Sky Kerstein's new Sunday morning radio show, 'The Morning Skate,' is devoted exclusively to the Capitals and airs on 106.7 the Fan

We asked some of our favorite local voices covering the Caps to share with us a big-picture overview of this Capitals’ playoff club; specifically, we wanted them to address the team’s goaltending situation, its health, and its relative standing in the Eastern conference. All things big-picture considered, just how far should we expect this club to go?

Ed Frankovic, Baltimore WNST. The Caps did their best to be healthy for the playoffs this year resting Alexander Ovechkin, Jason Arnott, Alexander Semin down the stretch and took it very easy in bringing Mike Green back from a concussion. The plan looked great and was working superbly right up until Dennis Wideman suffered one of the most freakish injuries I’ve ever seen. There is no doubt that #6′s leg injury is a big blow to the Capitals blue line crew. He brought speed, offense, solid defense, toughness, and leadership.

Because of the loss of Wideman and the likelihood that Green will take some time early in the opening series to get in game shape, Washington is going to have issues on the blue line whether they play a physical New York Rangers team, a speedy Carolina Hurricanes crew, or a highly skilled Buffalo Sabres squad. That is why the goaltending of Michal Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov needs to be at a very high level from game one on. #30 and #1 can’t be giving up soft goals and given their body of work this regular season the Caps should feel confident that either of those two guys can get the job done. Varlamov was been solid down the stretch, and he’s the lone goalie in this organization with an NHL playoff series victory under his belt. Neuvirth is a pressure goalie and a fierce competitor. I’ve watched him do whatever was needed to win in Hershey the last two years. Bruce Boudreau can’t go wrong with either choice for game one.

Getting out of the first round in the NHL might be the hardest thing to do in sports. I am confident that this retooled Caps team can get it done this year after failing miserably last season. The addition of Scott Hannan has been great and Arnott gives Washington a true second line center. The change in the style of play should pay dividends as the Capitals are a much better team in their own end than last year. If the Caps can survive round one with Green getting back to 100 percent and they somehow get Wideman back at some point in round two, they could go be playing for Lord Stanley come June.

Jonathon Warner, host, WTOP’s ‘Saturday Night Caps.’ During those cold, dark December days, who could see the Capitals heat up as the weather warmed up? Philadelphia’s collapse certainly helped, but the Caps now find themselves the top-seed in the East for the second-straight year.  I would think that after a year stewing on their playoff disappointment , they’ll come out smoking in the first round. And why not beyond? Their arc is heading up, playing solid hockey while the Flyers have been sub-par the last two-months, plus key injuries on just about every other team in the conference leaves the Caps in good position. Mike Green’s return will be a boost. However, questions about his effectiveness and durability will have to be answered. He was hurt the last two playoffs, and now enters this year recovering from his worst injury.

I have no doubt that Michael Neuvirth will excel in goal , and Semyon Varlamov will as well if called upon.

Angela Lewis, The Hockey Writers. Injuries to the Capitals defense have been slightly concerning, especially since the team has relied so much on it for success this season as their offense struggled for most of the year. However, it seems now that the offense has been able to pick itself up in situations where the defense has failed, as seen in the Caps and Buffalo Sabres game last weekend. Thus, it seems as though Washington has finally found the appropriate balance between a solid defense and a working offense and have finally put some distance between their total goals for versus their goals against differential (+28).

Another concern for many is the Capitals goaltending situation. Some question the decision to go without a veteran goaltender and worry at the thought that Michal Neuvirth could be the #1 playoff goalie, despite Semyon Varlamov‘s playoff experience. I challenge those who mistake Neuvirth’s calmness and smoothness with shakiness and nervousness. Neuvirth may not be as flashy, but it is unwise to mistake with a lack of confidence. Justin Goldman, founder of The Goalie Guild, an independent goalie scouting service, stated that Neuvirth has the proper confidence, composure and rebound control to maintain his starter status with the Caps. Nonetheless, Washington will be fine no matter who starts a game in the playoffs because no matter what part of the season the Caps were in, the defense and goaltending remained strong.

Overall, the Caps have done fairly well against most of the teams in the Eastern conference, with the exception of the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins; although, the series between the Caps and those two teams ended pre-trade deadline when the team was continuing to find its identity. Essentially, if the Caps keep playing at the level of their end-of-the-season peak and continue find ways to win, Washington is capable of defeating any opponent in the Eastern Conference. Ultimately, it is a Cup or bust type of year for the Capitals for those watching, and in my eyes, this is probably the best chance the team has had thus far in winning it all.

