“If George McPhee’s rep for mining gems from the deep substrata of the first isn’t already set, it could be soon. The Caps’ GM, who already hit it big with Mike Green (29th overall, 2004) and John Carlson (27th, 2008), looks like he could have added another jewel to his system with Evgeny Kuznetsov at 26. The 18-year-old winger isn’t big (6-0, 172), but he possesses an offensive explosiveness similar to current Cap Alexander Semin. If not for the Russian passport, his skill level likely would have led someone to call his name sooner. “That could be a real value pick,” a Western Conference scout told SI.com. “They’ve got the people in place there [Alex Ovechkin, Semin and others] that should help with [his] transition and a system that he should be comfortable with. [McPhee's scouting staff] have done a good job loading up that system.” The Caps also may have found value in third-rounder Stanislav Galiev (86th), a skilled right winger from the Saint John Sea Dogs who some experts predicted could go in the first round, and Phil Grubauer (112th), the German-born goaltender who led the Windsor Spitfires to the Memorial Cup last month. A scout noted that neither player projects as a sure thing, but both have elements that make you think “there might be something special there.” “These are both talented kids,” he said. “There’s no rush on either of them. They’ve got time and that may be all they need.”

Muir left Jeff Schultz off his list.

* * * * *

At last summer’s Capitals Convention I had a chance to ask Ted Leonsis about a goodwill tour to Russia his team might undertake to showcase its holdings of high-end Russian talent. This is an idea that’s been brokered by the NHL with Russia’s hockey leaders but hung up, to some degree, over the absence of a player transfer agreement between the governing bodies. The owner demurred at my reference to it, assigning such a tour the designation ”distraction” for another day, something to think about after the team had won a Stanley Cup. Maybe, but what if that day doesn’t arrive? It’d still be very wise for the Caps to embark on such a goodwill tour of exhibition games against KHL clubs, for instance; you need spend only 5 minutes in Dmitry Chenokov’s company talking about the Capitals’ popularity in Russia to understand what such a trup would mean to global hockey. I have to think this is a trip the team would very much like to make, in the not-too-distanct future. Obviously, it’s something the captain would savor. And you’d think the Caps would want to pursue it while Ovi is in his playing prime.

I thought about this trip again this past weekend as the Caps selected two more highly skilled Russians in Los Angeles, adding to their aura of being Moscow West. As I noted Saturday, in two years time the Capitals’ second line could feature Alexander Semin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Dmitry Kugryshev. Semyon Varlamov may well be cemented as the team’s no. 1 in net, and Dmitri Orlov could be patrolling the team’s blueline then. And of course they’d be captained by the world’s greatest player, a native of Moscow. As an offseason event such a trip would be a media gold mine for the club.

* * * * *

Over the weekend various bloggers for Southeast teams received an invite from well-respected blogger and Cycle Like the Sedins founder James O’Brien to contribute reactions to a fresh reconsideration of the Southeast division, what with all the recent front office changes (Florida, Tampa, Atlanta) and a glut of high-end picks heading to Southeast teams this past weekend. The Panthers had, what, five of the first 36 selections in the 2010?

I didn’t respond to O’Brien’s invitation, for from my vantage, no chair moving or sweater changing can fundamentally alter my outlook on the Bettman abomination that is the SouthLeast. Like Rosemary’s Baby, it was ill-conceived.

The division claimed two Stanley Cup victories within its first 10 years of existence. No matter. Its DNA is in NASCAR and the SEC. Fans can’t travel to away games, except on trust funds. Consequently, there are no significant rivalries that have been birthed. There aren’t even insignificant rivalries. There are no rivalries. And look at the way four of the division’s five teams have drafted for most of the past 10 years. Even when bluechippers are secured, they (Boumeester, Luongo, Jack Johnson, Nathan Horton) can’t get out of Dodge fast enough. Other than Washington, what Southeast destination today would you decsribe as one that free agents can’t wait to sign with?

