This Week In Corsi

The Caps played three tight games this week and managed to snag five points along the way - we'll certainly take that. Let's take a look at the week what was in Corsi, but first, here's the year-to-date Corsi Rating for each skater on the team on a per game, per sixty minutes of even strength ice time rate (click to enlarge):

Still no change at the top or bottom from last week, with Sergei Fedorov and Boyd Gordon at the extremes for a fourth consecutive week, but thanks to a horrible showing against Ottawa on Tuesday, Donald Brashear has joined the trio of Caps previously on the wrong side of zero (it should be noted, however, that in the two subsequent games, the Brashear-Gordon-Matt Bradley fourth line has the same raw CR as the Alex Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom/Sergei Fedorov-Alex Semin line in this metric, and has done so in significantly less even strength ice time).

In terms of raw numbers, the Caps best player, by far, was Tom Poti at plus-17. In fact, since returning from injury, Poti has led the Caps in this stat in three of the four games and has been positive in each game - it goes without saying that a healthy Poti is absolutely critical to the Caps success right now. Shaone Morrisonn (plus-seven in limited action), Nicklas Backstrom and Tyler Sloan (plus-six apiece, and in just one game for Sloan), and Brooks Laich and Viktor Kozlov (plus-five apiece) round out the top five.

Chris Clark's was the worst skater on the team at minus-12 (in just two games) for the week, but we can blame his *ahem* injury, right? A quartet of players at minus-11 completes the bottom five and consists of Jeff Schultz, Milan Jurcina, John Erskine and Brashear. Also of note, Mike Green was a team-best plus-ten on Thursday and a team-worst minus-nine last night.

So what jumps out at you? Is Tyler Sloan ready for top-six minutes? For that matter, how would you rank the Caps' defensemen overall (and no, Fedorov doesn't count)?

Monday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Devils

The Caps will be in Jersey tonight to take on the Devils and their new tough guy (and if you're a N.Y. area Caps fan planning on attending, make sure to check in with Pepper), but rather than attempt to preview the relatively meaningless game, I thought I'd run a few numbers by you from last season, namely a break down of home and road plus/minus.

While plus/minus may be a somewhat silly stat to begin with, it's nevertheless interesting to take a look at some anomalous results in the home/road splits of last year's Caps. For example, both Alex Ovechkin and Viktor Kozlov were both plus-28 overall, with much of that coming on the road (+18 for Ovi, +19 for Kozlov). Is it odd that they'd be so much more successful in buildings in which opponents could more easily get their top defensive forwards out against the Caps' top line? Perhaps (though it should be noted that among the NHL's top ten scorers, half of them had a better plus/minus on the road, including Ilya Kovalchuk, who was somehow a plus player away from home). And is it odd that the center on that Ovechkin-Kozlov line for most of the season, Nicklas Backstrom, has a much better home plus/minus (+11 to +2)? Under Glen Hanlon (i.e. before being promoted to the top line), Backstrom was minus-four on the road and minus-one at home. Not a single member of the Caps' top trio had a home/road point differential greater than Kozlov's four.

How about a glance at defensive pivots? David Steckel and Boyd Gordon had similar roles for most of last season, and yet Steckel was plus-seven better at home and Gordon was plus-seven better on the road. Gordon's split makes sense - at home he'd often match up against opponents' top offensive threats, whereas on the road, he'd often face lesser talent - and so does Stecks', I think - as the fourth-line center on most nights, he was used more sparingly and in favorable spots at home, while teams could more easily take advantage of Steckel and his wingers on the road (though Gordo actually had lower quality linemates on the year).

On the blueline, the splits that stand out are Shaone Morrisonn's and Tom Poti's. The two played the 3rd and 4th most even strength minutes on the team last year, but had opposite splits, with Mo posting being plus-ten better at home and Poti finishing plus-13 better on the road (and each man's partner had a similar, albeit less drastic, split). Perhaps Morrisonn's differential can be explained by the desire to get Mike Green out against lesser talent at home and to utilize the Poti-Jeff Schultz pairing against opponents' top threats... but if that were the case, you'd expect the latter duo to have a higher quality of competition than the former pair, which was not the case (though it's close). Or perhaps the numbers were just a fluke.

