hockeyman33
Jun 23, 2009 Jun 02, 2012 8 1519
a fan of
Baltimore Orioles
Washington Redskins
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins
Federer!
Washington Capitals
Lance Armstrong
DC United
RSSUser Blog
The Juan and Only! just found this on my book shelf, lets get another one of these!
24/7 Online?
Does anyone know if 24/7 will be available on the internet for those of us who don't have HBO? And if so, when we can expect it to be up and what websites should we be able to find it on? If you have a link, you could post it here each week so people don't have to dig through the clips to see if one's there. Thanks a lot!
Ranking Defensive Units
This is a pretty interesting usage of stats to find the NHL's "best" defensive unit. It has a little offensive bias, and while a team goals against and quality of goaltender factored in there would make it more complete, this does do a good job of finding the statistically best defensive unit.
Oh, and thats one hell of a plus/minus.
Varly or Neuvi?
by hockeyman33 on Jan 29, 2010 11:46 PM EST
on Japers' Rink
Simple question, which goalie will pan out to be better?
Semyon Varlamov, as we all know, is extremely athletic and can be an amazing goalie, as he showed in the playoffs last year. He has cat quick reflexes and is extremely flexible. His downsides are that he is prone to injury and needs some work on positioning. He also showed in last year's playoffs that he would have a tough time going through an entire playoffs if the Caps can't win some short series. In my opinion, Varly is a high-risk, high-reward choice for the goalie of our future. Injuries can hold him out for the majority of a season, but in a close playoff game I would rather have Varly tending the nets than Neuvi.
Michal Neuvirth can be a textbook goalie. Positioning is his game, and it works pretty well. One of his few flaws is time to adapt. After moving up from the A, it took him awhile to adjust to the speed of the NHL. This could also pop up at the start of the season and after a significant amount of time off, like an injury. As long as he isn't rushed into anything, I don't see this as a major problem. He isn't usually as flashy and doesn't make as many robberies. I can easily see him being a solid starter in a few years. While usually a step being Varly in terms of development, Varly's current injury has given Neuvi time to catch up. While he will most likely be sent down when Varly is fully ready, I believe that they are now equal in development.
This level in development is a way from full time starter. Both still show signs of their age with simple mistakes like misplaying the puck and leaving a few too many juicy rebounds.
Also, what would be the Caps best option for next year? The Caps could re-sign Theo as the veteran back-up, go with the two youngsters, or find another capable back-up, say... Brent Johnson?
66 comments
Goal Review
by hockeyman33 on Oct 9, 2009 8:52 AM EDT
on Japers' Rink
Ok, I've have always wondered this and hopefully one of you guys can give me an answer.
Caps Roster
by hockeyman33 on Jul 11, 2009 10:04 PM EDT
on Japers' Rink
This off-season has had the Caps add Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison.
They have lost Viktor Kozlov, Sergei Fedorov, and Donald Brashear.
Still as UFAs are Brent Johnson, Alexandre Giroux, and Bryan Helmer.
RFAs are Shaone Morrison, Milan Jurcina (arbitration), Jeff Schultz, Eric Fehr, Boyd Gordon, and Chris Bourque.
Draft Disappointments
by hockeyman33 on Jun 28, 2009 9:51 PM EDT
on Japers' Rink
Over the draft, the Caps got a two way center and an offensive defenseman with their picks in the first two rounds. That's not my disappointment though. There was much anticipation to whether the Caps would address their 2nd lin center and 1st line winger problem through a trade during the draft, but nothing happened. Pronger was a possibility to make the Caps a true contender, but GMGM again turned away as Anahiem asked for too much (if you didn't hear, it was one of the goalie prospects, Carlson, a roster player, and something else). He went to Philly in which i thought was a lopsided deal favoring the Ducks. Not many other players were on the trade block that gave the Caps great interest. But the few that could have were Bouwmeester and Kaberle. A Dman isn't a need for the Caps, but it is necessary to win the Cup. A group of great prospects isn't going to cut it. The Caps either need a rough and tough guy to clear the crease (Hal Gil comes to mind) or a skilled one, like Bouwmeester.
Nylander and Theodore are still in the Caps roster, to the disappointment of many fans. They would be more of a giveaway to a team, because the Caps definatley dont want Nylander, and Theodore isn't even guarenteed, a starter spot and he is taking up $4.5 million in the cap.
Free agency could prove to be the answer, but it poses big problems. Players who sign as free agents often want long term, high paying deals. This is a problem to the Caps because they are up against the salary cap and because Backstrom and Semin both need new deals after this season as RFAs. Backstrom needs to be locked in, as a great partner for Ovi, and it would be great to keep the secondary scoring threat with Semin.
Who do you want to leave the Caps, and who do you want to pull on the red, white and blue uniform over the next few days? Would you rather make a trade or make a signing?
Showing 1 - 8 of 8
