30 Caps in 30 Days: Semyon Varlamov

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--from today on, forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night, and linemates are those listed at even strength at 10% or greater. Today, my final edition--Semyon Varlamov)

Semyon Varlamov: age 22, 6'1", 183 pounds, catches left.
Contract: entry-level, $62.5k in AHL, $765k in NHL with $822k cap hit, RFA in 2011, per Capgeek.

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 26 GP, 15-4-6, 2.55 GAA, .909 SV%, 2 SO
Playoffs: 6 GP, 3-3, 2.41 GAA, .908 SV%, 0 SO
AHL: 3 GP, 3-0-0, 1.95 GAA, .933 SV%, 0 SO



(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: David Steckel

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, David Steckel)

David Steckel: age 28, 6'5", 222 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $1.1 million, UFA in 2013, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 17% Matt Bradley and Quintin Laing, 14% Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon
2010 playoff linemates: 40% Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon, 14% Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 79 GP, 5-11-16, +4, 90 shots, 19 PIM
Playoffs: 3 GP, 0-0-0, +1, 0 shots, 0 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 3rd in Corsi QoC and in Corsi Rel QoC, 5th in Corsi QoT, and 6th in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 40.3% offensive zone (last on team) with Zonefinish 46.5% offensive zone (fourth-to-last). Corsi Rel -2.4, middling on team, ahead of Laich, Morrison, and Perreault among centers.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 1st in Corsi QoC, 2nd in Corsi Rel QoC, 4th in Corsi QoT, and 5th in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

New PK system?

“I think we’re going to have a whole new system this year,” defenseman Tom Poti said. “Last year we were way too passive and let everyone come to us. This year we are going to tweak a couple of things and try to do it a little bit differently.”

--Corey Masisiak, CSN Washington

Considering that the Caps' main issue seems to be being too passive on the PK--and keeping in mind the team finished 6th in GA at 5-on-5 last year, and was mainly burned at special teams against Montreal--this is great news. We'll see how it works, but I'd bet the Caps' PK will not only allow fewer goals, but score more shorties as well. Boo-yah.

30 Caps in 30 Days: Tyler Sloan

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, Tyler Sloan)

Tyler Sloan: age 29, 6'3", 205 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $700k, UFA in 2012, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 24% Tom Poti, 10% Jeff Schultz
2010 playoff linemates: 76% Joe Corvo, 12% John Carlson

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 40 GP, 2-4-6, -1, 34 shots, 22 PIM
Playoffs: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -1, 0 shots, 0 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 3rd-to-last in Corsi QoC, 3rd in Corsi Rel QoC, 5th in Corsi QoT, and 3rd-to-last in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 49.1% offensive zone (middling) with Zonefinish 48.8% offensive zone (middling, only ahead of Karl Alzner among Caps defensemen). Corsi Rel -10.3, 3rd-to-last on team, only ahead of Tomas Fleischmann and Karl Alzner.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: last in Corsi QoC and in Corsi Rel QoC, first in Corsi QoT and in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Alexander Semin

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, Alexander Semin)

Alexander Semin: age 26, 6'2", 205 pounds, shoots right.
Contract: $6 million, UFA in 2011, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 21% Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, 18% Tomas Fleischmann and Brooks Laich, 10% Brendan Morrison and Brooks Laich
2010 playoff linemates: 19% Brooks Laich and Brendan Morrison, 16% Eric Belanger and Tomas Fleischmann, 10% Tomas Fleischmann and Brooks Laich

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 73 GP, 40-44-84, +36, 278 shots, 66 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 0-2-2, +0, 44 shots, 4 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 6th in Corsi QoC, 2nd in Corsi Rel QoC, 4th in Corsi QoT and in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 54.0% offensive zone (seventh) with Zonefinish 52.6% offensive zone (sixth). Corsi Rel 4.9, 6th on team.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 4th in Corsi QoC and in Corsi Rel QoC, 7th in Corsi QoT, and 6th in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Jeff Schultz

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, Jeff Schultz)

Jeff Schultz: age 24, 6'6", 221 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $2.5 million with $2.75 million cap hit, UFA in 2014, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 54% Mike Green, 10% Tom Poti
2010 playoff linemates: 76% Mike Green

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 73 GP, 3-20-23, +50, 43 shots, 32 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 0-1-1, -1, 4 shots, 4 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 3rd in Corsi QoC, 4th in Corsi Rel QoC, 1st in Corsi QoT, and 2nd in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 53.4% offensive zone (second) with Zonefinish 51.7% offensive zone (third). Corsi Rel 3.8, 8th on team, behind Corvo and Green among Caps defensemen.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 4th in Corsi QoC and in Corsi Rel QoC, 3rd in Corsi QoT, and 4th in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Dany Sabourin

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Here is Dany Sabourin)

Dany Sabourin: age 30, 6'4", 200 pounds, catches left.
Contract: two-way, $250k in AHL, $525k in NHL, UFA in 2011, per Capgeek.

