Caps overhaul

There is a decent AP article floating around today about the Caps "overhaul". Some of it is a re-hash of what we have heard since the season ended, not to mention that this "overhaul" has been taking place for a couple seasons now. But, a couple quotes caught my eye.

"I would like them obviously to bring in some veteran talent," said the 37-year-old Kolzig, who added he'd like to play three more seasons. "We need some depth in the organization, there's no question."

"We've got lots of work to do. We have a real good young core. We have some good veterans. But we need to add some more to really make the team better than it is," general manager George McPhee said. "And we'll be aggressive this summer."

Leonsis mentioned bringing aboard another center, adding defensemen and perhaps adding a wing, promising "a significant amount of change—and hopefully upgrade."

Mmmm....meatballs

Dan Steinberg's take on Nicklas Backstrom's introduction to the Caps.

A brief excerpt:

"No girlfriend, no hot dog, no beer," Leonsis said, of Backstrom's baseball game experience, speaking to his dedication to hockey. In fact, when I asked Backstrom for his favorite author, hoping he'd say, I don' t know, Selma Lagerlof or something, he said "I don't read."

UPDATE: You can get the Cap's official take here.

weekend update

The Bears beat the crap beat the Manchester Monarchs this weekend in the first two games of the conference final. The total score for both games was 11-3. Caps defensive prospect Mike Green now has at least one point in four consecutive games, something Caps Coach Glen Hanlon will be happy about after Green was sent back down to Hershey this season to work on his offense. Green is considered to be a d-man with offensive upside, rather then a stay at home guy. Here is a great video of Green displaying some of that upside.



A lot of credit for these wins also goes to goalie Freddie Cassivi, who spent approximately half of game two with the Bears on the penalty kill. Games three and four take place in Manchester this week.

Goodbye Sweden, Hello DC

Tarik El-Bashir at the Washington Post has gotten word that Nicklas Backstrom has signed an entry level deal with the Caps. Backstrom was the Cap's top pick (4th overall) in the 2006 draft and has spent the past year playing in Sweden. He would be one of two centers (along with a pair of D-men and maybe a winger) that the Caps need to fill holes in the roster.

I am posting a video of Backstrom shooting some pucks below. There is really nothing special about it, except the way his golden hair glistens under the light as he gives us a little fistpump at the end. Yes, I have high hopes for Backstrom.



UPDATE: You can get a good take on the Backstrom deal here.

Speak, prospect!

The NHL has decided it likes blogs. A lot. So along with the celebrity blogs (and I use the word celebrity cautiously) they have been running during the playoffs, they are dedicating space to let the top 2007 hockey prospects blog leading up the NHL Draft on June 22nd. Its a great way to get some insight into what the top prospects are experiencing, especially when you consider that almost all of them are still in their late teens. James vanRiemsdyk, who is ranked by TSN as the third overall prospect in the 2007 draft, blogged about his excitement at getting to attend his high school prom:

With less than a month to go before the NHL Combine, I’m basically living the life of a normal high school kid. I’ve been lucky enough to get out and play tennis and toss the football around with some of the guys on the team, and I even got to attend my senior prom last week on my birthday, May 4.

Among others, the list of bloggers includes Keaton Ellerby, Karl Alzner, and Angelo Esposito. They are respectively ranked #4, #5 and #8 for this year's draft. Check'em out.

Backstrom coming to US?

Tarik El-Bashir at the WaPo has an unconfirmed report that the Caps and their 2006 top draft pick Nicklas Backstrom have agreed to a deal. Backstrom has been playing in the Swedish league and is regarded as a future 1 or 2 center for the Caps.

Bears playoff update

I made the trip to Hershey, PA on Friday night to watch the Caps' AHL affiliate Hershey Bears play. The Bears are the defending Calder Cup champs, and on Friday they cinched their spot in the conference final by defeating the Wilkes-Barre Penguins 7-6 in OT. (Click on the pictures for a bigger view)


The game winning goal was scored by Caps prospect Alexandre Giroux and Tomas Fleischmann finished the night with 5 points, tying a Hershey playoff record for most points in a single game. Scott Barney scored a hat trick, which caused the biggest concentration of John Deere hats I have ever seen to hit the ice.


The best part of the night was the fan in section 102 who lead the entire arena in a chant of "B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T" when the refs called a penalty on the Bears. Everyone joined in -- from the kid sitting in front of me who couldnt have been more then 6 years old, to the grandma four rows over. The Bears begin the conference final this Saturday at Hershey, you can get tickets here. Let me know if you are heading up, I plan on being there.

Hershey Time

I will be on the road for the rest of the week but I will be attending the Hershey Bears game in Hershey, PA tomorrow. The Bears are the defending Calder Cup champs and they are in round two of the AHL playoffs. A win tomorrow against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (say that fast three times) will cinch the series for them, the Bears lead the series 3-1.

On display will be a handful of prospects and players that have spent time with both the Caps and the Bears this season. The list includes Mike Green, Jeff Schultz, Alexandre Giroux, Freddy Cassivi, Tomas Fleischmann, Jakub Klepis and Dave Steckel.

I have already forgotten my digital camera at my apartment but I will try to borrow someone else's camera to get some pics.

Caps News

Some quick housekeeping from the Caps. Yesterday, they signed defenseman Patick McNeill to a three year deal after drafting him 118th overall in the 2005 NHL draft. McNeill has been playing for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL for the past four seasons and his numbers have improved every year, while playing the same number of games more or less.

His amateur contract will send him to the Hershey Bears, who are in the middle of a hot battle to defend their Calder Cup. You can read the Cap's official release here and get another take here.