Putting The "Six" In Top Six

Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Viktor Kozlov and either Michael Nylander or Sergei Fedorov. Those, presumably, are five of your top six Caps forwards on Opening Night. The question is "Who gets that sixth spot?" Let's try to figure out who deserves to be there.

The contenders: Chris Clark, Eric Fehr, Tomas Fleischmann, Brooks Laich

The stats (all stats are 2007-08 numbers and courtesy BehindTheNet):

• Games Played: Laich (82), Fleischmann (75), Fehr (23), Clark (18)
  
• 5-on-5 TOI/60: Clark (13.21), Fleischmann (10.68), Laich (9.93), Fehr (9.09)
• 5-on-5 Points/60: Laich (1.55), Clark (1.51), Fleischmann (1.42), Fehr (0.57)
  
• 5-on-5 Goals/60: Clark (1.01), Laich (0.74), Fleischmann (0.60), Fehr (0.29)
• Caps 5-on-5 Goals For/60 with Player X on Ice: Fehr (2.58), Clark (2.52), Fleischmann (2.47), Laich (1.77)
  

So far so good? Even though Clark had a miserable season, he was better 5-on-5 than any of the other three, with Laich right behind him, Flash a little ways back and Fehr (individually, but quite the opposite as part of a trio) bringing up the rear. "But wait," you say. "With whom were these guys playing and against whom?" Good question (and I've trained you well to ask it). Let's see:

• Quality of Teammates 5-on-5: Clark (0.53), Fleischmann (-0.15), Laich (-0.15), Fehr (-0.21)
• Quality of Competition 5-on-5: Clark (0.04), Fleischmann (-0.01), Laich (-0.04), Fehr (-0.06)
• Most Frequent Even Strength Linemates: Clark (Ovechkin, Kozlov), Fehr (Laich, Fleischmann), Fleischmann (Nylander, Semin), Laich (Fehr, Fleischmann, edging out Donald Brashear and Matt Bradley)
  

The Captain skated with the best linemates (the best on the entire team, in fact), while the other three skated with the squad's worst (plus/minus-wise, at least). As for the quality of opponents, it was a wash. So Clark produced more thanks in part, no doubt, to his linemates, while the others produced what they did in spite of theirs (that Flash skated most often with Nylander and Semin makes his relative lack of production all the more inexcusable).

But the game is played at two ends of the ice, so let's take a look at that other end:

• Caps 5-on-5 Goals Against/60 with Player X on Ice: Fehr (1.44), Clark (1.77), Laich (2.51), Fleischmann (3.07)

Psst... Tomas... not so good.

Finally, a quick look at 5-on-5 penalties:

• 5-on-5 Penalties Taken/60: Fehr (0.0), Fleischmann (0.6), Laich (1.0), Clark (2.8)
  
• 5-on-5 Penalties Drawn/60: Fehr (1.7), Laich (1.6), Fleischmann (0.4), Clark (0.3)

Obviously, Clark and Flash are on the wrong side of that differential, while Laich and Fehr drew more penalties at 5-on-5 than they took.

It's almost bottom line time, but before we get there, a couple of points. First of all, it should be abundantly clear by now that Tomas Fleischmann - unless he had a tremendous transformation this summer - does not belong in an NHL lineup.

Second, Brooks Laich may currently be suing a Led Zeppelin biographer, claiming that Hammer of the Gods is the trademarked name of his hockey stick, but he has not been a great 5-on-5 hockey player to this point in his career, as his -0.74 goal differential demonstrates (though I did thoroughly enjoy his work with Semin and Backstrom in the Philly series).

Which leaves us with Clark and Fehr. Clark is a more known commodity, as he has put up points when skating with playmakers and snipers, and certainly lends some defensive responsibility to any line on which he skates, but his penalty ratio last year was bad and the year before was nearly even.

Fehr, on the other hand, has yet to show he can produce at 5-on-5, but some of the signs are there - his penalty ratio was very solid, and he proved to not be a liability, as his 1.14 goal differential showed (even better than Clark's 0.75, though both samples were somewhat limited, of course), all despite playing with some of the Caps' weaker forwards. In fact, he had the second-best 5-on-5 goal differential on the team two years ago as well. And, of course, he's scored at every level before getting to the NHL.