It needs to be blown up.

Dynamic skill level. Exceptional hands. Controls the puck as if he’s got it on a string. Natural sniper. Elite one-on-one talent. Can manufacture his own offense. Great acceleration and finishing ability. Looks to score each shift

Sound like anybody you know?

Meet Evgeny Kuznetsov, your newest highly skilled Russian Washington Capital, secured with the 26th pick at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Across the vast array of entry draft prospect profiles Kuznetsov’s game uniformly screams out Alexander Semin II . . . until you consider these traits: leadership, and sandpaper and grit.

The Capitals on Friday night got the player they wanted from the first round all right. In fact, they seem to have secured so special a talent with so special a drive to make it big in the NHL that the Capitals could be forgiven this morning for celebrating well into Friday night, long enough to miss the second round, were they scheduled to pick then. General Manager George McPhee made it clear to the media that Kuznetsov was player no. 12 on the team’s draft board, and that he’d made an attempt to trade up to land him — as many as 10 spots — as they saw him slip. If a year ago most who follow the Capitals and the draft were left with a good deal of curiosity and uncertainty associated with the team’s selection of Marcus Johansson, this year there’s no doubt about what this Russian center prospect brings, a universal sense that the Caps may well have made out like bandits on Friday night.

McKeens had Kuznetsov ranked 11th. Red Line, 17th. The Hockey News no. 18. ISS, 19. None of these rankings were a reflection of Kuznetsov’s talent and ability and overall allure — all agreed he was a top 10/12 talent. What precipitated his later first round ranking — and more importantly the reason other NHL teams took a pass on him — was his KHL contract, which endures two more seasons with Traktor Chelyabinsk. For the second year in a row the Caps landed a high-end Russian (Dmitri Orlov last June) simply because the absence of a transfer agreement between the NHL and Russia has approximately 29 NHL clubs skittish about selecting Russians.

The Caps are fine with Kuznetsov’s KHL standing; all you needed to know about this draft moment could be summarized with George McPhee’s turn to the TV camera and quick wink into it right as his left the team’s strategy table to head up to the stage to announce the pick. A bandit’s wink.

McPhee told the Washington Post’s Tarik El Bashir last night that having Alexander Ovechkin on the Caps “is like having a guarantee that Russian draft picks will eventually want to make their way to Washington.”

“We can do some things that other teams are afraid to do,” the GM admitted.

From Russia (again) with outrageous skill

This ace card at the draft poker table is a huge asset for a team that should be drafting late each round for some years to come. No other NHL team has it. So this morning, celebrate the Caps’ ace card and most especially the volume of hosannas so widely sung about an 18-year-old that has scouts thinking Pavel Datsyuk-type pivot in raw ability:

“Very dynamic skill level. Extremely quick, soft hands. Controls the puck like he’s got it on a string and holds onto it for an extra split second, giving linemates time to cut to open ice for his decisive feeds. Superb patience around the net — outwaits goalies and always forces them to make the first move. Tremendous natural sniper who buries his chances . . .”

This from Russian Prospect.com:

“Evgeny Kuznetsov is an entertaining player to watch as he is a gifted, creative offensive player with tons of skills in one-on-one situations in the offensive zone. He is very creative with the puck and is able not only to dance around defensemen, but also to find the open player with a good pass. He is also a very good skater with great acceleration and a very good top speed. He has top notch finishing abilities thanks to his great shot, but also because is very good in waiting for the goalie to make his move and using his soft hands at his advantage. As showed at the U18s he can be a good captain, but he needs to get rid of some undisciplined play that made him amassing too many unnecessary PIMs in certain tournaments. Just like all classical Russian players he needs to work on his defensive play and has to bulk up a bit as at 6’0”, 175 lbs his size isn’t impressive . . . Given his tremendous skills and excellent skating Kuznetsov has a big potential and can develop into a star.”