2009-2010 raw stats:
AHL: 56 GP, 28-27-0, 2.67 GAA, .915 SV%, 3 SO (Providence Bruins)

I don't think there is much doubt as to why George McPhee signed Dany Sabourin. His two-way contract means the team and he expect for him to play a lot, if not entirely, in the AHL in 2010-2011, likely as Braden Holtby's veteran backup. This role is similar to Jason Bacashihua's role last season in Hershey, as a veteran backup to Michal Neuvirth.

Sabourin looks like he can fill this role pretty well. Via hockey database:

2004-05 Wheeling Nailers ECHL 0.942
2004-05 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pen AHL 0.921
2005-06 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pen AHL 0.922
2005-06 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 0.714*
2006-07 Vancouver Canucks NHL 0.906*
2006-07 Manitoba Moose AHL 0.920*
2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 0.904
2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 0.898
2008-09 Springfield Falcons AHL 0.904
2009-10 Providence Bruins AHL 0.915
*less than ten games played

It's pretty clear that Sabourin is an AHL-caliber goalie, although he may still get NHL time. The idea, I'm fairly sure, is for Braden Holtby to start for Hershey (last season Holtby, the Bears' backup, was backup in Washington briefly, even though Michal Neuvirth was healthy and better, probably to keep Neuvirth as a starter and not benchwarmer) and for Sabourin to sit on the Capitals' bench if/when either Semyon Varlamov or Neuvirth gets hurt. He may get a couple of games in, then, which isn't exactly a desirable outcome but not a crippling one either. God forbid, if both Varlamov and Neuvirth go down for a long stretch, and Holtby cannot take over the reins, the Capitals will likely sign a free agent goalie (Jose Theodore anyone?) on a cheap one-year contract to play instead of Sabourin. I really cannot see any situation in which Sabourin is trusted to be the starter in the NHL.

I'm expecting maybe one start in the NHL and one other game played (goalie switch) for Sabourin, maybe one overtime or shootout loss, and a handful of goals allowed. In the AHL, with Holtby's durability and ability to be a workhorse, I'm looking for about 15 games played, 9 wins or so, 2.70 GAA, .910 save percentage, and 1 shutout. He can likely get a couple of starts in the playoffs too, if Hershey makes it.

Sabourin's most important job, aside from mentoring Holtby, is to turn that "if" into "when."

30 Caps in 30 Days: Tom Poti

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, Tom Poti)

Tom Poti: age 33, 6'3", 210 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $3.5 million in 2010-2011, then $2.875 million cap hit, UFA in 2013, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 15% Milan Jurcina, 12% John Erskine, 12% Shaone Morrisonn, 10% Joe Corvo
2010 playoff linemates: 62% John Carlson

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 70 GP, 4-20-24, +26, 69 shots, 42 PIM
Playoffs: 6 GP, 0-4-4, +9, 6 shots, 5 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 1st in Corsi QoC and in Corsi Rel QoC, 4th in Corsi QoT and in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 47.0% offensive zone (second-to-last) with Zonefinish 51.1% offensive zone (fifth, right in the middle). Corsi Rel 1.3, 9th on team, behind Corvo, Green, and Schultz among Caps defensemen.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 7th in Corsi QoC and in Corsi Rel QoC, 5th in Corsi QoT and in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

Awards Watch 2011: October

At the beginning of each month, I plan to give a quick rundown of the awards races to date. With the NHL Premiere fast approaching, today, the October edition of Awards Watch 2011. Here's who I'm watching right now:
(and before you grill me, keep in mind that it's tough to leave off a reigning winner or finalist. That's why the Sedins show up so frequently though I expect them to return to their 80 point ways)

