. The other Capitals that were given qualifying offers did not file for arbitration.

Shaone Morrisonn filed for arbitration last year and was awarded a one year, $1.975 million contract and remained a RFA. His qualifying offer was a flat $1 million and due to his hearing result of $975,000 more it had put the Caps over the Salary Cap at that time. He had an opportunity to file for arbitration this year but did not. Along with Mo, forwards Eric Fehr and Boyd Gordon did not file.

Jurcina made $912,500 last season.

A Modest Signing On Day 1 For The Caps

Just as predicted and just as wise, the Washington Capitals did not dive head first in the shallow pool of free agents on the first day. Instead, like a frugal shopper, they waded in and found specifically what they needed and left in time before the other kids started to splash around.

That man they were after? Mike Knuble has been a steady consistent right winger for the Philadelphia Flyers. He has scored at least 21 goals in each of his last six seasons, scored 27 times and scored 47 points in the 82 games played last season for the Flyers. He is a grinder, hard working, nothing too fancy just get to the net type of player. A player's qualities that has been missing from the Capitals' lineup.

The Caps signed the 36 year old (soon to be 37 as his birthday is on July 4th) to a two year, $5.8 million contract today. The only signing by the Caps on day one of free agency. From all accounts, this was the player to get.

"Our scouting staff was unanimous, he was the guy we wanted," George McPhee told reporters via phone conference. "Backstrom, Ovechkin are going to have the puck a lot and we needed someone to go to the net."

It's something the Caps seemed to lack in past years. They had a slew of pretty goal-getters but no one to do the clean up work in front of the net. Brooks Laich was called on to do most of that stuff on the power play, but he never really worked out. Here now, the Capitals have a veteran at it.

"I'm pretty confident that the way I play the game and the things that I do that I've proven, playing with Joe Thornton and Peter Forsberg, guys like that," Knuble boasted his resume on the conference call. "I know what to do for these guys, how to work, win battles in corners and do a lot of the dirty work to get these guys the puck. I take pride in that. No one needs to tell me how to play with these guys."

More than a few experts were ready with praise for the Capitals on the smart signing of the day.

“Nice. That’s a professional, big-body player who makes everyone there a little bit braver, a little bit better," Pierre McQuire said about Knuble on TSN's coverage of free agent signing day. "That’s a really nice move, good job George McPhee. They’re going to have a net presence now on the power play.”

The price tag seems to even work out beautifully. The Caps aren't married to Knuble over 6 to 10 years and they get him for the same price he played for in Philly. Plus they get an excited veteran that already has his name on the Stanley Cup. He brings leadership to a locker room that sometimes did not have it.

"It was everything I wanted in another team," Knuble told reporters about his new team. "It was on the East Coast ... another team that's considered one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. I think this team is on the verge of something good, maybe even something great."

While most Caps fans looked upon Mike Knuble's name in disgust before this signing because of his second overtime goal in game in game four of the year before playoffs, his presence in a Caps uniform should give them cautious cause to be optimistic. His leadership and veteran abilities should make him a valuable commodity for the Capitals in big games. He isn't there to be nice, he's there to make some noise, be sandpaper, add grit. A little growl in the Capitals' bark can't be all that bad.

The Capitals had to let a fan favorite in Donald Brashear go. McPhee rationing was that Brashear was too much for what he was. Sure you needed big guys, but he did nothing for the Caps roster toward the end of the year or in the playoffs.

"We are happy for Brash," McPhee said. "But we couldn't pay that number."

Brash would replace Colton Orr on the New York Rangers' roster as their resident tough guy. Orr signed with Toronto.

McPhee claims he isn't finished and it may take a couple of days to a couple of weeks for them to maybe add a piece here or there. He didn't flinch nor did he waiver in the face of a sometimes hectic crazy day. True to form, he got what he needed and bolted for the door.

