Washington's 2008 Tale of the Cap

So what does it mean to be under the salary cap? We’ll take a look at this issue and its effect on the current roster of the Washington Capitals. As you probably know the upper limit of the salary cap for this year is $56.7 million. If you didn’t, well now you do. Currently, the Caps have 48 players under contract but not all of them count towards the cap. So who does and how much?

The Collective Bargaining Agreement says that the “Averaged Club Salary” is calculated daily and includes salaries and bonuses of all active roster, injured reserve, injured non roster, and non roster players, buy outs, and a couple of other situations that sometimes apply (you can read the CBA at NHLPA.com, exciting stuff let me tell you). The league has a 5:00 pm daily deadline for calculating Averaged Club Salary. For a player to paid and be eligible to participate they need to have an approved and registered contract prior to the daily deadline. The Averaged Club Salary must be above the salary cap floor and below the ceiling.

So what does this mean? To put it simply, every day the Capitals add up the cap numbers of all the players on the roster, injured reserve, and the Ben Clymer buyout amount and that total must be lower than $56.7 million. That’s it. The only exception is for a player that goes on long term injured reserve. In that case the injured player’s salary still counts against the cap but the team may replace that player with another player and exceed the cap by the amount of the injured player’s contract. Once the injured player is healed and ready to play, the team can no longer exceed the cap. To debunk a common myth teams cannot accrue cap space by being under and use it later. They must be under the cap every day.

Now we come to the big question. Where do the Caps stand? Well, that depends on who is on the roster. The team has 23 roster spots and will most likely have 14 forwards, 7 defensemen and 2 goalies. Here’s what I think the lines will look like along with their salary:

• 1^st Forward Line: Alex Ovechkin ($9,538,462), Nicklas Backstrom ($2,400,000), Victor Kozlov ($2,500,000)
• 2^nd Forward Line: Alexander Semin ($4,600,000), Michael Nylander ($4,875,000), Chris Clark ($2,633,333)
• 3^rd Forward Line: Tomas Fleischmann ($725,000), Sergei Fedorov ($4,000,000), Eric Fehr ($735,000)
• 4^th Forward Line: Donald Brashear ($1,200,000), Brooks Laich, ($2,066,667), Matt Bradley ($1,000,000)
• Reserve Forwards: Boyd Gordon ($725,000), David Steckel ($512,500)
• 1^st Defensive Pair: Mike Green ($5,250,000), Shaone Morrisonn ($1,975,000)
• 2^nd Defensive Pair: Tom Poti ($3,500,000), Jeff Schultz ($763,889)
• 3^rd Defensive Pair: Milan Jurcina ($881,250), John Erskine ($537,500)
• Reserve Defensemen: Sami Lepesto ($700,000)
• Goalies: Jose Theodore ($4,500,000), Brent Johnson ($812,500)
• Buyout: Ben Clymer ($250,000)

For these 23 players plus the buyout is a total cap hit of $56,681,101. It’s close to the upper limit but still under the cap. In addition, Brian Pothier’s salary of $2,500,000 will count against the cap but since he will most likely be on long term injured reserve the team can exceed the cap by his salary. So the Capitals will have an Averaged Club Salary of $59,181,101 with an upper limit of $59,200,000.

Now for the what ifs. What if Chris Clark’s groin does not heal? Clark may also be assigned to the LTIR list and the Caps can replace his salary. What if rookie defender Karl Alzner has a great camp and makes the big club? The Caps will have to make room for his $1,675,000 salary. This can be done by sending a player to the minors, trading a player, or waiving a player. However, if a player is waived and is picked by another team the Capitals would still be responsible for 50% of that player’s contract. What if the Capitals suffer more than three injuries at one time that are not considered long term? That would put the team in a real tough spot. According to the CBA, they have to make salary room before they can bring in replacements.

So there is the gist of the Capitals salary cap situation. Being late July, we’ll have to wait at least until training camp before any of these questions will begin to be answered. Having so many NHL quality players is a luxury the Capitals have not have in the past couple of seasons and it will be interesting to see how they handle it. All the while it will be fun to debate.

