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We Are Good
by Paul on 03/21/10 at 11:11 AM ET
Comments (27)
from Ted Leonsis of Ted’s Take,
We have won our division and are up 33 points over our nearest division competitor with 10 games left to play.We lead the Eastern Conference by 16 points with 10 games left to play.
We lead the 8th place team in the Eastern Conference by 32 points. If the season ended today we would play Boston in the first round of the playoffs.
We lead Chicago by 9 points for most points in NHL although they have one game in hand.
We just completed a tough week road trip - four games in seven days - and we were successful and gained ground in the standings.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Washington Capitals | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
Perhaps they won’t fold - but yes, so far they have demonstrated that they are an excellent regular-season Eastern conference team, no more. If they are anything more than that they will have the opportunity to prove it in a few weeks.
In some ways they remind me of the Sharks, with a bit less of a post-season record.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/21/10 at 11:38 AM ET
We have won our division and are up 33 points over our nearest division competitor with 10 games left to play.
We lead the 8th place team in the Eastern Conference by 32 points.
What is the relevance of these two stats? There isn’t a team that likes to pat itself on the back more than the Capitals. Not. Even. Close.
Posted by cs6687 on 03/21/10 at 11:49 AM ET
What is the relevance of these two stats? There isn’t a team that likes to pat itself on the back more than the Capitals. Not. Even. Close.
Is it the Capitals in general, though, or just Ted?
Granted, even if it is just Ted, it doesn’t take long for an attitude like that to trickle down throughout the front office and then the team itself ... but maybe he’s just trying to really sell the team to the fans and the community the only way he knows how, and it just seems heavy-handed and clumsy.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/21/10 at 11:59 AM ET
I don’t think Ted pats himself on the back, I think it’s more he’s trying to convince himself that his team will be good in the playoffs.
Congrats on cleaning up in the weakest division in hockey, and the weaker of the two conferences. Nobody cares.
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 03/21/10 at 12:29 PM ET
We lead the 8th place team in the Eastern Conference by 32 points.
Congratulations on that. They’d be 14th in the West.
Posted by steve on 03/21/10 at 12:33 PM ET
Everyone jealous much? Teds comments aside this team is in a class of their own. Why don’t you check their record against your so called elite divisions? We beat chi after sleeping through two periods.
Bottom line is this team is light years ahead of last years team that took Pitt to 7 games. They are also light years ahead of Pitt this year. Say what you want about d and goaltening. D is better than the Pitt squad that won the cup. Anyone who was watched more than 3 caps games this year wouldn’t be too concerned about goalies. At any given point in time theo neuvy or varly are on top of their game.
No I don’t think the cup is a foregone conclusion. I just think thy you are a bunch of whiny haters jumping on an owners comments. Ted needs to shut up. And you all need to as well. San Jose is th only team that can swim with the caps and they are fading fast. Oh yeah, we also have nine forwards thy would be on any other teams top 2 lines. We could lose 5 guys to injury and not miss a beat. D isn’t great but doesn’t need to be. But we have more than enough NHL caliber d men.
Get used to it. This team is built to compete for the next 5 years. Constant contributors on entry level deals. Pitt?? Not so much. Any other teams except Chicago right now? Not so much. See you in June. And the next June and on an on.
Posted by B&m's from Fl on 03/21/10 at 01:58 PM ET
None of the comments sounds especially jealous, just skeptical that the Capitals are as good as their record is because of the weak division. Same thing with any team that plays well in the regular season but hasn’t delivered in the playoffs in a while - San Jose, Chicago, Phoenix, even Vancouver are all in the same boat in the Western conference, and Washington, maybe also Ottawa and Montreal in the East fall into that category.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/21/10 at 02:39 PM ET
Teds comments aside this team is in a class of their own.
So…do you do stand-up?
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 03/21/10 at 02:42 PM ET
That’s what it’s all about B&m. People can’t stand the fact that this team will dominate for years to come. Ted’s the most fan friendly, accessible owner in the league. Annoying at times? Sure. But every fan in the league would love him as their owner. And make no mistake, us Caps fans are a defeatist bunch. No Cap fan assumes that regular season glory will mean anything a month from now. But when you have the best team and the best player you like your chances.
