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Can Trotz Truly "Fix" The Capitals?

August 11, 2014, 3:26 PM ET [23 Comments]
Eric Mellin
Washington Capitals Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Alex Ovechkin is one of the greatest players in NHL history, and you cannot argue against that.

What you can argue is that Ovechkin is a one-dimensional player, who's only attribute is that he can score almost at will and create offense. His defensive play, however, has been highly criticized for his entire career. His casual "gliding" and "flamingo"-style shot blocking is something of legend now.

But defense isn't what makes Ovechkin click. That's not his game and it never has been. The fact that the Capitals have gone through a carousel of coaching changes the last 5 years and have tried desperately to find something that fits has created such a mess in Washington that I'm shocked Ovechkin is still scoring as much as he is.

Ovechkin isn't ever going to win a Selke award just like Pavel Datsyuk isn't going to win a Rocket Richard - that's not their game.

The lack of support in DC is what has been ailing the Capitals. Quick-fixes and band-aids were the theme of George McPhee's reign, and the Caps, who were mostly a regular-season juggernaut failed miserably at trying to get over that elusive playoff hump.

Barry Trotz believes he can fix this.

For 15 years in Nashville, Trotz boasted a "defense-first" style of play that made the Predators a threat almost every year. They never had flashy offensive players, and last season their defenseman finished 1st in the league in total goals-for with 52, with Shea Weber scoring 23. The Capitals defense , under the guise of Adam Oates, finished 15th in the league with 32 goals for.

With the balance that the Capitals have now, Barry Trotz has a lot to work with, but getting these players, old and new, to buy into the system he is trying to sell should be an interesting challenge.

"People tend to think because I've come to Washington that I'm going to stand back, and I hate that," Trotz said. "In Nashville I was known as a defensive coach because my star players were a goalie and a defenseman. We had to play to our strength." (NHL.com)

With the additions of defensemen Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik, the Capitals are a much more structured team, and Trotz says he wants to see players like Green and Carlson have a better opportunity to jump into the play and create offense. That should also be a good thing for Alex Ovechkin.

If the Caps can better control their end this season with the puck-moving and now physical defensemen they have, it could be very beneficial for the offense, especially Ovechkin who could thrive with more support like in the old run-and-gun days of Bruce Boudreau.

Former Washington Capitals defenseman, Rod Langway has the same belief in the Captain:

“He’s a highlight film. When he’s on, he’s a highlight film,” said Langway. "I know he can be a team player because he’s not afraid of the physical stuff. When you have other players on the back end that have the same mentality of the physical presence, not just fighting but taking players out of play when [the] puck is loose, it makes it a lot easier and makes more room for the skill players.” (ESPN)

The only real issue, of course, is the second line center and who will play that position. Marcus Johansson still seems to be the obvious choice, but we'll have to see how training camp goes in few weeks.

This has to be an exciting time for Barry Trotz as he enters a new chapter in his respectable career. He's never had the luxury of offense and seeing how he will adjust his coaching style to fit the playing style of someone like Ovechkin will be interesting. Ovechkin was highly criticized for his 5-5 play last season, but the entire team was a mess at even strength, most likely confused with Adam Oates' system that they just could not nail down. Trotz's way should be more user-friendly and we should see a spark in Ovechkin's, and the teams, game. One thing for sure, Trotz will not back down in critiquing his captain:

"He's a lot more dangerous when he's skating, when he's moving, when he's got a little bit of room to operate," Trotz said. "I have found him standing still a lot on the film that I'm watching, very easy to cover, and he still got 51 goals."(NHL.com)

As a Caps fan, getting a new coach is pretty much a normal occurrence, but this year just feels different. There's not a lot of over-hype or overconfidence coming from the Capitals brass because it has nipped them in the butt so much in the last few years. I feel this is a the proverbial "quiet before the storm" and that the Trotz-era will brew up something exciting.

More to come...

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