McKeens had this to say about the Caps’ pick:

“Evgeny Kuznetsov put a stamp on his season with his most recent performance at the U18, where he finished second in tournament scoring. Although Russia failed to medal, he was arguable their best player. Kuznetsov cracked the KHL at the tender age of 17 and even though he did not get much ice time this year, he absolutely dominated when playing against players his own age. He has puck skills and is a natural finisher who looks to score each and every shift. At times he can hold onto the puck and needs to distribute it faster and then get into position to utilize his shot. He uses a short stick so he can get his shots off faster. Kuznetsov is a healthy skater who possesses a nice, efficient stride and is well balanced who keeps his weight shifted proportionately over his skates. He is ornery and does not hesitate to stick the opposition as he plays with sandpaper and grit. At times he played undisciplined and will need to curb his aggression as it resulted in many untimely penalties.”

This Hockeys Future thread on Kuznetsov is also worth perusing.

And how about some more fun. One kneejerk reaction to the selection of Kuznetsov is to deem him a replacement for the infuriating and impetuous Alexander Semin. But the two players share a development heritage (at Traktor), and know one another. What if this pick is uniquely inspiring to the Caps’ 40-goal enigma? What if . . . in say two years’ time . . .  there is a second line in Washington that looks a little something like this:

Semin – Kuznetsov – Kugryshev

Let’s sip our joe this morning and wink at the notion.

Big-bodied maker of mischief

“The Undertaker.”

Sound like the nickname of a D-man you wouldn’t mind seeing in a Caps’ sweater in the seasons ahead? Get in line wearing the foil behind us.

That nickname was coined by an NHL scout this past season for Dylan McIlrath, a 6 ’4, 212-lb. Moose Jaw Warrior rearguard. He had 19 fighting majors this past season and, scouts claim, didn’t lose a single one of them.

Guess where the Undertaker is slated to get selected in this Friday’s Entry Draft, according to the Hockey News Draft Preview?

Twenty sixth.

“McIlrath is the toughest player in this year’s draft,” the Hockey News suggests. TSN’s survey of pro scouts arrived at the identical conclusion. TSN’s Bob McKenzie thinks McIlrath could go as high as no. 15.

Trade up, then.

The Undertaker isn’t a one-dimensional mass of mischief, either.

“He has a cannon from the point and a good wrist shot,” a scout told THN. He’s likely available in the back end of the first round this year by virtue of his possessing unexceptional foot speed and puck skills.

There’s puck skill aplenty on the current Capitals; what they conspicuously lack throughout the lineup are a few disseminators of big-time whoop-ass — guys who by virtue of their mere presence make shifts miserable for the opposition, and just as importantly, serve as deterrents for liberties being taken against the Caps’ skill guys.

What if the Caps select the Undertaker at no. 26 Friday night and Joe Finley blooms late and Alexander Ovechkin returns to his natural wrecking ball ways?

Call that the stuff of summer dreams that don’t involve hotties in hockey sweaters.

With a deep debt of gratitude to Youtube let us behold this behemoth’s fist-work in the W from this past hockey season:

And in this clip notice how the Undertaker lurches into an instant defense of his teammate even the moment a clean but heavy check is delivered:

Here’s hoping Friday night in Hollywood delivers a horror film menace for Capitals’ future opponents.

The atmosphere in Verizon Center Tuesday night was stupendous and surreal. And that was only partly because of the sudden announcement of Alexander Ovechkin as the Capitals’ 14th captain in team history.

My all-time favorite chant enjoyed a fresh re-birthing at the Phone Booth last night: USA! USA! USA! A Washington hockey crowd, while intently attuned to Alexander Ovechkin’s very first game as captain of the Capitals, was simultaneously closely monitoring the gold medal game proceedings between the United States and Canada at the World Junior Championships two time zones away, via their hand-helds and updates provided by the Caps on Verizon’s center-ice screens. It was stunning. In Washington these days, we multi-task our puck passion. So much for Washington being indifferent to, or unsophisticated about, pucks.