Washington Capitals 2008 Preseason Schedule

The Capitals recently released that training camp will open on September 20th. The camp will be preceded by the rookie camp starting on September 14th.

The Caps rookies will play the Flyers rookies at Kettler Capitals Iceplex on September 18th at 3 pm.

Here is the rest of the Capitals preseason schedule:

September 24th at Carolina 7 pm RBC Center
September 25th vs. Carolina 7 pm Verizon Center
September 27th at Boston 4 pm TD Banknort Garden
September 29th at New Jersey 7 pm TBD
October 1st at Philadelphia 7 pm Wachovia Center
October 3rd vs. Philadelphia 7 pm Verizon Center
October 5th Vs. Boston 5 pm Verizon Center

The Morrisonn Decision

According to Dump & Chase, the arbitration case between the Washington Capitals and Shaone Morrisonn has been decided. The arbiter ruled that Morrisonn should get a $1.975 million contract for next season. The team can accept the decision or walk away from the deal. By all indications the team will accept the deal.

Update: Per WashingtonCaps.com, The Capitals have signed Morrisonn.

Capitals 2008 Offseason

So far this off season the Caps have made relatively few personnel changes from last season’s ending roster. A new number one goalie in Jose Theodore and the signing of Sergei Fedorov for another year were the biggest moves. The Caps also resigned upstart defensemen Mike Green to a four-year deal and center Brooks Laich to a three-year deal. Boyd Gordon and Eric Fehr were also resigned for the upcoming season. The only unsigned player is defensemen Shaone Morrisonn who is scheduled for an arbitration hearing on July 24^th.

There are still a few questions moving forward. According to some salary cap sites the Capitals are sitting above the regular season cap limit of $56.7 million. They are allowed to exceed that number by 10% in the offseason. However, two players are still questionable as to their health. Brian Pothier is suffering from post concussion issues and Chris Clark has yet to recover from a debilitating groin injury. I do not foresee the Caps cutting their current payroll until they can determine what is going to happen with these two players. If Clark and Pothier cannot go then they will be placed on the long term injury list and the Caps can exceed the regular season salary number by the amount of their salary.

It will be pretty quiet until September when rookie camp opens up. Training camp starts 21-days prior to the season opener. So enjoy rest of your summer and get ready for a season of high expectation to come.

Thank You Everyone – Joe's 1-Year Anniversary

I just wanted to express my appreciation to everyone who visited my site over the past year. In all, over 7,200 pages were viewed. It has far exceeded my expectations to say the least. I have been a Capitals fan for as long as I can remember. I was 9-years old when I saw my first game at the Capital Centre. It was 1981 and the Caps played the Detroit Red Wings. I remember seeing Dennis Maruk score a goal and he went on to score 50 that year. I have always been a numbers guy and love to follow the statistical aspects and trends in the game. I hope you will continue to read along in the coming year as I will present my analysis of the numbers and the team as they make a serious run for the Stanley Cup. As always, I encourage any comments or questions and look forward to another great year. Thanks again - Joe

Washington Capitals 2008-09 Schedule

The NHL has released the schedule for the 2008-09 season. For the third year in a row the Capitals will open on the road with a game in Atlanta on October 10th. The home opener is the next evening against Cristobal Huet and the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Caps will face each of their SE Division rivals 6 times and each of the other Eastern Conference teams 4 times. They will face each Western Conference team at least once with an additional game versus Columbus, LA, & Nashville to round out the schedule. This season's New Years game is with Tampa. They play 13 times on back-to-back nights and have 2 home-and-home series against New Jersey and Atlanta.