Jonathon Warner has been covering Caps' hockey in this town on radio for the better part of 20 years

Adam Vignan, Kings of Leonsis. There might not be another playoff-bound team in the NHL that raises more eyebrows (with all due respect to Mike Green) than the Washington Capitals. Many questions have been left unanswered as the postseason approaches.

The goaltending situation has become an ever-revolving door that seemingly never stops. Michal Neuvirth has earned the starting position behind steady play throughout the season, but his recent performances have been mediocre at best. Semyon Varlamov hasn’t played much better, earning his first win Wednesday since February 20 in a seaon marred with injuries. With Bruce Boudreau planning to use a “win by committee” approach and recent playoff history in mind, both goalies will be on a short leash. It is up to Neuvirth or Varlamov to prove their worth because this postseason could be integral to their respective futures in Washington.

While the goalies and forwards are mostly healthy, the depleted defensive corps hopes to do the same. Mike Green’s return is a huge boost, considering fellow puck-moving defenseman Dennis Wideman will be out for at least the first round. Green’s return should give the Capitals the same starting six that played in the Winter Classic (Green, Schultz, Carlson, Alzner, Hannan and Erskine). These six should provide a steady presence for the time being.

Despite all of the proverbial ups and downs this Caps team has faced this season, they still find themselves in first place in the Eastern Conference with their destiny in their own hands. Another top seed may make it seem that this year’s team is no different than last year’s team, but in reality, this year’s team is better. Last season, the Caps coasted to a President’s Trophy without facing any sort of adversity. This season, however, they literally scratched and clawed their way to the top, added the right pieces and have shown vast improvement since October. If the Caps hold onto the top seed, they’ve earned it, and if the other seven Eastern teams and eight Western teams aren’t afraid of what this team has become, they should be.

Sky Kerstein, Caps beat reporter, 106.7 the Fan. The Caps injury situation is looking better. Both Mike Green and Tom Poti look poised to play in at least one game before the playoffs and play in the playoffs. Losing Wideman, likely for the season, hurts, but they got him because of the injury to Green and now that Green is back, it shouldn’t hurt as much. I would guess that the six D men come playoffs would be Schultz, Green, Alzner, Carlson, Hannan and Poti, so the loss of Wideman won’t hurt nearly as much if Green and Poti couldn’t come back.

On the goaltending front, Michal Neuvirth has not looked good his last few outings, but it looks like Bruce Boudreau will give him as many chances as possible to win the #1 spot. But I believe both will play in the playoffs and Boudreau knows that Semyon Varlamov has the experience to step in if Neuvirth struggles the first two games. In my opinion I would start Varlamov, I believe he is the better goalie when healthy and he has the playoff experience, but it looks like Neuvirth will get the nod. The scary part is the best of the three might be in Hershey.

In the East all that matters is the Caps don’t play the Rangers in the first round. To win the Cup you need to get through the first round fast and the Rangers series will be a 7 game series. So if the Caps finish 1 or 2, as long as they don’t play the Rangers in the first round, they’ll be in good shape.

Leslie Silvey, Musings of a Hockey Mom. On (1) the Caps’ injury situation headed into the postseason:

Before there was Matt Hendricks, Killer — all 170 pounds of him — jumped over the boards at old Capital Centre and made life miserable for Capitals’ opponents. Sized for a bowling league, he was a one-man wrecking crew, walloping foes with thundering body checks and perfectly playing the role of instigating pest. He dropped the gloves, Mike Vogel tabulated, 33 times in 132 games with the Capitals, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to yield half a foot and 50-plus pounds in the engagements. You’ll be surprised at the outcome of many of those seeming mismatches when you watch the video of Killer we’ve compiled.

You’ll also have a chance to get to know Killer better when he appears this Saturday on WTOP’s ‘Saturday Night Caps’ for the full hour at 6:00 with Jonathon Warner, Ben Raby, and me, and we’re expecting reminiscences over the phones from some A-lister Caps’ alumni who skated with Killer here. Killer will taking a tour of a lot of media here this weekend.