The bottom line here is... well, there isn't one. It's a lot of correlation with little in the way of causation. You can come up with a theory to explain any of these splits and convince yourself of their validity, but, at the end of the day, plus-minus is still somewhat devoid of rhyme or reason. How else to explain that of the top 31 plus/minuses in the NHL last season, 15 players had a better number at home and 15 were better on the road (Ryan Getzlaf was +16 both home and on the road)?

All that said, who's got a theory on any of these that they want to throw out there?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Vogs has the translation of an interview with Simeon Varlamov that's worth checking out.... TSN.ca's Caps preview might be garbage, but at least you could remove the team and player names and still know which of the NHL's 30 squads was being previewed, unlike with this turd.... Speaking of lazy writing, Yahoo! (Ross McKeon, I presume) offers up the following analysis: "Viktor Kozlov was a crucial late season pickup by GM George McPhee. Kozlov served as a great team leader, especially for the Russian kids, and he’ll do more of the same this year." Sergei Fedorov had a similar impact.... Apparently everyone seems to think that winning the Southeast Division is the Caps' "divine right." And here I thought they were the favorites because they've put together the best roster, have the best coach and the best player in the SED.... Add Justin Taylor to the list of players sent back to juniors who had a hell of a time at rookie camp (and he's just about the only London Knight scoring these days).... And add another chapter in the Boudreau storybook.... Finally, a question for the group based on this article (and h/t to PPP) - would you rather the team you follow win one Cup and then stink for a decade or be consistently competitive with the possibility (but no guarantee) of a Cup over the same time period?

2007-08 Rink Wrap: Tom Poti

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, Tom Poti.

Contract Status: 2008-09 salary of $3,500,000; UFA after 2010-11 season
Age (as of October 1, 2008): 31
NHL Seasons (including 2007-08): 9
2007-08 Regular Season Stats: 71 games played, 2 goals, 27 assists, +9, 46 PIMs
Key Stat: Poti was the only Caps defenseman to average 17 even strength minutes, two-and-a-half power play minutes and three-and-a-half shorthanded minutes per game.
Unsurprising Stat: His two goals tied a career single-season low.

The Good: Poti was second among the team's defensemen in points, assists, plus/minus, shots on goal, power-play points and average ice time per game and lead the team in blocked shots and shifts per game. He nearly doubled his even strength production (from 11 points to 21, including a pair of even strength goals in 2007-08 after none in 2006-07) and finished the season strong with both goals, 15 assists and a plus-17 rating in his final 35 games. Poti had six multi-point games and his fewest PIMs-per-game since his rookie year.

The Bad: Poti was brought in to (among other things) quarterback the top power play unit, but couldn't fill that role and lost the job to Mike Green fairly early on. As a result, his power play TOI dropped from 4:38 per game last season to 2:39 per outing this season and his point total dropped from 44 to 29. Poti's shooting percentage was the worst among all Caps with enough shots per game to qualify (and was 368th - or sixth worst - in the NHL in that stat), he had the fewest hits per minute of ice time of any of the team's blueliners (a nagging shoulder injury, no doubt, was at least partially to blame for both that and the lowest shots-per-game total since his rookie season), and his takeaway-to-giveaway ratio was better than only Alex Semin's, Jeff Schultz's and Milan Jurcina's among Caps' regulars. Poti also missed multiple games with groin (six games), upper- (three games) and lower-(two games) body injuries and waited 44 games before scoring his first goal of the season.

The Vote: Rate Poti 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: Which blueliner would you most like to see Poti paired with in 2008-09? 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.

Caps Recall Lepisto

Earlier in the day, Tyler asked, "Why were the Caps willing to bring up Lepisto to replace Erskine but not to replace Poti tonight?" which set our conspiratorial minds racing.

The answer, it turns out, was quite simple - they were, in fact, willing to bring up Lepisto to replace Poti tonight, and have now done so.

Friday Roundup/Gamenight: Caps @ Panthers

[AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

I hope the Caps can get fired up to play the Panthers more easily than I can to write about 'em.