Hart Trophy:
Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin--these should be self explanatory
Nicklas Backstrom--God forbid, if Ovechkin should sustain a serious LTIR-type injury, Backstrom instantly becomes one of the favorites
Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin--I think it's highly unlikely he repeats but I guess I can't leave off the reigning Hart winner, and I can't put on one brother without the other
Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty--I think Los Angeles is going to be really, really good next season, and someone from that team should get Hart consideration
Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews--a guy who could enter the Ross conversation and the best player on the reigning Cup winner, as well as a terrific two way forward who could put himself in contention with a monster offensive season
Steven Stamkos--if he can go 50-100, he could be the favorite
Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk--The two best offensive players, by far, on the Devils
Joe Thornton--the best MVP-type player for San Jose (I think Marleau is better, but not in ways that get you Hart votes)
Ryan Miller, Ilya Bryzgalov, Roberto Luongo--the first two goalies, whether or not by fluke, had great 2009-2010 seasons that saw them finish near the top in Hart Trophy voting, and I think Luongo will get much more appreciation for what he does in Vancouver since Vancouver's offense is suddenly going to become average, I think
Marian Gaborik, Jonathan Tavares--if their teams are to return to the playoffs, these guys you can bet will be at the center of their teams' success
Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg--both are due for bounce-back seasons, I think. With 90+ point and Selke upside each, along with a Nicklas Lidstrom that isn't as good as a few years ago, both could get recognized for the fantastic job they actually do

30 Caps in 30 Days: Mathieu Perreault

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, Mathieu Perreault)

Mathieu Perreault: age 22, 5'9", 166 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: entry level, $62.5k in AHL, $650k in NHL, cap hit $717k, RFA in 2011
2009-2010 linemates: 13% Chris Clark and Eric Fehr, 11% Tomas Fleischmann and Eric Fehr


2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 21 GP, 4-5-9, +4, 27 shots, 6 PIM
AHL: 56 GP, 16-34-50. +23, 94 shots, 34 PIM
Playoffs: 21 GP, 7-12-19, +14, 29 shots, 18 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: last in Corsi QoC, third-to-last in Corsi Rel QoC, fifth-to-last in Corsi QoT, and last in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 57.5% offensive zone (third) with Zonefinish 52.7% offensive zone (fifth). Corsi Rel -9.6, 5th-to-last on the team (tied with Tomas Fleischmann)


(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Patrick McNeill

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--from today on, forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night, and linemates are those listed at even strength at 10% or greater. I owe you guys a thirty-first preview since Eric Belanger signed with Phoenix, so today, Patrick McNeill)

Patrick McNeill: age 23, 6'0", 197 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $500k, RFA in 2011, per Capgeek.

2009-2010 raw stats:
AHL: 62 GP, 8-27-35, +20, 93 shots, 36 PIM
Playoffs: 11 GP, 3-3-6, +4, 20 shots, 2 PIM



(Photos courtesy Caps Snaps)

The Curious Case of Brendan Morrison

Brendan Morrison will soon be taking the ice on a tryout basis with the Vancouver Canucks. Morrison from 2000 to 2008 played with those Canucks, frequently on its top line along with super Swede Markus Naslund and bruiser Todd Bertuzzi. Morrison in those days was a bona-fide top-line center, but since his Vancouver days he hasn't been as solid. More recently, it has been both age and injury affecting his play. In the 2009-2010 season, with Washington, Morrison had a bounce-back year of sorts, claiming the team's second and later third line center spot while going 12-30-42 +23 in 74 games played and 15:44 TOI per game, at the bargain price of $1.5 million. Still, I wasn't too displeased that George McPhee indicated that Morrison would not be re-signed. I figured that Morrison would not be able to be the Capitals' second-line center and that, considering how much he faded down the stretch, there were better, young options for a third-line center. At age 35, Morrison would be closer to regression than improvement, I thought.

As I've been writing my 30-in-30 season preview series, though, I've been finding that Brendan Morrison might actually have been underrated. It is very time consuming to delve into the advanced stats available at Behind the Net and Time on Ice to get a sense of a player and then compare that player to others, and since Morrison's decline in goals and points per game as the season went along correlated nicely with the sense of Morrison's play many Caps fans were getting based on watching the games, a closer look at Morrison seemed unnecessary. I guess this is why Morrison hasn't been given a "microstatic look" (as called by the authors of the Copper and Blue).

