Grading The Draft

With their seven picks in seven rounds, the Washington Capitals took three defensemen, two centers and two wingers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft this weekend. They picked a player each from Sweden, Russia and the United States, and the other four were Canadian. The Caps' picks average in height of 6'0" and have an average weight of 190 lbs. The Caps went after speed and precision according to the available scouting reports of each player.

In the first round, the Caps took a two way centerman in Marcus Johansson from Sweden. I covered him in the last post as being a smart two-way player who some think will be the next Valtteri Filppula or even a Henrik Zetterberg. Johansson is a hard working player that looks to be a year or two away from playing inside the Caps' farm system.

On day two, round two, the Caps took (what some had speculated they would pick in the first round) Dmitri Orlov. This Russian player is a quick, puck-moving defenseman who makes excellent passes. In the third round the Caps took Cody Eakin who has tremendous speed. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native is a dynamite at chasing down loose pucks and works hard at both ends of the ice.

From there the scouting reports get fuzzy for the remaining players chosen in the Entry Draft. The Caps picked Patrick Wey, a Pittsburgh kid, in the fourth round. Wey will be attending and playing for Boston College this fall. In the fifth round, the Caps took Brett Flemming (no relation to Peggy), a defenseman that looks like he needs to gain some bulk (listed as 6'0" and 172 lbs.).

In the sixth and seventh rounds the Capitals picked Garrett Mitchell (yea! another Garrett) and Benjamin Casavant respectively. Both wingers (Mitchell a right winter, Casavant a left winger) and Canadian.

The Caps did not pick a goaltender in this year's draft.

Overall, I think the Caps did a solid job. They stuck to their game plan of building the organization up through youth. And why should it change, the Caps have seen significant changes and are credible threats for a Stanley Cup Championship. Under the direction of George McPhee, the Capitals have built in some deep talent. Just looking at the two farm clubs under the Caps, both have won their respective championships.

McPhee has stayed aggressive on the defensive front as well. While the Caps are bursting at the seams with defensemen, even keeping a few good ones in a Hershey Bears' uniform, they picked three of them in the draft. All of them still have some developing to do and are a year or two from entering the Capitals' system.

The Caps did not trade any of their picks this year, sticking to building a squad rather than looking for short term replacements. McPhee would rather use the free agent market to bring in what he needs now and continue to build the team he wants for the future.

If I had to grade what the Caps did for the '09 Draft, it would be a B+. They did very well with the picks that they had and didn't get involved in the itty bitty trading going on through out the weekend. The Caps filled the holes they had with draft picks and I think they did what they wanted with the selections they had.

Most often than not, the draft can be a crap shoot. Sometimes those players turn out for you, sometimes they are duds. It also has to do with how you develop those players through the minors up into the big club. The Caps have a good group of young players, it will be exciting to see them at the upcoming Development Camp the Caps will hold July 13.

Editor's note: The Capitals did make a minor trade, giving up Sami Lepisto for a pick in next year's draft to the Coyotes. The Caps did try to make a bid for a second line center, but may have to wait for free agency to pick up anything available. Lepisto was rumored to be on the trading block for well over 5 months now. Micheal Nylander is also rumored to be moved "soon" according to an anonymous source (so take it a face value).

Next up for the Caps... Free Agency July 1st.

What The Caps Seem To Be Looking For

General manager George McPhee has been a busy bee so far this week. Not only his he using up cell phone minutes, but he is looking to improve his squad. The rumors that have circled around the Washington Capitals has two areas of concern that McPhee seems to concentrating on.

One area seems to be leadership. It is rumored that the Capitals are in talks with the Islanders to work out a trade with Bill Guerin. While he is not having a career year, Guerin brings a gritty leadership and playoff savvy to the Capitals. Bruce Boudreau recently called out his team's leadership in their embarrassing loss at home to the Florida Panthers. It is an area the Caps need someone with playoff experience to step in and be a voice in the locker room when things aren't going so great.

The Islanders have not released who they are talking to concerning Guerin, however.

The other area of concentration is on defense. The Caps are rumored to be in talks with several teams about potential trades with blueliners. The list includes Chris Pronger, Tomas Kaberle and even Brendan Witt. The Caps need a shut down guy that isn't afraid to make a game changing big hit and keep opponents honest in front of Jose Theodore. All this and staying out of the penalty box would be nice. The Panther game seemed to be a micro-chasm of problems for the Caps this season.

The Caps are also looking for some secondary scoring, but that just seems like hobby rather than a concentration at the deadline. The Capitals' name has been linked to landing Marian Gaborik who is recovering from hip surgery.

