Comments on: If The A-Train Comes To Town, Who Will Be Left At The Station?

By: Trevor

Trevor — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:59:17 +0000

We really need to land this guy!! such a big help….but lets stay home for a second, sure guys like Flash, Semin, and Green were a non-factor in the playoffs but you gotta remember what these guys did during the season…..Flash as saved our buns many of times….Semin was a stud….and Green was awesome.

But Getting Volchie would make all the haters stand up and take notice, he would be perfect for what we need to do….i think he might be that one last piece guys.

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:01:18 +0000

A-Train fulfills a ton of needs, without question. And we need a thumper back there, right now Carlson is probably our most physical d-man – which is a credit to him, but that shouldn’t be his role. And Schultz couldn’t hit anybody, even if he could catch them in the first place.

Crazy to even think about moving Semin – young 40 goal scorers don’t fall off trees, and he wasn’t exactly centered by Peter Forsberg.

Disagreed a bit about the centers available – Plekanec in particular – but John Cullen is NOT one I hope being considered, for a center way too many of his passes miss the mark, when he even bothers to pass.

By: Should Olaf Kölzig’s Jersey Be Retired By The Capitals?

Should Olaf Kölzig’s Jersey Be Retired By The Capitals? — Thu, 27 May 2010 03:30:31 +0000

[...] fill up most of the downtime until we wait for the puck to drop again in October. Some of us speculate on which UFA will be (re)signed, some of us debate hotness of hockey players with or without teeth and some of us debate [...]

By: Charlie

Charlie — Thu, 27 May 2010 03:06:39 +0000

So who will sing the Russian National Anthem before games?

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:50:20 +0000

Fun strategy talk.

@Rachel, 74/52 seems strong on attack, and Volchenkov/Schultz seems strong on D– that’d make sense if Boudreau matched his D-pairings to the other teams grinders and attack lines, but I don’t think he does that so much.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:21:29 +0000

I agree that adding Volchenkov would be GREAT, but we can’t put him and Green on the same line. Green MUST be paired with a smart stay at home defensemen. His shot blocking is something we desperately need, but he can easily be drawn out of position. My pairings…

Volchenkov, Schultz
Green, Carlson
Alzner, Poti
Juice in reserve.
Trade Sloan, and send Erskine to Hershey to mentor the little guys.

By: Russian Machine Never Breaks

Russian Machine Never Breaks — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:51:53 +0000

Plekanec, Koivu and Lombardi are best centermen (excluding Marleau).
Plekanec – Ok, I know.
Koivu – Too old.
But what about Lombardi?
- Fedor

By: Hale

Hale — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:45:29 +0000

@mcawful

I am with you all the way. For me, the Caps would not be the same without Semin. I almost get an anxiety attack thinking about him either being traded or signing elsewhere. I find his play so exciting and entertaining. You never know what might happen with the puck on his stick, for good or bad (mostly good), but chances are good it will be spectacular.

@ Russian Machine Never Breaks

I don’t think Kovalchuk’s and Semin’s situations are similar. Their numbers are almost identical this past regular season, but Kovy has several more (3) full NHL seasons under his belt and scored at least 40 goals in all but 2 of those. He APPEARS to be seriously considering the KHL (unless it’s posturing), but my sense is that that is not really what Semin wants to do, based on some things he’s reportedly said. But, who knows? Maybe he’ll want to chase the money for a long as it’s out there. I just hope enough of it is here.

By: Russian Machine Never Breaks

Russian Machine Never Breaks — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:23:44 +0000

@Darryl:

You’re prob right, and I would rather A-Train with Varly/Neuvy than the alternatives.

By: Russian Machine Never Breaks

Russian Machine Never Breaks — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:22:14 +0000

@breaklance:

Bringing in Volchenkov and keeping Alzner has NOTHING to do with the cap hit. I understand Alzner’s cap # is negligible. It has to do with development. Alzner needs to play and has value for another missing piece.

Caps have a ton of replacement DMan (i.e. 3rd/4th liners) to tap into either on the roster or via FA at <$2 mil cap hit. Alzner’s IMMEDIATE production can be replaced. Now, could he blossom into a Norris finalist down the road? Maybe, but for now, in the quest for the Cup during a closing of the “window of opportunity,” the smart move is to trade him for a missing piece after signing A-Train as the shut down dman.

Besides, ShaMo had the worst Goals Against while on the ice per 60 minutes of all caps defenseman (2.96) with the exception of Alzner (3.21). Then it was Corvo (2.64) followed by Sloan (2.44). Putting Carlson with ShaMo would only impede his development – and make him look WAY worse in the process. I don’t see them pairing A-Train with ShaMo for the 3rd defensive pairing. If A-Train is signed, he is #1 with Green.