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.

Caps-Thrashers Viewing "Party" Update

Okay, looks like everything is set to go. Word on the street is that we will have to settle for ESPNZone (11th & E St, NW, near Metro Center or Gallery Place metro stops). It goes without saying that I probably could have planned this out a little better, but this is what we get the first time around. (Hey, it would have been a lot worse if not for all the work CapsChick has also put into it. In fact, should you decide to show up, I would highly recommend buying her a beer.) I will try to show up around 6:45 (faceoff is 7:30). Wondering how you'll find us? Look for the red-white-and-blue baseball cap with the old-school Caps logo on it. The one with Craig Laughlin's autograph on it. That will be me.

Any questions, comments or complaints should be directed towards kevinhatcherfanclub (at) gmail (dot) com.

I realize, based on the comments under the original announcement, that many people wont' be able to make it due to the incredibly well-thought-out combination of last-minute notice and holiday-related obligations, and I promised that I would make sure this happens again sometime soon. I'd like to make this a monthly thing, if possible, and with that in mind, I've got a tentative schedule for future Caps Blogger Get Togethers:

Tuesday, Jan. 16 - vs. Ottawa @ 7:30
Tuesday, Feb. 20 - vs. Montreal @ 7:30
Monday, March 12 - vs. Atlanta @ 7:00
Wednesday, April 4 - vs. Atlanta @ 7:00

Obviously, this is all very tentative. Especially the February one. The Caps play the Penguins twice in February, and both are weekend day games that, as near as I can tell, won't be competing with any other big sporting events. So I might try to put something really big together for one or both of those games. Also, one of those dates might get replaced by a Blogger Get Together night at Verizon Center for a home game.

Caps-Thrashers Viewing Party

It is a true testament to my disorganized ineptitude that, in spite of the fact that this was my idea and I have been largely involved in trying to get it organized (with much help from CapsChick), Eric over at Off Wing Opinion still managed to beat me to it. I hope everyone else finds that as hilarious as I do. Moving on...

I am a big fan of meeting other bloggers. I've done it before on a few occasions, and it has never resulted in anything other than unending hilarity. And drunkeness. Bloggers like to drink, apparently.

So it is with that in mind that I extend this formal invitation to any of you Caps bloggers who would care to join me this Friday to watch the Capitals on the road against their heated rivals the Atlanta Thrashers. As of the writing of this entry, the actual location of such a gathering is still somewhat up in the air. I have a place in mind but there might be a band playing during the game, which is problematic. I'm shooting for a bar somewhere around U Street or Chinatown. But rest assured I will come up with something soon. Just, you know, make sure you're schedule is clear Friday night. And check back here. (Also, if you have any suggestions as far as a particular place you think might be a nice place to meet, send them along to the newly minted kevinhatcherfanclub (at) gmail (dot) com)

My All-Star Ballot

In the interest of full disclosure:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Forwards - Alex Ovechkin(WAS), Daniel Briere (BUF), Rod Brind'amour (CAR)
Defensemen - Bryan McCabe (TOR), Zdeno Chara (BOS)
Goaltender - Olie Kolzig (WAS)
Write-In- Dainius Zubrus (WAS)

WESTERN CONFERENCE:
Forwards - Jerome Iginla (CGY), Brian Rolston (MIN), Markus Naslund (VAN)
Defensemen - Chris Pronger (ANH), Scott Neidermayer (ANH)
Goaltender - Mikka Kiprusoff (CGY)

Not That It Would Have Helped Last Night

I have always been a touch obsessed with the idea of making the ice rinks in the NHL wider. Given the size and speed of today's players, I feel like all the rule changes in the world aren't going to get the NHL game back to the offensive glory days of the 1980's that Gary Bettman so desperately longs for. Back in May, over on the Opossum-Palooza, I did a quick, decidedly unscientific, study of what the impact of a wider rink would be. I'm bringing it up again now because I was down on the glass, thanks to a very generous client of mine, last Wednesday for the Capitals' game against the Bruins.

When I wrote that piece at the O-P, I guesstimated that a wider ice rink would result in 22 new front row seats. Looking at my ticket from last Wednesday's game, I can tell you that front row seats are worth $225 a pop.

$225 x 41 games a year x 22 new seats = $202,950 a year in added revenue

Obviously, this fails to take into account the overall decrease in the number of tickets available, but I have no doubt the seats that disappear as a result of a larger ice surface would be those of the inexpensive variety.

As for the numbers I wasn't able to particularly quantify back in May: concession sales. This time around, I went to the game with one of the sales reps from a brand we sell at my store. He has a large expense account. Given the outrageous price of food and alcohol inside the Phone Booth, I would guess that, during the course of the game, the four people in my group (including myself) probably drank at least $30 worth of beer. This is a rather conservative estimate because the truth is, I hang out with some serious drunks. This is also not counting the various libations we consumed while up in the Acela Club during intermissions, or down at the Johnny Walker Coaches Club after the game. All told, the total amount we spent on food and drinks probably came to at least $200. Bringing the adjusted total dollar figure for each ticket to roughly $275.

$275 x 41 home games x 22 new seats = $248, 050

Again, my little study here is decidedly flawed, but I think it probably paints a pretty good picture of the overall added value of a wider rink. Especially since it doesn't take into consideration the increase in size of the second or third rows, which are also outrageously-priced expense account country. It also doesn't take into account the cost of converting an arena from the current layout to the new larger rink layout. All I'm trying to say is that, when looked at a little more closely, the issue of wider rinks needn't be simply an issue of increasing the game's aesthetic value, it could potentially increase the league's bottom line.