Green scores. Ovi tackles.

DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (All photos by Jeff McIntosh)

Halloween. This is the time of year when the eerie and unlikely are commonplace. This is the season of mists, of despair, of loss.

Nah, forget that. The Caps struggled mightily in the first period with the Calgary Flames. Going down by two goals early on, the Caps looked vanquished. A pathetic power play only hurt our wavering confidence. Maybe we should turn the game off and hit up that costume party after all? Nyet. Nicky Backstrom turned the Caps second power play into a goal reminiscent of ’09-’10′s best, and then the second period happened.

Let’s not mince words. The second period of this game was a bulldozer. The Caps scored six goals, two pairs of those goals coming within 13 seconds of each other. I’d tell you who scored the goals, but it’d take too long. Trust me: it’s everyone you’d expect. And also Dave Steckel. The Flames never came back after those early volleys. Caps beat Flames 7-2.

Thick-sliced, Canadian bullets.

The first period was rough. Matt Hendricks gets throttled by Tim Jackman.

• The Caps continue to tackle their lineup issues. Tonight featured Brooks Laich at second line center, Fleischmann at wing, Hershey’s Brian Fahey on D (replacing an injured Tyler Sloan), Fehr and Perreault scratched, and Boyd Gordon returned.
• Not only did Coach Boudreau shake up the lines, but their zone starts as well. 8-19-28 had none of the Caps’ two offensive zone starts in first period. Once they were unleashed, they scored on both 5v5 chances they had in the second.
• Knowing how the second period would go, we’ve come to grips with Olli Jokinen‘s first-minute goal. The oddest-looking man in the National Hockey League received a great chance from Jay Bouwmeester and placed it on the top shelf.
• Jay Bouwmeester. No comment here, just a fun name to say. Bouwmeester.
• The lasting scar of the first period is seeing the D getting physically abused at every chance.  Somewhere, GMGM watched this solemnly by candlelight, banging his fists on a table made entirely from the hull of a wrecked 16th century slaving ship.
• The Caps’ first power play was the worst ever seen that did not end in a shorty for the other team. The team had precious little offensive zone time and choked up multiple breakaway chances for the Calgary PK unit. Embarrassing. How can they recover?
• The Caps’ second power play resonated like the very best of their man-advantage work. Mike Green fed Nicklas Backstrom a perfectly timed, perfectly placed pass that made the goal look easy. All the kvetching about being out of sync? Forget it.
• The second period of this game deserves its own recap. It was the best period I’ve seen the Caps play in memory. The Caps dominated every stat and even looked great on a long 5-on-3 penalty kill. They scored two goals within twelve seconds, and then two goals within thirteen seconds.  There’s lots of individual accolades to go around, but please consider this a 21-person high five.

• Just twelve seconds apart, Alex Ovechkin scores twice– both on the power play, both on nearly identical shots. Maybe the smelling salts in Canada are stronger; Ovechkin looked uncannily aware tonight, and let the hockey gods pity anyone who must face him like that.
• Brooks Laich as second center? For now, let’s call us undecided.
• A sign of holiday weirdness? David Steckel‘s superlative penalty killing leads to a breakaway, leads to a penalty shot. And the fresh-faced kid nails it like a pro: away with you, water bottle!
• Bringing us back down to earth for a moment, both D.J. King and Hershey’s Brian Fahey looked dumbfounded when passed the puck. The caption goes something like, “what is this strange rubber disc, and why is it on my stick!?!”
• Michal Neuvirth. Takes two goals, puts up the wall. I’m telling you guys; he’s something special.
• For the second time, Nick Backstom shows up on the naughty list for an ugly boarding penalty. Again, very unlike him. Two anomalies does not make a pattern, but we’re going to watch this closely.
• John Carlson, unlike his peers, had a rough night. He had a team-worst CORSI of -11, and might have been the Flames’ best ally in the first.
• Former Cap, Brendan Morrison, deserves a note. He’s started this season, now with Calgary, as strongly as he did last. Brendan has 10 points in 11 games. Good for him!
• Not enough room for everyone’s goals tonight: Mike Green with a beauty, Alex Semin with a beauty. It’s a beauty contest for goals, people. The passing was so dialed in, Calgary didn’t stand a chance.