Posted by eric from baltimore on 03/21/10 at 02:42 PM ET
Besides, how many years have us Detroit fans been accused of rooting for a team in a weak Central Division?
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 03/21/10 at 02:44 PM ET
Nobody is hating on Washington. But the points he makes are just pointless and irrelevant. Washington is a good team, but they have done nothing. The series against the Penguins last year was an anomaly. That series should’ve been done in five games. It took Ovechkin at his best and Varlamov playing out of his mind to send that series to seven games. I could play devil’s advocate and say if AO and Varlamov/Theodore don’t play great, the Penguins could oust them again. The Penguins are only the defending champions, after all.
D isn’t great but doesn’t need to be.
Um, in the playoffs, it matters greatly.
Constant contributors on entry level deals. Pitt?? Not so much.
Yeah. Only Backstrom, Fehr (20 goals), Fleischmann (21 goals), and Schultz.
Anyone who was watched more than 3 caps games this year wouldn’t be too concerned about goalies. At any given point in time theo neuvy or varly are on top of their game.
Don’t need to be on top of their games when the offense is putting in four goals per game. But they will be when the other goalie is Miller, Fleury, or Brodeur, they will need to be good.
Bottom line, the Capitals have done nothing and its owner and coach need to shut up.
Posted by cs6687 on 03/21/10 at 02:47 PM ET
If that is the issue, then my only comment would be to remind everyone that the caps were clearly in a rebuild 2 years ago when they went on a late run to sneak into the playoffs. Playing with house money if you will. Last year was the last year of the rebuild. Simply a year behind the pens rebuild, but now we are in compete mode.
So I guess I don’t see where all the playoff doubts come in. If they bow out before the conference finals, then that’s a valid point for next year. Those doubts should be resered for San Jose. Give the caps a shot with a full roster, which they have for the first time since ‘98. And let’s not fault them for being In a division with a bunch of .500 teams when they have played well against everyone.
Posted by B&m's from Fl on 03/21/10 at 02:48 PM ET
So I guess I don’t see where all the playoff doubts come in.
Same as for any team - people who watch hockey have seen teams tear through the regular season and then bow out in the playoffs because they run against a goalie who has the best two-week span of his career, or a key player or two gets hurt, or they just coasted to the finish and couldn’t get charged up in time to avoid an early exit. And sometimes they continue through the playoffs playing just as well as in the regular season, but it’s impossible to tell until after the season is over.
The doubts come because the Capitals haven’t done anything in the playoffs yet, same as with any other team. Their regular season performance, impressive as it is, has no relevance.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/21/10 at 02:54 PM ET
Cs687 - re entry level deals I’m talking about the future as well. Heard of neuvy, varly, alzner, carlson? We have what I would call salary cap diversity. You have 3 centers making big bucks and not too many entry level contributors. Look at tampa when they had too many salaries in one area. Caps big money is on w c and d. It’s a luxury, if not a result of luck in drafting. Next year we will have an entry level starting goalie and at least 2 on d. We also don’t break the bank on players like fehr and flash.
As far as d in the playoffs comment—pens didn’t need it. We have a solid but unspectacular group. One thing you need to remember is that the caps can’t add what everyone says we need—a big hulking shut down dman. It woulnt fit our puck moving system to have someone like that unless they can flat out fly, which is rare. Make non mistake, we will have the cap room to get someone like that if they become available. And we won’t trade the house to fill a hole. Cough hossa cough! Not necessary in a league where the cap forces you to pick your posion (weakness). If I had to pick a weakness in the new era NHL it would certainly not be scoring wingers, which is why the pens won’t make it past nj or wsh this year.
Posted by B&m's from Fl on 03/21/10 at 02:59 PM ET
Say what you want about d and goaltening. D is better than the Pitt squad that won the cup
Way off.
Last year, Pittsburgh didn’t have a single defenseman as ineffective in his own zone as any of Poti, Corvo, Erskine, Jurcina (physical play does not equal smart positioning) or Green. Sure, Shultz is better now, but that doesn’t change the fact that five of the top seven for Washington can’t play in their own zone whatsoever. What’s worse, is that only one of them (Green) has added any significant offensive contribution to the Capitals this year (and he’s added a lot), so what are these guys in there for? Bad defensively, neutral-to-bad offensively, I’m not even sure a case can be made that Washington’s blueline is better than Atlanta’s, much less Pittsburgh’s from last year.