Here is the complete schedule:

• Game 1 - Oct. 10 away at Atlanta 7 pm
• Game 2 - Oct. 11 Home vs. Chicago 7 pm
• Game 3 - Oct. 13 Home vs. Vancouver 7 pm
  
• Game 4 - Oct. 16 away at Pittsburgh 7:30 pm
  
• Game 5 - Oct. 18 Home vs. New Jersey 7 pm
  
• Game 6 - Oct. 21 away at Calgary 9:30 pm
  
• Game 7 - Oct. 23 away at Phoenix 10 pm
  
• Game 8 - Oct. 25 away at Dallas 8 pm
  
• Game 9 - Oct. 28 Home vs. Nashville 7 pm
  
• Game 10 - Nov. 1 away at Buffalo 7 pm
  
• Game 11 - Nov. 4 away at Ottawa 7:30 pm
  
• Game 12 - Nov. 6 Home vs. Carolina 7 pm
  
• Game 13 - Nov. 8 Home vs. New York Rangers 7 pm
  
• Game 14 - Nov. 10 Home vs. Tampa 7 pm
  
• Game 15 - Nov. 12 away at Carolina 7 pm
  
• Game 16 - Nov. 14 Home vs. New Jersey 7 pm
  
• Game 17 - Nov. 15 away at New Jersey 7 pm
  
• Game 18 - Nov. 19 away at Anaheim 10 pm
  
• Game 19 - Nov. 20 away at Los Angeles 10:30 pm
  
• Game 20 - Nov. 22 away at San Jose 10:30 pm
  
• Game 21 - Nov. 24 away at Minnesota 8 pm
  
• Game 22 - Nov. 26 Home vs. Atlanta 7 pm
  
• Game 23 - Nov. 28 Home vs. Montreal 7 pm
  
• Game 24- Nov. 29 away at Columbus 7 pm
  
• Game 25 - Dec. 2 Home vs. Florida 7 pm
  
• Game 26 - Dec. 4 Home vs. New York Islanders 7 pm
  
• Game 27 - Dec. 6 away at Toronto 7 pm
  
• Game 28 - Dec. 7 away at Carolina 5 pm
  
• Game 29 - Dec. 10 Home vs. Boston 7 pm
  
• Game 30 - Dec. 12 Home vs. Ottawa 7 pm
  
• Game 31 - Dec. 13 away at Montreal 7 pm
  
• Game 32 - Dec. 16 away at New York Islanders 7 pm
  
• Game 33 - Dec. 18 Home vs. St. Louis 7 pm
  
• Game 34 - Dec. 20 away at Philadelphia 1 pm
  
• Game 35 - Dec. 23 away at New York Rangers 7 pm
  
• Game 36 - Dec. 26 Home vs. Buffalo 7 pm
  
• Game 37 - Dec. 28 Home vs. Toronto 7 pm
  
• Game 38 - Dec. 30 away at Buffalo 7 pm
  
• Game 39 - Jan. 1 Home vs. Tampa 7 pm
  
• Game 40 - Jan. 3 Home vs. New York Rangers 7 pm
  
• Game 41 - Jan. 6 Home vs. Philadelphia 7 pm
  
• Game 42 - Jan. 9 Home vs. Columbus 7 pm
  
• Game 43 - Jan. 10 away at Montreal 7 pm
  
• Game 44 - Jan. 13 Home vs. Edmonton 7 pm
  
• Game 45 - Jan. 14 away at Pittsburgh 7:30 pm
  
• Game 46 - Jan. 17 Home vs. Boston
  
• Game 47 - Jan. 19 away at New York Islanders 2 pm
  
• Game 48 - Jan. 20 away at Ottawa 7:30 pm
  
• Game 49 - Jan. 27 away at Boston 7 pm
  
• Game 50 - Jan. 31 Home vs. Detroit 12:30 pm
  
• Game 51 - Feb. 1 Home vs. Ottawa 12:30 pm
  
• Game 52 - Feb. 3 away at New Jersey 7 pm
  
• Game 53 - Feb. 5 Home vs. Los Angeles 7 pm
  
• Game 54 - Feb. 7 Home vs. Florida 7 pm
  
• Game 55 - Feb. 11 away at New York Rangers 7 pm
• Game 56 - Feb. 14 away at Tampa 7:30 pm
  