Joe B's suit-of-the-night

Those who stayed up late on this late, Saturday night, holiday game have been rewarded for their trouble. After throwing out one of the ugliest periods in a long time, the Caps delivered a period as good as they ever have– creating goals not just numerous but lovely.

Have a great Halloween, everyone!

“Is it October yet?” takes a back seat to “Is it Draft Day yet?” for us Fantasy Hockey poolies. We eagerly wait to draft Ovechkin or any other Capitals our forwards, defensemen and goaltenders and trash talk our way to victory! However, one player’s value seems to be fairly uncertain: Alexander Semin. ESPN has him ranked as the 8th best player overall for your fantasy team, while Yahoo’s Puck Daddy ranks him 33rd. We here at RMNB try to answer the most important question facing you on draft day: What is Semin worth in fantasy hockey?

Coming up with a draft list for a fantasy hockey league takes planning and some tempered expectations. If you give-in to impulses, you’ll find yourself in trouble. And by the end of the draft, make sure you have drafted well enough to get quality players at each position. If not, you will be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

The league you are playing in will determine a large part of the value. For instance, most leagues count goals, assists and points – categories which Semin performs well in year after year. If your league also counts Power Play Points and/or shots on goal then Semin’s value could increase depending on roster sizes and number of teams in the league. However, being ranked 8th or 33rd leaves a lot of room for error, so let’s see if we can narrow that down a bit.

We will use stats from the last three years to determine Sasha’s initial value and then make some projections for age/linemates/playing time to determine where he could rank in league that uses the following structure:

• “Snake draft” format
• 10 Teams
• Roster of C,C,LW,LW,RW,RW,D,D,D,D,G,G + 8 bench players
• Skater categories of: Goals, Assists, Points, Plus/Minus, PIMs
• Goalie categories of: Wins, Save %, GAA % and Shutouts

If you’re thinking: Semin cleans up in most of those categories you are correct, which is why when we look at the Top 15 rankings below we side more with ESPN than Yahoo’s ranking:

Semin comes out ahead of some other high profile skaters, such as Ilya Kovalchuk (who may be playing in the KHL) and reigning Hart Trophy Winner Henrik Sedin. He even ranks higher than Steven Stamkos and Zack Parise. Now you see why it is called fantasy hockey.

Whether he is taken 8th or 33rd in your draft one thing is for certain: With Ovechkin, Backstrom and Greenlife52 in the Top 10, expect Alex Semin to make a major impact to any fantasy squad in 2010-11. And maybe the Capitals too.

Alexandre Giroux holds the Calder Cup. (Photos by Kyle M.)

One of the greatest Bears of all-time has finally left for a legitimate shot to stick in the NHL. Bears first line Left Wing Alexandre Giroux signed a one-way NHL contract with the Edmonton Oilers early Saturday morning.

Per Mitch Beck of Howlings, Giroux had several good offers on the table and chose Edmonton because he gets to play in front of an old mentor:

The Quebec City native will be reunited with ex-Rangers coach Tom Renney. The left handed shooting Center played for Renney in the one game he got in with the Rangers back in 2005. In that game he played just three shifts and drew a key penalty on the second shift that led to a power play goal.

Giroux told Howlings, that he had other NHL options, including an offer from the New York Islanders. He also had a much more substantial $1.3mm offer from the KHL that he leaves on the table in order to complete his dream of being a regular NHL player. He does it with no regrets. “It was a lot of money and it was a hard decision, but I’m really excited to have this chance to make an NHL roster,” the recently turned 29-year old said. “Coach Renney is a great coach and the organization has such a great history. I’m looking forward to going there and giving it everything I’ve got to help the team become a contender once again and prove I belong there.”