Archival footage of the Capitals’ first 25 years isn’t so easy to come by, but with Killer’s help we’ve been able to edit together some fun video that lavishly illustrates the impact he had on hockey while in Washington. We even found footage of him in a local bar opposite Melissa Stark, then of Home Team Sports! One word of advice as you watch the video below, and it’s the same advice Killer dispensed on virtually every shift he took with the Caps — Keep your head up!

(Like those in Tampa January 12, and Philly a week later.)

And so I braved the extreme elements in pursuit of televised, big-game puck. Might not have been the wisest course of action, but I regard myself as a hearty winter soul.

In ordinary weather I’ve merely a three- or four-minute commute to my local Chili’s, but Wednesday evening was anything but ordinary. The roads were madness, chaos, quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my hometown in winter — even last year’s anomalously snow-buried one. Ill-informed or belligerent drivers of small, rear-wheel-drive cars had no chance. None. And because of stranded and abandoned buses I had to navigate a 4-mile, highly circuitous  route to the restaurant. I made it, finally, and was thrilled to be seated in warmth smack in front of a 50-inch flatscreen, all to myself, tall draft beer before me. I’d missed only the opening couple of minutes of the game. (Obviously, no scoring.) The evening at that moment felt quite special; I rather enjoyed the adventurous ardor by which to view the big game.

Then I watched it. Well, tried to.

The next time you read or hear a prominent hockey commentator — particularly one up in Canada, one who isn’t tasked with watching Washington Capitals’ games night in, night out — blather on about all being just dandy in D.C. these days, that the Caps are merely dress rehearsing for the big springtime production, shoot him a quick email that informs:

• The Washington Capitals have won a grand total of nine of their last 25 games. Does that strike you as the mid-season form of a champion-in-waiting?

• Also, if the game goes to OT, they’ve no chance.

I was appalled by what I watched Wednesday night. Again. In another “big game,” the Capitals came up incredibly small. There’s far more power outage among the Capitals’ forwards than any Montgomery County neighborhood serviced by Pepco. And it isn’t accidental. Not only didn’t the Caps score, again, really they didn’t even come close to. Again.

More and more this is a hockey season of unfathomable waste in Washington. So little worth preserving on the DVR. New Years Day is less a grand feat in the context of the whole season because we now realize that the game’s swamp conditions greatly aided the guests. The Caps’ most impressive games this season came way back in the fall, when the Caps were the Caps of old: exciting. Now they’re the Devils of the past 15 or 20 years. What I really need from Pepco this hockey season are outages from 7:00-10:00 on Capitals’ game nights.

I was filled with disgust at the game-ending horn Wednesday, and I immediately rang my buddy Michael in up Maine, who I knew was watching like I was. I didn’t even get a hello in to him before I heard these words from his mouth: “Uninspired and unwatchable.”

Utterly perfect synopsis.

The Washington Capitals this winter are unwatchable — particularly from the vantage of those laying out large coins to be seated down low in Verizon Center, having responded to the offseason marketing cry of, Washington’s most exciting sports brand — the only winning game in town!

At the end of my 20-minute telephone catharsis with Michael Wednesday I realized that my outrage wasn’t directed merely at another lousy result in a “big game” but what the Capitals’ surrender meant in a macro-philosophical sense. Remember the adage “The new NHL”? It represented an evolution away from the clutch-and-grab, drab trap and dump NHL hockey pre-lockout. The one that ESPN rightfully abandoned. In the new NHL hockey was to be played . . . with flow and creativity, with scoring consequently elevated. In other words, as it’s supposed to be played. In capitulating as the Capitals have this winter, in playing away from their roster strength, they’ve basically dropped the proud flag of up-tempo thrill that actually made Washington a hockey town.

Our last great hope perhaps is to have the Vancouver Canucks win Lord Stanley this season. The brand of hockey they displayed at Verizon Center a few weeks back was captivating — fast and synchronous, quality scoring chance after quality scoring chance generated, hard-hitting, hockey the way it’s supposed to be played. The Caps did everything they could in that game to uglify it. Naturally, they lost. Because they’re impostors.

George McPhee this week announced the resigning of Alexander Semin. A part of me wondered why he pursued such a skilled player to play in this slop of a system. But then I realized: McPhee and Bruce Boudreau genuinely want a 0-0 result in 5-on-5 play this season, especially in the postseason — that’s what these new-look Caps seem to be able to consistently generate, after all — and hope that Semin or Mike Green can tally on a power play, and then they’ll hold on.

