Aaaaaaaaaand... We're Back

It is amazingly frustrating coming home every night to find that your computer and the internet are still fighting. Over the past two weeks or so, I've missed out on a chance to regale you with my opinions on so many things, that it would be rather fruitless for me to try to catch up all in one post. So here goes...

The Draft - I thought McPhee did a good job. Especially with Karl Alzner, whom I am rather excited about.

Free Agency - I thought McPhee did a good job. As someone who had relentlessly (and only somewhat tongue-in-cheek-edly) insisted to anyone who would listen that the Caps absolutely needed to sign Sheldon Souray regardless of the cost, I was really impressed with the way McPhee handled everything. Frankly, I didn't see a single contract handed to any of the "big" names that looked like it was actually worth the money/cap space. (That said, Souray has supposedly signed with the Oilers, so for all I know, he may already actually be a Washington Capital.) Especially now that the Penguins and SC have set the bar at close to $9mil/year for Ovechkin's salary negotiations.

Rookie Camp - Ummm... a bunch of guys who are all, frighteningly, younger than I am skated around at KCI. I, meanwhile, had to work my awful retail job. Good times.

The KHFC Whipping Boy - Daniel Briere's face has been staring at me almost even longer than the dramatic chipmunk's, so I figured it was time for a change. The new KHFC Whipping Boy is none other than Edmonton Oilers' GM Kevin Lowe, for making the whole Nylander situation needlessly complicated. Congratulations, Mr. Lowe!

The Schedule - The NHL, as you know, released the 2007-08 schedule. The season will open with the Anaheim Ducks hosting the LA Kings. In London. England. I can't possibly imagine why the NHL would do something like this aside from "because that's what those foozeball guys are doing".

But more importantly, and more to the point, the Caps schedule is out which means I can safely announce the 2007-08 season's first...

Caps Bloggers Happy Hour!
October 5th, 2007
Location TBD.

Seriously though, I don't suppose I need to tell you to mark your calendars for the Caps' season opener. Just make sure you put a little note next to the mark that reminds you to check back here so you know where to go to meet all your fellow Caps fans. Unlike all the previous incarnations of the CBHH, I'm thinking about possibly making this one a simple party at somebody's house, rather than an excursion to an alcohol-serving establishment. Because I feel that the first night of hockey season should be enjoyed away from the prying eyes of all the jackasses at the bar who would rather we turn on a football game. If anyone of my loyal reader(s) would like to volunteer their home (or somebody else's), or has any better ideas, the e-mail address is koreilly (at) gmail (dot) com. (I may also try to organize a pre- and/or post-game CBHH the following night for the home opener, assuming nobody does anything crazy like book a private room at Clyde's.)

That's all for now. Thanks to a still-occasionally-shaky internet connection and a general apathy towards offseason news, you can expect this blog to go back to it's stunning, post-a-minute pace you've come to expect over the summer.

Looking Ahead

If there was any doubt that the Capitals playoff hopes for 2007 were finally snuffed out, it's gone now. With all due respect to Brent Johnson, who is an excellent goaltender in his own right, there is no way the Capitals turn this season around without Olie Kolzig, especially given the way they've played of late. I think we've probably hit rock bottom in terms of overall fan frustration. A lot of fans are starting to lose patience with the rebuilding process and that is mostly understandable, especially given the success of the yellow and black clad evildoers in Pennsylvania. It is especially tough because, at this point, I don't think there is much more this particular group of guys can do to grow as a team.

Part of the fun last season was watching all the new faces grow as hockey players. There was consistent improvement over the course of the season. This year, the team seems to have hit a wall, and I don't really think there is anything that can be done about it. It is time to start bringing in some new faces, but those new faces aren't likely to arrive until the free agency signing period starts in July. So why watch the team right now? The playoffs are out of reach, there's little to be seen by way of growth and improvement from the players, even Ovechkin's attempt to catch Sidney Crosby in the points scoring race is pretty much over. Now the only thing to root for, really, is for Ovechkin to edge Vincent Lecavalier et al for the Richard Trophy, an accomplishment that will likely ring somewhat hollow for most Caps fans as they watch Crosby receive the Art Ross and, most likely, the Hart Trophies while leading his team to the playoffs. So the frustration is to be expected.

Fear not, though. We will get through this. Sure, it's tough, but it's nothing new. It isn't nearly as bad as the final stretch of the 2003-04 season. Besides, no matter how little it shows on the ice right now, there is definitely a bright future in store for this team. One need only look at the amount of space the team has remaining under the salary cap and a list of the potential free agents over the next two years to see that there is a very real possibility of this team being a legitimate power in the Eastern Conference by the 2008-09 season.

In order to help you get through the coming hard times in Capsland, I'm brazenly stealing an idea from 3 Grumpy Caps and running with it. I'd like to show you some of the more notable potential free agents this coming offseason. For the task at hand, I'm only going to look at centers and defensemen, as those are widely accepted as the team's two most pressing needs:

Centers:
-Petr Sykora, EDM
-Pavel Datsyuk, DET
-Robert Lang, DET
-Daniele Briere, BUF
-Chris Drury, BUF
-Mike Comrie, OTT

Defensemen:
-Brad Stuart, CGY
-Sheldon Souray, MTL
-Brian Rafalski, NJ

Nothing especially exciting by way of centers, but I see two defensemen on that list whom I expect hope and pray the Caps will seriously pursue. Stuart, from what I've seen on the two occasions Boston came to visit, is particularly solid in his own end and can really dish out some hits. As for Souray, his contribution to the power play would, one would hope, prove invaluable.

Now let's move on to the summer of 2008, when, out in San Jose, both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are scheduled to become UFAs. What are the odds the Sharks will be able to sign both of them? Imagine a world in which Ted opens his pursestrings and lures Marleau to Washington with a good contract and a chance to be the #1 center alongside Alex Ovechkin. Suddenly, everything is looking quite rosy.

Combine the acquisitions of Stuart, Souray and Marleau with the arrival of Nicklas Backstrom and the further development of the youngsters (who will all be 3-4 year veterans by 2008) and all of a sudden things are looking up. Not convinced? Take a look at what the lineup could, conceivably, look like at the start of the 2008-09 season:

Ovechkin-Marleau-Clark
Semin-Backstrom-Fehr
Sutherby-Gordon-Pettinger
Brashear-Laich-Bradley

Morrison-Jurcina
Eminger-Stuart
Green-Souray

Kolzig
Johnson

Pretty impressive, no? The best part is, based on salary figures obtained here and my own estimation of what kind of raises the UFAs might get, the salary comes in some $3 million under the cap. (Assuming the Cap goes to $49 million, which I'm pretty sure I heard was true. Somewhere.)

So things may look bad now, but with a little patience and a whole lot of shameless optimism, I think that we're gonna make it after all.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is not, necessarily, meant to be an outline of what I think will actually happen. It is mostly just a fantasy I've concocted to make myself feel better. It is based largely on baseless assumptions and wishful thinking. So feel free to go ahead and correct, berate and/or agree with me, or share your own ideas about who might be wearing a Caps sweater uniform system soon, in the comments section.