The second half of the season has been a reality check for Washington Capitals fans: a brick-in-the-face kind of reality check. Countless man-games lost to injury and the flu embattled a lineup lacking in any real depth outside of prospects. The team that has been iced since the All-Star break has been one of mixed lines and systems. The defensive woes have been so costly that at one time, Coach Hanlon instituted a “very 90s” trap-like system to compensate for the mistakes of the struggling (and very green) D-corps. This system cut down on goals against, but goals for as well. The Caps weren’t winning so many games as much as they were simply losing by less, not to mention playing some pretty boring hockey.
Caps fans were wondering at this point where the spark had gone for the team that once sat in 5th place in the Eastern Conference. Why had we implemented a system that overcompensated for our weakest link instead of playing to our strengths? Time and time again we saw Ovechkin or Semin enter enemy ice alone while the rest of their line was busy ‘clogging’ the neutral zone only to get swallowed by a pack of waiting D-Men and forwards. Seeing the creativity choked out of our young, offensive stars, and fearing the implication of their frustrations was a tougher blow than any injury.
The trade deadline finally shed some light on what was really going on in DC. Say what you will about GM George McPhee’s scouting team and/or record in the draft, but the man can make some trades. In some shrewd negotiating by McPhee and co., veterans Dainius Zubrus, Richard Zednik and Jamie Heward were shipped off to new homes for more than decent returns. Some fans continue to disparage the team over the exit of Zubrus in particular, but I say this was the most convincing move of the draft. Zubrus is not a long term #1 center for the Capitals, and by moving him, it almost ensures the team is going to be quite active in acquiring quality talent during the Summer market.
Many of the seasoned Capitals fans are cynical, and they have a right to be. The team is on pace to reach no higher than the 70 points or so generated by last season’s squad. To that I say, last season was one of overachievement. The team saw ice time for more journeymen types than this season’s bunch, who are prone to less offensive flair but also fewer mistakes. And again, last season’s Capitals weren’t rocked by a flu epidemic, nor by weekly injury (this week’s winner is Brian Sutherby!), and no one could have predicted the catalyst that was Alex Ovechkin.
Although the aforementioned cynical fans (myself being one of them) will point to an earlier location in the timeline, the season’s final blow to an unlikely playoff berth was an injury to goaltender Olie Kolzig on February 12th. Without Kolzig, the Caps managed only one win and fell into one of their worst losing streaks in decades. This is where there’s ultimately some good news. Since his return on March 15th, the Capitals are 2-0-1, have outscored their opponents 6-0 in the first period of their last three games and have allowed only one even strength goal in this stretch.
The ripple effect of Kolzig’s return has spurned what may hopefully be a glimpse of what is to come. With the sense of security that Olie brings to the ice, Hanlon has the team playing a more wide open game, which certainly favors not only the creativity of stars Ovechkin and Semin, but the offensive talents from many of last season’s Calder Cup winning Hershey Bears as well. Recent call ups Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Giroux have brought goals and assists in the past two games, and shown some decent chemistry on the top two lines. Although it’s too early to tell, it’s exciting to consider one or more of the available RW/LW slots may be claimed by either Fleischmann, Giroux or injured winger Eric Fehr. Under this scenario, management is free to spend what they need to this summer on a quality #1 center, as well as a D man or two. Add in the probable entry of Swedish stud-prospect and pivot Niklas Backstrom, and the road ahead looks a bit brighter. But after eight straight losses, just about anything does.