Giroux leaves behind a league in which he completely dominated. His vast accomplishments in Hershey include the following:

• In 2008-09 Giroux was named the AHL MVP. He lead the league in goals (60) and points (98) while playing an abbreviated schedule (69 games) due to an extended 12 game stint in Washington. In total he played 21 games with the Capitals where he totaled 2G and 3A.
• His 60 goal achievement in 2008-09 was an AHL record.
• Also an AHL Record: The Rooster scored goals in 15 consecutive games. The previous owner of the record was none-other-than Brett Hull.
• In 2009-10, Alexandre followed up his MVP season by once again leading the league in goals with 50. The next closest AHL player was his own linemate in Andrew Gordon, who finished the year with 37.
• Giroux also managed to score 5 more points than he did in 2008-09 and go over the century mark (103) for the first time in his 6 year professional career.
• Giroux leaves the Bears second all-time in playoff scoring. He was only four points off Mike Nykoluk for the franchise lead.
• He won back-to-back championships with Hershey in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

I will always remember Giroux as a player who simply was a scoring machine. I will also remember him for being the guy that almost ran me over on the ice after the Bears won the Calder Cup again this year. Well good luck G and I hope to see you return to Washington in an Oilers jersey sometime soon! You’ll be missed!

Other Notes: The Washington Capitals – who have been asleep at the wheel since the Free Agent Doors opened Thursday – signed Goalie Dany Sabourin who is expected to back up Braden Holtby in Hershey next year… Hershey’s third string goalie Jason Bacashihua signed with the Colorado Avalanche today and will play in Lake Erie next year… Kyle Wilson, who had a multiple game stint in Washington last year, was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Wilson was a 50pt producer in Hershey. His departure further hurts the Capitals’ center depth… Count out Brendan Morrison as one of the options to return to the Capitals via free agency. In this in-depth interview with The Province, B-Mo rips the organization and stresses the team made no adjustments to it’s 1 for 34 powerplay in the playoffs. Worth a read.

Sure, maybe it was stating the obvious when we said the second-line center the Caps should target is Matthew Lombardi, but it’s more than that. If we look at the numbers, I think he is the ONLY viable option in free agency.

Luckily our first line center is set in stone for the next decade. You may have heard of him; he’s kind of a big deal. But then there is quite a drop off:

Under contract are Michael Nylander and Brooks Laich. The team will pay Nylander’s $3 million salary next season but will make sure it doesn’t count against the salary cap by assigning him to Europe (again) or sending him to Hershey, leaving just Brooksy.

There is RFA Tomas Fleischmann, who, if you ask his agent, is comparable to Montreal center Tomas Plekanec. So, thanks, but no thanks.

GM George McPhee has said the Caps do not plan to re-sign center Brendan Morrison, a UFA.

That leaves Eric Belanger, who despite being an UFA is “still on the team’s radar.”

So, at center we have Backstrom– possibly Belanger– and Laich, who may be better suited to LW.

If we look at Goals Created for Belanger, we see he created 14.3 goals in 77 games. Or .7 per 60 minutes of ice time. That’s our benchmark. I am not alone in thinking Belanger is at best a #3 center, so any option the Caps consider has to be an improvement over Belanger – or they should simply sign Belanger and hope for the best.

With Plekanec and Marleau off the table, the free agent options become:

Vinny Prospal, who created 19.9 goals last season, and Saku Koivu, who created 18.2 goals. Both will be over 35 years old next season, and the stats on centers over 35 are not encouraging:

From 1987-88 to 2009-10, there have been only 35 centers, aged 35 or older, who have played more than 50 games, had 15+ goals and 30+ assists in a season – the average stats for a second-line centerman. That’s fewer than two players per year!

Olli Jokinen (16.6 goals created) & Matt Cullen (16.3) are only slight upgrades to Belanger– leaving Matt Lombardi, who created 18.4 goals and at 27 years old is just now entering what could be the prime of his career.

Have a better option? Let us know in the comments.

Mike Green needs help (Rick Stewart/Getty Images).

This week, the Caps free agent picture became clearer as the organization announced they will not be renewing the contracts of defenseman Joe Corvo and forwards Brendan Morrison and Scott Walker, and Tarik El-Bashir reported that José Theodore‘s tenure with the Washington Capitals may be over.

All this leads to more speculation as to what the roster will look like next year. ESPN and the writers of Puck Prospectus have addressed the offseason needs for all 30 NHL teams and surprised no one by stating that the Caps need a shutdown guy on defense.

The Bruins signed defenseman Dennis Seidenberg to a four-year contract extension, taking off a likely target unrestricted free agent acquisition during the offseason and leaving only a few top four shutdown defensemen left in the UFA pool.

The Caps need as close to a sure thing as you can get. They can’t afford to let age (Sergei Gonchar) or injuries (Paul Martin, Willie Mitchell, and Mark Eaton) detract from the production of their top four defensemen during next year’s inevitable Cup run.