Hockey, a sport of unrivaled passion, was last night the agent for a stirring, eye-moistening uprising of patriotism with distinct Washington roots. Capitals’ hockey fans, more than fifteen hundred miles removed from the gold medal game drama, embraced and celebrated the heroic feats of the team’s 19-year-old prodigy from Natick, Massachusetts, John Carlson. On a night when Alexander Ovechkin should have had a soloist’s starring stage all to himself, he had to share it with a future teammate precisely because hockey is ice white hot in this town. John Carlson, future Washington Capital, entered into American hockey lore last night.

Capitals’ fans arrived for Tuesday night’s important game against the Habs outfitted again like an army in red. A conspicuous sampling, however, also arrived at Verizon Center in Red, White, and Blue Lake Placid throwbacks. I know this because I hugged many of them in the Irish Channel near 11:00 last night.

Meanwhile, in Saskatoon, 20 or so sudden national sports heroes wrapped their arms around one another while standing jubilant on a blueline and sang their lungs out as their country’s national song played.

The last time I saw an American hockey team react with so much emotion to a triumph, well, I was a very young hockey fan in February 1980.

Yesterday morning only diehard puckheads in Canada knew who John Carlson was. This morning, every Canadian knows who he is. A good many Washingtonians are going to be introduced to him throughout today. And for good reason:

A few weeks ago I received a most surprising and wondrously warm email from John Carlson’s mother. (She likes reading Washington’s hockey blogs, incidentally.) I’d written something about her son that she appreciated, so she dropped me the note. I was in the Irish Channel late last night following the gold medal game and its hair-greying third period and overtime, along with about 50 other very patriotic Caps’ fans, and with a bar viewing’s limitations none of us at first realized that JC had been the one to thrust the sudden-death dagger into Canada’s hockey heart. We simply knew that our guys had won, and that the hero was buried in a jubilation mob on the ice. Then we saw the mob settle a bit around no. 11, and we knew. In that initial moment of awareness I instantly thought of Mama Carlson. Mom, if you’re reading OFB again this morning, all I have to say is, Wow!, I can’t fathom your pride and joy. And if Natick throws your son a parade, please send us a few pics.

I’m not big into attaching over-arching significance to a victory like last night’s, except to suggest that its meaning is supremely significant precisely because of the brick and mortar wall of champion’s will the Americans surmounted in the five-time champ. When it was 5-3 U.S. with four minutes to play I figured odds were decent that there’d be OT. This tournament means that much to the Canadians who skate in it and consume it as fans. Truly a team that wants to take those guys out in this tourney have to better than them for fully 60 minutes. Anything short of that just won’t cut it.

This morning in our John Carlson hero’s parading let us recall two important player personnel moments for the Caps, one seized upon and one rejected. The first originated on the Entry Draft floor on June 20, 2008, between the Caps and Philadelphia. The Caps sent Steve Eminger and the 84th pick in that draft to the Flyers for the 27th overall selection, with which they chose Carlson. A pretty nifty swap, wouldn’t you say? The next was one that most fortuitously never transpired, one discussed between the Caps and Anaheim last season: Chris Pronger for a trio of bluechip Washington talent, Carlson among them. We do well to remember not just the deft Capitals’ scouting of Carlson but management’s steadfast recognition of what he will mean to this organization in the years ahead. Championship teams are assembled not just by the players acquired but by the retention of key pieces over some years.

This morning, though, all focus in HockeyWashington should be on an international stage statement by the Red, White, and Blue, and most particularly its hero, who looks very much like he skates with a champion’s heart. We shouldn’t just celebrate John Carlson’s two-goal, gold-medal-winning performance in the biggest hockey game of his life, but how he heroed: leading a high-octane motoring up the ice in lethal counter-attack, then blue-chipper-ing it once in the Canadian zone, by shifting gears and freezing his opponents, availing himself of all his odd-man rush advantages, and in an instant unleashing a howitzer past Martin Jones.