Alright, as promised, bottom line time: give the kid a playmaker and a dangler/sniper and see what he can do.

Oh, and pitch Flash in the Atlantic.

H/t to Gorilla Crouch on the inspiration for this post

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Tomas Fleischmann

From Backstrom to Steckel, we're taking a quick look at and grading the 2007-08 season for every player* who laced 'em up for the Caps during the campaign (and is still with the team) with an eye towards 2008-09. Next up, Tomas Fleischmann.

Contract Status: 2008-09 salary of $725,000; RFA after 2009-10
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 24
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 1+
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 75 games played, 10 goals, 20 assists, -7, 18 PIMs
Key Stat: Fleischmann gave the Caps eight double-digit goal scorers (not including the trade deadline acquisitions).
Surprising Stat: Fleischmann had five points (2G, 3A) in the five games in which he got more than 16 minutes of ice time.

The Good: Fleischmann obliterated his previous career highs in goals and assists and had the fourth best shooting percentage of any forward on the team who played the whole season for the Caps, as well as the third best takeaway-to-giveaway ratio on the team, behind only checking centers Boyd Gordon and David Steckel. Flash's monthly point totals increased in each of the season's first five months (before falling off the table in March), and he scored two huge goals in the last five games of the regular season - an OT winner in Tampa and the game's first goal in the season-ending must-win against the Panthers.

The Bad: Fleischmann's minus-seven rating was tied for third worst on the team and he (we?) suffered through goal-less droughts of 14, 13, 13 and 10 games. Fleischmann drew a woeful (for a "skill" forward) 0.4 penalties per sixty minutes of ice time (by comparison, Gordon drew twice as many), had the fewest blocked shots of anyone on the team who played more than 23 games (and he played 75) and only 26 hits (Chris Clark had two fewer in 57 fewer games). This overall lack of physicality made him more or less unplayable in the postseason.

The Vote: Rate Fleischmann on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential 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 Questions: What role do you see Fleischmann playing on the 2008-09 Caps? Healthy scratch? Top six winger? Trade bait? What will it take for him to earn a 10 rating next year?

If you've missed any of the previous 2007-08 Rink Wraps, click here, get caught up, and vote - polls will stay open for a while.

* And by "every," we mean every one who played more than just a handful of games.

There's Been A Jakub Klepis Sighting

There he is, second from the right, standing next to some curly redhead. Not surprisingly, Klepis was scoreless in the Czech Republic's 5-2 win (though he did lead the team in shots on goal with six). The redhead had an assist and was plus-3.

Flash Extended... But Why?

Late this morning the Caps announced that they had re-signed winger Tomas Fleischmann to a two-year deal that will pay the 23-year-old Czech $725,000 in each of the next two seasons.

Flash's stats haven't been terribly impressive - six goals, 15 assists and a minus-four rating on the season; 10 goals, 21 assists and a minus-17 rating in 96 career NHL games - so the signing begs a number of questions. Let's look at some of them:

1. Why sign him now?

It sounds as if the Fleischmann camp didn't much enjoy being unsigned through last summer, so they pressed to get a deal done sooner rather than later. But why were the Caps so eager to make it happen now? If they're certain he's "developing at the right pace," why not give him another 25 NHL games to be even more certain? I doubt his play and price will jump substantially between now and what would be restricted free agency this summer.

Perhaps the team feels that Flash will play better, unburdened by pending free agency. Perhaps it's a reward to coach Bruce Boudreau - taking care of one of "his guys" as payback for the job he's done so far. Or (cue foreboding music) perhaps it's easier to trade a player who is under contract for two more years than a guy who will be an RFA on June 1.

Frankly, I don't buy any of those and am fine with "the player wanted it, the team named their price and the player took it." But with at least four other arguably more important RFAs left to sign, the timing of this deal is, if nothing else, something to talk about.

2. Where does Flash fit in next year? And the year after that?

This is the better question. It's a given that Flash is a top six forward, if he's an NHLer. And one would like to think that the Caps' top six forwards for next season are more or less set in stone - Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Eric Fehr, Alex Semin, Michael Nylander and Viktor Kozlov.

