Highlights from this afternoon’s GMGM presser at Kettler-Capitals:
- Eric Fehr’s seen “all the specialists” and doesn’t require surgery, just rehab. Mega-sigh of relief.
- Trade activity: “Can’t gauge it yet.” Is talking to teams this week, will be next as well.
- Roster needs: “more veteran presence . . . we played with kids the last couple of years.”
- On the record numbers of Americans being drafted, and up high: “better development,” “players coming from all over [U.S.], from everywhere.” Credits, too, the breadth of hockey in markets across the NHL, AHL, ECHL, college hockey, and the USHL. “More exposure” to the game here than ever before.
- Positional strength of this draft: doesn’t know yet; will know more this time next week.
- Overall quality of ‘07 draft: a “decent draft through a couple of rounds” . . . a clear elite class of five at the top.
- No urgency to trade up. “We liked 5 guys last year and drafted fourth; we like 5 guys this year and are drafting 5th.”
- Caps’ draft strategy: Team tries to stick with its strategy — “We don’t try to improvise” — as “crazy things can happen in the absence of a plan.” And: “Our best drafts [were when] we stuck with our plan. There’s lots of work involved, and we have a pretty sophisticated approach.”
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“Our best drafts [were when] we stuck with our plan. There’s lots of work involved, and we have a pretty sophisticated approach.�
I would be interested to know how GM/Mahoney and Co. evaluate their past drafts. What is considered a ‘good’ draft. On self-perceived ‘bad’ drafts how do they refine their scouting and evaluation?
Oh yeah and great news regarding Fehr. He has a little less than three months to rehab like a monster. During his last call up anyone can see he was starting to ‘get it’.
2 Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] The breadth of potential programming for such an outlet is more varied than you might think. The Caps hosted an informal press opportunity with their general manager last week, and Washington’s hockey media community was well represented there. We were seated in a cozy conference room, and the setup afforded a collegial atmosphere which brokered some interesting queries and productive give-and-take with George McPhee. Days later, in a train of thought which led me to this writing idea, I imagined that that 30-minute exchange, joined by others like it in the office conference rooms of other NHL clubs and their press packs, could have been perfect offseason programming on an NHL TV in the lead-up to the Draft. [...]
[...] With no consensus top pick, talented forwards Pat Kane of Dale Hunter’s London Knights and Kyle Turris of Burnaby of the BCHL are the names most often mentioned when it comes to the draft’s top spot. (TSN’s video profiles of Kane can be found here and Turris here.) Other youngsters who will be crowding the top of the charts will likely be Jakub Voracek, a Czech winger playing in Halifax of the QMJHL, James Van Riemsdyk of the USNTDP (profile), and Kyle Alzner, a solid defenseman for the Calgary Hitmen (profile). Enigmatic Russian winger Alexei Cherepanov rounds out what is commonly thought to be the top group of players available this year, though it should be noted that Caps’ general manager George McPhee recently stated that the Caps feel there is a group of five players that are a cut above the rest. [...]
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