With Tarik El-Bashir reporting “the team does not, in fact, plan to pursue the Ottawa blue liner [Volchenkov],” that leaves just two defensemen that can fill a Top 4 spot. And more specifically, the top pairing with Mike Green:

Zybnek Michalek

Michalek has proven to be an effective shot-blocker in the NHL. His 14.2 Blocked Shots For, On Ice, per 60 minutes is more than both Mike Green and Jeff Schultz while playing against MUCH better competition.

Michalek earned $1.5 million last year, which makes him a very affordable option.

Henrik Tallinder

GMGM said both John Carlson and Karl Alzner will be full-timers in Washington next season so it would be nice to have a veteran with experience in helping rookies, similar to what Tallinder did for Tyler Myers in Buffalo.

Described as “more Poti-lite than like Poti” by Corey Masisak, Tallinder averaged over 20 minutes per game for the fourth time in the last five years. Tallinder would bring durability, shot-blocking ability and 36 games of playoff experience.

Tallinder made $3.25 million in 2009-10, which may be a tough fit financially, but having a defensive mentor for the youngsters may be worth the extra cash.

It’s true the pool of UFA defenseman is deeper than it has been in years past, but I think with Volchenkov reportedly off the table, the Caps’ needs are specific enough that there are not too many quality options available.

Now to find a second-line center…

Viktor Fedorov, a honoured Coach of Russia and the father of Future Hall of Famer Sergei Fedorov, recently sat down with Russian Sports Radio and explained his reasons for why he thought the Capitals failed in the first round of the playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens. Lucky for us, Sports.ru transcribed the interview and our own Fedor Fedin translated it. Let us know what you think of his opinions in the comments below!

What happened to the the team? With the team, nothing happened, the team just played. The question is: How did they actually do? Alex Semin was criticized by the newspapers, but I think that he doesn’t have a good center. Alex Ovechkin played with Nicklas Backstrom, a very skilled forward, who earned a lot of points in the regular season. But the regular season and the playoffs are two very different things.

The absence of Sergei Fedorov was a problem, but not the main one. When Seryozha left the Capitals I said that the team would have issues. They signed Morrison and Knuble, but Sergey is a different player. And you can’t say that the former Canuck Morrison is a star.

Washington did not have a good centerman. Backstrom is not too bad, especially in the regular season, he helped Ovechkin, but Montreal played very skillfully against them. Ovechkin in a couple of games did not have a single shot on goal.

I think, the Capitals need a winger as well. Viktor Kozlov, for example, would be helpful in the season and even more in the playoffs.

With the recent revelations that Nicklas Backstrom dislocated his shoulder in Game 3, Victor’s comments don’t seem too out of line. But what do you think? After reading what he said, do you agree? What do the Capitals need to do next year to improve at center? Was being without Sergei Fedorov this year a major detriment to the team? Discuss below, RMNB’ers!

Weird bounces, Long goal reviews & Floating Pucks. What a fun night. (Photos by Nick Wass)

Funny isn’t it that the Capitals and Bruins will meet twice in the last week of the regular season before playing one another in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If tonight’s game sets a precedence for next week, we’re due for some entertaining hockey.

Tonight’s victory over Boston saw goals from fan favorites Nicky Backstrom, Mike Knuble and Books Laich, who secured the overtime gamewinner. Despite the everpresent physicality of Zdeno Chara’s bleeding nose and the dynamism of Patrice Bergeron, the Caps emerged victorious. Three games or bust.