How thrilling.

Two weeks ago, when I went up to Philly for that other big game, I joined Lisa Hillary for a between-periods radio segment with WTOP’s Jonathon Warner. Warner asked Lisa if she was surprised by what she’d seen from the Capitals on the evening. Lisa turned and looked blankly at me, a bit fearful I think of her instinct to be blunt and frank on the air in that moment. But she replied, “Jonathon, I don’t recognize the Capitals’ team I’m seeing tonight.”

You know, there remain 10 more contractual years of Alexander Ovechkin’s NHL career in Washington. What if you knew that all 10 were to be played in a system such as this season’s? Wouldn’t you hurl yourself in front of the next available snowplow?

It is uniquely the NHL that soils the intrinsic beauty of this great game. George McPhee this week acknowledged there being a lot of “copy-catting” by teams in the league. It’s a copy-catting of the lowest common denominator: take highly skilled hockey players and suffocate their instincts and skillsets within a soporific system that stymies. It’s socialized hockey. When have you associated socialism with creativity and inspiration? It’s the old ways versus the short-lived, tantalizingly exciting new. I understand the need of many European pro teams, in leagues in nations whose best players have come over to the NHL, to play neutral zone suffocation — there’s a dearth of talent there. But watch our Americans who’ve come up through the USNDTP, in any international tournament today, in any age bracket. The Red, White and Blue develop young guns of great gallop, and they attack in waves and pressure the puck in every inch of the ice. It’s so beautiful to watch. It’s hockey as hockey should be played. It’s also the hockey the NHL promised us it was returning to.

Label this surrender style the Caps are playing whatever you want, but most assuredly, if you are a lover of hockey as it should be played, you can’t call it inspired. Or watchable.

Eric McErlain and Jonathon Warner during a commercial break this past Saturday night

Some topical highlights:

• The Capitals’ youth-laden roster this season is increasingly the focus of, in some corners, scapegoating scrutiny for the team’s struggles. Not so with our Saturday night panel; it has been the precocious performances of the likes of both young goalies, John Carlson and Karl Alzner, and even recent callups from Hershey that have served as steadying, reliable service all season long. Indeed, the kids have been a highlight in a season of precious few of them.

• Alexander Semin and his looming unrestricted free agency represent George McPhee’s greatest personnel challenge as a manager in his near decade-and-a-half tenure in D.C.

• On these Caps being “just a few points” behind the pace of last season’s President’s Trophy winners: It’s a false source of comfort. It was right about this time last season that the Caps ripped off a franchise-record 14 wins in a row. Who thinks this incarnation of Caps is poised to replicate that? The points-achieving discrepancy between the clubs, not quite readily apparent now, will be in the weeks ahead.

• The captain:  Where is his speed — his breakaway dynamism? (How many breakaways has he had this season?) There appears to be a lack of burst in his stride.

• Most distressing about this season to date: The team’s failure to skate with fire and grit and heart in more than a handful of games.

• The Winter Classic and HBO’s ’24/7′ treatment were bitchin’ good fun.

When I’m invited on a local show, always it seems it’s because the host(s) has found value in something we’ve done, and that’s edifying. I started doing local radio maybe a year after I started OFB, simply because WTOP’s Jonathon Warner dug the site a bit but especially because he saw value in the aggregate efforts of Washington’s hockey blogging community. At least twice each hockey season Jonathon convenes what he calls his ‘Bloggers’ Rountable,’ and what I like best about those sessions is that they are equal parts informative and amusing — we don’t take ourselves too seriously in Jonathon’s Northwest D.C. studio, and we generate a lot of laughter and smiles throughout.  Covering hockey isn’t like covering the Pentagon, or Wall Street, and so we ought to be having fun with it, I think.

About three seasons ago the Hershey Bears’ John Walton began inviting me on his game broadcasts during intermissions on my visits up North. I love going on the air with JW and bringing a bit of the Washington perspective to our extraordinary development community, and I confess, while I’ve done quite a bit of radio over the years, to the extent that I get nervous for appearances, I’m most so with those Hershey gigs — that’s a community that knows its pucks alright.