30 Caps in 30 Days: Alex Ovechkin

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, Alex Ovechkin)

Alex Ovechkin: age 25, 6'2", 220 pounds, shoots right.
Contract: $9 million with $9.538 million cap hit, UFA in 2021, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 33% Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble, 19% Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin
2010 playoff linemates: 49% Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 72 GP, 50-59-109, +45, 368 shots, 89 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 5-5-10, +5, 34 shots, 0 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 4th in Corsi QoC, 10th in Corsi Rel QoC, 3rd in Corsi QoT in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 55.6% offensive zone (sixth) with Zonefinish 54.2% offensive zone (second). Corsi Rel 19.7, 1st on team, 4th in NHL.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: last in Corsi QoC and in Corsi Rel QoC, 3rd in Corsi QoT and in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Michal Neuvirth

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--from today on, forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night, and linemates are those listed at even strength at 10% or greater. Today, Michal Neuvirth)

Michal Neuvirth: age 22, 6'1", 202 pounds, catches left.
Contract: two-way, $62.5k in AHL, $765k in NHL with $822k cap hit, RFA in 2011, per Capgeek. (Update: Neuvirth has signed a 2-year, $2.3 million contract extension)

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 17 GP, 9-4-0, 2.75 GAA, .914 SV%, 0 SO
AHL: 22 GP, 25-6-0, 2.24 GAA, .919 SV%, 1 SO
Playoffs: 18 GP, 14-4-0, 2.07 GAA, .920 SV%, 1 SO


(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Brooks Laich

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, Brooks Laich)

Brooks Laich: age 27, 6'2", 210 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $2.4 million with a $2.07 million cap hit, UFA in 2011, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 18% Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Semin, 10% Brendan Morrison and Alexander Semin
2010 playoff linemates: 19% Brendan Morrison and Alexander Semin, 16% Eric Fehr and Brendan Morrison, 10% Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Semin

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 78 GP, 25-34-59, +16, 222 shots, 34 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 2-1-3, -2, 21 shots, 4 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 10th in Corsi QoC, 3rd in Corsi Rel QoC, 6th in Corsi QoT, and 7th in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 50.6% offensive zone (tenth) with Zonefinish 49.2% offensive zone (eleventh).
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 9th in Corsi QoC and Corsi Rel QoC, 4th in Corsi QoT, and 5th in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Mike Knuble

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, Mike Knuble)

Mike Knuble: age 38, 6'3", 232 pounds, shoots right.
Contract: 35+, $2.8 million, UFA in 2011, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 46% Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, 12% Brooks Laich and Brendan Morrison
2010 playoff linemates: 66% Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 69 GP, 29-24-53, +23, 121 shots, 5 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 2-4-6, +2, 23 shots, 6 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 4th in Corsi QoC, 5th in Corsi Rel QoC, 2nd in Corsi QoT, and 1st in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 55.9% offensive zone (fifth) with Zonefinish 50.8% offensive zone (eighth).
2010 playoffs advanced stats: fourth-to-last in Corsi QoC, second-to-last in Corsi Rel QoC, 1st in Corsi QoT and in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: DJ King

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night, and teammates are those listed at 10% or greater. Today, DJ King)

DJ King: age 26, 6'2", 228 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $638k, UFA in 2012, per Capgeek.

Last three years: 74 GP, 3-4-7, 133 PIM

30 Caps in 30 Days: Marcus Johansson

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night, and linemates are those listed at 10% or greater. Today, Marcus Johansson)

Marcus Johansson: age 20, 5'11", 189 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: entry level, $900k million, RFA in 2013, per Capgeek.

2009-2010 raw stats, via stats.swehockey.se:
SEL: 42 GP, 10-10-20, 10 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 0-5-5, 2 PIM


(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Braden Holtby

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--from today on, forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night, and linemates are those listed at even strength at 10% or greater. Today, a birthday gift for the birthday boy, Braden Holtby)

Braden Holtby: age 21, 6'1", 202 pounds, catches left.
Contract: entry-level, $570k with $638k cap hit, RFA in 2013, per Capgeek.

2009-2010 raw stats:
AHL: 37 GP, 25-8-2, 2.32 GAA, .917 SV%, 2 SO
Playoffs: 3 GP, 2-1, 3.60 GAA, .857 SV%, 0 SO
ECHL: 12 GP, 7-2-1-2, 2.95 GAA, .911 SV%, 0 SO

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Mike Green

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Teammates are those listed at 10% or greater and at even strength (though the percentage includes all manpower situations). Today, Mike Green)

Mike Green: age 24, 6'2", 208 pounds, shoots right.
Contract: $5.25 million, RFA in 2012, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 40% Jeff Schultz, 21% Shaone Morrisonn
2010 playoff linemates: 56% Jeff Schultz

