Washington Capitals (2010-11)

[Dave B]

i've heard caps-canucks, chimera for bieska, flash for bieska. we're gonna make a trade soon i think. we don't need belanger, flash, steckel, AND gordon

PRAYING it's flash-bieksa. would definitely improve the team.

chimera for bieksa would be a steal

[UMDNats]

chimera for bieksa would be a steal

i don't think it would be. we lose 3rd line grit (which we won't replace) for a somewhat gritty defenseman who is better than poti but wildly inconsistent

[Dave B]

i don't think it would be. we lose 3rd line grit (which we won't replace) for a somewhat gritty defenseman who is better than poti but wildly inconsistent

more of a steal than flash for bieksa

[UMDNats]

more of a steal than flash for bieksa

i just think we give up less value if we trade flash.

what does he bring in a playoff series?

nothing. negative value. no goals, no defense, no hitting, nothing. we have a better fleischmann in semin. we have enough scorers.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Flash for Bieksa would be like trading a Jag XKE for an Abrams tank.  I can see where Van would want the Jaguar.  We need the tank.  Not sure what either side gains in a Chimera-ish trade.  

[Dave B]

flash doesnt have much value to us, but in the greater nhl world flash is more valuable than chimera.

[UMDNats]

flash doesnt have much value to us, but in the greater nhl world flash is more valuable than chimera.

yea i agree, but teams know he doesn't have much value to us, thus driving his actual value down

[CALSGR8]

Individual Game Tickets go on sale to the public 10am on Friday.  Winter Classic Tickets to go on sale also (CORRECTION, BUT ONLY FOR PLAN HOLDERS).

I have 1 ticket available for sale to the Winter classic ($160 at cost).  The CAPS road crew is having a bus go up and back the same day ($60).  I reserved 2 for the bus, but one of the people I was counting on to go, said he wasn't going to the Classic so I'm already out for 1 ticket.  Haven't paid for the bus yet but its due soon!

[John]

Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter did a recent interview with Nicklas Backstrom.
Check it out, translated to English:

http://www.japersrink.com/2010/8/31/1661755/a-translated-interview-with#comments

[Frau Mau]

Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter did a recent interview with Nicklas Backstrom.
Check it out, translated to English:

http://www.japersrink.com/2010/8/31/1661755/a-translated-interview-with#comments

Thanks for posting that link.  I am so excited that the season is almost here. Our tix came yesterday!! Whoo hoo!!

[CALSGR8]

Hey!  Go to the Caps site and click on the SNEAKER BALL.  Caps players were asked who their favorite Washington Athlete is that is NOT hockey!  Brooks Laich picks NYGER MORGAN!!  HA!

[Upark25]

Hey!  Go to the Caps site and click on the SNEAKER BALL.  Caps players were asked who their favorite Washington Athlete is that is NOT hockey!  Brooks Laich picks NYGER MORGAN!!  HA!

Mainly because he used to play hockey...

[CatsEye]

Hopefully ovie has learned from the suspensions and will stop his bs hits.

                 Yea, like that's going to happen...

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Hopefully Crosby has learned to not wet his diaper on the team bus

[CALSGR8]

Hopefully Crosby has learned to not wet his diaper on the team bus

Only if Ovie gets a HAT TRICK!  WAAAAA, they keep throwing caps on the ice!!!

BTW, anyone going to convention this year?  I am!!

[John]

Nice start as the Caps beat the Blue Jackets in the pre-season opener yesterday 6-2 in Columbus.
Ovechkin did not play and camp invitee center Matt Hendricks (29, ex Avalanche) had a hat trick. Think he made a good first impression?
Tomas Fleischmann had 2 goals, 1 assist. Varlamov stopped all 20 shots he faced, Holtby let in both Blue Jackets goals.

Here is a link to an interview someone just sent me with Ovechkin and Semin:

http://www.japersrink.com/2010/9/23/1705651/ovechkin-and-semin-the-rest-of-the-story#storyjump

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

It seems that the Caps are actually going to trot out the A-team tonight.  I'll be curious to see what kind of shape a certain defenseman is in this year.

[eckseid]

                 Yea, like that's going to happen...

Am I not allowed to dream?

[Potomac Cannons]

Nice, much more disciplined than usual, game from the Caps.  Amazing how much better the team plays without constant 2-on-1 breaks due to limp wristed Mikey.

Poti did blow the first goal.  Slight breakaway, but really a 3-on-3, and Poti leaves the man with the puck to back all the way across the ice to the 2nd trailer.  No earthly idea what he was doing but he gave the shooter a clear lane.  Offense functioned just fine without Backstrom and Flash.  The young centers all looked like they wanted to be on the team.  There is no legitimate way they can keep Perrault off the opening night roster.  The kid is like a pocket Ovechkin.  Johannson is ready right now.  19 and he's already got the work ethic of a 4th line grinder and the talent of 1st line center.  Eakin should center the 4th line as he's a more talented grinder than Steckel or Gordon.