Barring a big-time breakthrough, signing Flash is insurance in case Fehr's development is slower than hoped and/or he gets bitten by the injury bug again and the team actually commits to Chris Clark as a third-liner (something we've been harping on for a while).

As for 2008-09, after next season, Kozlov is a free agent and we'll have a much clearer view of what kind of NHLers Fehr and Flash (and perhaps others) will be.

Besides, you know how many games all five of the current top five forwards on the team have played in this season so far? Twenty-one (and it'll be 21 of 82 when the season's over). It doesn't hurt to have some depth up top.

3. So is it a good deal?

Sure. At $725,000, Flash is a low-risk/medium-reward signing. Since Nylander's injury, Flash has just one goal and seven assists in 13 games (a 50-point/82 games pace), but he has been playing on a line with a fourth-line center and a guy who's not exactly known for distributing the puck. More importantly, he's not shying away from high-traffic areas as much as he was early in the season.

Fleischmann is a guy who scored 52 goals and added 62 assists in 102 games for Hershey (and added 53 points in 39 playoff games), so the skill is there. The size and strength, we're told, are coming. The heart and determination? I guess we'll see.

As CapsChick said, "If he performs, he's a bargain; if not, it's a contract that is easily moved if necessary." Put another way, Flash's cap hit next year will be just over 1/10th of Tomas Vanek's. I'll take the over on him scoring 1/10th as many goals and points as the Sabres' stud.

Low-risk. Medium-reward. Good deal.

Wednesday Roundup/Caps 4, Sens 2

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Super Stats]

Despite recent losses on the ice and in the lineup, the Ottawa Senators are still probably favorites to win the Eastern Conference (provided that Ty Conklin, at some point, returns to earth). That being said, I wonder who they're rooting against sneaking into the playoffs in the eight-spot.

The big guns were a-firin' for the home team Tuesday night at Verizon Center, and the result was another come-from-behind victory for the Caps over the visiting Sens. Some thoughts on the game:

• The Caps haven't lost back-to-back games in regulation under Bruce Boudreau (24 games).
  
• Tomas Fleischmann had a very strong game, and the shift on which he set up Alex Semin's second goal of the game was a great example of hard work combining with a touch of skill. It goes without saying that efforts like that will keep him in the lineup. On the night he had two helpers, a plus-one rating, three shots on goal (which tied him for the team high), four takeaways and no giveaways.
  
• Sticking with the second line, Semin's first goal was jaw-dropping Sasha circa '06-'07. The ice was littered with the jocks of both Wade Redden and Ray Emery.
• Did Brent Johnson earn a Thursday night start? Are we past "If we're going to make the playoffs, it will be with Olie in net" and at "It's time to play the hot hand"?
  
• Here's something that Caps and Sabres fans can agree upon: Chris Neil is ten pounds of monkey crap in a five pound sack.
• A little something for the ladies: Antoine Vermette was 13-for-15 (87%) in the faceoff circle and 1-for-1 in the shirt-off circle.
• Nicklas Backstrom was 4-for-13 (31%) in the dot and I don't have any topless shots of him.
  
• If my name was Cody Bass, I think I'd tell people it was short for Cody Badass.
• Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green scored goals, the sun rose, John Edwards' folks were millworkers, etc.
• Matt Pettinger's penalty was so stupid it hurt. Rest assured that it didn't go unnoticed - he only had four short shifts the rest of the game (excluding his first shift out of the box).
• Milan Jurcina had four blocked shots but no hits. Matt Bradley also threw a no-hitter, a rarity for him of late.
  

The Caps are now 6-2-0 against Canadian teams and, as luck would have it, get Edmonton on Thursday night. Last night's win got the Caps back on track, but this is a team that has to turn single wins into streaks. With a pair of second line wingers stepping up their game in the absence of their pivot, I wouldn't bet against such a streak starting right now.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