Here's the quick rundown on the Kitties - they have the fewest home wins in hockey, are in the bottom half of the League in goals scored and allowed, have a good power play and a bad penalty kill, give up the most shots per game in the League, have lost two in a row and, well, you know the story on Richard Zednik.

On the Caps side of things, you know that Tom Poti is questionable (a line that's sure to get a grin from Ranger fans) for tonight's game, which means he's not playing, and while the goaltending has been very good (tonight is Brent Johnson's turn to keep it going, and he has very strong season and career numbers against Florida), the offense has run and hid against Southeast Division opponents since the All-Star break, scoring just three goals in three games, all losses.

So there it is. Another game that, on paper, the Caps should be able to win. Then again, intra-divisional road games when you're missing two top-four defensemen, your number one center and a 30-goal-scoring winger are never, ever easy and I wouldn't expect this one to be. Then again, have any of them been easy?

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

I'll take the under on Sidney Crosby being able to take 20 five-year-olds in a fight (and I base this on Donald Brashear, by my math, being able to take 23)... Finally, one year ago today we discussed a potential trade rumor, a surprise demotion and a roster shuffle and previewed the evening's Caps/Bolts game, and two years ago today we recapped Day One for Caps Olympians and passed along a very special birthday wish.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Jonathan Toews (2G, including the game-winner, A, +3, 3 SOG)
  
• Ross: 8 players tied with 3 points each
  
• Norris: Alex Edler (2G, A, +3, 4 SOG)
  
• Vezina: Manny Legace (W, 39 saves on 40 shots against)
  
• Richard: Ruslan Fedotenko, Jonathan Toews, Alex Edler, Stephane Veilleux (2G each)
  
• Calder: Jonathan Toews (2G, including the game-winner, A, +3, 3 SOG)
• Aiken: Chris Mason (L, 3 goals allowed on 7 shots against in just 12:42 of work)
  

Friday Roundup/Panthers 2 Caps 1Gamenight: Caps @ Bolts

[AP Recap - Game Summary - Super Stats - AP Preview - WashingtonCaps.com Preview]

Tom Poti, come on down!

While it's impossible to pin a 2-1 loss to one of the worst teams in hockey on any one player (but not, necessarily, on one coach), there was one player who was more responsible for the two goals against than any other, so T.P. is under the microscope today.

Let's begin with his effort last night, shall we? First he gets outmuscled and outworked by Jozef Stumpel who was able to feed a wide open Richard Zednik for Kitty Goal Number One, then he made a pass that would have made Bryan McCabe wince to spring Kamil Kreps on a breakaway that would turn out to be the eventual game-winner. To top it all off, he missed the net on a late scoring chance, left a 5% tip at dinner and used the last of a roll of toilet paper in his hotel room bathroom and didn't replace the roll (those last two items have yet to be confirmed).

Bad night. It happens. But what about his season so far?

Through 18 games, the Caps' big blueline acquisition has as many points as John Erskine, as many goals as Steve Eminger, a worse plus/minus than Brian Pothier, fewer hits than Nicklas Backstrom, and two more power-play points than Joe Motzko.

Bad night or bad player?

At this point, I'm willing to give Poti the benefit of the doubt and accept that the team's slump (nine goals in the last seven games), a groin injury and "the system" are all contributing factors to his slow start, but while we didn't expect him to be the second-coming of Bobby Orr, we didn't expect him to be the second-coming of Bryan Muir, either.

In lieu of further specifics on last night's game (but feel free to comment on Alex Ovechkin manning the power-play point, his Michael Strahan smile, Michael Nylander's curious passing, Glen Hanlon's decision on when to pull Olie Kolzig, Sunrise's pitiful ice or anything else that strikes your fancy), just read any of the last few recaps from games played in this country. Speaking of which, did you realize that the last time the Caps won on U.S. soil was October 24? That makes eight straight losses in the land of the free for your nation's Capitals.

Next up are the appropriately white-hot Lightning, who have won four straight and have scored 16 goals in their last three games, including their 5-2 win in D.C. on Saturday night and a pair of drubbings of the Carolina Hurricanes. Vincent Lecavalier had more points on Wednesday night against the 'Canes as all but seven Caps have on the entire season. Yikes.

