When the Washington Capitals rebuilt the franchise, they preached patience. They need to preach that one more time. After another Game 7 flop, many heads are demanded on a platter. Take your pick: Bruce Boudreau, Alex Semin, Mike Green. It’s the unholy trinity of defeat and disappointment in Washington right now.
Fortunately, Ted Leonsis is a little more patient than most owners. Not that we know any other owners in town who are, you know, impatient. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Not in this case. Not when you have a young roster that most teams would envy. Don’t make drastic changes. Strengthen the core by adding a good defenseman (on the list for, oh, a couple years now) and another diverse offensive player. One who, say, doesn’t go 14 playoff games without scoring.
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But let’s take a look at the main targets:
Semin » Trade him if you can to pick up a legitimate physical defender. Semin is a one-dimensional scorer (albeit a 40-goal one) who has flopped in the playoffs. But he is on the penalty kill unit. It would be hard to get full value for him considering he has one year left on his contract.
Green » He shouldn’t go anywhere, not unless a great deal can be made. But the Caps won’t go far if he’s their top defenseman. When he becomes their second or even third best defenseman, then they can win a Cup. Green always will get a lot of ice time and his power play minutes are deserved. But the Caps have to remember that the reason they didn’t give up a lot of goals in this series is because Montreal is not a great offensive team.
Boudreau » Many feel he should be fired. But this team definitely improved over last season; it just gagged when it mattered most. So what means more? Obviously, it’s all about the playoffs, but this really is the first season where they woefully underachieved. He’ll return; but his clock should be ticking.
He’d have been helped, too, if Ovechkin had played like an MVP, someone who makes everyone else better. He did not. Yes, the Caps have holes. They need to fill them, not dig up more.