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 75 GP, 19-57-76, +39, 205 shots, 54 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 0-3-3, +1, 23 shots, 12 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 4th in Corsi QoC, 5th in Corsi Rel QoC, 2nd in Corsi QoT, and 1st in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 57.4% offensive zone (first) with Zonefinish 52.6% offensive zone (first). Do note that Zonestart and Zonefinish percentages do not include neutral zone faceoffs.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 3rd (of 8) in Corsi QoC and in Corsi Rel QoC, 6th in Corsi QoT and in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Boyd Gordon

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Boyd Gordon)

Boyd Gordon: age 26, 6'0", 201 pounds, shoots right.
Contract: $800k, UFA in 2011, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 39% Matt Bradley and David Steckel
2010 playoff linemates: 38% Matt Bradley and Jason Chimera, 19% Matt Bradley and David Steckel

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 36 GP, 4-6-10, +4, 40 shots, 12 PIM
Playoffs: 6 GP, 1-1-2, +2, 11 shots, 0 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 1st in Corsi QoC, last in Corsi Rel QoC, 7th in Corsi QoT, and 11th in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 45.1% offensive zone (fifteenth, third-to-last) with Zonefinish 45.1% offensive zone (last). I'm not quite sure why there is such a disparity between the Corsi and Corsi Rel QoC numbers, but from what I've read one should put more stock in the "Rel" numbers.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: second-to-last in Corsi QoC, 10th in Corsi Rel QoC, third-to-last in Corsi QoT, and fourth-to-last in Corsi Rel QoT. Keep in mind that with the small sample size of the playoffs and the fact that Montreal got absolutely murdered in Corsi by Washington and Pittsburgh, the QoC statistics are probably messed up. For example, Alex Ovechkin might have been the best Corsi player in the playoffs, but that makes all his competition against Montreal seem very, very easy since he, well, made them look bad.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Andrew Gordon

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Andrew Gordon)

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

Andrew Gordon: age 24, 6'0", 195 pounds, shoots right.
Contract: $500k in NHL, $90k in AHL, RFA in 2011, per Capgeek.

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -2, 0 shots, 0 PIM
AHL: 79 GP, 37-34-71, +22, 195 shots, 57 PIM
Playoffs: 17 GP, 13-7-20, +2, 56 shots, 2 PIM

30 Caps in 30 Days: Tomas Fleischmann

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night, and linemates are only those listed at 10% or greater. Today, Tomas Fleischman)

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

Tomas Fleischmann: age 26, 6'1", 190 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $2.6 million, UFA in 2011, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 23% Brooks Laich and Alexander Semin
2010 playoff linemates: 28% Eric Belanger and Alexander Semin, 19% Brooks Laich and Alexander Semin

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 69 GP, 23-28-51, +9, 121 shots, 28 PIM
Playoffs: 6 GP, 0-1-1, -1, 8 shots, 6 PIM
AHL: 2 GP, 0-1-1, -2, 6 shots, 0 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 13th (fifth-to-last) in Corsi QoC, 5th in Corsi Rel QoC, 5th in Corsi QoT, and 6th in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 50.0% offensive zone (eleventh) with Zonefinish 48.3% offensive zone (thirteenth).
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 5th in Corsi QoC, 3rd in Corsi Rel QoC, 5th in Corsi QoT, and 4th in Corsi Rel QoT.

30 Caps in 30 Days: Eric Fehr

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night, and linemates are only those listed at 10% or greater. Today, Eric Fehr)

Eric Fehr: age 25, 6'4", 212 pounds, shoots right.
Contract: $2.2 million, RFA in 2013, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 24% Jason Chimera and Brendan Morrison
2010 playoff linemates: 28% Brooks Laich and Brendan Morrison, 25% Eric Belanger and Jason Chimera

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 69 GP, 21-18-39, +18, 145 shots, 24 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 3-1-4. +2, 20 shots, 4 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 11th in Corsi QoC, 9th in Corsi Rel QoC, 12th in Corsi QoT, and 16th (of 17) in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 53.6% offensive zone (middling) with Zonefinish 53.2% offensive zone (fourth).
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 12th (third-to-last) in Corsi QoC, 11th in Corsi Rel QoC, 13th in Corsi QoT, and 10th in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

Nine Years

30 Caps in 30 Days: John Erskine

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, John Erskine)

John Erskine age 30, 6'4", 216 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $1.5 million, UFA in 2011 per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 32% Brian Pothier, 23% Tom Poti, 14% Karl Alzner

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 50 GP, 1-5-6, +16, 50 shots, 66 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 8th in Corsi QoC, 6th in Corsi Rel QoC, 7th in Corsi QoT, and 8th (second-to-last) in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 48.6% offensive zone (6th) with Zonefinish 49.8% offensive zone (5th).