Caps Sign Knuble

After George McPhee said he wasn't going to do much, the Washington Capitals have signed Mike Knuble to a two year/$5.6 million contract ($2.8 million per). This signing comes just moments after Donald Brashear signed with the New York Rangers for a two year contract.

Knuble will bring a strong presence in front of the net. He brings a lot strength and size to the forward line as well as some soft hands and nose for loose pucks. Knuble had 27 goals and 47 points for the Flyers last year. He has scored at least 21 goals in each of the last six seasons and was a member of the Stanley Cup winning Red Wings in '98.

Knuble will make roughly the same amount of money he made in Philadelphia, $2.8 million last season.

According to the Caps PR, Alex Ovechkin is thrilled about the signing and called "asking for Knuble's phone number."

Caps Confident In Youth

As you have already heard, qualifying offers were made to eight restricted free agents by the Capitals. Washingtoncaps.com:

The players are: Chris Bourque, Eric Fehr, Boyd Gordon, Milan Jurcina, Shaone Morrisonn, Steve Pinizzotto, Jeff Schultz and Kyle Wilson.

These players are now restricted free agents and able to negotiate elsewhere, but Washington could either match any offer or receive compensation should they sign with another team.

Among that group, Fehr, Gordon, Jurcina, Morrisonn, Pinizzotto and Wilson have arbitration rights. They can elect to have their salary for 2009-10 determined by salary arbitration, with those hearings scheduled for late July and early August. Players and clubs have the option to elect arbitration by July 5 and 6, respectively.

Washington did not extend qualifying offers to four players – Andrew Joudrey, Daren Machesney, Travis Morin and Sasha Pokulok – meaning that they will become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday and can sign with any team (including the Capitals).

The players offered a contract makes the most sense. Bourque continues to grow and it will only be a matter of time before he stays with the big club. Fehr played well and was only hindered by injuries. Morrisonn, Jurcina, and Schultz were all mainstays on the blue line and all played well (Although Schultz has yet to live up to his first round billing). Pinizzotto was a great character player for the Hershey Bears last season. Gordon was a solid defensive forward and Wilson is progressing nicely.

This, the eve of Free Agent Frenzy, The Caps may look to filling holes with prospects rather than bet the bank on a available free agent when the clock strikes noon. But GM George McPhee has warned that we may not hear the Caps mentioned in the days to come as free agents flood the headlines.

If the Capitals are to play in the free agent market, they would be looking for a solid second line center. They would also look for the cheapest option possible. Of the available centers available as free agents this summer, here are some considerations.

Samuel Pahlsson, 31 years old, last season's contract: $1.4 million with Chicago. Pahlsson was a big part of Chicago making the playoffs and going to the second round. His price tag is relatively low, which might mean he is looking for more cash. But his experience with the Ducks and the Hawks will make his contributions immediately felt for the Caps.

Manny Malhotra, 29 years old, last season's contract: $1.5 million with Columbus. Malhotra has two things going for him, he comes pretty cheap and he was second in the NHL in face offs. He is also a work horse who had a streak of 140 games before an injury sidelined him early last season.

Marcel Goc, 25 years old, last season's contract: $775,000 with San Jose. A good hard working player, but injury prone. He lead his team in face off wins and seems to play his best against better teams. His price tag is an attractive attribute.

Another area the Caps could use help is on the blue line. Again, McPhee is confident that they don't need to sign certain players to bad contracts just because there is a hole, but here are a few defensemen that look intriguing.

Mathieu Dandenault, 33 years old, last season's contract: $1.75 million with Montreal. Dandenault's age is the only bad thing about him. Solid defender with good experience and he may sign for 3 years or less.

Michael Komisarek, 27 years old, last season's contract: $1.9 million with Montreal. Komisarek is an A1 leader. He is a tough stay at home defender that makes the players around him better. When he was injured, he took to the bench as a coach and helped his team from there. A great character player to have in the locker room. His price is a bit high however.