Last night I made a return engagement on 106.7 the Fan with Danny Rouhier and Bill Rohland. I’ve made no secret of my affinity for that station and its coverage of the Caps, relative to its competitor, and Danny and Bill in particular genuinely get pumped talking pucks. I’m a good fit with those two. We try and gab together on air just about every Wednesday night. Last night we pursued a general theme of the top 5 storylines for the Capitals one month into the season. Here’s what we covered:

(1) The Caps enjoy an impressive 11-4 record, but about half the wins have come in OT. Their games tend to be white-knuckle affairs. Were it not for Michal Neuvirth’s stellar netminding, particularly in the second half of October, this team could be sitting at 8-7 or worse.

(2) The dramatically improved PK. The Caps have slipped a wee bit from their perch in the league’s top 5 of penalty killing — they’re 10th this morning — but it’s been a dramatic improvement over 2009-10. Danny and Bill last night asked me for an explanation for the turnaround. I told them that it was tactical, that the Caps’ coaching staff in the offseason looked in the proverbial mirror and acknowledged that what they were asking of the killers wasn’t working, and they overhauled their approach. Also, the team generally is playing more disciplined  — we really aren’t seeing those nights of egregious parading to the penalty box — and fewer penalties to kill makes for more effective killing overall. Meanwhile, the power play, which struggled mightily early on, is rounding into form, and Mike Green’s returned health has a lot to do with that.

(3) Alexander Semin remains a bit of an enigma, but he’s playing the best hockey of his life, and whereas last spring a good many in media believed him likely to be traded, this fall he looks to be a vital component of the Caps’ contending core. I think the Caps will make a hard play to resign him.

(4) Still no Killer Instinct. Recent third period collapses are worrisome (Leafs, Bs, consecutively). I personally believe that teams trailing the Caps, even by three goals in the third, never feel out of the game. That’s not a good thing. It could be addressed, IMO, by a notable trade (for more brawn, more piss-n-vinegar, particularly on the blueline). The Caps need to be tougher to play against in general but especially when leading. They need to demonstrate over time that once they take a lead, it’s lights out.

(5) We want no part of this President’s Trophy business again. Last night I termed it the Hope Diamond of Hockey — it curses, savagely. Let’s let someone else have it this year and skate just shy of their excellence. But Danny Rouhier made an excellent observation amid our laughter on this point: It sure seems like Washington’s hockey fans are promised another fall and winter of very victorious hockey. That’s cause for celebration indeed.

Jonathon Warner, WTOP radio, host of ‘Saturday Night Caps’: “GM George McPhee said all last season he believed in this group of players, and by not making any major off-season moves, proved he meant it. The Caps didn’t add a shutdown defenseman or second line center. Instead, they’re sticking to  their plan of improving from within. Will a younger John Carlson and Karl Alzner be better than veterans Shaone Morrison and Joe Corvo?  Can Marcus Johansson be the second coming of Nicklas Backstrom? Youth will also be served in net with Semyon Varlamov and Michael Neuvirth battling for the number one spot. The only addition – DJ King – will add some grit, but it’s obvious the Caps are going to give their core group one more chance to get it done. If not, there’s always the trade deadline to add needed pieces, which appears what GMGM is planning on. You also have to be mindful of the salary cap.

“This has to be a breakthrough season for the Capitals, or it may be the last season for the likes of Alexander Semin, Tomas Fleischmann, and Mike Knuble – all in the final year of their contracts. That being said, I see a long playoff run for the Capitals. This could be the year to finally win the Cup.”

Rob Yunich, Storming the Crease. “The Caps have stuck to their build-from-within philosophy in a manner that befuddles many outsiders’ minds. GM George McPhee believes that, by making his roster a tad younger, he’ll actually improve the postseason results — because, let’s face it, the Caps are at the point where a stellar regular season means nothing. McPhee was nominated for GM of the year last time around and the mad scientist may be onto something for one reason: he’d rather have players who will buy into Coach Bruce Boudreau’s system over bigger names who will try to do their own thing. By not keeping any of the deadline-deal acquisitions, McPhee is betting that somebody like Mathieu Perreault or Tomas Fleischmann, who just barely got a one-year deal to return and might be entering his final season with the club, will be able to occupy the second-line center role. The biggest lesson the Caps need to learn, though, is what those former Hershey Bears already know: how to eliminate an inferior opponent on the way to clinching a championship. If that lesson has been learned, then McPhee will look like a genius. If not, there’s a chance (albeit minute) GMGM could be looking for a new job next spring.”