But hope springs eternal, whether you're hoping for wins or personnel changes, so here's hoping Friday night gets us a little closer to that which we desire - it's hard to imagine we could be any further away from it.

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

Thanks to Nate for passing along this story, in which Boston University's "Independent Student Newspaper" wonders how good BU would be if Chris Bourque was still in school there. My guess is they published a similar article last year. And the year before that.... Michal Neuvirth won his Windsor debut, and apparently looked great in doing so.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Eric Belanger (4A, +1)
  
• Ross: Eric Belanger (4 points)
  
• Norris: Kent Huskins (0 points, +5, 4 hits, 3 takeaways, 0 giveaways)
  
• Vezina: Martin Gerber (W, 35 saves on 37 shots against)
  
• Richard: Peter Schaeffer, Jarret Stoll, Daniel Alfredsson, Corey Perry, Joe Pavelski (2G each)
  
• Calder: Denis Tolpeko (G, A, +1)
  
• Aiken: Lubomir Visnovsky (0 points, -4)

Friday Roundup/Isles 5, Caps 2

[AP Recap - Boxscore - Super Stats - WashingtonCaps.com Postgame]

I had a horrible nightmare last night. There I was watching a Caps game and during a five-on-three power play, the Caps sent out an extra-man unit that had Joe Motzko manning one of the points.

Much to my dismay, this wasn't a nightmare from which I could wake up, and the Caps' punchless power play let them down yet again, going 0-for-6 in the 5-2 loss to the Isles (the penalty kill was a woeful 2-for-5, which certainly didn't help either). On the night, the Caps had 11:08 of time with the extra man and got all of six shots on Rick DiPietro - barely one shot per two minutes of power-play time.

And while Tom Poti may be a great passer, he had 9:09 of ice time with the extra man against his former team and didn't register a single shot on goal (through six games, he has 12 shots on goal total). I might be wrong, but in order to be an effective power play quarterback, doesn't at least a threat of a shot from the point have to exist?

I can't specifically recall each of the four Caps power-play goals for the season, but do remember that Alex Ovechkin's against the Rangers was on a broken play rush. What that means, then, is that in six games, the power play has "worked" no more than three times total.

First we were told that the problem with the power play was personnel. Then it was chemistry. Then it was a key injury. You know what the next reason in line is, don't you, Glen Hanlon?

Other observations from Thursday night's game:

• The Caps definitely came out with a "shoot first, ask questions later" style, firing more shots (13) in the first period than they had in the entire game (12) last time the two teams met.
• While the Isles first goal was a bit fluky (the "pass" out front was a fanned-on stuff attempt), there's got to be a forward backchecking Sean Bergenheim there (I'm looking at you, Michael Nylander and Tomas Fleischmann).
• The Caps were 7-for-17 (41%) in the faceoff circle in the offensive zone. That's a lot of instant offensive opportunities that never got going (Viktor Kozlov, for example, took eight offensive-zone draws on the night and won only three of them).
  
• Mike Green has arrived. His end-to-end rushes at the tail-end of each of two second period power plays were gorgeous and among the best scoring chances the Caps had all night (of course, he was also on the ice for both Isles even strength goals... such is life with Greenie).
  
• Do Ovechkin and Kozlov really have such great chemistry? Ovechkin was stick-handling brilliantly all night, but seemed to be trying to do a lot by himself a la last year.
  
• There's been a Tomas Fleischmann sighting! He should buy Nicklas Backstrom dinner for taking the hit and making the beautiful pass that set up the goal.
  
• The aforementioned Mr. Motzko makes Ryan Howard look like a contact hitter. Nice pass on the Ovechkin goal, though.
  
• I want last year's Chris Clark back. For that matter, why is the vaunted third line scoreless through a half-dozen games?
• Should we start a "Guess The Date" pool for Backstrom's first NHL goal? I'm going with Wednesday against the Bolts.
• Nylander is now a team-worst minus-5.
• It's amazing how one of your blueliners can go from first to last in ice time per game, but such is the story of Brian Pothier.
  

Next up... well, you know who. Perhaps we should start cheering for Boyd Gordon (who, by the way, turns 24 today) now: H-E-A-L, Heal! Heal! Heal!

