[Killerconvic]

I posted this on the Capitals message board as well, but I decided to post here for those of you who don't check there

WARNING: Very long.

I have no made any commentaries on the Capitals in a long time, but this is quite well thought out. I feel that I have a great way to fix the Capitals, and without spending much money either. Ted would be pleased, and certainly the fans would be too.

Here goes...


------------------------------------------


I think the following players should at least get NHL contracts (providing there is a season next year):

Semin - LW
Pettinger - LW
Zubrus - LW/C/RW
Verot - LW/C
Battaglia - LW/C
Halpern - C
Sutherby - C
Laich - C
Willsie - RW
Peat - RW
Gordon - RW
(A hole to fill. Time to get a good FA [Grier? Selanne?]) - RW

Witt - D
Boumedienne - D
Berry - D
Eminger - D
Yonkman - D
Free Agent signee - D

Ouellet - G
Stana - G
Yeats - G (AHL with NHL deal)

Depth at forward (system players. Note: they are not actual Capitals, but player in Portland or lower):
Desautels - LW
Aulin - C
Whitfield - C
Mink - C
Krestanovich - C
Tvrdon - RW
Sykora - RW
Johansson - RW
Fleischmann - RW
Fussey - RW

Defense:
Morrisonn
Wellar
Kwiatkowski
Cutta
Norton
Riazantsev
Hajt
Zinger

Goalies:
Yeats
Stana
Charpentier

The bolded players I know little about (never even seen them play)

Players that can take the walk:
Doig
Miller
Ciernik
Salomonsson
Rohloff
Grand-Pierre
Johnson

Line Combinations:
1. Semin - Zubrus - FA
2. Pettinger - Halpern - Willsie
3. Verot - Battaglia - Gordon
4. Laich - Sutherby - Peat

1. Witt - Boumedienne
2. Berry - Eminger
3. FA - Yonkman

1. Ouellet
2. Stana

Penalty Kill:
1. Verot - Halpern
2. Pettinger - Zubrus
3. Willsie - Battaglia/Gordon

1. Witt - Boumedienne
2. Berry - Eminger
3. FA - Yonkman

Power Play:
1. Semin - Zubrus - FA
Battaglia - Boumedienne

2. Pettinger - Halpern - Willsie
Witt - Eminger


------------------------------------------

Now, time for a little commentary.

It is painfully obvious that the Capitals won't be able to field an NHL roster next year. Many people need to go, since they flat out are not good. This makes building an NHL team a lot easier (filtering through the bad to get to the good). The Caps are making a youth movement, but have left little way in terms of veterans. This means that trades will have to be made.

Trade #1:
Kolzig for RW/D and 1st Round 2005

Money shouldn't be much of an issue at this point. Just moving him to a contender should be good enough. Kolzig should be good enough for a premier winger, even if that means moving the pick back a few rounds.

Trade #2:
Norton for RW/D and late pick 2006

I know he is a okay defenseman here (out of position too much for my liking). He has good size, is willing to drop 'em, and is a good hitter. If we trade him for a RW, then Willsie will have to move up, or Zubrus will have to move over to right wing, making way for Halpern (This is why I want him to be traded for a D-man). For a defenseman, we need a veteran who is big and is a good hitter. We need someone up here who plays like Yonkman should be doing in the NHL, teaching the kid the ropes.

Free Agency moves:
Selanne signed a one-year deal with Colorado, and isn't liking it there. Kariya, on the other hand, is. Kariya will stay, and Selanne will go. A good veteran UFA to play with Semin.

We need a veteran goalie in the NHL to back up Ouellet, and let Stana play in the AHL (and be a starter/split gamer with Yeats). I was thinking Braithwraite, but I am not sure if he is under a long term deal or not. If he is, we can trade for him.


------------------------------------------


Onto the individual player commentaries...

Semin - Good young kid. He needs some more time to become a 40 goal scorer, and someone to play well with him. Selanne will compliment Semin well. Zubrus playing in the middle may seem out of place, but with his smooth skating abilities, his size, and his defensive work, Zubrus will fit in nicely with Semin for the long haul. Semin needs to work on leg strength, and balance on his skates better, because he falls down too easily.

Zubrus - Big, good, smooth skater. He has a great passing ability, and a good head for the game. He needs to be healthy, and have the A for the entire year (give him some responsibility), and will do well.

