Cup victory in Chicago makes him valuable
Troy Brouwer is still just 25 years old. Had he been with the Capitals for longer than 18 days now, he would have fit in well in recent years with what was a young, energetic team looking to break through with a long run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But the Caps aren’t so young anymore. And while they have spent the past four seasons searching for the key to postseason success, Brouwer found it with the Chicago Blackhawks, who won the Stanley Cup in 2010 with a similar roster dotted with stars in their early 20s.
“We’ve had a good couple of years in Chicago. But for me it was time to move on,” Brouwer said in his first appearance at Kettler Iceplex on Monday during the organization’s rookie development camp. “The experience I had in Chicago winning the Cup and going through some tough series … a lot of that I can bring to the team when we get into certain situations.”
Of course, the Caps don’t lack playoff experience. They have played six series combined over the last four years, 37 postseason games in all. But they haven’t been able to make it past the second round yet, including a four-game sweep at the hands of Tampa Bay last spring.
| The Brouwer file |
| » A seventh-round pick in the 2004 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, No. 214 overall. |
| » Has scored a total of 49 goals over the last three seasons (226 games). Once scored 49 goals in a season as a 20-year-old junior player with Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League. |
| » Registered four goals and had four assists during Chicago’s Stanley Cup playoff title run in 2009-10. |
“Two years ago Presidents’ Trophy winners, last year won the [Eastern Conference regular season] — it is surprising that [the Caps] haven’t made a real strong push for the Stanley Cup,” Brouwer said. “But sometimes you just get into tough matchups in the playoffs. They’ve had a good team the last two years, and right now we might be a better team than they were the last couple. It’s still real early, and I’m not saying we’re winning anything yet. But we’ve got a very good opportunity.”
Brouwer, who was traded to Washington at the NHL draft on June 24 for its first-round pick, No. 26 overall, had 17 goals and 19 assists in Chicago last season and 22 goals and 18 assists the year before. At 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, Brouwer has the size and speed to create problems for the opposition on the forecheck, ranking fifth in the NHL in hits last season with 262. He has said in recent days he would prefer to play left wing but seems to fit better as a right wing with the Caps.
Brouwer is one of five new players Washington has brought in during the offseason so far — though he’s the only one acquired through a trade. He joins free agent forwards Joel Ward and Jeff Halpern, defenseman Roman Hamrlik and goalie Tomas Vokoun.
“Well, it all looks good on paper. But it’s on paper right now,” general manager George McPhee said of his summer restructuring. “We think we have the makings of a real strong team again and have upgraded in some areas, are fine on the [salary] cap and have some extra picks in a strong draft [in 2012]. … We did real well. Just hope it translates into a real good performance this year.”