Elsewhere 'Round the Rinks:

The 2008 NHL Draft Class looks like a winner. Hopefully there'll be good players still around when the Caps pick in the late-teens of the first round.... Caps may have pulled a mild upset in Round 1 of CBS's jersey tourney, but fell in a David vs. Goliath match-up in Round 2.... I wouldn't say that Dainius Zubrus is the most overpaid player in the NHL, but with no goals, two assists, seven shots on goal and a minus-8 rating through seven games, he's certainly a prominent name in the conversation. Put it this way, the Devils are paying him $3.4 million per year, meaning that they've shelled out $290,243.90 so far for those stats.

Daily Awards

• Hart: Daymond Langkow (2G, including the game-winner, assist, fight - paging Mr. Howe - +1, 3 SOG)
  
• Ross: Chris Campoli (4 points)
  
• Norris: Bryan Berard (Game-winning goal, 2A, +2, 7 SOG, 2 blocked shots)
  
• Vezina: Martin Biron (38-save shutout win)
  
• Richard: Bill Guerin (3G)
  
• Calder: Brian Little (G, +1, 4 SOG)
  
• Aiken: Martin Brodeur (L, 4 goals allowed on 18 shots against)
  

Thursday Roundup/Flyers 2, Caps 1

[AP Recap]

Not much in the way of recaps of last night's action (which featured few regulars and no official stats), so read Vogs' and move on.

Tim Leone shares Caps blueline prospect Patrick McNeill's NHL role model with us, Tarik profiles Mike Green and Corey takes a look at Tom Poti - I guess it's D-day. The Lebanon Daily News says to expect at least three more cuts from D.C. on Thursday, and believes the Caps will open the season with 13 forwards and 8 defensemen on the roster. Oh, and E.J. Hradek's got the Caps finishing in the Southeast cellar while his buddy at the Worldwide Leader, Scott Burnside, has them doing a bit better.

Finally, they may not have published the stat from last night's game, but I'm pretty sure that this earned Donald Brashear five for fighting and Riley Cote five for receiving:

Photo: Getty Images

Sunday Roundup/Gameday: Caps @ 'Canes

Game on!

With but two full practices under their belts, the Caps will send a contingent down to Carolina to take on a 'Canes squad this afternoon (listen at WashingtonCaps.com). Alexanders Ovechkin and Semin, Viktor Kozlov (who Corey profiles here) and Michael Nylander are among those not expected to make the trip, according to Tarik (who has a story on Tom Poti's allergies in today's WaPo - and you'll recall that Poti isn't the only one in the organization with that similar affliction), while Bubba's got the 'Canes lineup.

Also floating around out there on the intertubes this morning are articles on former Caps Steve Konowalchuk (which is really a must-read) and Bryan Muir (which isn't) and a snippet from the Ottawa Citizen that predicts that the Caps will be "fun to watch."

Finally of note, WUSA-TV (channel 9) will be running a feature on Michal Neuvirth tonight on their Sunday night sports wrap show (which airs after the 11:00 news).

Poti And Peanuts

Among the many things you may not know about new Caps blueliner Tom Poti, likely most surprising are his severe food allergies.

How severe?

"Wherever he goes Poti carries a lifesaving shot of adrenalin, called epinephrine, to open his airways[,]" and he's had to use it three times to save his life.

A 6-3, 210-pound NHL defenseman with the 14th-highest blocked shot total in the League last year could literally be killed by Reese's Pieces. Crazy.

UPDATE: It turns out Poti isn't the only one in the organization with a severe nut allergy.

Eight Questions With Brian Pothier

Be sure to check out Tarik's quick interview with Brian Pothier in which Potsy compares Tom Poti to Bryan Muir (but don't worry - "Poti is more skilled and sees the ice better than Bryan"), discusses how Poti's presence will help Mike Green's game, the team's goals, and how much more convenient Ballston is than Ashburn.

Take Your Pick

Keeping in mind that hockey is played at both ends of the ice, which blueliner would you rather have for the coming season (stats are 2006-07 numbers - click on the Player tag to see who it is if you can't figure it out)?