The Caps are not looking for goaltending. Even when it looked like that was going to be the problem earlier this season. Theo has shored up his play and has been more consistent. The Caps believe if they can solve their leadership and defensive shortcomings, then nothing but good things will happen.

Possible players the Capitals could be shopping include, but are not limited to, Micheal Nylander and his heavy contract will free up cap space and teams desperate for some scoring may take a chance. Sami Lepisto may be on that list as he comes up as a RFA and didn't play as well as management thought he would when they recalled him earlier this year. Shaone Morrisonn is also a possible trade. While Morrisonn has been a solid blue liner for the Caps, his contract is up and since he went through arbitration at the beginning of this season, the Caps may not want to go through that again.

As always if I hear of any rumors concerning the Capitals I will pass them on. I will also be around all day Wednesday as the trades come flowing in at the deadline. Last season McPhee pulled some smart trades to improve his team, it will be interesting to see how he performs this year.

Big Bad Boston Bruins

The Capitals will gauge how good they are as they face a very good Boston team. In fact, the Bruins are first place in the Eastern Conference. You want some encouraging news? Even when the Capitals were going through a tough stretch last year, they beat the number one team in the east.

The Ottawa Senators were playing with reckless abandon. The seemed slighted after coming so close to the Stanley Cup only to fall to the mean ol' Anaheim Ducks. They started the '07 -'08 season 12-1-0 before they played the Capitals who were in last place. It looked like the Senators were making a strong case for the dominant team in the league.

But the Caps (who lost 4 straight and won only once in the last 12 coming into Ottawa) seemed ready for the challenge, handing the Senators a 4-1 loss at Scotiabank Place. With the Senators being such a heavy handed favorite, the Capitals rose their game to the occasion and played solidly. It wasn't the perfect game, the Caps did have to kill a 5 on 3, but for once the Caps outworked the top team in the east.

While this is a different Capitals team, the premise is not too far off as the Caps face the Boston Bruins. The Bruins are off to their fastest start since the 80's. They are a hard working group that seems to have put the pieces together finally. They could be a due for a loss.

The Capitals can not just bank that this hard working Bruin team is due. They have to match the Bruins intensity. And the good news, the game is at Verizon Center. A very unwelcomed place for opponents this year. Even more good news, an injured player may play.

The Caps have seven players that are listed "day-to-day" and there is a possibility that the defensive core could be bolstered for the Bruin game, and many could be back in the line up by the weekend according to Bruce Boudreau.

Per Tarik and the Wash Post: "I'm optimistic that they are looking better - they actually participated in practice today," Boudreau said. "They're all questionable. I'm hoping we'll have two or three back by the weekend. It would be a blessing if any came back earlier."

Sami Lepisto was sent back down to Hershey which opens a slot for an injured player to return. The Caps still miss two important forwards in Sergei Fedorov and Alex Semin who both seem frustrated with their progress. In the mean time the Caps seem to be sharing the load more evenly than in years past, not having to rely on Alex Ovechkin as much.

Lepisto's Tough Time

Sami Lepisto's time at the big league started off well enough. He had an assist in his first two games and was a +1 in each game. Since then, it has been hard to be Lepisto. In his last five games he has had 2 more assists but was a -4 with 6 PIMs.

He was taken advantage off when the opposition started to forecheck him. Lepisto's control of the puck in his own zone may have been the reason he is sent packing back to Hershey as one Caps' defender looks ready to suit it up again.

I pulled together Lepisto's lowlight reel. One of the many problems Lepisto had was controlling the puck in his own zone and recovering when he did lose the puck. While making mistakes is nothing new to the Capitals, allowing the other team gain momentum from those mistakes seems to hurt the Caps especially on the road.

The first lowlight was in the Islander game where Lepisto may have been on the ice for too long. Apart of the powerplay squad, he was on the ice for a bit longer then he probably should have been when Andy Sutton left the penalty box. Sami seemed to have it under control until Sutton (not known for his offensive prowess) wrestled the puck away from Lepisto and found the open Trent Hunter in front of the net:


The next lowlight was Lepisto's misassignment on the first Carolina goal. He gave up on the play letting not one, but two Hurricanes get around Jose Theodore. You can also fault Bryan Helmer here too as he was out of the play in front of the net:


The last lowlight was in the same game against the Hurricanes. It's the game winning goal where Lepisto just lost control of the puck (again, behind the net). He could have dumped off the glass or ring it around the boards. But he loses control and the goal was the back breaker for the Caps in Raleigh:


These make the top lowlights as they lead directly to goals. It is clear that Sami Lepisto has some things to work on. Even though is was one of the first called up, his play at this level also made him the first sent back down.

