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Predictions
EAST
1. WAS
2. BOS
3. PHI
4. PIT
5. CAR
6. MTL
7. NJD
8. TBL
9. TOR
10. BUF
11. NYR
12. FLA
13. ATL
14. OTT
15. NYI
WEST
1. CHI
2. VAN
3. ANA
4. DET
5. SJS
6. CGY
7. CBJ
8. LAK
9. MNW
10. STL
11. DAL
12. EDM
13. NSH
14. PHX
15. COL
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
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2008-09 RECORD:
50-24-8
108 PTS
Playoff Result: Lost 2nd round
(PIT) |
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TOP SCORER: Alexander Ovechkin, 110
TOP GOAL SCORER: A. Ovechkin, 56
TOP ASSISTS: Nicklas Backstrom, 66
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PP RANK: 2
PK RANK: 17
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Ceiling: $56.8M
Capitals: $56.65M
Floor: $40.8M
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WIDE OPEN
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| Semyon Varlamov. He
used to be Simeon. Now, for transliteration’s sake, he’s “Semyon.”
He used to be backup. Now, he’s the starter. The playoffs are short.
Is a long regular season at hand? Varlamov will be expected to
support a team assumed to be a contender by most critics.
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Alexander Ovechkin
Passionate, electrifying offensive
demon capable of carrying the entire team on his back. Arguably the
best player in the NHL, he has the hardware to back it up – Calder
and Art Ross as well as the Hart, Pearson and Rocket Richard for the
past two years. Stanley Cup to follow soon?
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1. Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals just might win the Stanley
Cup sooner than Nicklas Backstrom receives the credit he deserves for
dishing the puck to Alex Ovechkin. Backstrom won’t lose too much sleep,
we’re sure, over the spotlight shining in another direction, but in
fairness, the Capitals are where they are today because of Backstrom’s
emergence almost as much as Ovechkin’s.
The offense is deep and skilled. Brooks Laich flies
under the radar, picking up 23 goals. Alex Semin quietly pots 34. Sergei
Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov have departed for Russia’s KHL, but the team has
more than enough young offensive talent to fill out the roster. Mike Knuble
comes over from Philly, where the journeyman sniper scored 27. Brendan
Morrison is in his second season removed from his ACL surgery. If the cliché
holds, Morrison will be an effective second line center, fully recovered and
ready to produce a la his Vancouver salad days, rather than his
Anaheim/Dallas dog days.
As for Ovechkin, there’s not much to say. He’s the
game’s most exciting and probably greatest player. He energizes a dormant
market and owner Ted Leonsis, who cares deeply about hockey’s future,
deserves to have a talent such as “Ovie” on his club. Ovechkin has energized
the fan base, and it’s entirely conceivable that the time for the Capitals’
first Stanley Cup has arrived.
The club will search for a bit more muscle on
defense. Mike Green was a revelation, scoring 31 goals (the first time that
an NHL defenseman scored 30+ since Paul Coffey). A Norris trophy nomination
capped Green’s season. Shaone Morrison and Milan Jurcina remain solid
physically, but the club will also look for new blood, while remaining
pleased with its current top-six defensemen. The Caps also welcome back
Brian Pothier, who joined the club’s playoff run after missing 65 games to
post-concussion syndrome.
On the defensive development front, it’s time for
2007 number one pick Karl Alzner or 2008 top pick John Carlson, to step up
and grab a job. Coach Bruce Boudreau has made it clear that Alzner, for
example, would have to “Wow” the club (Boudreau’s words, Sept. 15), but
don’t rule it out. The Pothier loss stung, and the team needs some depth.
Capitals starting netminder Semyon Varlamov will
earn $850K, his backup, Jose Theodore, will earn $4.5M. Varlamov will be
under the gun to maintain the starting job after performing well in the
post-season, after Theodore was yanked by Boudreau.
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