Steve Montador, 29 years old, last season's contract: $800,000 with Boston. Montador is a good puck moving defenseman that plays will with a cheap price tag (maybe).

Whatever the Caps do, one thing is clear; they are pretty good in the goaltending department. Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth both have made the Caps deep between the pipes. Jose Theodore will most likely make his return and Brent Johnson has told many that he wished to return. That makes the Caps set for goaltenders (they didn't even pick one in this year's entry draft).

The Caps will lose and have lost talent to free agency as well. Donald Brashear has decided to test the market, a good sign he may not return. Viktor Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov have moved on to the KHL. Some minor leaguers might make the move elsewhere as well, Alex Giroux, Graham Mink and defensemen Steffan Kronwall and Bryan Helmer.

All that remains to be seen is what players and teams decided to do. The Caps may be saving their fireworks for the developmental camp in mid-July.

Caps Work Only Begun

The Capitals have resigned Quintin Laing. The left winger spent most of the season in Hershey last season just because there was no space for him in the Capital locker room. He was brought up toward the end of the season but it was short term when he suffered a torn spleen. This resigning could be an indication that he might play the whole season next year as a Capital.

But the work for the Caps has just begun. With a slew of restricted free agents to negotiate and a few unrestricted that may or may not have left already, the Capitals have to put together a winning team with the major parts returning.

The Caps have the pork in Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Alex Semin and Nick Backstrom will return. Semin and Backstrom will be on their last year of their contracts. What is left is the lipstick to put on the pig. With the possibility that Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov playing on a different contient, the Caps maybe looking to bring up their depth rather than chance it with off season signings.

With a talent pool in Hershey, that would make more sense then looking for that ideal free agent signing. The Capitals could always look for a deal during the summer months. In any event, the next few weeks should be interesting to see who gets an offered contract and who the Caps are willing to let go.

A Higher Bar Has Been Set

Getting to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs really was not the goal of the Capitals. If it was, why be in this tournament in the first place. But the expectation to take that next step for this team has been taken. Making the second round the Capitals did meet their expectation level, even if they feel they could have (and should have) gone farther.

"We're very close to being a good team and maybe all it is is a little bit more maturity in some areas and I think we'll be able to make that step," Bruce Boudreau said. "I believe next year, I would be very disappointed if we weren't in the final four."

What may be more painful than a game seven let down, was the two games to none lead the Capitals enjoyed earlier in the series against Pittsburgh. They had the Penguins frustrated and making mistakes. Besides a few key saves, Marc-Andre Fleury was ripe for the picking. The Caps were scoring goals, they were making strides against a very good team. But they just couldn't translate it into some wins.

"It's good steps for us for sure," Alex Ovechkin said. "We take the good experience and take the bad experience. We can't play like we played when we got a lead 2-0. We have to make a little bit more push and everybody now knows we were so close, but close is not good enough."

Now the Caps have some motivation. And they will have some key returning players. Mike Green, Tom Poti, John Erskine and Brian Pothier are all still under contract for next year for the defense. The Caps will keep Ovi, Alex Semin, Micheal Nylander, Nick Backstrom, captain Chris Clark, Brooks Laich, Matt Bradley, Tomas Fleischmann and Dave Steckel.

There is still quite a bit of work to do for the off season. Key players that could be lost are Viktor Kozlov, Sergei Fedorov and Donald Brashear who are unrestricted free agents this off season. Shaone Morrisonn and Milan Jurcina with restricted free agent status for the summer.

Kozlov would be the biggest loss as he shared time on the top line and some chemistry with Ovi. His size and stick handling skills seemed to create offense deep in the offensive zone for the Caps. Kozzy racked only 13 goals and 41 points for the regular season and struggled with injuries through out the year.

Another big loss could be Morrisonn on the back end. While he hasn't set the world ablaze on the blue line, Mo had put together a solid season and had good games in both post season series with his defensive play. Morrisonn is a restricted free agent this summer, but the Caps are so deep in defensemen he might be one of the sacrificial lambs for younger talent.