The up side for Lepisto's demise is a replacement of an injured player back in the line up. That could be Mike Green or Tom Poti. We will probably know more at tomorrow's morning skate.

Not A "Game Recap" Recap

Capitals 5, Islanders 2
Scoresheet - Wash Post

To be honest, I didn't see most of the game. You can blame DC shutting down just about every road during afternoon rush and the small spattering of rain that turns DC drivers into idiot bumper car deviants. Match that with other commitments and I was a bit tied up tonight.

Having said that, the parts I did see showed that Sami Lepisto did not have a good game, Alex Ovechkin did a disappearing and reappearing act (also apparently you can board Andy Sutton, who knew?), Micheal Nylander worked his butt off after being called up for the first line (he might have been working too hard), Tomas Fleischmann would have had a goal if someone just pass the stupid puck, and Donald Brashear got the game winning goal.

Feel free to add your own commentary. Once I see the whole game, maybe I will be more comprehensive (if I am up for it). Until then, enjoy the some highlights from NHL.com:

Kids Spark Caps

Capitals 5, Thrashers 3
Scoresheet - Wash Post - AJC

With eight players in the injury column the Washington Capitals, they were looking for a little help from chocolate town. And did they get it. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Caps gave four from Hershey a change with the big squad and it helped spark Alex Ovechkin and company for a much needed win at home 5 - 3 against the Atlanta Thrashers.

Ovi recorded his sixth career hat trick, two goals on the powerplay, and finished with 4 points on the scoresheet (all of Ovi's first 3 shots went in). Eric Fehr finished a pretty three on one for his second goal of the season. Viktor Kozlov, who finished with 3 points, rounded out the scoring at 5 for the Caps after the Thrashers collapsed on Ovechkin leaving Kozlov open for the break away goal. Micheal Nylander finished with an assist and Tomas Fleischmann finished with a pair of assists himself.

The Capitals, upon getting the news that now 8 players filled their injury list, called up four from Hershey. Karl Alzner, Graham Mink, Chris Bourque and Sami Lepisto were bekoned to the District. Mink was lined up with on the checking line with David Steckel and Donald Brashear and that line energized the Caps early. After nearly scoring on the first shots of the game, it seemed the team rallied around their effort.

The much awaited arrival of Karl Alzner did not disappoint. He played well logging a little over 21 minutes and was defensively sound, even with a bit of a black eye. Sami Lepisto seemed to channel Mike Green (still out with a sprained shoulder). In fact, I had to do a double take a couple of times when Lepisto took the defensive side next to Ovi on the power play. He had an assist and finished a plus one.

As far as the recalled forwards, Chris Bourque had a pretty solid game. He recorded 3 shots on net but finished a -1. His hard work did draw a penalty in the first which led to Ovi's second goal. Graham Mink probably had the best game of the four. Mink played less than ten minutes, but his line often kept the Thrashers on their heels and had four shots on net (although I thought he had more than that). Mink's experience served him well and his line's early jump was the catalyst for the Caps' quick start.

The power play, that seemed to hinder the Caps on the road, was in fine shape tonight. They tallied two goals in four chances. However, the penalty kill was weak allowing two goals on three chances.

Jose Theodore had a big save early, after that he played pretty solid wearing his brand new mask. Honestly, he looks better in his new helmet and even played better. The Caps defense is still making the little mistakes that are costing them goals. Some Thrashers were scoring when the defense let their, well, defenses down. It was a good win, but by no means a perfect game.

The Caps obviously are much more comfortable wearing their red uniforms. The recalls definitely helped the cause as well. The Montreal Canadiens will take the ice at Verizon on Friday as the Caps continue to stay unbeaten in regulation at home, now 8-0-1. It looks like the kids will stick around until then too.

Hightlights by NHL.com:

Wee, Wee, Wee All The Way Home

It's been 12 days since the Caps have dropped the puck at the Verizon Center. They have been on a 5 game road trip that did not treat them too well. One win in the last five, they have been outscored 26 to 18 and lost now seven players due to injury (I am sure we will find out how severe those injuries are today).

The Capitals' goals against are just about even with their goals for (67-68). Which puts the Caps in interesting territory. They are 27th in the league in terms of goals against, a stat I am sure they would like to see changed. Meanwhile, they are also 5th in the league goals for, a stat I am sure they would like to keep.

Venturing away from the phone booth, the team has been mortal. They are badly outscored 52 to 40 when they don the white sweaters. At home? They have outscore their opponents 28 to 15. Good not great.