There’s no sight quite like a national team title-game victory mob, is there, and it ain’t such a bad thing when the hero soon will call your city home.

• “If these two teams meet up in the gold medal game I think the Saskatoon EMTs better bring about 15,000 defibrillators with them,” USA Hockey in-game blogged about the thriller.

• The Americans this morning have no reason to hang their heads after their showing last night. In their last 35 World Junior games, Canada has a record of 34-1. Thirty four and one. And this year’s Canadian entry at the WJC is of a caliber of the previous five who’ve all claimed gold.

• For the first 50 minutes last night the Americans silenced a packed-to-the-rafters Sask Place (I’m not calling it Credit Union Arena or whatever its corporate calling card is these days) by dramatically outskating, out-chancing, and generally outplaying their heavy favorite hosts. It was easily the most impressive and inspiring performance I’ve seen by an American national team in at least the last 10 years.

• Prior to last night, I’d held out a sliver of hope that Cam Fowler could edge out his juniors teammate Taylor Hall for the first overall pick in next June’s Entry Draft. That ain’t happening, and it’s no fault of Fowler’s. Hall is a blur of a force. Think Jonathon Tavares but about thirty times the skater. The Americans last night did a wonderful job of putting the body on him, but he still made life a hair-greying affair for them with about a half dozen lethal scoring opportunities, all of which he seemed to create on his own.

• The Americans scored two shorthanded tallies in last night’s second period. And they nearly had a third. They were that fast to the puck, that counter-attack explosive.

• Going into the tourney, I’d suggested that John Carlson and Cam Fowler might be paired together in an American super pairing, Fowler offering a left shot to Carlson’s righty. Head Coach Dean Blais has opted to keep them separated, but both are performing at the elite level forecasted.

• That was a 17-year-old Jack Campbell in net for our guys last night. He doesn’t turn 18 until January 9, meaning he could start two more World Junior tourneys for the Americans. He’s got a first-rounder look to him all right, although his shootout performance last night was one he’d like to do over.

• On a roster laden with elite skaters, three of the most impressive for the Americans are Jerry D’Amigo (how often does a skater from RPI represent the U.S. in this tourney?), Boston College frosh Chris Kreider (19th overall to the Rangers last summer), and Fighting Sioux first-yearer Danny Kristo (Montreal’s 2008 second-rounder).

• One of the most pleasant aspects to this instant classic affair last night was that the quality of officiating seemed to match the quality of the hockey. How often can we say that? That’s no small feat given the New Years Eve environs for this intense rivalry, and some blind-squirrel bone-headedness by IIHF zebras earlier this week in some of the Americans’ games. The guys in stripes last night were on top of things, from start to finish, and the game had such a gorgeous giddy-up flow, and you have to credit the zebras for remaining on the margins of the action and helping foster that.

Speaking of lucky Canucks, Comcast Sportsnet’s Lisa Hillary will be seated in Fenway Park this afternoon, as a hockey fan, and sharing with us sights and sounds of the spectacle via text messages. We’ll be compiling them and gathering our own observations from the high definition broadcast on NBC. Don’t forget that the American Olympic roster will be announced on the broadcast at the conclusion of today’s game. Happy New Year, OFB readers.

Today I’m giddy about the likely composition of the American Olympic roster.

For it was about just two or three months back that nobody much bothered even discussing the American prospects in Vancouver. And to be fair, they’re still enormously longshot. It would be delusional to posit a likely medals triumvirate that included any nations other than Canada, Russia, and Sweden. The Americans, conventional wisdom’s long been, are putting forward a rebuilding roster for the Vancouver games.

And perhaps so. But a few things have changed the outlook for the Yanks in the opening couple of months of this NHL season. Most importantly, they’ll boast perhaps the tournament’s most swagger-striding netminder, Ryan Miller. In a short tournament, if you’ve got a stud-hot goalie, anything’s possible.