(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Sean Collins

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--from today on, forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Sean Collins)

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

Sean Collins: age 26, 6'1", 212 pounds, shoots right.
Contract: $650k, UFA in 2011, per Capgeek.

2009-2010 raw stats:
AHL: 63 GP, 1-17-18, +26, 46 shots, 55 PIM
Playoffs: 15 GP, 1-2-3, +2, 7 shots, 16 PIM

30 Caps in 30 Days: Jason Chimera

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position--from today on, forward, defense, or goalie--in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Jason Chimera)

Jason Chimera: age 31, 6'2", 216 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $1.875 million, UFA in 2013, per Capgeek.
2009-2010 linemates: 41% Eric Fehr and Brendan Morrison
2010 playoff linemates: 30% Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon, 24% Eric Belanger and Eric Fehr, 15% Eric Belanger and Matt Bradley

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 39 GP, 7-10-17, +6, 68 shots, 51 PIM (Capitals); 78 GP, 15-19-34, -1, 160 shots, 98 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 1-2-3, +2, 15 shots, 2 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 2nd in Corsi QoC, 1st in Corsi Rel QoC, second-to-last in Corsi QoT, and fourth-to-last (of 17) in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 47.0% offensive zone (thirteenth, fifth-to-last) with Zonefinish 50.5% offensive zone (middling).
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 6th in Corsi QoC, 7th in Corsi Rel QoC, 9th in Corsi QoT, and 8th in Corsi Rel QoT (all middling).

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: John Carlson

(During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position, in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, John Carlson)

John Carlson: age 20, 6'2", 218 pounds, shoots right.

Contract: $846k, RFA in 2012

2009-2010 linemates: 54% Shaone Morrisonn, 12% John Erskine, 12% Tom Poti
2010 playoff linemates: 60% Tom Poti

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 22 GP, 1-5-6, +11, 21 shots, 8 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 1-3-4, +6, 14 shots, 0 PIM
AHL: 48 GP, 4-35-39, +37,  100 shots, 26 PIM
Playoffs: 13 GP, 2-5-7, +7, 34 shots, 8 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 2nd in Corsi QoC, 9th (last) in Corsi Rel QoC, 6th in Corsi QoT, and 6th in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 48.6% offensive zone (tied for second-to-last), Zonefinish 51.2% offensive zone.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 6th in Corsi QoC and Corsi Rel QoC, 7th (second-to-last) in Corsi QoT, and 7th in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Eric Belanger

During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position, in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Eric Belanger)

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

Eric Belanger: age 32, 6'0", 185 pounds, shoots left.
Contract: $1.85 million, UFA in 2011. Although he's officially a free agent, James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail stated he is 100% certain that Belanger will be signed by the Capitals.
2009-2010 linemates: 23% Brooks Laich and Alexander Semin, 12% Jason Chimera and Eric Fehr, 11% Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann
2010 playoff linemates: 22% Tomas Fleischmann and Alexander Semin, 21% Jason Chimera and Eric Fehr, 14% Matt Bradley and Jason Chimera

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 17 GP, 2-4-6, +3, 31 shots, 4 PIM (Capitals); 77 GP, 15-26-41, +2, 151 shots, 32 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 0-1-1, +0, 6 shots, 4 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 2nd in Corsi QoC, 2nd in Corsi Rel QoC, 10th (last) in Corsi QoT, and 4th in Corsi Rel QoT. Zonestart 44.4% offensive zone (second-to-last) with Zonefinish 46.3% offensive zone (second-to-last).
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 2nd in Corsi QoC, 1st in Corsi Rel QoC, 5th (second-to-last) in Corsi QoT, and 4th in Corsi Rel QoT.

Comparing the Red Wings' Model and the Capitals

This morning, I had an interesting idea.

The Capitals are starting to look like the Red Wings.

It seems weird--I mean, where is Datsyuk, where is Lidstrom, where is Babcock (sorry Boudreau)? The Capitals have zero "winning" experience at an NHL level outside of Mike Knuble, they don't have a Scandinavian-laden roster, but just looking at defensemen, I think the Capitals are moving towards Detroit.

