Like kids at Christmas, let’s dream a little. What if Simeon Varlamov, this season or next, emerges as our stud showstopper, our game-changer between the pipes? I’m of the opinion that the Caps have never really had one. They’ve had two Vezina winners, but it doesn’t seem to me that they’ve ever had the jaw-dropping talent that can backstop a talented club to a Cup.
If Olaf Kolzig looms as the greatest talent and most accomplished netminder in Washington Capitals’ history, understand that what 20-year-old Simeon Varlamov represents is something aspirationally higher. Today he is widely considered one of the best young goalie prospects in the world, a claim Kolzig could never stake. With Kolzig you had a workhorse, a committed “gamer” who almost certainly maxed out his talent and willed himself to 300 wins with largely average talent playing in front of him. No shame in that.
But when Kolzig was opposed at the other end of the ice by the likes of Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Brodeur, or Patrick Roy, you couldn’t quite say that the odds were with us, right?
These reflections on Varlamov, published in Tuesday’s Washington Post, stood out to me:
“He’s our Henrik Lundqvist” — Brent Johnson
“In terms of athleticism, he’s off the charts” — George McPhee
The next couple of seasons appear to be Cup-contending ones for the Caps. In the postseason the team presumably will have to get past the likes of the Pens (Marc Andre Fleury), the Rangers (Lundqvist), and perhaps the Habs (Carey Price) en route to just a conference title. Those are some serious talents in net. It would be nice if the Caps had their own.
It used to be that even first-round netminding talent had to ripen for years, that hardly any goalie could stake a rightful claim to a no.1 job in the NHL before, say, his middle twenties. But these days elite netminding youth can be served comparatively, conspicuously early (Cam Ward, Carey Price). Given what Simeon Varlamov has achieved thus far in Hershey, and what he showed the hockey world last Saturday night in Montreal, you don’t get the sense that he’s destined for a prolonged apprentice down on the farm. Montreal last season felt confident enough in Price’s young poise and ability to deal Cristobal Huet to the Caps.
At least, we can imagine such a shortened development arc while we sip our eggnog and ponder Jose Theodore as a postseason alternative.
Consider, too, that unlike Ward or Price Varlamov didn’t develop in Major Juniors but in a full-fledged pro hockey league filled with adult talent. Varlamov’s early accomplishments in pro hockey are already impressive. He enjoyed two super solid seasons in the Russian Super League (now the KHL) — perhaps the world’s second-best pro hockey league — prior to coming over to North America this past summer. And it was in the RSL’s postseason last spring that things got Christmas dreaming interesting for Caps’ fans looking for a potential savior between the pipes. In 16 postseason games with Yaroslavl Varlamov posted five shutouts and a 1.62 goals-against in his team’s title run. Finnish goaltending coach Jukka Roponen had this to say about the Caps’ young goalie prospect:
“In my opinion Simeon Varlamov is the most talented young goalie I have seen in many years. He has potential to be a real NHL star in the future. He is also technically amazingly sound and some of the difficult moves are just natural for him. I am sure that it was very beneficial for Simeon to have Jussi Parkkila coaching him during the last season. Parkkila is a good coach and he has done wonders with several young Finnish prospects.”
As good as Brent Johnson has been for the Capitals this season, the uncertainty in net about who if anyone is a legit go-to, no.1 guy in the postseason is easily the most disquieting aspect to this Capitals’ team. The Ken Wreggets and Kelly Hrudeys of the goalie world upset our guys, not the other way around. And Alexander Ovechkin, I’ve written before, deserves an elite netminding talent with which to contest the postseason — organizations serious about contention ensure that their teams are strongest in net.
I’ve also been of the opinion that come the postseason the Caps are going to have to defeat not only Crosby and Fleury in the East but also a subtle (or not so subtle) tilting of the ice in a postseason’s crunch time. Is it really all that conspiratorial to suggest that investing as much marketing might as the league has in no.87, that it’s going to allow Crosby to languish as a Tony Gwynn? What do they say in hoops — the stars get the calls? Again, prejudice or preferential treatment carried off with subtlety. One way to level, say, a 7-to-3 discrepancy in postseason power plays in a game 6 or 7 is to have a stud in pads.
That’s what I call a holiday time of year line of thinking.
12 Comments
Actually I think the real competition in the East will be Boston. The Pens may well die on the doorstep. The Rangers, well, who knows. In our little corner of the world, the kitties will make a pounce of desperation (but fall far short).
Optimism is certainly brimming over the kid – who’s the last goalie to inspire Photoshoppings after one start?
Not that you were suggesting this, but I’m unwilling to relegate Kolzig in his prime to “Beaupre” status. Put young Olie with this young team… geez, that’d be unfair.
Maybe Varlamov is in position to show that he can do the same.
*If*
Love the photoshop stylings. I wonder why you haven’t received negative comments on the “Iron Curtain” moniker like we did.
And let’s remember that Neuvirth is drawing raves as well.
Hey Pucks, some good thoughts there. But I think that it may be too soon to draw conclusions. Your comparisons with Ward and Price may be justified, except in one respect. Ward and the ‘Canes had an absolute crap season the year after his amazing run to win the Cup. And Price has not been the stellar netminder of the early playoffs last year. And he seemed to fall apart against the Flyers, possibly because of the lack of experience.
All that being said though, Varlamov will be an outstanding goaltender down the road, as his performance this side of the Atlantic seems to be leading us to. But as the powers that be seem to be saying, every minute of play he gets in Hershey will only help his future, and it’s better experience for him than riding the pine as backup in the big show.
Who knows what Caps management is thinking? I can tell you one thing… if I were in GMGM’s shoes I would be weighing carefully whether or not additional AHL seasoning is going to do Varlamov any additional good vs. preping him in the NHL for a playoff run.
The guy has played in the RSL and won, how much more can Hershey do? I understand the need to transition to the North American game, but it looks like he may have made the adjustment.
I think Theodore will make the decision for GMGM. Theodore better be looking at improving his game, quickly. Time is running out…
One other side…
GMGM will never show his hand. Even if it were his intention to bring Varlamov in ASAP, he’s likely to say that Varlamov needs additional AHL seasoning.
George McPhee will not devalue an asset by declaring someone else better, thereby making him expendable. George will move Theodore before he shows his hand regarding Varlamov.
I’m excited as well. The speed and athleticism is definitely there. The NHL no longer rewards purely reflex goalies, though. Once he gets his technique squared away, Varlamov will be very tough to beat.
Love that glove.
Nice piece, but Brent Johnson doesnt say that “He’s our Henrik Lundqvist”, the quote from the WashingtonPost article has Johnson saying “He’s like [New York Rangers goaltender] Henrik Lundqvist”.
Otherwise nice post, we can dream can we.
I don’t think it would hurt Varlamov to stay in Hershey to work on technique. He played awesome no doubt about it but I think there are a few things he could probably work on. No need to rush him up here.
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