1New faces » It’s been a while since the roster had this much turnover. Four free agent signings plus a draft day trade for forward Troy Brouwer gives a different look to each unit on the ice. Tomas Vokoun has the second-best save percentage of any goalie since the NHL’s return from the lockout and will be the primary starter. Brouwer adds toughness to the top six. Ward will be an anchor on the third line. Jeff Halpern is almost certain to add stability and maybe some offensive punch to the fourth line at center. Roman Hamrlik is a veteran defenseman at 37 and provides a versatile presence. He can play on the power play or the penalty kill and is a left-handed shot. How quickly can this group of newcomers blend in?
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Salary cap issues » The Caps are about $890,000 above the NHL-mandated salary cap of $64.3 million. That’s OK — for now. Every team can exceed that cap by up to 10 percent over the summer. But when final rosters are submitted a few days before the regular season begins, general manager George McPhee must get his club below it. Defenseman Tom Poti could be headed to long-term injured reserve thanks to the groin injury that limited him to just 21 games last season. Poti has a $2.875 million cap hit. That option would put Washington in compliance but likely prevent it from banking enough cap space to use for a major move at the trade deadline. But if they really need one, something has gone horribly wrong.
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Injuries » Poti has the most serious injury. He saw specialists all over North America last year and no program worked to heal his ailing groin. McPhee has repeatedly called it a career-threatening issue and went so far as to sign Poti’s replacement, Hamrlik. There are other concerns. Defenseman John Erskine and Brouwer both underwent shoulder surgery over the summer and could be limited during camp. Defenseman Dennis Wideman expects no lingering issues with the leg hematoma that cut short his season before the playoffs began. Mike Green, back playing by the end of the regular season after missing most of the final two months of the season with a concussion, is expected to be at full strength.
– Brian McNally
| Players to watch |
| Mattias Sjogren |
| Sjogren is a two-way center from Sweden who signed with Washington in June. He will have to get used to playing on smaller North American rinks and may not have the best wheels at this point. But the 23-year-old has some bite to his game and has sound defensive instincts and will challenge for a fourth-line spot. |
| Cody Eakin |
| This will be his first pro season after a dominant juniors career. Eakin is still just 20, though, and may need seasoning in the American Hockey League. He was exhausted at rookie camp in July after a long season but will get an extended look and needs to impress enough to get consistent ice time. |
| Mathieu Perreault |
| He has yet to make the team out of camp, though he’s still just 23. Perreault will find it virtually impossible at center, where all spots are accounted for. But he did play 35 games in the NHL last year and had seven goals and seven assists, so he’s likely to contribute even if he starts again at Hershey. |
| Christian Hanson |
| Hanson may be the Matt Hendricks of this year’s camp. Hendricks recorded a hat trick last preseason, stood up for Alex Ovechkin in a fight and did everything possible to win a spot. Hanson, a big-bodied winger at 6-foot-4, 228 pounds, spent most of last year with Toronto’s AHL team. |
