This is getting tough to take. Semin, Fedorov, Green, Schultz, Gordon, Erskine and we should never forget that Brian Pothier is still on the team and injured as well.
We will regroup after a day off. Playing four games on the road in six nights with an injury depleted team is tough but there is no crying and whining allowed in hockey. The team has to suck it up. We need to bring up some reserves and get back at it come Wednesday night.
Thanks to some good drafts by GM, quality coaching, and patience, the Caps have a great farm system. GM has made many correct calls lately, the big one was not signing Huet for all that money.
The big challenge for the Caps now, is that even though they have all this talent, they have no cap room.
Several big moves will have to be made either this season or next to free up some spots and cap space. Id love to see the Caps draft a physical stay at home defensive enforcer.
This team has the depth to get through the injuries…there are two NHL-calibre defensemen in Hershey right now if need be (Alzner and Lepisto). Ditto for NHL cablibre forwards (Bourque, Aucoin). The Caps are a deep team. It’s tough to get players out to games on recall when you’re three time zones away, but now it’s not an issue with the Caps playing 4 of the next 5 at home (with only a sojourn to Columbus on the way…)
Bad luck indeed on the injuries. Sincere wishes for speedy recoveries all the way around. In light of the present, unfortunate situation, and your call for “some reserves”, Ted, I respectfully think Caps ownership/management needs to be honest with itself about the team’s glaring weaknesses on D. The problems have been there a LONG time.
I’m not questioning the effort and desire of those who have played D for the Caps this season. (I don’t scream at a green tomato for not being ripe.) If Caps ownership/management want to compete for a Cup, it has to quit kidding itself: defensive players like Sloan, Jurcina, Erskine, Schultz, and even Morrisonn, don’t cut it – yet, if ever.
D is a HUGE part of O (look no farther than Mike Green’s absence for support of this point). If Washington wants to compete with teams like San Jose, it needs new defensive players — not “reserves” for, well, players who are themselves no more than reserves.
Paraphrasing Ovechkin at the end of the 06-07 season when asked what he felt the often-losing Caps needed to do, OV said: “we need new (D) players – and good players, not just players.”
Exactly, OV. Exactly.
Indeed…tough stretch. Let’s hope we mend soon.
Outside of the Ducks W, the most memorable thing this west coast trip was watching Victor Kozlov grinning like a child as Igor Larionov was honored for his career…very cool.
The injuries will go away. Our inconsistent goaltending won’t. That’s what I am more worried about.