Somewhat idly I sent an instant message late yesterday afternoon to my good friend Eric McErlain, within which I pointed out that the ‘Net-wide consensus most of Monday that Rangers’ center Michael Nylander was off to shovel a ton of snow in Alberta for the next few years had yet to generate any tangible confirmation. Interestingly, there wasn’t a single voice on any Caps’ message board holding out hope that the last of the truly elite UFA centers could come home to the club most in need of help high up in the middle.
Taken together with Sunday’s free agent acquisitions, a good deal of Caps’ off-ice baggage was discarded late Monday afternoon, when General Manager George McPhee inked 80-pt. pivot Michael Nylander to a four-year pact. In a near instant an awful lot of the poison from the e-pens of the message board Doom and Gloom set was silenced. And should have been. A dispiriting set of mean-spirited mythology, ironically authored by the team’s “fans,” had been marginalized if not discarded.
This week’s talent influx at roster spot weak points ought to excite all Caps’ fans, and this morning, it’s entirely reasonable to posit that the ’07-’08 Caps are, on paper, 18-25 points improved over last season’s 70-pt. cellar dwellers. Eighteen points means falling just shy of the NHL postseason; 25 and you’re in.
But there’s no need to worry about that in early July. Additional roster tinkering and architecture can and should take place in-season, as the team’s new components gell (or fail to). For now, we ought to reflect a bit on the indigenous bad-mouthing that frankly has contributed to this team’s stepchild status in local sports media’s coverage hierarchy . . . and celebrate its dismissal. (That’s optimistic thinking. More likely, it’ll recede through at least tomorrow evening’s fireworks.)
Myth no. 1: No free agent of name or notable game would ever deign to sign in D.C.
Nylander doesn’t possess a laser for a shot or blinding speed, but he is a Tier I offensive catalyst, clearly one of the three or four best centers available in this summer’s free agent market. And this week he was coveted. He had numerous offers, and he chose the Caps’. Hockey of course is far more than a one-man game, but the prospect of Nylander setting up AO has occasioned pages of praise across the ‘Net’s hockey spectrum. This signing once and for all ought to dispel the baseless claim that quality, impact hockey players necessarily bear an instinctive aversion to donning a Caps’ uniform system.
Myth no. 2: The Caps couldn’t possibly compete with genuine (and winning) hockey market clubs for the services of talented free agents.
Can and did. As in, with the case of Nylander, making a bridesmaid of the 2006 Stanley Cup finalist Edmonton Oilers. And, according to Mike Vogel, for less money. Tom Poti, too, had no shortage of suitors on Sunday afternoon. He was a no. 1 Dman for a playoff hockey club in ’06-’07. At 30, he’s smack in the prime of his hockey career.
Myth no. 3: Caps’ management is all talk and no action, and its “summer of change” amounted to little more than new-colors-and-logos sloganeering.
Listen to that sweet sound of silenced Caps’ cynics. It’s about time for a Dave Fay “On Hockey” column, don’t you think?
11 Comments
A-freaking-men
Watching that total salary number staying so low, I had my fingers crossed that something was in the plan this off-season, but was bracing for the possibility of one more wait-and-see year. That said, these three new additions to the Caps make a good fit for three needs we all knew needed addressing: center, power-play help, and a way to stall the whiners!
Long ago, I called this the “no excuses” summer…I was as pessimistic as any that the Caps would make sweeping changes. Well, so far, they’ve walked the walk, not just talked the talk. Whether the changes will achieve the intended results is still a matter to be resolved, but it will not be for lack of effort and activity on the part of the Caps’ front office.
With a throw-in draft pick in the Zubrus deal, they parlayed one pick this year into multiple picks in what should be a deeper draft next year. They did address needs — perhaps not in the order some (including myself) felt needed addressing, but of the four principal needs (center, a stay-at-home defenseman, help on the power play from the blue line, and a right wing), the Caps have addressed all but the stay-at-home defenseman…and there is almost a whole summer to consider options there.
So far, I think George McPhee deserves a lot of credit, both for the strategy he employed at the draft and in the first days of free agency, and for the players and future assets he procured.
I know it feels good to crow about being correct in hindsight, but in this case it’s just wrong. Japers’ Rink posted continually throughout the day yesterday that there were no official confirmations on the Nylander-to-Edmonton signing. I checked it all day, and so do did the various commenters on the site. I understand that for dramatic arc you need to make it sound like you and McErlain were the only bastions of sanity on the Net, but looking back at both of your posts from yesterday, I see an erroneous confirmation on Off Wing Opinion and from On Frozen Blog only silence.
Dear Doom and Gloomer:
You appear to have missed the entire point of my post. The signings news of the past couple of days were not events with which to play fantasy hockey — at least not here. We didn’t offer the Caps any such free agent advice, about anyone, at any time, because we aren’t qualified to. The Caps have pro scouts for that work. Or, are you really of the opinion that I overstated the rampant pessimism native to so many Caps’ message boards? I’m genuinely at a loss to understand your beef with me.
The point of your post isn’t lost on me. I simply disagree with how you’ve framed it. You made reference to being unable to find a ‘single voice’ of dissent on any boards or websites, and I am simply pointing out the fallacy of that statement. For further reference, here’s a thread from the Caps’ official board:
http://boards.washingtoncaps.com/index.php?showtopic=55469&hl
Yossarian,
I don’t believe pucksandbooks was lumping Japers’ Rink in with the ‘net-wide consensus as he was squarely aimed at the Caps message boards and the other outlets that had Nylander pegged for Alberta.
Ken did great work calling the Oilers and getting the skinny that there was no signing. But alluding to us claiming victory over Japers’ is not accurate. P&B was merely mentioning a conversation he had with Eric. Had JP and/or Ken been involved in the conversation, or gathered for puck sodas as we all have been before, they would have been included in the mention. Any slight of Japers’ you saw in that post was a bad assumption.
Gus,
You’re right, but so too is our vistor: I’m¬†not versant in every post to every thread on every board. In this regard, and with this exchange — a fresh reminder that in a week of terrific news there still will be those around to piss vinegar on the party — I’d do well to heed Vogs’ advice, and stay away from the boards for good.
I am PSYCHED about the Caps moves. I’m simply pointing out that the consensus you alluded to was far from that; there were plenty of people (on Japers, on the official boards) who didn’t take a radio report out of Edmonton as gospel. That’s a good thing.
GMGM was on Washington Post Live on ComcastSportNet and mentioned that they made 9 offers the last few days. Got at least one answer stating that the location was not right although the offer was fair.
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