The first official Olie Kolzig retirement talk.... Nicklas Backstrom will participate in the Young Stars silliness.... Josh Godfrey is an OHL All-Star.... Complaining about a problem but offering no solutions always makes for a great article.... See if you can read the first two sentences of this post without laughing (then again, just getting up from this hit makes the assertion a little more understandable).... Finally, according to the Hockey Hall of Fame, on this date back in 1905, "'One-eyed' Frank McGee netted an all-time Stanley Cup record 14 goals in the Ottawa Silver Seven's 23-2 victory over the Dawson City Nuggets, who had travelled more than 4,000 miles by dogsled, boat and train to challenge for Cup." Chris Chelios was reportedly a healthy scratch for Dawson City.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Marian Hossa (First period natural hat trick, including the game-winning goal, 5 SOG)
  
• Ross: Ed Jovanovkski (4 points)
  
• Norris: Ed Jovanovski (G, 3A, +2, 5 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Jose Theodore (32-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Marian Hossa (3G)
  
• Calder: Peter Mueller (3A, +1, 3 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Chris Osgood (L, 4 goals allowed on 17 shots against in 27:28 of work)
  

Wednesday Roundup

I'm short on time this morning (potato latke hangover?), so let's get right to our question of the day - the Pens have put Mark Recchi on waivers. Are you interested? On the plus side, he's a right wing on a one-year deal (he's owed a bit more than $1 million for the rest of this season) who brings a bit of grit and a ton of leadership along with any skill he might have left (he did have 24 goals and 68 points last year), and could fetch something in return at the trade deadline. On the minus side, he'll be 40 on February 1 and seems to be slowing down. And, of course, the Caps haven't exactly had great luck employing former Penguins. My vote is no (Tomas Fleischmann's vote is a big no), but what do you guys think?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Fleischmann and Jeff Schultz will coach the Fort Dupont Cannons youth hockey team today, which is great for kids eager to learn the most direct route between D.C. and Hershey or how to pick out a tie to match your suit so you look presentable in the press box. But seriously, KB says he'll buy a beer for the first person with video of a ten-year-old laying out Schultz.... Dale Hunter certainly isn't closing the door on an NHL coaching gig some time in the future.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Pavel Datsyuk (2G, including the game-winner, A, +1, 4 hits, 3 takeaways, 0 giveaways, 1 blocked shot)
  
• Ross: Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Alfredsson (3 points each)
  
• Norris: Tomas Kaberle (2A, +1, 2 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Vezina: Vesa Toskala (W, 34 saves on 35 shots against)
  
• Richard: Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Alfredsson (2G each)
  
• Calder: Dustin Boyd (Game-winning goal, +1)
  
• Aiken: Chris Mason (L, 3 goals allowed on 15 shots against)
  

I Wouldn't Say Flash Is Soft, But...

With no points, one hit, no blocked shots, no takeaways and only five shots on goal in 48:31 of total ice time so far this season (despite skating most of that time on a line with the team's leading scorer), Tomas Fleischmann has been virtually invisible through five games.

On the plus side for Flash, his play may open up new off-ice opportunities (which he might need sooner rather than later) - I can't think of an NHL player better-suited to be the spokesman for a specific product than the Caps winger.

Now it's your turn - what other NHL players are perfect pitchmen for every day commercial items?

Caps Cut Clymer, Sign Flash, Demote Pollock

Earlier today the Caps signed Tomas Fleischmann (a formality we all knew was coming, and a potentially great deal at $495,000 for this season), sent Jame Pollock to Hershey (no surprise) and also demoted Ben Clymer to Chocolatetown.

The story there is obviously Clymer, who had to (and did) clear waivers. Should the Caps recall him, he'll have to go through re-entry waivers and any team claiming him would only be responsible for half of his contract (which pays him $1 million this year and $1.1 million next year).

It's certainly worth noting that Clymer has given a lot to the Washington Capitals - and during often difficult times - and should be saluted for his professionalism and leadership both on and off the ice. Whether it was his willingness to accept a return to the blueline at the beginning of last season or the way he handled his frequent healthy scratches during the second half of that same campaign, he has been exactly what the Caps needed him to be, and hopefully some other team needing that role filled will take a look at him and give him a chance. Unfortunately for Ben - but fortunately for the Caps and their fans - that role is no longer needed on this team.

With Clymer and Pollock out of the picture and Jakub Klepis unlikely to be signed, the Caps still have one more player to shed before tomorrow's roster submission deadline. Since David Steckel, Mike Green and Jeff Schultz can all be sent to Hershey without having to go through waivers, any one of them could provide a short-term solution as the team works on trade possibilities and hangs on to veterans like Matt Bradley and Brooks Laich for at least a little longer. Of course, an injury (real or otherwise - John Erskine?) could land someone on the IR to start the season and that would take care of this whole "too many bodies" problem as well.