We’ll get the formal announcement of the American roster on Friday, when NBC announces the roster after the Winter (not so) Classic, but why wait  for that? Let’s toss about some Tier I names, identify overarching attributes of the likely roster, ruminate a bit over the Americans’ schedule, and see if we don’t agree that American hockey fans ought to be good and jazzed about watching the 2010 Yanks in Vancouver.

American youth will be served in these games, and they will skate well. For me, ID-ing the Americans’ top line is fairly straightforward: Phil Kessel and Patrick Kane on the wings, and Zach Parise in the pivot. There’s high-end motoring and Mojo with that unit, lots of production and high-pressure punch there. Is it keep-you-awake-at-night scary good, relative to say the dream team/fantasy league lines we’ll hear about for Canada’s club, or especially Russia’s? Not quite, but it’s nothing to apologize for either. I will say that I’m of the opinion that Phil Kessel shines brightest on international sheets of ice, although the Olympics’ being contested on NHL-sized rinks with these games could mitigate a bit his big-jet skating. Anyway, I’m really looking forward to watching our first unit.

The Americans’ second through fourth lines then, for me, become a bit muddled, a bit clogged, with candidates, but I see this as a virtue, not a weakness. Colorado’s Paul Stastny would be a lead candidate to center a second line, you have to think, although he could also skate a wing while Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler played pivot. Those are two terrific hockey players. Given the likely youth on the American top line, it will be important I think for head coach Ron Wilson to incorporate some experience for his second unit, and so someone like Jamie Langenbrunner or Ryan Malone might fill it out. Malone, at almost a point a game for Tampa this season, will almost certainly bring 25-to-30-goal production to his candidacy prior to the games. The American second line in these games I think will play a pivotal role in trying to close the gap with the tourney’s favorite teams. If it can forge chemistry and cohesion and take some of the production burden off of the top unit, we may well see the Americans competitive deep into the third periods of even the toughest games.

Likely Wils will come back with even more youth on his third line. Bobby Ryan notched 31 goals for Anaheim last season and is well on his way to bettering that this season. Tim Connolly would bring terrific production and playmaking in the middle there, and some seasoned vet’s experience. Right wing Ryan Callahan had 22 goals for the Blueshirts last season and is offering solid production this year. Plus, he brings more good wheels. Other top-three-line candidates should include the Shark’s Joe Pavelski, St. Louis’ David Backes, and the Islanders’ Kyle Okposo.  

A year ago I was so excited about the Americans’ prospects because of the emergence of Florida Panther left wing David Booth (31 goals, and a flyer), but he’s been shelved virtually all this season with a concussion. It’s difficult to fathom the American roster braintrust selecting him even if he’s returned to health early in the new year. He will simply have played too little hockey. A real shame, because Booth I thought was a fantastically fun player to watch last season and a player boosting the overall profile of Team USA for Vancouver.

The sun is seriously setting on Mike Modano’s hockey career, but I love the idea of him centering the American fourth line, still skating well and taking key draws in his own end late in tight games, and generally being a figure of historic importance in the young American room. Maybe flank him with young brawny American hearts named Dustin, Byfuglien and Brown.

The toughest roster decisions Brian Burke et al have come I think with assembling the American defense. And for me the key question is do they have the guts to go with wet-behind-the-ears prodigy Zach Bogosian. He’s a cornerstone of future American national teams, but he won’t be 20 until next July, and with so much youth in general up front, I worry that Bogosian will be forsaken for some comparatively pedestrian rearguard with four or five hundred NHL games under his belt.  If Bogosian is on this roster instantly you have some jazz on the back end. He’s got one less goal this season than Mike Green.