Back towards the start of the millennium the Red Wings organization was coming to a crossroads of sorts. Steve Yzerman was approaching retirement, Russians like Sergei Fedorov, Vyacheslav Kozlov, and Igor Larionov were approaching the ends of their Detroit careers, and veterans like Luc Robataille, Brendan Shanahan, and Brett Hull were reaching the end of the line in Detroit as well, especially after Detroit's 2002 Stanley Cup championship. Ken Holland and the Red Wings decided to cash their chips behind their defense corps, led by 2002 Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom. With their strong defense, and some diamonds it picked up late in the entry draft in Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit continues to be a force.

How are the Capitals becoming like the Red Wings? Well, as I was fantasizing thinking about the sky-high collective potential of Mike Green, Jeff Schultz, Karl Alzner, and John Carlson, I realized that all of them pass well. A large part of Detroit's game plan is having mobile, puck-moving defensemen. Now, the Capitals might just have five different defensemen able to make an effective first pass (adding in Tom Poti). The Detroit method of playing defense, as it seems to me--cutting off the other team's attack in the neutral zone by beating them to the puck, then making a tape-to-tape pass, and regrouping for another attack--helps Detroit have staggering Corsi numbers year after year, and I think that with these five defensemen anchoring the blueline we could see more of that.

Of course, Detroit also found or developed many defensively-responsible forwards, and the Capitals, outside of Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Knuble, Boyd Gordon, Alexander Semin, and Eric Fehr, have yet to find that.

Because Detroit's attack is anchored with the defensemen, they can afford to go power-versus-power, knowing that their superior defensive depth helps them gain the advantage over the other team's respective line. The Capitals can match most, if not all, teams with depth up front, and defensively they will always have personnel on ice who can aid in the attack and cut off the other team's attack. In previous years, power-versus-power line matching could prove disastrous for Washington because its top line could get hemmed in the defensive zone if, say, Tyler Sloan and John Erskine were on the ice. Now, with players who can effectively cut off the other team's attack before it starts and win races to loose pucks along the boards, power-versus-power, I believe, can beat anyone.

With a good second-line center, line-for-line the Capitals are stronger than any other team up front. The defense corps doesn't look like the type to allow cycling and zone time against. Power-versus-power, like Detroit uses, like San Jose switched to this season in making the Western Conference Finals and easily handling these very Red Wings, could be the change Boudreau can now make to take the Capitals deep into the playoffs.

Looking at 2011 UFA Centers

At this point, it looks like the Capitals need a second line center. Here is a quick shopping list for George McPhee. It doesn't include every potential player, though.

Brad Richards--he looks like a great fit for a deadline pickup. With a 90+ point revival last season in Dallas, which is not expected to make the playoffs and is operating on a budget at the moment, I think it's likely that someone will take him from Dallas. He is aware defensively, a veteran presence, Stanley Cup Champion (2004, Tampa Bay), the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as a second-line center (behind Vincent Lecavalier), and a terrific offensive player too. Yes, please.

Joe Thornton--He won't be leaving San Jose unless the Capitals overpay significantly. No.

Michael Nylander--No.

30 Caps in 30 Days: Matt Bradley

(During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position, in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Matt Bradley)

Matt Bradley: age 32, 6'3", 201 pounds, shoots right.

Contract: $1 million, 2011 UFA

2009-2010 linemates: 21% Quintin Laing and David Steckel, 17% Boyd Gordon and David Steckel
2010 playoff linemates: 33% Boyd Gordon and Jason Chimera, 17% Eric Belanger and Jason Chimera, 16% Boyd Gordon and David Steckel

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 77 GP, 10-14-24, +6, 98 shots, 47 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 1-2-3, +2, 8 shots, 2 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 2nd in Corsi QoC, 1st in Corsi Rel QoC, 2nd in Corsi QoT, and 3rd (second to last) in Corsi Rel QoT (rankings don't include Alexander Semin). All those stats were middling among all Caps forwards.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 2nd in Corsi QoC and Corsi Rel QoC, 4th in Corsi QoT, and 3rd in Corsi Rel QoT (again, not including Alexander Semin). His Corsi QoC and Corsi Rel QoC were middling among all Caps forwards; his Corsi QoT was last and his Corsi Rel QoT was second-to-last.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

What Can You Get For the Salary Cap?

Playing around with Capgeek's Fantasy calculator, I decided to create my "ultimate team" under the salary cap. To not have the luxury of front-loaded low-cap-hit contracts, I used the raw salaries, not the cap hits, on each player's contract for next season. My philosophies are to go cheap on the goalies, to have a minute-munching shutdown second scoring line, to have defensively responsible lower forward lines, to draw lots of penalties, and to have strong puck-moving defensemen to press the attack. I think I made a hybrid Blackhawks '10-Red Wings '08 team.