This all sets up the Capitals to face a team that suddenly has found its scoring touch. The Atlanta Thrashers will be rolling into town after playing a physical high scoring game against Toronto. They put up 6 goals and Johan Hedberg stopped 33 including a couple of ten-bell saves to shut down the Leafs. This is also the team that scored a 7 spot against the Caps back on October 10th, the last time these two teams faced each other.

Injuries aside, the Caps will have to find a way to keep the puck from behind their own net.

Caps notes:

With Jeff Schultz now out 4 to 6 weeks with a broken finger (no word on which finger and if he can still give the bird) the Caps most likely will put him on the IR. Making room for Sami Lepisto to join the club, who costs less that Karl Alzner. They also need a puck moving defensemen in the absence of Mike Green in the line up.

The Caps are hurting big time. Sergei Fedorov is listed day-to-day (ankle), Mike Green is listed day-to-day (may return this weekend), Boyd Gordon is listed day-to-day (back spasms), John Erskine is listed day-to-day (unknown), Alex Semin is listed day-to-day (may return tonight), Schultz is out 4 to 6 weeks (broken digit), and now Chris Clark may be out with inuries (status to be updated, retweak of the groin?).

Summer's End

One good thing about the Labor Day weekend? No, not the kiddies heading back to class. No, not cooler temperatures or less humidity. It's one weekend closer to hockey. Duh.

While players trickle back in to town, the anticipation level is starting to reach a feverish pitch. And it's about time. Some questions need to be answered. Will Karl Alzner make the team? Will Jose Theodore lead the team to the promised land? Will Alex Ovechkin's love life be a distraction? Will there be a third jersey? You know the important stuff.

The defensive core will be the interesting battle for spots come training camp. Brian Potheir sounds as if he is out indefinitely and it sounds if Bruce Boudreau will rotate a 7 man defensive rotation. Talent is starting to load up and it will be an important camp for Sami Lepisto, Karl Alzner and Tyler Sloan. The favorite with media types and bloggers alike will be Karl Alzner, but there is a fourth D-man invited to try out in Jakub Cutta. It should be a battle.

For forwards, while I would like to see Chris Bourque to once again be the dark horse there is obviously something that keeps him from making the team. Mostly the talent back up at his position. Graham Mink, Keith Aucoin and Quintin Laing are all going to be battling for spots and I have a feeling Laing's performance from last year won't be enough to keep him in a Capitals' sweater. Although he is quickly becoming a fan favorite with his block shot superpower.

The bar now for the Capitals is set even higher. Especially now that it looks as if the Southeast Division is tired of being in the lower half of the league. That makes this training camp important, if not very entertaining.

Hop Switz! Vs. Hip Hop Huet!

As good as Cristobal Huet may be, when you are under a barrage of 48 shots some are bound to go in. Switzerland defeated France 4-1 on Saturday, Huet had 44 saves in a one sided affair. Huet's return to Quebec brought out a raucous French contingent cheering "Allez les bleus!" (Go the blue ones! translated) amongst other things. While the Swiss side hollered "Hop Switz!" (Go Swiss! translated) to counteract. Martin Gerber was in net for the Swiss stopping 25 of 26 shots.

In other World Championship news (concerning Capital players), Nick Backstrom's Team Sweden eek out a win versus Belarus. Backstrom scored a goal, had an assist, and was a +1. Sami Lepisto did not play for the Finnish in their 5-1 win over Germany.

Also Friday, I forgot to mention that Tomas Fleischmann recorded an assist and was a +3 in the Czech Republic's win over Denmark. Jakub Klepis also played for the Czech and recorded 6 shots. Klepis was seen with a very clean shaven head.

One And Done

Sam Lepisto got his shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning. That was enough for Caps management know they have a very capable defensemen if they need him a pinch. But with Tom Poti back in the lineup, there is just no room for the smooth skating Fin. So back down he goes. Along with Eric Fehr.

Fehr was a healthy scratch against the Lightning, and the Caps didn't miss him much. Boudreau talked about Fehr getting his scoring touch back, which I think is the smart move. He just didn't look comfortable at the big league level. Fehr was often out of position, behind the play and look a little out of shape. Give him a few more games to get his game right.

With those two gone the Caps have a capable line up that evens out, for the forwards anyway. For the defense looks like Steve Eminger might be the odd man out. Meanwhile the Islanders aren't a much healthy either. The Long Island gang is without defensemen Brendan Witt, Andy Sutton and Chris Campoli. The Caps offense may get some much needed confidence.

Update: Shaone Morrisonn is suppose to be on Washington Post Live this afternoon on Comcast Sportsnet.