DJ King gets in a fight 7 minutes into his first home pre-season game as a Cap and bodyslams Shawn Thornton after a solid minute of good fighting from both of them.

The only real weak spots tonight were Sloan and Nycholat.

If this is what the team is going to play like this year then things finally bode well for the playoffs.  Still need a #1 defenseman to get over the Stanley Cup hump.

[d_mc_nabb]

Nice, much more disciplined than usual, game from the Caps.  Amazing how much better the team plays without constant 2-on-1 breaks due to limp wristed Mikey.

Poti did blow the first goal.  Slight breakaway, but really a 3-on-3, and Poti leaves the man with the puck to back all the way across the ice to the 2nd trailer.  No earthly idea what he was doing but he gave the shooter a clear lane.  Offense functioned just fine without Backstrom and Flash.  The young centers all looked like they wanted to be on the team.  There is no legitimate way they can keep Perrault off the opening night roster.  The kid is like a pocket Ovechkin.  Johannson is ready right now.  19 and he's already got the work ethic of a 4th line grinder and the talent of 1st line center.  Eakin should center the 4th line as he's a more talented grinder than Steckel or Gordon.

DJ King gets in a fight 7 minutes into his first home pre-season game as a Cap and bodyslams Shawn Thornton after a solid minute of good fighting from both of them.

The only real weak spots tonight were Sloan and Nycholat.

If this is what the team is going to play like this year then things finally bode well for the playoffs.  Still need a #1 defenseman to get over the Stanley Cup hump.

Not getting into Green, we're gonna get nowhere, we all know how much you love him...

Honestly, the thing I'm most worried about this season isn't Ovechkin getting hurt, but Backstrom. Maybe that's just me.

I love Perreault, been very impressed with him. He has second line talent (not on the Caps, of course, but on most teams) and he is a ball of energy. If he energizes that much with consistency, we have a very effective spark plug. Even for a fourth liner.

I would love to see Johannson make the team on the second line at Center. I'll admit when he was drafted I thought he was a safe pick, and I hate those... looks pretty good now, from what I've heard. I want him to make the team, I'm quite frankly a little tired of switching second line centers from year to year/game to game. I hope they plug in Johannson and stick with him. I'd really like a line with a shooter in Semin, and passer in Johansson, and a body in front of the net in Laich.

Eakin, meh. I'd be fine without Gordon, but I like Steckel on the team. He has a long reach, he's top 5 in faceoffs, and he steps up his game in the playoffs, which is really what the Caps need.

I hope King makes it. I want a slugger on the team.

Yeah, I would love to see Sloan gone, there is no reason he should be on an NHL roster.

[UMDNats]

Eakin is going to be such an asset on the 3rd line next year. Hopefully the organization finally grows a pair and lets Gordon leave because Eakin is a playoff player.

I want to move Sloan but literally we have NO depth after him that is NHL ready. Nothing.

[Potomac Cannons]

Eakin is going to be such an asset on the 3rd line next year. Hopefully the organization finally grows a pair and lets Gordon leave because Eakin is a playoff player.

I want to move Sloan but literally we have NO depth after him that is NHL ready. Nothing.

Sloan is likely the 7th D this year.  They'll carry him just to have the extra body.  Eakin really looks like a 4th center to me but one who could take 3rd line shifts.  I agree on his game seeming to be suited to playoff hockey.  I think MoJo's game is that way as well.  He was in the corners/behind the net mucking it up all night and seems to play with the puck on a string.

The biggest difference tonight seemed to be systemic.  Big Fat Bald Guy may finally have adjusted his system to let the talent jump up and rush when it's there but play positionally sound most of the time.  There were couple of nice series tonight when the Caps kept the puck in the Bruins zone, made 2-3 line shifts, and got good pressure for 4-5 minutes sustained.  The STHs in my section all noticed it pretty much right away. 

From the sound of things I think Perrault stays up and MoJo/Eakin/Hendricks start in Hershey and are the primary callups if injuries/suspensions/Flashcan'tplaycenter happen.

[Dave B]

its nice to have two 19 year olds that could make the roster of a presidents trophy winning team that hasnt really lost anybody

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

There are now guys in zebra mufti selling beer out of bins full of ice all around the upper concourse.  The next best thing to seat service if one doesn't mind swilling piss like Coors light at a hockey game (I don't mind...if I wanted a great ale, I'd fly to fricking Antwerp). 

[Potomac Cannons]

There are now guys in zebra mufti selling beer out of bins full of ice all around the upper concourse.  The next best thing to seat service if one doesn't mind swilling piss like Coors light at a hockey game (I don't mind...if I wanted a great ale, I'd fly to fricking Antwerp). 

With a Guiness/Harp/Smithwick's stand two sections behind me, I can get to the line, get a beer, and be back in my seat before the TV timeout is over.  No need to drink piss when beer is close and quick.