Hell, Pittsburgh’s blueline is much worse this year than last (Gonchar, in particular, appears to be washing up). Even so, the only guy with comparable defensive deficiencies to those Washington five is Goligoski, who has still somehow managed to outscore everybody on Washington’s blueline but Green (in sometimes limited icetime).
That’s not good news for Washington considering that Pittsburgh’s blueline doesn’t exactly consist of 6 Shea Webers (or even 1, really).
Anyone who was watched more than 3 caps games this year wouldn’t be too concerned about goalies.
Varlamov looks good, but is still an unknown quantity who is injured more often than he plays. Theordore has a long history of inconsistency, terrible play and collapse under pressure. Why wouldn’t everyone be worried?
They are also light years ahead of Pitt this year
I’ll buy that, but certainly not because of defense or goaltending.
No I don’t think the cup is a foregone conclusion.
That’s good. Playoff hockey’s a different animal. The last team that used offense to cut through the league like a
buzzsaw, overscoring other teams at a greater percentage than Washington is this year, got beat in the ECF by a hot goalie and 19 Brian Skrudlands. Stop and look at the offensive numbers on the team I linked for just a minute. Those were put up in clutch-and-grab hockey. Look at some of the names. Naslund, Smolinksi and Glenn Murray were a third line for most of the year. And the blueline was structured quite similar to Washington’s (Zubov=Green, Mironov=Poti, Tamer=Morrison, etc.).
I’m not guaranteeing that Washington’s not winning a cup this year. For one thing, there’s no hungry team of nobodys, unsung heroes and has-beens like the 96 Panthers in this year’s East (Phoenix might fit that description in the West). I’m just saying that history is not on Washington’s side, so overconfidence like that of Leonsis is stupid and naive.
This team is built to compete for the next 5 years. Constant contributors on entry level deals. Pitt?? Not so much. Any other teams except Chicago right now? Not so much.
Agree. On paper, Washington is in the best position of anybody looking five years out. Chicago is the only other team that’s even close.
Posted by steve on 03/21/10 at 03:01 PM ET
Cs687 - re entry level deals I’m talking about the future as well. Heard of neuvy, varly, alzner, carlson? We have what I would call salary cap diversity. You have 3 centers making big bucks and not too many entry level contributors.
Those three centers comprise the best 1-2-3 punch in the league. There is no team with the defensive depth to match up with that. In a seven-game series, it shows. And teams that are trying to win cups now won’t have a lot of entry level contributors. The Penguins are a seasoned, battle-tested group with guys who have won championships for other teams besides Pittsburgh last year (Guerin, Kunitz, Adams, Fedotenko, Rupp).
It’s a luxury, if not a result of luck in drafting.
Your stupidity blinds you. I believe Washington won a lottery to get Ovechkin, used a top-five pick to get Backstrom in the same draft the Penguins drafted Staal, and drafted Alzner fourth overall. So stop with the ‘luck with drafting’ line. Washington has benefitted from it just as much as Pittsburgh.
We also don’t break the bank on players like fehr and flash.
Their contracts are up this summer. You will be paying more than 1.5 combined for both.
Posted by cs6687 on 03/21/10 at 03:15 PM ET
And we won’t trade the house to fill a hole. Cough hossa cough!
Pittsburgh didn’t actually lose all that much in retrospect, and Hossa played very well for them, including in the playoffs. It wasn’t his fault that Pittsburgh lost to Detroit that year - in fact, he nearly scored thy tying goal in the final game of the series.
Pittsburgh’s defense was very good, especially when Gonchar wasn’t out with an injury. Good defense has always been important in the playoffs.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/21/10 at 03:22 PM ET
And we won’t trade the house to fill a hole. Cough hossa cough!
Yeah. That horrible trade that allowed the Penguins to bitchslap the Eastern Conference all the way to the Finals. And they only had to give up Colby Armstrong (good third line player, nothing more), Erik Christensen (journeyman), Angelo Esposito (injury-plagued prospect) and a 1st round pick. Yep, they gave up the house.
Posted by cs6687 on 03/21/10 at 03:30 PM ET
And we won’t trade the house to fill a hole. Cough hossa cough!