• Tonight’s line up merits comment. Mike Green deserved his well-earned rest, while Scott Walker returned to active play. Brendan Morrison remains MIA, but we’re in no rush to have him return.
• Actually, nevermind. His replacement at 2nd-line center, Tomas Fleischmann, won a dismal 33% on the faceoff dot. I love the guy, but Flash needs to get his groove back, and it will not be found at center. Or will it?
• Nick Backstrom got three points tonight– a goal and two assists. I mention this not because I’m surprised, but because I am now certain that Nicky is deserving of fame far exceeding that which he is currently granted.
• Is there a player on the Caps roster who plays with more consistent oomph than Brooks “You Can Just Get Lost In His Eyes” Laich? His overtime in-your-face-goal is just another exhibit in the mountain of evidence that Brooks wants to win more than any other player out there. Maybe the Caps were coasting without Brooks, but when he’s around, they go to the net.
• More on that Laich character. We can’t get over the full cage he’s wearing to protect that beautiful chiseled face of man. So when we prompted the ladies if Brooks Laich in a full cage was cute or simply the cutest ever, we got some hilarious responses. Some of our favorites were “more like cant wait for him to get it off to see his face again“, “ADORABLE. he looks like a babyyy“, “Cute, but without it is cutest ever“, “I would say that Laich has trumped Michelangelo’s David…even with the busted face“, “it makes me think of the cone a dog wears so it doesn’t chew its stitches” & “ew“. Awesome.
• John Erskine and Tyler Sloan are mighty fine gentlemen, and I think that I would enjoy a frosty draught with either one, but give me Milan Jurcina or John Carlson any day.
• Ian has repeatedly said that players like David Steckel are crucial to a prosperous postseason.  Judging by Davey’s PK effort tonight, we agree.  On the other hand, Stecks was just as bad as Flash on the faceoff (33%).
• Wouldn’t tomorrow night be wonderfully exciting if “Crazy Legs” Braden Holtby started in net?
• RMNB mathman Neil Greenberg was at the game tonight, but who wasn’t?  How about President Barack Obama, whose first pitch at the Nats game sailed so far wide left that I can already imagine the next batch of Tea Party protest signs.  NO POLITICS, PEOPLE! THIS IS HOCKEY!

Well, we are now down to felt as they say. Three games separate the Washington Capitals from what should be a historic post-season. And don’t say “an historic”– that’s stupid.   While I’m a proponent of the “win everything” philosophy, I’m willing to concede that Bruce Boudreau’s hockey savvy exceeds my own.  Let’s just establish a bit of the big Mo’ before next week. A 10-0 shutout of the Penguins in Braden Holtby’s NHL debut would suffice.

Above: Alex Semin Getting Nasty With Cory Stillman, Top: Tomas Vokoun Getting Some Love From The Florida Fans (Both Photos by: Eliot J. Schechter)

I’ll be honest, I’ve never been more bored by a drubbing than tonight’s 7-3 Caps victory over the Florida Panthers. Maybe it was because Japers Rink’s FREE ALEX signs got more facetime than the Russian Machine did. Maybe it was because the hundreds of people who WERE in attendance at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, were practically comatose during the entire game. Or maybe it was because Florida’s team defense was so bad that every member of it could have been replaced by a lawn chair and no one would have noticed a difference.

Oh well! A win’s a win, right?

• For the first time in team history, the Washington Capitals swept an entire season series against the Panthers, embarrassing the Kitty Cats in 6 consecutive games. Also of note: The Capitals are now just 11 points away from clinching the Eastern Conference Crown and are 3 points away from having a double digit lead over the San Jose Sharks in the race for the President’s Trophy. Uh? Awesome!
• Even more awesome? Brendan Morrison managed to have 4 Goals, 6 Assists and 10 points in 6 games against the Panthers this year. A little over a quarter of B-Mo’s points have come this year against the Southeast Divison’s second worst team. But really, who needs Sasha Major when you’ve got Brendan Morrison slaying at this rate?
• Apparently, not the Washington Capitals. Washington’s gone 7-2-0 without their Captain in the lineup. They now average more goals without him – 4.9 – than with him 3.8. Is this a testament to how good the Capitals are overall? Sure. Why not? But tonight, let’s not read too much into it. The Panthers seemed more interested in watching Tomas Vokoun’s save percentage regress to the mean than actually play hockey tonight.
• Do you remember that time when Brooks Laich was awesome? What? He’s awesome every night? Mike Knuble Jr. was the only other Washington player who managed a three point night, notching 2 goals, an assist and a PAT. He even played coy with reporters after the game. Oh ladies, time to swoon. Is this the start of a late season hot streak for Brooksie? We sure hope so. He’s currently on pace for his first 30 goal season of his career and we’d sure like to see him get it.
• Do you know who already has 30 goals? Alex Semin does! Who knew? Sasha minor picked up his 32nd goal tonight on the powerplay while easily sweeping garbage behind JP’s Favorite Goalie of all time. Semin also managed to pick up a 2 minute minor for roughing – which was the last time during the game I showed any interest at all – after exchanging manly hate shoves with Cory Stillman in a second period scrum. With the giant lip scar, Semin looks… kinda… tough? Did I just write that?
• Finally, you know the Florida Panthers are not going to make the playoffs. Why? Because the Panthers staff spent more time hyping up the April 18th Bon Jovi Concert than promoting anything relating to the team. I received about 7 different complaints from fans watching the game saying pretty much the same thing: “GOD I’M SO SICK ABOUT HEARING ABOUT FREAKIN BON JOVI.” Fedor estimated that he was forced to sit through about 4 commercials and my friend Katie Stansbery estimated that arena announcer mentioned the concert at least 5 different times. I guess the Panters’ Playoff Hopes are “Livin On A Prayer“? ZINGGG.