Flash And Klepis On Notice; Seabrook: Out

A couple of interesting bits from Tarik on this sweltering September afternoon. First, regarding the statuses of unsigned forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Jakub Klepis, GMGM had this to say (emphasis added):

"They'll probably start camp without contracts. It provides flexibility for them and for us. They're at the point where they believe they are NHL players. And we do, too. If they make our club, good for them and good for us. If they don't, they want the opportunity to play somewhere else. They are concerned they may end up in the American Hockey League again. Europe would be more desirable for them."

"We don't have an issue with that. We'll insure them to make sure they are protected, see how camp goes and how things shake out. If they make the club, everything is fine. If they can't, and there's an opportunity with another NHL club, we can do something that way. And if that doesn't work out, then they can go to Europe and we'll still have their rights."

In other words, it's getting close to fish-or-cut-bait time on the two young Czechs, at least for the time being. Given the glut of forwards on the roster already, it's going to be tough for either to make the team out of camp (especially assuming that the bottom two lines will be filled with players who play a different style than either of those two - read: bangers and checkers - and that the top six forwards are more or less set), so if they aren't moved via trade, they're likely heading back over the pond.

If Flash really impresses, I could see him lining up on the second line right wing (with Viktor Kozlov on the top line and Chris Clark landing on the third) or he could make the team if Nicklas Backstrom isn't quite ready for a top-six spot. Klepis, on the other hand, has a very slim chance of making the squad, though anything is possible, I suppose.

[For more on some of what Jake and Tom did with the minutes they were given last season, check out this post.]

The second note that Tarik passes along is that Keith Seabrook will not be attending rookie camp due to a shoulder injury, which is too bad, considering it sounded as if he was looking forward to it.

No Qualifying Offer For Novotny

In a move that's a bit surprising to me, the Caps have decided not to extend a qualifying offer to Jiri Novotny, meaning that the Czech pivot will become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday. The decision is surprising in part because it would have been relatively cheap to qualify Novoflop ("only" $495,000), and in part because the former first-rounder is still only 23-years-old (24 in August). Novotny certainly did nothing to impress in his brief stint in D.C., but hopefully letting him go means that the team will be adding some depth at the center position (especially on the top two lines) in the near future. And for those keeping score at home, the Caps end up trading Dainius Zubrus for San Jose's second round pick in 2007 (which they flipped to Philly, I believe) and the Sharks' (likely very late) second round pick in 2008 - not exactly a king's ransom. But kudos to GMGM and the team for not just signing Novotny for the sake of trying to save some face on the Zubrus trade.

Another surprise (to me at least) was that the team didn't qualify goaltender Maxime Daigneault. "Max II" was 23-6 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.64 goals against average in his first season in the AHL. If it was purely a talent-based decision, I can live with it (though as a 23-year-old and a former second-round pick, I'm not sure how that decision can be made at this point). But when Tim Leone (via Tarik) pointed out that Frederic Cassivi was going to be back in Chocolatetown next year and questioned whether there was room in the organization for Daigneault, I asked the following:

Shouldn't the question be whether there's room in the organization for Cassivi? I know they're trying to win games down there, but if the Caps are forced to let go of a goalie with potential upside (there's only one way to find out how much) so that Hershey can keep playing a guy that offers no such long-term benefit to the big club, I'm not sure I see the point of the affiliation.

That question - and the implication that goes along with it - is gnawing at me again today. At the very least, the release of Max II shows the team's confidence in youngsters Simeon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth.

Also not receiving QOs were defenseman Trevor Byrne, and forwards Kris Beech, Jonas Johansson, Louis Robitaille, Matt Stefanishion and Joey Tenute. No huge losses there.

So who was qualified? Blueliners Steve Eminger, John Erskine, Jamie Hunt and Milan Jurcina and forwards Tomas Fleischmann, Jakub Klepis, Brooks Laich, Dave Steckel and Brian Sutherby.

