Click more for my 2010-2011 Caps Season Preview including mine and other 106.7 employees predictions for the season.
This season is huge for the Capitals and Head Coach Bruce Boudreau. Anything less than making it to the conference finals I think Boudreau might be gone next season. The core group has been to the playoffs three times now and only the second round once when they got bounced in the seventh game at Verizon Center against the team that ended up winning the Cup. Last season was the best regular season in the history of the Capitals and one of the best in the history of the NHL. The Caps offense was amazing last year scoring 318 goals, the next closest was 272 goals by the Canucks. But what the Caps learned was in the playoffs defense wins and the combination of 6 foot 7 inch Hal Gill, the Habs blocking passing lanes and creating havoc between the circles plus an unbelievable goalie performance by Jaroslav Halak was too much for the Caps to overcome. The Capitals hope that maturation and experience of a young team by staying the course will be enough for them to win the Stanley Cup and I think they might be right.
The biggest weakness of this team is the defense. They have Mike Green and Jeff Schultz who were a combined plus 89 last season and will be paired again together this season. Even with such a great regular season they were nowhere to be seen in the playoffs and need to take the next step. I believe Mike Green will have his best season in the NHL as he has the experience and knowledge that comes after five seasons. Tom Poti arguably was the Caps best defenseman and it looks like he’ll be paired with John Carlson to start the season. Carlson played in 29 games last season, including 7 postseason games and will be expected to have another solid performance in his first full NHL season. Another player making his first full NHL Season is former first round pick Karl Alzner. Alzner has played in 51 NHL regular season games including one playoff game, he does have back to back Calder Cups in the AHL though, and between him , Carlson, Green and Schultz create quite a young good nucleus for years to come with Mike Green almost 25 the oldest and leader of the group. Watch for Alzner and Carlson to be paired with each other as the season progresses as they were paired together in Hershey and in game seven against Montreal last year for the Caps. The biggest issue is the 6th and 7th defenseman for the Caps. John Erskine and Tyler Sloan are very reliable back up defenseman but neither one are everyday guys and the Caps are still missing the big, stay at home guy, like a Hal Gill, to get players out of the crease. I predict the Caps go out and get a guy around the trade deadline to fulfill that role. One guy to keep an eye on is Sheldon Souray. There are a lot of reports saying the Caps have no interest in him, but he was sent to Hershey and the Caps don’t like having bad influences around their young players. It’s a very curious move and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Caps make a move for him if he works out up there.
The Caps goaltending is young, real young. Semyon Varlamov, 22, has played in 32 regular season games and 19 playoff games. He has a career 2.55 regular season GAA and 2.41 postseason GAA. Varlamov is only 22 and is pinned as the top goaltender. His biggest issue is his health. He’s missed about half the season last year and Jose Theodore led the 14 game winning streak. This season hasn’t started well either as he might miss the opening weekend due to injury. His back up is Michal Neuvirth, 22, a two time AHL Calder Cup Champion and has 22 NHL regular season games under his belt. He will start the season in goal due to Varlamov’s injury and hopes to improve his NHL 2.75 GAA. My prediction is Neuvirth will get the majority of work this season due to Varlamov’s health, but Varly will be healthy for the playoffs and lead the charge. Also I predict we will get to see the third star out of their young goaltenders, Braden Holtby, for at least 10 games this season.
Offensively this team will only get better as they get older, which is really scary since they are so young. Their first line of Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom and the big pesty veteran Mike Knuble is about as good as you get. The second line of Brooks Laich, who is benefitting more than anyone from learning the tricks of trade from Knuble, Tomas Fleischmann, who has something to prove, in a contract year and did play center during the Caps 14 game win streak last season and Alex Semin in a contract year might be the best second line in the NHL. Watch for Fleischmann to have a career year, I’m thinking 30 goals and Semin to be in the 40’s. Brooks Laich will get plenty of opportunities as well anchoring himself in front of the net and knocking in rebounds. The Caps third line is a little questionable with a healthy Eric Fehr, who I think will get close to 30 goals this season, Marcus Johansson, the rookie who beat out Mathieu Perreault for the third line center spot due to his defense, his offense has a ways to go but Coach Boudreau said he is ahead of where Backstrom was at this point in Backstrom’s career, and the vet Jason Chimera who is as solid and reliable as it gets. This line could have a breakout season, but if Johansson struggles getting used to the smaller ice and speed of the game watch for Mathieu Perreault to be called up immediately and will probably be the first call up when the first injury occurs. The fourth line is solid with Matt Bradley, David Steckel, face off specialist Boyd Gordon and DJ King, King is the biggest newcomer and has never saw a fight he didn’t like. Watch for King to be the enforcer out there and as Ovechkin said, he feels safer with King on the ice. Matt Hendricks was the feel good story of camp and is a great guy to step in and is very versatile playing wing or center. Hendricks played for the Avalanche last season and scored 9 goals in 56 games. Boudreau had Hendricks in the AHL when he coached the Bears and loves him. Under Boudreau Hendricks had 18 goals in 65 regular season AHL games and 8 goals in 19 playoff games. I predict this offense to score 330 goals.
If the Caps go out and get one more defenseman, a stay at home big defenseman, and we saw last year George McPhee isn’t scared to make deadline deals, this team could be really really good. If Johansson struggles they are deep enough that it shouldn’t hurt them. They have the best farm system in hockey if they need help. Semyon Varlamov’s health is key, but a lot of people think Michal Neuvirth might be better. I think this Caps team will be a few points better than last year’s team. Most importantly the core of this team has learned so much in the playoffs with success and failure, a lot like the great Edmonton Oilers teams, that this will be the year they break out. I predict if they get that big defenseman, Flash plays well as the 2nd line center and Johansson or Perreault can carry the third line, it will be Caps and Red Wings in the Stanley Cup and the Caps win in 7. Please tweet me @SkyKerstein with your predictions.
Other Predictions from The FAN:
Holden Kushner: Caps lose to the Sharks in six games in the Stanley Cup
Bill Rohland: Caps beat the Canucks in five games in the Stanley Cup
Danny Rouhier: Caps lose to the Penguins in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals
Grant Paulsen: Caps lose to the Red Wings in six games in the Stanley Cup
Aaron Leistner: Caps beat the Sharks in six games in the Stanley Cup
Sam “Shaky Knee” Klemz: Caps beat the Canucks in seven games in the Stanley Cup
Chris “Blue Shorts” Lingebach: Caps lose to the Penguins in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals
J Brooks: Caps lose to the Penguins in six games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Sky Kerstein is 106.7 The FAN’s Capitals Beat Reporter and a fill-in co-host. Also you can find video recaps of every Caps game and post-game interviews on www.1067thefandc.com. You can get in touch with Sky on Facebook or via Twitter at www.twitter.com/SkyKerstein. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