• Game 57 - Feb. 15 away at Florida 5 pm
  
• Game 58 - Feb. 18 Home vs. Montreal 7:30 pm
  
• Game 59 - Feb. 20 Home vs. Colorado 7 pm
  
• Game 60 - Feb. 22 Home vs. Pittsburgh 3 pm
  
• Game 61 - Feb. 24 Home vs. Philadelphia 7 pm
  
• Game 62 - Feb. 26 Home vs. Atlanta 7 pm
  
• Game 63 - Feb. 28 away at Boston 1 pm
  
• Game 64 - Mar. 1 Home vs. Florida 3 pm
  
• Game 65 - Mar. 3 Home vs. Carolina 7 pm
  
• Game 66 - Mar. 5 Home vs. Toronto 7 pm
  
• Game 67 Mar. 8 Home vs. Pittsburgh 3 pm
  
• Game 68 - Mar. 10 away at Nashville 8 pm
  
• Game 69 - Mar. 12 away at Philadelphia 7 pm
  
• Game 70 - Mar. 14 Home vs. Carolina 7 pm
  
• Game 71 - Mar. 16 away at Atlanta 7 pm
  
• Game 72- Mar. 17 away at Florida 7:30 pm
  
• Game 73 - Mar. 19 away at Tampa 7:30 pm
  
• Game 74 - Mar 21 away at Carolina 7 pm
  
• Game 75 - Mar. 24 away at Toronto 7 pm
  
• Game 76 - Mar. 27 Home vs. Tampa 7 pm
  
• Game 77 - Apr. 1 Home vs. New York Islanders 7 pm
  
• Game 78 - Apr. 3 Home vs. Buffalo 7 pm
  
• Game 79 - Apr. 5 Home vs. Atlanta 3 pm
  
• Game 80 - Apr. 7 away vs. Atlanta 7 pm
  
• Game 81 - Apr. 9 away vs. Tampa 7:30 pm
  
• Game 82 - Apr. 11 away at Florida 7:30 pm
  

The Caps also have 7 preseason games scheduled:

• Sept. 24 away at Carolina 7 pm
• Sept. 25 Home vs. Carolina 7 pm
• Sept. 27 away at Boston 4 pm
• Sept. 29 away at New Jersey 7 pm
• Oct. 1 away at Philadelphia 7 pm
• Oct. 3 Home vs. Philadelphia 7 pm
• Oct. 5 Home vs. Boston 5 pm

Washington Capitals - Shots on Goal

Last off-season we looked into the statistic of shots on goal and its use as an indicator of success for the Capitals. My belief was that if the Capitals applied more pressure on the opposition and forced them to match Washington’s forwards then it would relieve the pressure on the young defense and overworked goalies.

The 2006-2006 season saw the Caps out shot by 450 shots on goal. In the beginning of the 2007-2008 season, the Caps used a puck possession, defensive, match up system. The first 21 games saw the Caps close the gap from -5.5 shots on goal per game to -0.81 but the opposition outscored the Caps 62 to 47. The team’s record was an Eastern Conference worst 6-14-1. This prompted a replacement of the head coach. With a new coach came a new system. The team changed to an attacking, aggressive forechecking system that pressured opposing defenses. It took a while for the system to be put into place but the results were remarkable. In the final 21 games, the Caps had 5.8 more shots on goal per game and outscored their opponents 67 to 22. The team’s record was 15-5-1 over that stretch. For their effort, the Capitals won the Division crown, made the playoffs for the first time in five years and Head Coach Bruce Boudreau was recognized with the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year.

Looking to next season, the Capitals are bringing back essentially the same team they finished with last season. The team will have a new #1 goaltender and will get back their top offensive, free agent pickup from last season. The team has really embraced the style that Boudreau has brought to the Caps and from a fans standpoint it’s an exciting product to watch. As you follow the action this season be sure to check the shot counter and know if the Caps are ahead there then they are on their game. And if they are on their game there will be goals aplenty. It’s going to be a fun season to be a Caps fan.