Per the Caps' site:

Players who receive qualifying offers have until July 15 to notify the club as to whether or not they accept the offer. Players with arbitration rights (that list includes Eminger, Erskine, Jurcina, Laich and Sutherby) have until July 5 to notify the club of their desire to exercise those rights.

Players who are tendered qualifying offers can still get offers from other NHL teams, too. Any restricted free agent who is given an offer sheet at $773,442 or below for 2007-08 can sign without his original club receiving any compensation in return. The player’s original club does retain the right to match that offer, however.

...

Negotiations are already ongoing with Washington’s restricted free agents, a process that will play itself out over the next six weeks or so. Players who choose arbitration may never get to arbitration, and just because all nine players were given two-way qualifying offers does not preclude them from signing one-way deals when it’s all said and done.

Dispatches From Down On The Farm

As you probably know, the Hershey Bears are one win away from advancing to the Calder Cup Finals (where they'll likely face - gasp - Mathieu Biron and the Hamilton Bulldogs).

Per Vogs, here are a couple of stats of particular interest to Caps fans:

• Tomas Fleischmann now ranks third in AHL playoff scoring with 17 points (four goals, 13 assists).
• Mike Green leads all AHL defensemen with seven playoff goals and is second with 13 points. He leads the league with six power play goals.

And here's Vogs' take on Flash's game three performance:

Quite simply a dazzling performance. He worked his wizardry with the puck throughout the evening, and finished with a goal and two assists. Flash’s goal was a work of art.

I would like to think that both Flash and Green are virtual locks for the big club next year, and with the confidence they're getting - and inspiring - during this playoff run, they're doing nothing to dissuade that notion.

Caps Still Top Five

Hockey's Future has it's Spring 2007 Organizational Rankings up and the Caps are #5.

Here's HF's assessment:

Strengths: Washington's strengths start back in the net where they have Semen Varlamov and Michael Neuvirth. Varlamov and Neuvirth seem to have the biggest upside as of now. Both are highly athletic goaltenders that move very fast and are capable of making key saves. On the defensive end Jeff Schultz and Patrick McNeill are providing solid but unspectacular depth. Up front, Nicklas Backstrom, who is one of the best prospects outside of the NHL right now, leads the troops. He doesn't need any further introduction, while his fellow prospects Eric Fehr, Tomas Fleischmann, Francois Bouchard still haven’t reached same status (but bring excellent offensive ability).

Weaknesses: The team could use some more depth on the left side, as the prospects behind Fleischmann aren’t really close to the NHL. The center position could also use another solid centerman, as the only two that look like future NHLers right now are Backstrom and Chris Bourque.

Top Five Prospects: Nicklas Backstrom (C), Eric Fehr (RW), Semen Varlamov (G), Francois Bouchard (RW), Tomas Fleischmann (LW)

Key Graduates: Mike Green (D)

Hockey's Future: Capitals Top 20 Prospects

Hockey's Future has updated its Top 20 Caps Prospects (with a couple of paragraphs on each player) and the only thing that really jumps out at me is that Francois Bouchard has leap-frogged Tomas Fleischmann. Travis Morin's low ranking and the omission of Viktor Dovgan have some scratching their heads, but all in all, the list is rather unsurprising (and it's great to see two goalies so high on the list). Here it is, with a cherry-picked, not-always-in-context money quote for each player:

1. Nicklas Backstrom, C - "has the potential and maturity to center a first line as soon as next season"
2. Eric Fehr, RW - "with his impressive offensive prowess and ongoing success in the AHL, Fehr will not be a man with two teams for much longer"
3. Semen Varlamov, G - "quick legs, and a very quick glove, which lets him excel at breakaways, especially shootouts"
4. Francois Bouchard, C/RW - "he might not just contribute, but be an impact player"
5. Tomas Fleischmann, LW - "with great hockey sense, along with an impressive shot and playmaking ability, Fleischmann has excellent offensive potential"
6. Michal Neuvirth, G - "a well-rounded butterfly style goaltender who shines under pressure situations. Rarely getting rattled, his mental toughness is remarkable for his age."
7. Chris Bourque, LW/RW - "has all intangibles -- great hockey sense, excellent skating, leadership, competitiveness, and above all, the ability to put himself in the right positions to score"
8. Jeff Schultz, D - "all the physical potential to become a keystone defenseman at the NHL level"
9. Patrick McNeill, D - "has enormous offensive potential, and is defensively sound"
10. Keith Seabrook, D - "has an incredibly hard shot from the point, and an ability to find open shooting lanes"
11. Oskar Osala, LW - "has incredible offensive talent, and at 6'4 his great speed and skating ability is very rare"
12. Sami Lepisto, D - "One of the best young defensemen in Finland, Lepisto excels at puck control; with a very calm demeanor he makes good passes and exudes confidence with the puck."
13. Joe Finley, D - "His incredible size, mixed with a certain aggressiveness, gives him the ability to take control of a game from a defensive standpoint."
14. Maxime Daigneault, G - "With good size, and an aggressively challenging style, Daigneault covers a lot of space in the net and uses his butterfly technique and quick glove to stymie shooters."
15. Sasha Pokulok, D - "Out of all the defensemen in the Capitals prospect system, Pokulok may be the most well-rounded."
16. Andrew Gordon, RW - "Gordon has what every club in the NHL looks for in offensive players: consistency at a high level."
17. Travis Morin, C - "His great playmaking skills, matched with excellent puckhandling, makes Morin successful on the power play."
18. Mathieu Perreault, C - "has enormous offensive upside"
19. Stephen Werner, RW - "Werner is a good playmaker and makes good decisions. He has a hard shot and is good through traffic, but his calling card is his speed."
20. Jamie Hunt, D - "extremely quick and a very good skater for his size"

Monday Roundup/Caps 7, Bolts 1

[SeSo Open Thread]

This (from NHL.com) is sweet (and in case you're wondering those first two guys are just eight years older - combined - than that third guy):

That tells you most of what you need to know this morning (though it doesn't mention Dan Boyle's reckless high-stick on Alex Ovechkin or how good Olie Kolzig has been since returning from injury -100 saves on 105 shots against), but this quote from Bolts captain Tim Taylor in Tarik's recap struck me:

"[The Caps] are out of the playoffs. They have no chance. Every year they are like this."

Obviously you don't mean every year, do you Tim "The Toe" Taylor?

Daily Awards

• Hart: Joe Sakic (4A, +1, 6 SOG in 4-3 win)
  
• Ross: Joe Sakic, Tomas Fleischmann (4 points each)
  
• Norris: Alexei Zhitnik (G, 2A, 1 SOG, 2 hits, 3 takeaways, 0 giveaways)
  
• Vezina: Olaf Kolzig (W, 30 saves on 31 shots against)
  
• Richard: Alexander Semin (3G)
  
• Calder: Tomas Fleischmann (2G, including the game-winner, 2A, +4, 5 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Sean Burke (2 goals allowed on 2 shots against in just 4:22 of work... that's a 30.00 GAA and a 0.00 SV%)

Clark Out, Fehr Questionable, Flash Up

Per Tarik, Chris Clark is out 7-10 days and Eric Fehr is day-to-day with a groin injury. With the injuries, the team has recalled Tomas Flesichmann.

The obvious move would be to put Flash and Ben Clymer into the lineup for Clark and Fehr and shuffle around the wings a little bit.

The less obvious move would be to play Flash or Richard Zednik on the top line, the other on the second line, give Steve Eminger a sweater and semi-double-shift Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin. This would get the Alexes more ice-time (which they've needed lately) and would allow the d-corps to be fresher for the back-to-back games against the Devils. Oh yeah, and it would get Steve Eminger in the lineup. If Emmy can't crack the lineup now, I may be more inclined to believe the rumors that he may be on his way out the door.

AHL All-Stars Announced

Congrats to Hershey Bears forwards Alexandre Giroux and Tomas Fleischmann and defenseman Lawrence Nycholat on being named to the AHL All-Star teams. Kudos also to head coach Bruce Boudreau and his staff, who will be behind the benches for the game later this month.

