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With the 26th overall pick in the 2010 Draft, the Capitals will...

June 7, 2010, 2:15 PM ET [ Comments]
Steven Hindle
Washington Capitals Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
…Decide to Make a Trade


Since the dawn of the CBA controlled NHL whereby teams must govern themselves within a set salary limit, the ability to build a winner by simply spending dollars has gone by the wayside. There is no longer room in the budget for teams to spend more than others to obtain a competitive advantage, therefore teams have been forced into building a winner through the draft.

Building through the draft has been the Capitals motto over the last 5 years, but Washington may have finally reached a point where there is no longer a pressing need to continue stocking the pipeline.

At the moment, the Caps are overloaded with prospects and truly have no urgency to continue stock-piling.

So, the question then becomes what should the Capitals do with their 1st round selection in this year’s draft?

Over the last 5 years, Washington has drafted a surplus of talented players at virtually every position. Proof of that lies in the fact that 14 players drafted since 2002 have played on the team, with 11 of those players all but guaranteed to make up a majority of the Caps roster in 2010-11.

Having drafted their “core” players of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and future “core” members John Carlson, Karl Alzner, Semyon Varlamov and Michael Neuvirth, the Caps finally have a truly solid base from which to build a winner.


Young Goaltending Duo Gives Caps an Extra $4.5 mil

Speaking of roster players, I have been informed by a quality source that as much as the Capitals have been pleased with Jose Theodore’s efforts over the last 2 years, the team will definitely be heading into next season with the Semyon Varlamov/Michael Neuvirth tandem.

Following the Montreal Canadiens lead, this move will keep the Caps goaltending budget at a minimum as both young goaltenders are RFA’s who will only be eligible to make the rookie maximum.

It also directs a large chunk of the 2010-11 budget away from goaltending and back towards defense.

With the clear, glaring need to upgrade the D, freeing up the cap space previously spent on Theodore will now give Washington the opportunity to either:

A) Pursue a top tier UFA defenseman
B) Trade for a top tier defenseman


But What To Do?


The fact is that with limited cap space this summer, following the many RFA’s that the team must sign, Washington won’t necessarily be all that interested in maxing out on the cap by getting into a bidding war for a player.

The truth is that the team may be better served by upgrading via the trade route.

Determining what trade route to go also becomes another interesting dilemma.

The reality is that the current lineup dictates what the team must address.

Here is a look at the players and the lineup that Capitals management are most likely looking at for 2010-11:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
Semin-X-Laich
Chimera-Fleischmann-Fehr
Gordon-Steckell-Bradley

Green-X
Alzner-Carlson
Poti-Scultz
Sloan-Erskine

Varlamov
Neuvirth

Despite the fact that the Caps have UFA’s and RFA’s that could/should or would be signed, the fact remains that this is the team that management is likely looking at.

Considering that, the 2 glaring “X’s” clearly highlight what positions they are most interested in addressing.

Despite the opportunity and possibility of re-signing either Eric Belanger or Brendan Morrison, it’s very unlikely that the Caps will be interested in retaining either of them. Although they certainly performed admirably in a Caps jersey, the reality is that the team still needed more out of a 2nd line centerman.

The other glaring “X” in the lineup is, of course, Mike Green’s sidekick.

The Capitals have always needed a balanced top 4, but have struggled to put together the right formula. Now, with the arrival of John Carlson and Karl Alzner, the Caps can finally lay claim to having a solid top 3, but still not the full package.

The truth is that with the opportunity to move Tom Poti onto the 3rd pairing, likely with Jeff Schultz, and having Erskine and Sloan, both of whom are dependable fill-ins, signed through next year, the Caps will need to look elsewhere to fill that hole in their top 4.

Of the remaining defensemen that Washington could re-sign, none of Joe Corvo, Shaone Morrisonn or Milan Jurcina fit the bill of a veteran, elite puck-moving defenseman.

Hence it becomes clear that the Caps will be looking at a trade.

Yet, once again, what sort of trade should they pursue?

With Mathieu Perreault, Francois Bouchard, Anton Gustafsson and Marcus Johansson all likely suitors for the role of future 2nd line centerman behind Nicklas Backstrom, that position for next season may very well be the last one to be addressed.

Although Carlson and Alzner will be immediate shoe-ins for roles in the top 4, that remaining defensive vacancy is by far the largest priority.

Finally, the last domino in how the Caps will proceed with this option lies in what they decide to do at the draft.

Does the team opt for trading Alex Semin and his 1 year deal for that player?

Or do the Capitals seek to dish off their late-1st rounder, with some extras, for a veteran defender that someone is looking to part with?

With no 2nd rounder in this year’s draft(sent to Minnesota in the Eric Belanger deal), the resulting dilemma in trading the 1st rounder for management is how to succeed in the draft?

With 4 picks in the later rounds, but only 2 in the first 3 rounds, trading away their 1st rounder may not be the most ideal situation.

But do the Caps really need another 26th overall pick in the pipeline or would they be better served by using it to upgrade on D.

Considering that over the last 5 draft years, the Caps have chosen 7 players in the 20-30 range, do they really need another?

On the surface, likely not, but when examining the actual selections, it’s clear that this an area of the draft where Washington’s scouts have found success.

Of the 7 draft choices between the #20 through 30 positions since the 2004 draft year, the Caps have selected Mike Green, Jeff Schultz, Joe Finley, Semyon Varlamov, Anton Gustafsson, John Carlson and Marcus Johansson.

Given that teams tend to waste a vast majority of their picks and do not always find success in the later stages of the 1st round, the Caps have definitely done quite well.

But is doing well in the later stages of the 1st round really all that necessary, even if you don’t have a 2nd round pick?

The answer to that is, not really.

The Washington Capitals are turning a corner and have done so thanks to their strong work in the draft, yet now that the team is on the cusp of a new generation of winning and realistic dreams of hoisting a Stanley Cup in the near future, the time is now for management to add the final key veteran elements in order to build that long sought-after championship team.

The draft will hold many surprises for Washington Capitals fans and, in my opinion, will be the key moment in defining their direction for the 2010-11 season.

Finding the right trade partner will be key, but whether its moving Alex Semin’s large contract and opening cap space or packaging together their 1st round pick plus more in order to shore up their defense, it must be done.






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