Washngton Signs Boyd Gordon

The Capitals have come to terms with Boyd Gordon. Per Capitals Insider, its a one-year deal worth $725,000. That leaves Shaone Morrisonn as the Caps remaining restricted free agent unsigned. Here's the Official word from WashingtonCaps.com:

"ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed center/right wing Boyd Gordon to a one-year contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Gordon, 24, completed his fifth professional season with the Capitals in 2007-08, matching his career high with seven goals and adding nine assists in 67 games. Gordon won 55.8% of his faceoffs, good for second on the team and ninth in the NHL, and averaged 4:00 of penalty killing ice time per game, which was third among NHL forwards. His +5 rating was tied for seventh on the team. Washington was 7-0-0 when he scored a goal and 10-2-1 when he had a point.

The Unity, Saskatchewan, native was the Capitals’ first-round choice, 17th overall, in the 2002 Entry Draft. He has played in 204 career games for Washington, recording 52 points (15 goals, 37 assists) and just 38 penalty minutes. He was an integral member of the 2006 Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League, playing in all 21 playoff games. The former Red Deer Rebel won the Memorial Cup in 2000-01."

Eric Fehr signs with Capitals

From WashingtonCaps.com,

"ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed right wing Eric Fehr to a one-year contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Fehr, 22, split last season between the Capitals and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) after returning from injury. He played 23 games for Washington recording six points (1g-5a) and 11 games for Hershey tallying seven points (3g-4a). He had one goal in five playoff games for the Caps and one goal and three assists in two playoff games for the Bears.

The Winkler, Manitoba, native was the Capitals’ first-round choice, 18th overall, in the 2003 Entry Draft. He has played in 48 career games for Washington, potting three goals and dishing out six assists. He was an integral member of the Hershey club that won the 2006 Calder Cup. In 19 playoff games, he had 11 points (8g-3a) and scored the overtime game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to lift the Bears to the Calder Cup Finals.

Eric Fehr
Right Wing
Ht.: 6’4” Wt.: 212 Shoots: Right
Born: Sept. 7, 1985 (Winkler, Manitoba)
Drafted: Capitals’ first-round choice, 18th overall, in the 2003 Entry Draft

Career Statistics
Regular Season Playoffs
Year Team League GP G A Pts PIM +/- PP SH GW S GP G A Pts PIM
2000-01 Pembina MMHL 36 45 13 58 30 - - - - - - - - - -
Brandon WHL 4 0 0 0 0 - - - - - - - - - -
2001-02 Brandon WHL 63 11 16 27 29 - - - - - 12 1 1 2 0
2002-03 Brandon WHL 70 26 29 55 76 - - - - - 17 4 8 12 26
2003-04 Brandon WHL 71 50 34 84 129 - - - - - 7 5 0 5 16
2004-05 Brandon WHL 71 59 52 111 91 - - - - - 24 16 16 32 47
2005-06 CAPITALS NHL 11 0 0 0 2 E 0 0 0 10 - - - - -
Hershey AHL 70 25 28 53 70 - - - - - 19 8 3 11 8
2006-07 CAPITALS NHL 14 2 1 3 8 3 0 0 1 25 - - - - -
Hershey AHL 40 22 19 41 63 - - - - - - - - - -
2007-08 CAPITALS NHL 23 1 5 6 6 4 0 0 0 40 5 1 0 1 0
Hershey AHL 11 3 4 7 4 - - - - - 2 1 3 4 2
CAPITALS/NHL TOTALS 48 3 6 9 16 7 0 0 1 75 5 1 0 1 0"

Laich Resigns with Washington for 3-Years

From WashingtonCaps.com,

"ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed forward Brooks Laich to a three-year contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Laich, 25, established career highs in goals (21), assists (16) and points (37) in 2007-08 and was one of four Capitals to play in all 82 games. He finished third on the team in goals and seventh in points, with a team-high two shorthanded goals.