Pencil in Brian Rafalski and Ryan Suter and Brooks Orpik; warrior Tim Gleason has to be a leading candidate; Paul Martin’s health is in serious question; Erik Johnson isn’t a lock but still a seriously strong candidate. I see LA’s Jack Johnson as very much a spare part for these games — he’s got a lot of maturing still to do in his game, although I love his banging style for a smaller ice sheet. Ryan Whitney offers strong production as well. But Bogosian would most help ease the offensive production burden that Rafalski would almost single-handedly be asked to carry off, and boy can he skate. If a guy — kid, even – has 100 NHL games under his belt and is making a serious impact on a seriously improved NHL club, he’s got to be in Red, White, and Blue, in my blogging thinking, for these games, when so many other clubs will be so laden with high-end talent. Bogosian is a difference-maker, already, and the Americans need as many of them as possible.

I think it’s a mobile and skilled set of blueliners that possesses in abundance puck movement skills with smarts. But I want Bogosian in there, badly.

Ryan Miller’s emergence this season — he’s near the top of virtually every major statistical category for goalies this season — has radically altered the overall outlook of this team, I think. The Americans have played some scrappy games against elite teams the past 20 years or so, but always with a Tier II netminder backstopping them. Not in these games. And how could you not like what Craig Anderson’s meant to the Colorado Avalanche this season? I like him over Tim Thomas to back up Miller, but Miller’s getting all the big work in these games.

We’ve seen so many Americans make so conspicuous an impact on the first round of the NHL Entry Draft over the past five years or so, and these Olympics are the harvest of that. Make no mistake, there will be quality American talent left off this 2010 team. The Americans open with the Swiss and Norwegians before a showdown with Canada on February 21. Days off between each of those games. Then it’s Miller time in the qualification round. It’s also a pretty big opportunity for Ron Wilson to recast his image in international competition. It’ll be great hockey to be sure, but no miracle I don’t think if we see the Americans competing for a medal.

Here are some trends, stats, and pros and cons for each position:

Goalies

Washington has alternated goalies very regularly throughout the season, but I would argue that if Theodore did not sustain a back injury, he would have played in more than just nine games. He has been the better goalie, but the Capitals seem to play better – and more importantly – get wins in front of 21-year old Semyon Varlamov. Theodore’s play was outstanding during a four-game losing streak, except for two shaky goals to the Rangers’ Marian Gaborik. During that streak, Theodore took the loss for Varlamov against the Flyers, after the Russian had been shelled four times.

The young Russian goalie has a 5-1-0 record, yet has been mediocre in the seven games he has started. He owns a 3.18 GAA and sub-.900 save percentage. The trend here is the Capitals don’t play more defensively when playing in front of Varlamov; they just score more goals and allow more goals. Varlamov has played in three games – two against Atlanta and one against Toronto – in which the Caps had jumped out to huge first-period leads only to allow the opponent to make a quick comeback. Come playoff time, a 3.00 GAA is not going to cut it against the likes of the Penguins and Flyers. While Theo’s stats are not much more spectacular than Varly’s, he’s been the better of the pair.

Defense

The league-leader in defensive scoring isn’t Mike Green, but instead comes from the second-worst team in the league. Thomas Kaberle leads the league’s D-men with 18-points in 14 games. Number 52 does have a respectable 13 points in his 16 games played, but his two-goal season thus far is modest. Now he’s banged up a bit. ESPN projects him to total 11 goals and 71 points this season — which is all well and good — but his $5.25 million paycheck invites expectations approaching 25 goals a season. In his own end, Green remains a work in progress. He’s been noticeably absent physically as well.

Other defensemen have picked up the slack to support the team. In the first part of the season, the defense is better than it was last year. It is virtually the same corps as last year, plus Tyler Sloan, who had a two-game goal scoring streak.  One more year of experience and playing together has helped the Caps tremendously. Tom Poti has been solid. Offensively, it’s nice to see Brian Pothier contributing for the regular D-men — he might be playing the best hockey of his life these days. I suspect he’ll be the go-to-guy on defense while Green’s lost to injury.