30 Caps in 30 Days: Jay Beagle

(During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position, in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Jay Beagle.)

(Image courtesy Caps Snaps)

Jay Beagle: age 24, 6'1", 208 pounds, shoots right.

Contract: two-way, $513k cap hit, RFA in 2012

2009-2010 linemates: 28% Matt Bradley and David Steckel, 12% Jason Chimera and Eric Fehr

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 7 GP, 1-1-2, -1, 10 shots, 2 PIM

AHL: 66 GP, 16-19-35, +10,  98 shots, 25 PIM
Playoffs: 21 GP, 2-7-9, +6, 26 shots, 0 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 2nd in Corsi QoC, 4th in Corsi Rel QoC, 6th in Corsi QoT, and 7th (second-to-last) in Corsi Rel QoT.

30 Caps in 30 Days: Nicklas Backstrom

(During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Because of college applications, school, and other things, I may not be able to stick to my planned schedule of a-Cap-a-day, but I'll try my best. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position, in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Nicklas Backstrom)

Nicklas Backstrom: age 22, 6'1", 210 pounds, shoots left.

Contract: one-way, $6 million, $6.7 million cap hit, UFA in 2020

2009-2010 linemates: 31% Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble, 18% Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin
2010 playoff linemates: 53% Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 82 GP, 33-68-101, +37, 222 shots, 50 PIM
Playoffs: 7 GP, 5-4-9, +7, 27 shots, 4 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 4th in Corsi QoC, 6th in Corsi Rel QoC, 1st in Corsi QoT, and 1st in Corsi Rel QoT.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 5th in Corsi QoC, 6th (last) in Corsi Rel QoC, 1st in Corsi QoT, and 1st in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)

30 Caps in 30 Days: Keith Aucoin

(During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Because of college applications, school, and other things, I may not be able to stick to my planned schedule of a-Cap-a-day, but I'll try my best. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position, in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Keith Aucoin)

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)
 
Keith Aucoin: age 31, 5'9", 187 lbs, shoots right.

Contract: one-way, $500,000, 2012 UFA

2009-2010 linemates: 23% Chris Clark and Tomas Fleischmann, 17% Chris Clark and Alexandre Giroux, 12% Chris Clark and Eric Fehr

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 9 GP, 1-4-5, -2, 4 shots, 0 PIM

AHL: 72 GP, 35-71-106, +27,  183 shots, 49 PIM
Playoffs: 21 GP, 2-23-25, +1, 55 shots, 2 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 7th in Corsi QoC, 7th in Corsi Rel QoC, 9th (second-to-last) in Corsi QoT, and 8th in Corsi Rel QoT.

30 Caps in 30 Days: Karl Alzner

(During the thirty days of September, I'll be trying to preview the seasons of thirty players currently under contract with the Washington Capitals and who have a good chance of spending some time in red, white, and blue this season. Because of college applications, school, and other things, I may not be able to stick to my planned schedule of a-Cap-a-day, but I'll try my best. Advanced stats are given from behindthenet.ca ranked against other players at the same position, in the same organization, at 5-on-5, unless otherwise noted. Age is on opening night. Today, Karl Alzner)

 

Karl Alzner: age 22, 6'2", 210 pounds, shoots left.

Contract: two-way entry-level, $1.675 million, 2011 RFA

2009-2010 linemates: 33% John Erskine, 16% Shaone Morrisonn, 12% Milan Jurcina
2010 playoff linemates: 74% John Carlson, 10% Mike Green

2009-2010 raw stats:
NHL: 21 GP, 0-5-5, -2, 16 shots, 8 PIM
Playoffs: 1 GP, 0-0-0, +0, 0 shots, 0 PIM
AHL: 56 GP, 3-18-21, +34,  75 shots, 10 PIM
Playoffs: 20 GP, 3-7-10, +7, 35 shots, 4 PIM

2009-2010 advanced stats: 9th (last) in Corsi QoC, 8th in Corsi Rel QoC, 8th in Corsi QoT, and 9th in Corsi Rel QoT.
2010 playoffs advanced stats: 1st in Corsi QoC and Corsi Rel QoC, 4th in Corsi QoT, and 3rd in Corsi Rel QoT.

(Photo courtesy Caps Snaps)