Player A (31 years old): 81 games played, 26 goals, 38 assists, -28, 135 PIMs, 101 hits, 149 blocked shots, 85 giveaways, 62 takeaways.

Player B (30 years old): 78 games played, 6 goals, 38 assists, -1, 74 PIMs, 61 hits, 170 blocked shots, 58 giveaways, 50 takeaways.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, over the past five NHL seasons, Player B has out-pointed Player A by 18 points and has the better plus/minus rating by 38.

Reasonable minds certainly could differ as to who was more valuable to his team last year (though Player B's sqaud made the playoffs while Player A's team did not) and who will be more valuable going forward, but when you consider that Player B signed a 4-year deal for $14 million and Player A signed a 5-year deal for $27 million, can those reasonable minds really still differ?

GMGM and Tom Poti Speak

Per Tarik:

McPhee on Poti: "Our scouting staff thought that [Poti] had the best years of his career last year and that he's really coming into his own. We needed a left-handed shot for the power play, he's excellent on the penalty kill and moves the puck, very, very well. We've felt we've got some young defensemen who are good at shutting the other team down, but we needed a little more skill to help us out with special teams."

McPhee on Kozlov: "Alex [Ovechkin] has spoken very highly of [Kozlov] in the past. He's can play center and the wing, he's also coming off one of the better years in his career. And he's pretty darn good in the shootout, too." [J.P.'s note: Kozlov had a career high in goals in 2006-07 and has only had more points twice in his 11 NHL seasons. He's also 13-for-25 in shootouts for his career.]

Poti on receiving assurances about more improvements: McPhee "said they have a list of guys they are taking a hard line to get. He said assured me that they are committed to winning and they want to put Washington back on the map."

Poti on his role in Washington: "I was able to show everyone what I could do, given the chance and given the ice time. "[McPhee] wants me to come in and do what I did for the Islanders last year - play hard, eat up a lot of minutes and play a lot of special teams."

Caps Sign Poti

The Caps have taken their first dip in the 2007 free agent pool by signing Tom "Pokecheck" Poti to a 4-year/$3.5 million deal.

Poti is the powerplay quarterback the team has been searching for, but isn't exactly well known for his defensive play. Per TSN.ca, Poti "[p]resents a tremendous physical package with a very heavy shot, great size and mobility" and "[h]as outstanding offensive upside," but "[h]as a tendency to complicate matters in the defensive zone" and "[m]ust work on his play without the puck and use his size more to keep forwards honest."

UPDATE: Spector's thoughts on the Poti signing:

One of the off-season requirement for the Washington Capitals was a puckmoving blueliner and they addressed that need Sunday, signing former NY Islanders blueliner Tom Poti to a four-year contract worth $3.5 million per season.

Poti is a very good offensive blueliner but his size and skills have always left fans in his former NHL stops wanting more. He’s not overly physical but there’s no denying that his offensive skills could make him a welcome addition to the Capitals, particularly on the power play.

He’s had two 40+ point seasons, the latest being last season with the Islanders, where he earned praise for his improvement defensively, so hopefully he’ll carry that over to the Caps next season.

At the very least, he’ll provide the Capitals with the PP quarterback they’ve lacked since Sergei Gonchar left town several years ago. Only 30, he should be in his prime now, which could make this a good, affordable signing for the Caps.

With the puckmoving defenseman now acquired, Caps GM George McPhee must now turn his attention toward a good playmaking center for Alexander Ovechkin's line.

UPDATE: Mirtle's thoughts:

Tom Poti has been signed by Washington to a four-year, $14-million contract. Poti will anchor the power play as the team's quarterback, and represents a substantial upgrade over the young crew the team had in place last season.

Poti had a terrific year with the Islanders in 2006-07, and I'm not surprised he signed for those terms.

He's been much-maligned over his career for a penchant for defensive gaffes, but Poti limited those miscues last season with New York and emerged as a legitimate No. 1 power-play quarterback with 44 points in 78 games.

The Capitals have a lot of cap space and are looking to really improve their lineup this summer, and I expect this to be the first of a few moves for GM George McPhee. Owner Ted Leonsis has made overtures about picking up a few free agents, including a first-line centre.