Locker, postgame, mentioned that the Capitals 47th Victory on the season was a simple tale of “Men against Boys.” And it’s hard to argue with his logic there (please ignore this logic however 1, 2). I loved the pure domination tonight, but it was too dominatey for me. So Capitals let’s tone it down a bit. Keep your leads under 5 goals or you’re going to lose me as a fan (and as a sane blogger). Is that selfish?

Anyways, all in all, tonight was just really weird. Both Peter and Neil dissed me for girls while Fedor couldn’t stop complaining about having to watch a video feed (in Moscow) of the Caps game via the Panthers telecast. RMNB’s in turmoil!! But I should look at the positives. At least I successfully made fun of Down Goes Brown and my favorite player is one game closer to returning to the lineup. I’ll take it. Good win, boys.

Hockey fans everywhere now turn their lonely eyes to the General Managers.  Nearly every club in the NHL wants to make some kind of move, and the Washington Capitals are no exception. Who’s packing a bag? Who’s coming to DC?  Let’s take a look!

On The Block

5. Karl Alzner
Terms:
 $875,000 – RFA in 2012
21 GP 0 G 5 A
Our Analysis:
Karl Alzner – at 20 years old – is the only defenseman from the 2007 draft class to have ten NHL games under his belt– a remarkable achievement. However, King Karl’s Top Prospect status has started to fade with inconsistent performances and a -2 plus/minus rating in his second pro year in the Washington system. In our minds, Alzner’s no longer a sure thing. Is it merely a Sophomore Slump or something deeper? It’s impossible to know, especially when most NHL Players don’t fully master the position until their late twenties. But there’s one thing for sure; with John Carlson’s rapid development, Alzner has been passed as the most untouchable defensive prospect on team. And with the tremendous amount of backline depth in Washington, Alzner’s potential return may never be higher.

4. Shaone Morrisonn
Terms:
$1,975,000 – UFA in 2010
51 GP 1 G 9 A
Our Analysis:
Despite being on the first pairing with Mike Green for most of his Capital career, Shaone Morrisonn never really played the part. Sorry to be so harsh, S-Mo. Sure, there’ve been some good moments. But to be frank, for a stay-at-home defender, Morrisonn’s not that great of a defender. And certainly not worth the $2 million we’re currently paying him. GMGM knows the Capitals still need a gritty defenseman who can clear the crease with a vengeance and physically dominate another team’s top line in the playoffs. Too bad Morrisonn never developed into that guy.

3. Brendan Morrison
Terms:
$1,500,000 – UFA in 2010
62 GP 11 G 23 A
Our Analysis:
The other Morrison had a great start to this season. Almost all of us praised George McPhee for this sage offseason signing!! But we here at RMNB must painfully ask: “B-Mo, what have you done for us lately?” And sadly Morrison’s 2 goals and 9 assists in his last 34 games are not gonna cut it. Though he’s eighth on the team in points, Morrison’s production is a huge problem if you’re considered to be the second line center of the highest scoring team in the league. We think B-Mo is a big candidate to be moved tomorrow. Maybe the Caps can deal him and a draft pick for a 2nd line center. One can dream, right?