Sky Kerstein, 106.7 the Fan. “The Caps realized something last April everyone else already knew: when the playoffs come around, the ice gets smaller and defense wins. Offensively we know where this team is — they are and will continue to be second to none in the NHL. But when it counts you need those grinders, fighters, and stay-at-home defensemen. I like getting D.J. King because now you have a fighter that will a bout or two, no offense to Matt Bradley. When the “eventual” signing of Eric Belanger  didn’t happen it made me more nervous about the 2nd and 3rd lines. I believe you would’ve put Belanger at 2nd line center, Matty Perreault as your 3rd line center, and Johansson off to Hershey till he adjusts to the North American game. At that time you move him to 2nd line center and put Belanger as your 3rd line center.  But now without Belanger it is a huge question mark about who you have as your 2nd and 3rd line center.

“Even 19-year-old Cody Eakin is making a case, even though he is probably a year away.  I think Johansson really needs to go to Hershey, but now he might not have that luxury and get thrown right in as your 2nd line center and have Matty P be your 3rd line pivot.  Not ideal, but that might get you through the first couple months until you can make a trade . . . or it just might work out and you won’t need to trade for a vet.

“I’m ok with the goaltending situation. Varlamov, if he stays healthy, and Neuvirth will only get better with more ice time, and Holtby isn’t too bad as a 3rd. But they still are lacking a big stay-at-home defenseman. Right now having Erskine and Sloan as your 6 and 7 really makes me really nervous; they need to make a move. Shultz and Green put together a nice season but decided to take the playoffs off. Tom Poti had a great playoffs and had the face to prove how much he put into them afterwards, and I think the Carlson/Alzner pairing could be something special for years to come. But they still need one big stay-at-home guy or we could be saying the same thing in April again. If they can get a big defenseman that will cause all kind of problems and knock people out of the crease and a veteran center that could go between 2nd and 3rd lines, this team could go very very far. Also, hopefully they will have learned from last postseason that the playoffs are an entirely new season, and you have to show up or you will be going home.”

Hockey Mom, Musings of a Hockey Mom. “To everyone who follows the Capitals, the team’s stunning first-round playoff exit at the hands of the underdog Canadiens felt like a punch in the gut. Now more than five months later and within weeks of the start of a new season, have the vulnerabilities that led to the early exit been addressed? One of the recurring themes that was frequently heard in the aftermath was that despite putting up jaw-dropping offensive numbers during the regular season, the team was “too soft” for success in the playoffs.  D.J. King was brought in over the summer to play the role of enforcer, but that did nothing to answer the recurring doubts about the current status of the blueline. Fans clamored for a trade that would bring a gritty, stay-at-home defenseman such as Willie Mitchell or Dan Hamhuis. But a trade (for now) did not go down, so we start the season with more or less the same defense corps as last year but with the full-time addition of John Carlson and Karl Alzner. Unfortunately, last year’s playoff debacle places even more pressure on these two talented youngsters. The offense may see the addition of a new face or two (hopefully Mathieu Perreault, who exudes the heart and spirit of sacrifice it takes to succeed in the postseason). But unless certain players get on line with the willingness to make the dirty goals and place less emphasis on the finesse scoring, there’s a good chance that things remain status quo when it comes to making another legitimate Cup run.  But I’m a glass half-full type of gal, and if the Caps play with a nasty chip on their shoulder, I am quite optimistic about a different result in the 2011 post-season.  April is a long way away after all . . .”

Ed Frankovic, Baltimore WNST. “Despite what the national media believe, and this includes Canadian media, the Caps problems do not lie in net. Semyon Varlamov is a proven playoff goalie. The biggest thing the Caps need to improve on is their maturity. They had the Montreal series all but won but they took a game five victory for granted and never recovered. Alex Ovechkin said after last season, “We thought we’d show up for game five and Montreal would give it to us.” The hardest game to win in the playoffs is the one to knock your opponent out, and this young team figured that out too late in 2010. Growing up and dedicating themselves to playoff hockey is a major challenge for these young players this season. There are some holes on the ice, most notably at second line center, but the only way that will get fixed is via a trade. I don’t believe Marcus Johansson should be rushed to the NHL this season to fill that need. On defense, they could use a physical veteran player, and Willie Mitchell would have been a nice addition, but he got a longer deal in LA. I expect that George McPhee will address that need via a trade as well during the season. The full time additions of Karl Alzner and John Carlson in D.C. will improve the defense, and its ability to move the puck out of the Washington zone. Up front, some players need to focus on getting to the front of the net more often to score the garbage goals. That was a weakness in April, and perhaps Eric Fehr may get more ice time as a result and a guy like Andrew Gordon gets a hard look as well? Perimeter hockey does not work in the postseason, so it will be important to weed out the players who aren’t willing to pay the price necessary to win a Stanley Cup and move them out by the trade deadline.”

