NHL.com hosts a series of features (or blogs) called “Crashing the Net”, manufactured by Shawn P. Roarke. April 26th’s segment covers, among other things, the forthcoming NHL draft in Columbus, OH on June 22. Roarke focuses specifically on the 14 teams which missed this year’s playoffs and mentions the following about the Caps:
“No. 5, Washington — The Capitals’ love of offensive players in recent drafts is well-documented. This team had 10 picks in last year’s draft and took seven forwards. It also grabbed two goalies among its first three selections. So, the backline is an area that has been ignored recently. No longer. This team gave up 51 more goals than it scored this past year, so the time to address defensive deficiencies is now. And Calgary’s Karl Alzner is as good a place as any to start. Already 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he has the frame to handle NHL duty and he also has the smarts to not get overwhelmed in any situation. He is not as physical as some would like, but that is an area of his game he can develop. He also has the offensive foundation to compliment Washington’s raft of skilled forwards.”
Roarke goes on to cover the clubs holding picks 6-14, some tidbits on the playoffs, an interview and some fan mail. A truly lengthy article indeed, but a Capitals fan might read the above and wonder if the author’s research ventured much further than an excavation of past draft transactions. Are actions within one draft the sole determining factor for future drafts? Are they even the most important?
Might I mention there’s this thing called a season that transpires in between each NHL draft. So much can happen within its 82 games- player development, trades, injuries, call-ups… Even a fairweather fan could glance over the current roster and have a better idea of what to do on June 22 than than if they went by Roarke’s advice. Sure, that’s another one-dimensional analysis, but they’d still know MORE.
To Roarke’s credit, he does mention one current statistic- goals against. But this is hardly because the the Caps’ blue line has been “ignored”, or at least not in the way Roarke implies. The Capitals roster is in fact, deep with prospects. Of Shaone Morrisonn, Milan Jurcina, Steve Eminger, Mike Green or Jeff Schultz, no defenseman is older than 24. And the Capitals’ farm teams, the Hershey Bears of the AHL and the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, both have plenty of talent waiting for a spot to open on the big club. If anything, the Capitals’ have too much youth in their defense corps, and suffer from a lack of quality veteran guidance. That would explain the aforementioned goals against stat, and quality is the key term here. If anything, the Capitals are guilty of attempting to develop too many prospects at once, and with an inadequate supporting cast.
It even looks weak on paper. Bringing in Ottawa’s Brian Pothier to accompany aging journeymen Bryan Muir and Jamie Heward to mentor a cast of inexperienced backliners was a gamble at best. Pothier proved not be to the overachiever Caps Mgmt. had scouted him to be, and played exactly how a 3-5 D-man would with top minutes- stretched a bit thin. Pothier not only dealt with ice time that perhaps exceeded his abilities, but in addition, was expected to compensate for a blue line comprised of some who hadn’t yet played a full season in the NHL. Heward and Muir both dedicated in their own right, probably rubbed off the most in practice and on the bench. Both lacked some of the skill and quickness to rectify the numerous youthful blunders that occurred each game night.
So yeah, no question about that goals against statistic. It’s a glaring defiency that by any teams’ standards, which must be alleviated ASAP. And Roarke’s solution for the Capitals is to draft another young defenseman? This is assuming Karl Azner or whoever he may be can play NOW. This is assuming that the ’07 draft is an Ovechkin caliber draft. A Crosby draft. This is assuming there are generational caliber defensemen waiting at the gate. Well, it’s not, and there is no definite #1. By the fifth pick, the draft order could shake out in any sort of fashion.
For the Capitals to address their immediate needs on the blue line, they won’t be looking to an ’07 draftee. They need veteran experience with the wisdom to develop their existing young D-corps. Just as importantly, these defensemen must pack the skill to set examples on the ice and manage the errors of youth. Heck, the Caps might even trade their #5 and/or some prospects to accomplish this task. But if they stay the course and follow L.A. this June at Nationwide Arena, look for the Washington Capitals to do what most teams usually do in the first round of an NHL draft; take the best player available.