A 6’2”, 210-pound native of Wawota, Saskatchewan, Laich finished his third full NHL season with 12 goals and 20 points in the final 22 games as the Capitals made their late-season run to the Southeast Division title. He recorded three two-goal games, a four-point game and seven of his eight power-play goals on the season during that stretch.

Laich led the team (among players with at least 20 games played) with a 17.2 shooting percentage and led all Capitals forwards with 56 blocked shots. Laich scored more than half of his goals in the first period and scored the Capitals’ first goal of the game nine times.

Laich tied for fourth on the team with six points (one goal, five assists) in seven playoff games, including points in each of the last five games of the series. That matched the longest point streak in the NHL in the first round of the 2008 playoffs.

A three-year veteran of the Western Hockey League with Seattle and Moose Jaw, Laich was acquired by the Capitals via trade with Ottawa on Feb. 18, 2004. He has played 233 career NHL games, all but one with Washington, recording 36 goals and 41 assists (77 points). In 2006 Laich helped lead the Hershey Bears to the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup championship, recording 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 21 playoff games."

More good news for Capitals fans!

Capitals Resign Sergei Fedorov

From TSN,

"The Washington Capitals have re-signed forward Sergei Fedorov to a one-year $4 million contract.

The 17-year NHL veteran, a trade deadline acquisition from the Columbus Blue Jackets, was a key member of the Capitals improbable run to the playoffs last season.

In the final 18 regular season games, Fedorov contributed two goals and 11 assists and chipped in with five points in Washington's seven-game, first-round loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 1993-94 Hart Trophy winner is the highest scoring Russian-born player in NHL history, amassing 472 goals and 674 assists in 1196 career NHL games."

I must say I am quite excited about having Fedorov back for another year. We'll discuss the cap issues later for now I will enjoy thought of #91 passing to #8 or #28 with red lights flashing and horns blaring. Ahh... Is it October yet?

To Russia with Love

Jaromir Jagr is heading back to Russia. We wish him well, but would like to remind him of the last time he was there and a tough 19-year old from Moscow Dynamo took a run at him. I love this clip.

Arbitration Alert - 2 Caps File

According to Sportsnet.ca, Brooks Laich and Shaone Morrisonn have filed for a salary arbitration hearing. Follow the link for a list of all players who filed.

Arbitration List

Washington's Tail of the Cap

At this point in time the Caps have about 80% of their team signed up for next season. They have 4 restricted free agents to sign and have made it clear they would also like to bring Sergei Fedorov back for next season. So let us take a look at the current salary cap situation and see what the team is looking at.

Current Salary Commitment:

Name	Position	Cap Salary
OVECHKIN, ALEXANDER	L	$ 9,538,461.54
GREEN, MIKE	D	$ 5,250,000.00
NYLANDER, MICHAEL	C	$ 4,875,000.00
SEMIN, ALEXANDER	L	$ 4,600,000.00
THEODORE, JOSE	G	$ 4,500,000.00
POTI, TOM	D	$ 3,500,000.00
CLARK, CHRIS	R	$ 2,633,333.33
KOZLOV, VIKTOR	C	$ 2,500,000.00
POTHIER, BRIAN	D	$ 2,500,000.00
BACKSTROM, NICKLAS	C	$ 2,400,000.00
ALZNER, KARL	D	$ 1,675,000.00
BRASHEAR, DONALD	L	$ 1,200,000.00
BRADLEY, MATT	R	$ 1,000,000.00
JURCINA, MILAN	D	$ 881,250.00
JOHNSON, BRENT	G	$ 812,500.00
SCHULTZ, JEFF	D	$ 763,888.89
FLEISCHMANN, TOMAS	C	$ 725,000.00
ERSKINE, JOHN	D	$ 537,500.00
STECKEL, DAVID	L	$ 512,500.00
Contract Buy Out		$ 250,000.00

As it stands now the Caps have $50,654,433.76 in committed salary. With the cap ceiling set at $56,700,000 the Caps have $6,045,566.24 left. In an unfortunate circumstance Brian Pothier will most likely be given long term injury status. This will allow the Caps to exceed the cap by the amount of his salary. That would give the Caps $8,545,566.24 in remaining salary that they would be allowed to spend.