Pettinger - I was not real big on him when he broke into the league, but spending two years in the AHL has really paid off. He is tough, fast, and has good offensive abilities. He will make for a good 2nd liner for the Caps.

Halpern- Now while many feel that Halpern should be the Captain of the team, I do not. I say he should have an A though. He is great on faceoffs, has good offensive ability, is tough, and plays with heart. I think he is willing to take on a less flashy role to help the team win (like Keith Primeau).

Willsie - Has come off the concussion with a mission. He needs to continue this work habit into the off-season, and bulk up some (he gets thrown around quite a bit). Will be an impact player for the Caps if he fits in nicely with Pettinger and Halpern for a whole year.

Verot - He is a fiesty player. Full of heart and grit, he is the ideal third liner. I think he needs some PK time (like he gets now), and he will develop into a great defensive player. Needs to be more of an agitator, and less of a fighter, since the Caps don't have good penalty kill.

Battaglia - He almost didn't make my roster at first, but he should fit in nicely as a third liner. He is a fairly fast player, and sound defensively, but needs to work on his passing to become a mainstay as a third liner.

Gordon - He is a hard working player, but a little on the small side. He possesses a natural ability to pass and play offensively, but has shown talent in a checking role. He will be the one to lead this third line up the ice, since he is the only one who can successfully carry the puck across the blue line.

Laich - In his short stay in the NHL, Laich displayed his size and talent quite nicely. I think he needs to learn the NHL game, and the only way to do that is by playing it. Let him get a year in the NHL to become a solid starter, since he has the potential to become a great 2nd line center.

Sutherby - Sutherby didn't get much time this year up with the Capitals, and never was given the chance to perform consistently. The year before, however, he played very well, and was MVP of the YoungStars game for a reason. He has the offensive talent, the grit, the toughness to fight, but needs to bulk up. The bulking up was a major reason for him being sent down to Portland, so he should be bigger by next season. Let him get the chance, he is a future top line center here.

Peat - Peat is big (6'2" 218 [seems a little bigger looking at him]), but doesn't play the way he should. He is a strong kid, who can hit well. He needs to bull through people, and not try to cradle the puck so much. He is a fourth liner, so he shouldn't be worried about offense most of the time anyway. When he plays in the defensive zone, he plays poorly, only covering the point man (and not doing that well. He plays the point man from the outside, just forcing him to a better shooting angle), trying to get an odd-man rush. You would think that someone who can throw 'em like Peat would have more than 84 PIMs after 60 games, but it is sadly not true. Either fight and play your size, or go down to Portland.

Witt - The heart and soul of the defense, and the toughest player on the team. He plays hard and physical hockey, constantly putting people down with hits and clear-outs. He has shown in the past that he was not a fit Captain, but now is the time for him to step it up to the next level. He should be healthy enough, and needs to be the leader of the team. 'Nuff said.

Boumedienne - Great passer, one of the best out there. Plays with poise, but needs to bulk up a bit. He has always played well with big defensemen, so put him with Witt. He is a fast enough skater to play more offense, since Witt seems to prefer to sit back and play defense. The two should be a good pair.

Berry - Berry played well wearing the A, so let him keep it. He plays physical hockey, which is what we need from the defense. He is not the best skater, and does not make the best defensive decisions, but has the ability to play at this level day in and day out.

Eminger - Good, young defenseman. Will be the future of this defense core, so he needs to play now and get comfortable up here. When he played with Gonchar, he played well, but could not play much of a physical game. Putting Eminger with Berry should be good.

Yonkman - Big, tough defenseman. He needs to get healthy, and stay that way. Yonkman has a lot of potential to be the next Derian Hatcher, but he can't do that playing hurt. He needs to enjoy the offseason, and try to prevent the injuries from happening next year.

Ouellet - Great goalie in the AHL, but needs to be the main starter in the NHL if he wants to make an impact. He doesn't have much time before he decides to leave, so let the kid play.


------------------------------------------

Using the strategies above, the Capitals could easily turn themselves into a winning frachise. This town deserves better, the players deserve better, and Ted deserves better.

We need to stop tanking the season, and win some games. Who really cares about a top pick? The Caps should be playing for pride. We need to win some games, and end the season on a good note.