Ted Starkey, WashingtonTimes.com: “The Capitals chose to stand relatively pat this off-season, as following an ugly seven-game series loss to the Canadiens last spring, their biggest acquisition in the summer was enforcer D.J. King. Washington, who acquired depth players such as Joe Corvo and Scott Walker at the trade deadline, let those players go following the campaign and now want to see if they can fill their roster spots with either players from the Calder Cup-champion Hershey Bears, or see if they can go bargain-hunting before the puck drops for real in October. Forward-wise, the Capitals were potent in the regular-season, but several top players refused to pay the price in the postseason, thrown off by Montreal’s shot-blocking and tight defensive play. Defensively, the team has ample puck-movers, but not the clear-out type of defenseman they needed two years ago against the Penguins. And in goal, the Caps are banking on Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth to take their spots with the big club. The Caps had a big chance to cement their chances at a deep playoff run this April, but instead, they seem content to wait and see what the trade deadline will bring.”

Last Saturday Pepper welcomed Brett Leonhardt onto his show, and their discussion of the abundance of quality goaltending prospects in the Capitals’ organization was illuminating and intriguing: asked by Pepper who he’d least like to part with in a hypothetical reduce-the-logjam of goalies scenario, Leonhardt made a compelling case for Braden Holtby! (I concur, FWIW). Tomorrow Pepper welcomes Hershey Bears’ radio voice John Walton onto his show. The Bears close out their regular season with two games in Norfolk this weekend, and a victory in either one will deliver the team its 60th triumph on the highly historic campaign.

This is a good hour of puck talk, and Pepper and his broadcast partner Russell Waxman are cultivating a highly interactive program. You can participate by sending them email at japersrinkradio@gmail.com or calling in at (917) 388-4003.

After your morning joe and puck and some lawn cutting, and while preparing a pre-Hockey Night in Canada Saturday night dinner, you can tune in for another hour of bloggers’ take on the Caps when Jonathon Warner and his ’Saturday Night Caps’ program on Federal News Radio re-engage a bloggers’ roundtable for an hour. I’ll join Jonathon and Ben Raby and the Examiner’s Dmitry Chesnokov in studio, while JP and Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski join the discussion by telephone. We’ll not only be chatting first-round scenarios for the Capitals but their top moments from the season. ‘Saturday Night Caps’ is found at 1500 AM on your radio dial and also streamed at the station’s web site. And you can participate in the program by calling in at (877) 936-9333.

The parent club and its AHL affiliate often play concurrent to one another on weekends, making it difficult at times for fans to follow both games, so the shared audio highlights arrangement is a natural fit for two fanbases that are increasingly interconnected. We saw scores of Bears’ jerseys at the Capitals’ first-ever fan convention in September, and on weekends when the Bears are playing on the road, more and more Bears’ faithful make their way down to Verizon Center for Caps’ games, and vice versa. A lot of credit for this very fan friendly initiative has to be given to Federal News’ Ben Raby, in his first year in D.C. managing the Caps’ programming for the station.

“John Walton has always been more than generous with his time giving us updates on the Bears the past two years,” noted Jonathon Warner, Federal News’ in-studio Caps’ reporter. ”This is just a further extension of that, and a natural one since we’re seeing so many players going both ways between DC and Hershey. There’s been a lot more interest on the progress of these players both here and in Hershey. I hope the Hershey fans enjoy hearing Steve Kolbe’s calls as much as we enjoy having John Walton’s during the Capitals broadcasts.”

Hockey fans here and in Hershey can expect this radio synergy between the Caps and Bears to continue and even expand all season long. It’s a terrific initiative, and most becoming of two hockey towns.

Jonathan Warner Hockey Town Report – Click Here