Additions keep them among favorites
Another season is upon the NHL’s most confounding team.
Four years running the Capitals have won the Southeast Division. Two years in a row they have finished with the most points in the Eastern Conference. But none of that mattered in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Two first-round exits and a pair of second-round exits are all the organization has to show for the Alex Ovechkin era so far.
But both owner Ted Leonsis and general manager George McPhee have long insisted that if they build a team capable of making the postseason every year for a decade, one of those trips should lead to a championship. Another chance begins Saturday night when the Caps open their season against the Carolina Hurricanes at Verizon Center.
“I think everybody learns something from each year, especially what happened a couple of years ago against [Montreal],” said star left wing Alex Ovechkin, who is expected to return Friday from a funeral for his paternal uncle back home in Russia. “It’s another season where we hope we’re going to win. Those times before we had chances to win in the playoffs? They’re gone. You can’t change it. Now we’re in a different position with some new players. We think it’s a better spot.”
Those new players include goalie Tomas Vokoun, who signed for an unfathomable $1.5 million in the summer when the market for goalies collapsed. He later fired his agent, but Vokoun gives Washington a veteran presence in goal to go with Michal Neuvirth, last year’s primary starter, and promising Braden Holtby, who begins the year at Hershey of the American Hockey League.
Meanwhile, McPhee targeted free agents such as forward Joel Ward (Nashville), a postseason star last spring; forward Jeff Halpern (Montreal), a Potomac native and former team captain; and defenseman Roman Hamrlik (Montreal) to fill holes in the roster. He also traded for Troy Brouwer (Chicago) to add some size and toughness among the top six forwards.
“We think we’re in good shape. But I’m never comfortable with it,” McPhee said of the offseason moves that have led many pundits to list Washington as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference. “I’m always looking to see if there’s something else we can do. I don’t think a manager should ever be comfortable feeling comfortable.”
McPhee also re-signed forward Brooks Laich, who could have gone elsewhere when his contract ended at the end of last season. But postseason chats with McPhee and coach Bruce Boudreau convinced him Washington still presented the best chance to win a title. So Laich signed a six-year, $27 million contract on June 28.
“The plan that we were told from Day 1 is ‘We’re going to bring up a young group of guys and maybe for a little bit you’ll take your licks, but eventually one day you’ll be a real good hockey team,’?” Laich said. “They’ve been true to their word, so now it’s time for us to reward them.”
mailto:[email protected] “>[email protected]