However, there’s tons of space for improvement on that end. Jeff Schultz and Milan Jurcina are the biggest guys on the team, but it amazes me how often they get beat to the puck, even when they’re in an advantageous position. Schultz seems scared to use his body and Jurcina often gets beat because his stick isn’t on the ice when he goes to the corners to clear the puck.  It’s nice to see a healthy John Erskine in the line-up again.

Offense

What is up with Semin?

As of last night, approximately $15 million worth of offensive cap space has vacated the roster through injury, but the slick Russian hasn’t made an impact on a game yet. Check that, a positive impact. He had two secondary assists on Sunday against Columbus in Ovi’s absence, but his last worthwhile contribution was October 27 at home versus Philly in which he scored the game-winning goal with a sick wrister to the roof. This is Semin’s contract year, and his opportunity to make his next contract as valuable as possible. Read Andrew Tomlinson’s piece titled Stand-in Savior for more on Semin.

Alexander Ovechkin had six two-goal games and one one-goal game through the first 12 games of the season, meaning he scored in seven of those 12 — perfectly respectable for the league’s best player. He’s been an impact player in just about every game, and the Caps are hopeful of having him back in the lineup as early as this week.

Enter Mathieu Perreault. I’ve been a big fan of this guy since he was a Junior player when the Caps drafted him in 2006. The Quebecer put up monster numbers for Acadie-Bathurst in the Q and despite playing fourth line minutes in Hershey, he still put up 50 points in 2008-09. In the three games he’s played, he’s been an impact player despite his diminutive size, shaking off hits and physical play to keep possession of the puck. He assisted twice in his first game against the Devils and scored the first goal of his NHL career against Florida last night. He might not be returning to Hershey as soon as either the Caps or Bears imagined a week ago.

Speaking of AHLers, I was watching the New Jersey broadcast of Wednesday’s game when Mike “Doc” Emrick noted that Alexandre Giroux is a 28-year old 60-plus goal scorer in the AHL. The commentator said, “You’d think some team would have picked up on his skill and put him in the NHL.” I completely agree. I don’t think Eric Fehr or even Tomas Fleischmann have got the offensive upside of Giroux, though they may have more NHL career potential. If Boudreau wanted three scoring lines he’d perhaps consider rolling out Fleischmann, Perreault, and Giroux on the third line.

Wrap-Up

The Caps are tied for fewest regulation losses in the NHL with three. Buffalo, Colorado and Dallas are the others. They have collected points in 14 of their 17 games.

Some key questions ahead: Will Tomas Fleischmann show he is a reliable, top-six talent? Will  Mathieu Perreault show he can stay in the big league this season? How will Eric Fehr contribute? What do we think of Alexander Semin’s play — most particularly in the past week — in this the most important year of his NHL career to date?

We may well have the answers to these questions by the midway point of the season.

photo courtesy of the Washington Capitals

3 goals, 4 assists

His name appears rather high in the Q’s scoring leader’s list for the preseason.
So conspicuous a start we thought merited some feedback on it from the young man,¬†so we tasked our intrepid Russian¬†hockey journalist chum, Chesnokov, with throwing a few questions from us his way. Chesnokov actually remains in regular contact with Kugryshev, talking with him on a weekly basis. We just wanted a sense of Kugryshev’s initial impressions of hockey life in North America.
“Overall, I like everything,” Kugryshev told Chesnokov. “During games, [Patrick] Roy talks a lot in the locker room, draws plays on the board, but I don’t understand anything in French!”
How then does he understand the gameplan, if he doesn’t understand his head coach’s native tongue?
“Roy pulls me and [teammate] Mikhail Stefanovich aside before the game and gives us instructions in English. [Roy] likes to joke and laugh (off the ice), but on the ice he is very strict and firm,” Kugryshev added.
The Caps’ newest Russian talent is staying with a host family in Quebec this season. He sure seems to be enjoying — and succeeding in — his new environment.