The Caps have plenty of good things down the pipeline. Defenseman Karl Alzner, goaltender Micheal Neuvirth and forward Oskar Osala makes for a bright tomorrow. The tough choice is who to replace to give their younger talent a chance. It should be a very active off season for George McPhee.

Boyd Is Back

Boyd Gordon resigns, more details to follow. Shaone Morrisonn next? Well he is the last one.

Update: Details per Tarik:

Center Boyd Gordon has signed a one-year contract worth $725,000. That's a little bit more than his qualifying offer.

Elsewhere around the division, GM Jay Feaster parts ways with the Lightning. Like you didn't see that coming.

Fehr Resign (Updated)

Eric Fehr was resigned by the capitals. More details to come. If you are keeping score, both Boyd Gordon and Shaone Morrisonn have yet to be resigned. I will update more after the scrimmage at Kettler.

Update: Fehr's contract is a one-year, two-way deal worth $735,000

Laich Signs (Updated)

Brooks Laich was just signed to a 3 year contract with the Capitals. More details to come.

Per TSN.ca, the Caps may have just signed Sergei Fedorov as well to a one year $4 million contract.

Update: Details via Corey at ITR:

[Brooks Laich's] deal is for $6.3 million. He will make $1.7 million this year, $2.1 the next and $2.4 in 2010-11 with the cap hit being $2.1 million each season. By signing him to a three-year pact, the Caps were able to buy out one year of unrestricted free agency.

As far as Fedorov goes, there were rumors the two-way forward was going to resign with the Capitals. Although the club has not yet made it official.

I tried to contact Shaone Morrisonn's people to no avail. Last I knew from his camp he was going to go through arbitration.

Fireworks Of A Different Kind

Kevin Lowe finally jabs back. Well not only is it a jab, it's a full on upper cut with a few body blows:

"Where do I begin?," started Lowe. "He's a moron, first of all. Secondly, he really believes that any news for the NHL is good news. Thirdly, he loves the limelight and I don't think anyone in hockey will dispute that. Lastly, he's in a pathetic hockey market where they can't get on any page of the newspaper let alone the front page of the sports, so any of this stuff carries on."

"I mean, if he wants to debate what our offer sheet did to them or to the salaries, anytime," he explained to Team 1260. "The reality is, Rick Nash's contract a number of years ago, (Patrice) Bergeron's and (Ilya) Kovalchuk's; that sets the standard - that's been going on for decades. I'm sick and tired of it. I know everybody in hockey is. I know our peers are like, 'Well, that's Burkie.' This guy is an absolute media junkie and I guess he's achieving what he wants because he gets his name in the headlines. But the reality is, I hate the fact that my name is linked to his. He's an underachieving wanna-be in terms of success in the NHL. He won a Stanley Cup? Great. I've won six Stanley Cups, you want to count rings? Who cares, it's just a little pathetic that he carries on."

No animosity there. While Lowe has tried to take the high road several times by not engaging, he became Brian Burke's punching bag. The punching bag just punched back. Best line: "He won a Stanley Cup? Great. I've won six..." Ah those crazy GM's. So cute and cuddly.

In other news, Jaromir Jagr is gone (thank goodness). He signed a two year deal somewhere in Russia.

And Southeast Division foes Tampa have done away with Dan Boyle sending him to San Jose in a player swap. Personally, I think this is a mistake on the Lightning's part. Boyle himself didn't take the news to well either. After going on a honeymoon, he just found out himself that he was rumored to be traded when he was returning home.

“I don’t have the nicest things to say about what happened, but I don’t want to dwell on this,” Boyle said in a phone interview from his Ontario cottage. “I was misled and disrespected, and it was really not the right way to do a lot of things. I don’t have anything good to say about how all this went down.”

Is Tampa really doing any good this off season? Or is it shake up for shake up sake?