2. Tomas Fleischmann
Terms:
$725,500 – RFA in 2010
51 GP 18 G 25 A
Our Analysis:
Flash has quietly turned into one of the Capitals best players this year. And if you watched the Olympic Tournament last week, you’d say the same about his value to the Czech National Team. With two goals in the remaining 20 games, Fleischmann will pass his career best mark for goals in a season (19). We predict it’ll happen by early next week. The best part? Flash has gotten better in every aspect of his game each year. So why would the Capitals consider moving such a valuable player? Because of what he could bring back in return. After Bruce Boudreau experimented with Fleischmann
 at center a month ago, it was evident that Flash was not that second line center the team needed – despite an early string of promising games. Oh, those pesky faceoffs get in the way of everything, right? When the smoke clears however, we here at RMNB think Flash will still be in the line-up against the Sabres tomorrow. Why? 1.) He’s a RFA this year and the Caps can afford to sign him long term; 2) It’s hard to get a fair return on a guy with so much talent and creativity. As Fedor says it, he’s a universal player: one in a million. But those might be good reasons to trade him as well.

Yes, I'm trying to tug at your heart strings.

1. Eric Fehr
Terms:
$771,500 – RFA in 2010
51 GP 15 G 14 A
Our Analysis:
Congratulations Eric Fehr, you’re number one on our list. What do you win? More than likely, a trip out of town to a rebuilding team that won’t make the playoffs in the next three years. Bummer, dude. No wonder you don’t want to pick up the phone tomorrow. Despite owning a Brandon Wheat Kings hat (Fehr’s junior team) and just absolutely loving this guy more than life itself, I think there’s no better player to unload. He’s cheap, he’s an RFA, he’s having his best season as a Capital and he loves country music. What could better unite a troubled lockerroom than that? If the Caps are willing to part with Fehrsie, they should get good compensation back. Could it be that elusive top defenseman we were whining about earlier?

As for our stone cold locks on what’s going to happen tomorrow, we really have no idea. Sorry, we’re not that kind of blog. Honestly, I would never want to play poker with George McPhee. His icey stare would eat me alive.

What we can do is start terrible rumors. We are that kind of blog. Earlier in the day, in the spirit of Eklund, I asked our fans on Facebook (join us!) to submit the most ridiculous trades they could think of for the Capitals. Our submissions: Lecavalier to the Caps for Brett Leonhardt and his DJ’ing equipment. And so desperate for a defensive boost, the Capitals trade the horn guy for Erik Johnson’s skates. They force Tom Poti to wear the skates in the hopes that Johnsons’ aweseomeness wears off on Poti. (Not a bad idea.)

Here were some of our favorite submissions from our followers:

• Neil G: Slapshot and a Simon Cowel Black Smedium T-shirt to OTT for Carrie Underwood
• Michael H: Experience>>potential. John Carlson to Atl for newly signed Chris Chelios
• Manda K: Craig Laughlin for a Filet-O-Fish Sandwhich and a Garden Salad.
• Monika M: Semin for a rinkload of Bongos.
• Peter’s Girlfriend Erin: Trade Peter Hassett to The Pensblog for a years supply of Chipotle. (Blasphemous!!)

Have a better deal? Let us know!

Lastly, if you were in a coma all day, these are the deals you missed on the glorious day before the deadline:

To PIT: Leopold, to FLA: 2nd round pick 2010
To STL: Fallon, to CHI: Toivonen, Richmond
To EDM: 2nd round pick 2010, to NSH: Grebeshkov
To CBJ: Moore, to NYI: Reese
To ATL: Artyukhin, to ANA: Oystrick, Conditional pick 2011
ATL signed Chelios
To BOS: Kampfer, to ANA: Conditional pick
To OTT: Sutton, to NYI: SJS 2nd round pick 2010
To PIT: Ponikarovsky, to TOR: Caputi & Skoula

Have fun refreshing Capitals Insider tomorrow all day waiting for the first deal to land! We’ll be there clicking away too!

Bruce Boudreau in the same pose as our WTF Shirt

The Montreal Canadiens have done what a dozen teams could not do: end the Washington Capitals record-shattering win streak. The game felt like a trap from the opening minute when Scott Gomez triangulated a goal on Michal Neuvirth. It was the second period, however, when everything went pear-shaped. In that period the Caps had only one goal (by Nick Backstrom) to answer a whopping four from Montreal.