Two abject busts (Christensen and Esposito), a third-liner (Armstrong) and a 30th pick really aren’t that high of a price for a game 6 in the finals. I don’t know if Pittsburgh beats the Rangers in the second round without Hossa.
Pittsburgh’s defense from the past two playoffs could best be described as a bunch of guys who knew how they fit into the big picture, went out and did their jobs to the best of their capabilities, with Scuderi occasionally performing way above himself in that capacity.
Posted by steve on 03/21/10 at 03:36 PM ET
Caps picks outside the top 10
Semin
Fehr
Green
Carlson
Neuvirth
Varlamov
As for defense Caps 203 GA, Pit 205. Theodore’s last regulation loss: December. Pitt without Scuderi and Gill are not as good as last year. Caps with the additions of Knuble,Morrison,Belanger,Carlson,Corvo and Walker are better then last year. And they have the best farm system in hockey, that’s when they will have cap problems. When the Alzners and Carlsons reach RFA. But the next 2 years Knuble,Morrison,Poti,Theordore,Belanger,Walker,Corvo,Erskine and Bradley all come off the cap. Most are expected to be replaced by young cheap players. And the previous poster is right, Varly far outplayed Fleury or Pitt wins last year in 5 games. They were the better team. Emphasis on WERE. They are no longer the better team and it will be proven come May.
Posted by eric from baltimore on 03/21/10 at 04:02 PM ET
They are no longer the better team and it will be proven come May.
We’ll see, I guess.
I agree, the Capitals are better at all three forward positions than they were last year (they were no slouches then, either). I also agree they are set up long-term more than anyone else.
But their favorable GA vs. Pittsburgh is misleading. Pittsburgh has looked like a team that’s going through the motions during the regular season while they wait for the playoffs to start (that’s what I hope, at least). Detroit looks the same way (does anybody really believe the Red Wings have the 13th best team defense?). Washington’s playing like every game matters.
The doubts people are having about the Capitals are not simple cases of “hating” or jealousy. Rather, their composition and style of play mimics that of other teams that have lights-out regular seasons and get wiped out early in the playoffs each and every year. If regular season success based almost exclusively on front-line talent translated to playoff success, we’d be talking about Ottawa and San Jose as the best teams of the decade, instead of Jersey and Detroit. Pittsburgh would have had 6 cups in the 90s, instead of 2.
Alzner and Carlson may help the situation for Washington, but they aren’t ready right now. Varliamov hasn’t been around enough to say whether he’s a long-term solution or a flash-in-the-pan.
As it is, I’m much more skeptical about Pittsburgh’s chances against Jersey than against Washington. Maybe Washington would beat Pittsburgh in the SCP, maybe they wouldn’t, but I’m pretty sure Jersey beats Pittsburgh in 4.
Posted by steve on 03/21/10 at 04:35 PM ET
I don’t trust Jersey. Brodeur gets worn out in the regular season every year. His last quality post season was what?2003? Pit beats them in 6 or 7. Pit can beat us but I’ll be surprised if they outplay us. I think Fleury would need to steal the series or a Theo choke.
Posted by eric from baltimore on 03/21/10 at 04:46 PM ET
[all that blabber]
Posted by B&m’s from Fl on 03/21/10 at 02:58 PM ET
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
The Caps will only be in a class of their own if they win the Cup. That’s kind of the definition of being the champion… for one offseason, and maybe a little change, you are without a doubt in a class of your own.
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 03/21/10 at 05:51 PM ET
Why does this always boil down into a Pens Caps pissing match. Okay…it’s great the Caps have such a great record but we’ll have to see how that translates into the playoffs where defense and goaltending counts. Nothing is decided and the regular season doesn’t matter. President’s trophy doesn’t mean free stanley cup.
Posted by stoneman from vegas on 03/21/10 at 08:25 PM ET
“a class of their own”
yikes. I won’t be drinking any Kool Aid in Ted’s office. I was looking at div standings over the last few years. Remember the 95-96 season? Detroit ended with 131 points. The regular season is no guarantee of success.
Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 03/21/10 at 09:35 PM ET
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We have yet to prove anything.
We will fold when challenged in the playoffs.
Posted by Garth on 03/21/10 at 11:16 AM ET