TEB <3 Datsyuk

Tarik El-Bashir is doing his weekly online chat at the WaPo and he is convinced that Wings center Pavel Datsyuk will be at the top of the Caps' free agent shopping list in the offseason. Personally, I'm not as convinced, but here's what Tarik had to say:

Arlington, Va.: Okay, short and sweet. [Scott] Gomez or Datsyuk?

Tarik El-Bashir: I'd be shocked if the Caps didn't target Datsyuk. After all, he's played with Ovechkin in Russia, and they "think" the game the same way. That said, I love Gomez's game. I'm pretty sure both are going to be hearing from the Caps the moment free agency begins.

Rockville, Md.: "The NHL prohibits managers from discussing players who are the property of other teams, so I'm not at liberty to mention specific names, but we track the status of every player the in league as well as where each team stands in relation to the salary cap." Is that code for "I want to go after [Daniel] Briere"?

Tarik El-Bashir: No, it's code for: "I want to go after Datsyuk."

Souring Your Sources?

Last Friday in his much-discussed (around here, anyway) blog post on the Caps' payroll, WaPo beat writer Tarik El-Bashir asserted that the Caps have "fewer NHL-caliber players than any other team in the league."

Fast-forward a few days to his story in today's paper on the team's efforts to re-sign Richard Zednik. El-Bashir quotes Zednik's agent... and that's it. No quote from the player himself, no quote from the general manager. Or the head coach. Or the owner. (On the plus side, at least he didn't quote the WashingtonCaps.com message boards again). But his lack of a recognizable (to fans, at least) source must be because the team is tight-lipped about contract talks, right? After all, El-Bashir does note that "Capitals General Manager George McPhee declined to comment on the contract talks." Odd, as GMGM was happy to be quoted on the topic in last week's paper, saying, "We would like Richard to be part of the future here," among other things. Zednik was also quoted in the same article.

Now, the Caps cancelled practice yesterday, so player and team availability was understandably limited and likely the reason for the above - I'm sure GMGM would still happily tell Tarik how much he would like Zed to be a part of the team's future. But the dynamic between the writer and the team bears watching going forward. Do you think that a hard-working guy like Boyd Gordon is looking to spill his guts to a guy who may or may not think he's "NHL-caliber"? For that matter, does anyone in such a tight-knit group take kindly to an outsider taking such an unsupported cheap shot at the team? I should think that El-Bashir has made his job a little harder, don't you?

From The Daily That Broke Watergate...

Memo to Tarik el-Bashir: leave the message board trolling and chest-puffing "told you so" posts to those of us who don't write under the masthead of one of the most respected news outlets in the free world.

Have A Coke And A Smile Goal

Caps WaPo beat writer and fellow blogger Tarik el-Bashir notes what we've all been watching for the past couple of weeks, namely that - amazing as it seems - Alex Ovechkin seems to have found another gear. Quoth Tarik:

As one person who watches him regularly said today, "It's like he's got rocket fuel in his skates" in recent weeks. Another person said he's playing with greater "intensity and determination" than the first two months of the season.

El-Bashir teases us with his thoughts on AO's recent explosion ("I've got my theories on why we've seen such a sharp uptick in his level of play and I'll share them in tomorrow's paper"), but perhaps it's just a good ol' caffeine kick:

Incidentally, Coke should lock the kid up to do endorsements, especially in Mother Russia - he could probably sell ice to Eskimos.

[Ed. note: Am I shilling for Coca-Cola now too?]

Friday Roundup: Tarik, What Do You Think Of Ryan's New Haircut?

Four days into camp and already the WaPo's Tarik El-Bashir is getting tired of covering the team. Instead of what journalists would call an "article," El-Bashir turned in a four-blurb compilation with a couple of quotes from Andy Cassels on wearing a visor and from J.F. Fortin on how the team's defense finally stinks enough for his unmotivated butt to possibly get some ice-time. Oh, and defenseman Steve Eminger took a couple of shifts at center to "see things from a forward's point of view." Tarik must've been busy watching The O.C. last night. The WTimes does no better today, covering almost exactly the same ground.

Tonight is preseason Game #1, at Carolina. Fans can tune in to WashingtonCaps.com to listen.

Elsewhere around the League:

• Apparently the Bolts aren't pleased with the young defensemen they have competing for the open sixth spot on the blueline. J.F. Fortin has a chance to land a spot in the Caps' top defensive pairing and the Lightning are whining that they can't find a decent back-end blueliner. We feel John Tortorella's pain. Really.
• This, from the "I Just Threw Up In My Mouth" file.

Update:

• The Bruins have re-signed Andrew Raycroft.
• If you haven't had enough of Mario & Sid, here's a great picture of the couple from a recent photo shoot.

WaPo's Caps Beat Writer Chats

It probably speaks volumes of what the Washington Post (and, presumably by extension, its readers) think of the Capitals and of hockey in general when they assign heretofore unheard of Tarik El-Bashir to the Caps beat. But he's certainly no worse than Jason LaCanfora or Rachel Alexander, his immediate predecessors. And if you can wade through the constant Tony Kornholer and Michael Wilbon hating on hockey to find El-Bashir's columns, they're usually fairly insightful.

In any event, El-Bashir held an online chat this afternoon. Most of the chat was pure speculation, as opposed to the following "highlights" that are only partly speculative. Pretty worthless chat, all in all.

Arlington, Va.: Do the Capitals still get to keep the rights to Ovechkin?

Tarik El-Bashir: Yes. The Capitals will still own the rights to Ovechkin whether he plays here this season or not. How long they keep his rights depends on the new CBA, which virtually no one has seen.

...

New York, N.Y.: The other day Don Meehan, Alexander Ovechkin's agent, indicated that Ovechkin may remain in Russia because he can make more money there and his family is there. Is there any indication from the organization, or in general, about AO's thinking this coming season?

Tarik El-Bashir: From everything I've been told, Ovechkin has indicated to the Capitals that he wants to play in the NHL next season. He knows he can make more money in Russia, but he wants to prove himself against the best players in the world.