With the new NHL rules, teams in the same or similar position as the Carolina Hurricanes were the past few seasons, can now become big winners. The Canes are a great example of what can happen if the front office does their job well. A team can go from not being in the playoffs, to winning the Stanley Cup.
Nick Backstrom is a very good addition (possibly great even), as is goaltender, Semen Varlamov (this kid can play goal something fierce and he will steal wins by himself) The Caps third pick was also a goalie, (Michal Neuvirth from the Czech republic) and he's also very good, but might be a couple years away. The Caps 2nd pick in the second round was, in my opinion, (I've seen him play) totally wasted, because Bouchard disappears in clutch games. Of course that might change, since the NHL can often change a player's thinking methods. The rest of their picks, are like many draft picks, a crap shoot, but you never know.
I'm pretty sure Ovechkin will make Varlamov feel very much at home and he'll be given every opportunity to showcase his talents.
Even though offense wins hockey games, championships are won on defense, and defense starts in goal. Now if you Caps can sign a few solid defensemen, they could be the next Carolina Hurricanes.
Keep an close eye on which free agents get signed over the next few weeks, because in the new NHL, free agents will play a big factor in any team's success...