Entering the final frame, the Capitals faced a 3-goal deficit. Mike Green erased one of those marks in the first minutes, followed by Brooks Laich nine minutes later. After relying on back-up goalie Jose Theodore to defuse the surging Montreal offense, the Caps waited until the final minute of play to even it up. Employing a gentle deflection, Brooks Laich evened the game up, earned his first hat trick, and secured a guarantee of at least one point.

But then Tomas Plekanec proved to be one man too many for the overwhelmed Caps defense. Before we even had a moment to process it, the streak had ended. Habs beat Caps 6-5. Wah wah wah.

Now’s the part where we blame people:

• Michal Neuvirth absconded the net early in the second period. During the post game, Coach BB says Mikey reported an injury during a time-out and volunteered to come out. No one on the Caps staff seemed surprised by the exit, which sheds a bit of light on the team’s decision to bring Semyon “Groin Invictus” Varlamov on this Canadian jaunt.  We may yet see our third Russian Machine before the Olympic break.
• We have no ill words for either goalie tonight. Both made several implausible stops, and both were caught unawares by the trampling offense of the Habs. No one player is to blame for the six goals Montreal snatched tonight. Instead, let’s altogether wag our collective fingers at the Caps’ wobbly defense.
• Mike Green was quite the player tonight. His slapper to start the third showed us that the team desperately wanted the win. Another rocket hit Josh Gorges square in the ear, adding to the body count from Caps’ shots. Green also showed us some a smart defensive move when timing a dive during a 2-on-1 breakaway in the first period. Those are the only good marks we can mention right now. For the rest of the night, @GreenLife52 was just as meh as the other 5 D-men.
• The Caps’ second goal of the night was a gobstopping passing sequence from the top line and finalized by Nick Backstrom.  While this play may have dumbfounded us with its air of effortlessness, this kind of thing cannot be good for the team.   Globetrotter tricks may look cool (as hell), but they’re much easier to interrupt than more straightforward attacks.  The top line might benefit from taking a cue from Captain America, John Carlson: when in doubt, just shoot the damn puck.

• Alex Ovechkin (BTW 29:30 TOI, WTF BBQ) scored an unorthodox goal halfway into the second period. Instead of shooting the puck, Ovie slugged puck-carrier Hal Gill, sending the disc sliding past a tremulant Carey Price. The goal would have kept the win inside Washington’s grasp, but the call on the ice was reversed after it was reviewed. We were not made privy to the reasoning for the reversal until after game time, but here’s what we’ve learned since: nothing. I cannot find a salient reason for this call. If the Russian Machine world headquarters were not buried under meters of snow, I’d travel up to Toronto and give the Powers That Be a polite, but strongly worded talking-to.
• Brendan Morrison‘s two minor penalties robbed the Caps of four much-needed minutes in which they might score. If B-Mo is going to commit penalties with the same frequency of Alexander Semin, he better start scoring like he as well.  Tonight’s performance brings into focus all those pesky trade rumors about centers we keep hearing.  Hurm…
• The music choices at the Bell Centre were abyssmal.  I heard “Down Under” by Men at Work, a song mercifully given respite for the last 20 years, resurrected and foully pumped through their speakers.  And then I heard a DANCE REMIX of Kings of Leon’s “Sex on Fire”, a gruesome mutant of a recording whose creation could be possible only through the combined efforts of Satan and the guy who gave the Tonight Show back to Jay Leno.   For this reason alone Montreal does not deserve victory.
• Brooks Laich wanted the win tonight more than any other player out there.  If his net-crashing antics in the first period were all he offered, we still would have been proud. But little Brooksy hoisted the Washington Capitals on his shoulders and scored two more. That last goal, a velvet kiss with his blade, might have been a play worthy of poem and song if it led to the win. Unfortunately, the story of the impossible comeback turned out to be exactly that: impossible.. Our hearts weep for Brooksy; he deserved a celebration tonight. When Bruce Boudreau lectured the boys for being sloppy and out of sync tonight, I hope Laich was far away, perhaps building little snovechkins outside the Bell Centre.

It had to end sometime, right? Sigh.

I’ve been a fan of this team since 1997 (except for the dark days of ’01-’04), and I’ve never seen anything like the camaraderie and joy the current incarnation brings to every game. So, yes, while we do mourn the death of The Streak, we look forward with bright eyes and foamy mugs to the wonderful future.  It’s a long way ’til June, but I know we’ll get there.