Giroux and Nycholat were elected starters for the Canadian team and were profiled thusly:

Lawrence Nycholat, Defense (Hershey Bears): Making his third consecutive AHL All-Star Classic appearance, Lawrence Nycholat is currently the league’s top-scoring defenseman with 28 points in 29 games for the Bears. Nycholat also sports a plus/minus rating of plus-14 and is serving as captain of the defending Calder Cup champions. The Calgary native has added two goals and four assists for six points in eight NHL games with the Washington Capitals this season, including his first career NHL goal vs. New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur on Dec. 29.

Alexandre Giroux, Forward (Hershey Bears): Perennial scoring threat Alexandre Giroux earns his first AHL All-Star Classic selection this season, having already amassed 27 goals and 41 points in 36 games for Hershey in 2006-07. A native of Quebec City, Giroux is coming off back-to-back 30-goal seasons in the AHL, and rattled off 11 goals during a nine-game stretch with the Bears from Nov. 11-29. The 25-year-old Giroux has also appeared in two NHL games with Washington this year.

I do have one question, though - why'd Eric Fehr get screwed?

Wednesday Roundup: Where'd You Come From?

I saw this on Capitol Punishment the other day and decided I needed to rip off Chris ripping off Ducksnorts ripping off Will Young (jeez, we could do a rip-off tree just as easily). Basically, it traces how (a somewhat arbitrary list of) the 2006-07 Caps came to be Caps, and is pretty self-explanatory if you typically read left-to-right. Without further ado, here it is (click on it to enlarge, and then click again, depending on browser, to see it full size):

I didn't note where draft picks had been acquired via trade, but might at some point. Also, there may be some mistakes on there, and I'd happily correct 'em if you point 'em out.

What I found interesting is that of the ten players acquired via trade, Jakub Klepis and Tomas Fleischmann are the only ones who were acquired for players that weren't orginally Caps draft picks. I'm not sure exactly what that means - maybe that the organization (mostly thanks to the prior regime) has been able to draft and move a bunch of quality NHLers. Or that they've been reluctant to bring in quality players from outside the organization, even pre-dating the Jaromir Jagr experiment. Or that they've been conservative in the frequency of moves they've made. One thing clearly shows is that they didn't get jack squat for Jagr (other than a season so awful they had the chance to win the draft lottery and draft Alex Ovechkin, which ain't bad but sure ain't thanks to any managerial skill).

Also noteworthy is that little is left (and nothing on this list) from the great Adam Oates coup at 2002's trade deadline (you'll recall that the Caps sent Oates to the Flyers for Maxime Ouellet, a 1st (later traded to Dallas which became Martin Vagner), a 2nd (Maxime Daigneault) and a 3rd (Derek Krestanovich) round selections in 2002), save a mid-level goaltending prospect in Daigneault. Oh well - it looked great at the time and was a move you'd make every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

The larger point is that Caps fans need to remember that this team is still very much rebuilding and nowhere close to rebuilt (OFB has a must-read that really hammers home this point). Most of the free agent signings are stop-gaps and placeholders, and once this team is rebuilt, it will be built to last, not just to make one or two runs at success.

Elsewhere 'Round The Rinks

• Mirtle has a blurb on GMGM's trip to Sweden to sweet talk the "very shy and reserved" Nick Bäckström. Luckily, AO has enough personality (and talent) to carry his future teammate a bit.
• Speaking of the World Juniors, through four games, Caps prospect Semen Varlamov is 4-0-0 with a .964 save percentage and a 0.75 GAA. Fellow future Cap (fourth-round find), Finnish forward Oskar Osala has five goals and two assists in five games. High five!
• This Saturday night's game against the Thrashers is the Caps second annual Autism Awareness Night. Spread the word and give until you can't give any more, then give a little more. Just a little.
  

Daily Awards

• Hart: Sidney Crosby (2G, including game-winner, A, +2)
  
• Ross: P.-M. Bouchard (4 points)
  
• Norris: Francis Boullion (2A, +1, 1 SOG, 2 hits)
  
• Vezina: Nikolai Khabibulin (W, 38 saves on 39 shots against)
  
• Richard: Sidney Crosby, Matthew Lombardi, P.-M. Bouchard, Tomas Plekanec, Mark Parrish (2G each)
  
• Calder: Ryan Potulny (GWG on his only shot of the game in 3:48 of ice time)
  
• Aiken: Kari Lehtonen (L, 5 goals allowed on 35 shots against)