The first area to address is the restricted free agents. The Cap’s restricted free agents are centers Boyd Gordon and Brooks Laich, right wing Eric Fehr, and defensemen Shaone Morrisonn. Gordon, Laich, and Morrisonn are eligible for salary arbitration. I believe they have until July 5^th to file for an arbitration hearing. From the reports I have seen (and cannot remember where to give you a link) Fehr is expected to accept his qualifying offer of $735,000. This number comes from NHLSCap.com. Brooks Laich is the most talked about contract of the four. Apparently, the team and Laich’s camp are not close in their negotiations. Last year Laich went to arbitration and won his case and a $725,000 contract for the 2007-08 season. Reports vary but his agent is looking for more than two times that amount. Boyd Gordon made $650,000 last season and his qualifying offer was $715,000. Shaone Morrisonn made $900,000 in 2007-08 and is looking for a bit of a raise after being the defensive end of the Cap’s #1 defense pairing. I have not seen anything on how much he’s looking for but defensemen have been getting a lot money this free agent season.

So let’s make some predictions. These are purely hypothetical and I have no real basis for them but why not. We’ll assume the reports on Fehr are correct and he will make $735,000. I would think Gordon will be in the $800,000 range. Morrisonn signs at $1,200,000 and Brooks Laich signs a $2,000,000 contract. That gives a total for the four of $4,735,000. This would leave the Caps with $3,810,566.24 of salary cap room.

Well, you can sign Fedorov that amount can’t you? Of course you can and your entire cap is spent. The team would have 24 players with 1 on injured reserve. The maximum roster allowance is 23 players so that is fine. However, say two of our right wings go down, the Caps would have no ability to recall a player from Hershey to replace them. Players on injured reserve don’t count against the roster limit but they do count against the salary cap. This would severely limit the team’s ability to deal with injuries. They would also be unable to promote any of their prospects who are doing well in the minors and give them some experience playing in the NHL. That is why you see the $2,000,000 amount associated with Fedorov. This is about as much the Caps can afford and not put themselves in a serious bind with personnel.With $1.8 million of cap room they can promote 2 of there top prospects without going over the cap.

So it becomes a question of risk. How much can you afford to pay Fedorov and not expose the team to undo risk. Sure we all want Sergei to comeback to the Caps but for how much. We'll have to wait and see how things pan out but it makes for great conversation. What do you think?

Hunt Signs on in Germany

After not being qualified by Washington last week it looks like Jamie Hunt will ply his trade in Germany. Good Luck Jamie!

From EuroHockeyNet:

Posted 2/7/2008: Jamie Hunt (D)
From Hershey Bears (AHL) to Augsburger Panther
Added By: Davide Tuniz, Status: Confirmed

2008 Capitals Development Camp

The Capitals released the schedule and roster for this year's Development Camp. Most of the Caps recent daft pick will be there and if you get a chance you really should stop in and see the action. Its a great way to get to know the kids coming up through the ranks. Its held at the Caps training facility on top of the Ballston Mall. Its about a block from the Ballston Metro stop. Here's the prospects who will be there:

CAPITALS DEVELOPMENT CAMP ROSTER
											Caps 08-09
#			Pos	Name	Age	Height	Weight	Birthplace	Birthday	Last Season	Contract
30			G	NEUVIRTH, MICHAL	20	6'-1''	197	Usti Labern, Czech Republic	3/23/1988	OHL	Yes
40			G	VARLAMOV, SIMEON	20	6'-1''	183	Samara, Russia	4/27/1988	Russia	Yes
70			G	HOLTBY, BRADEN	18	6'-1"	205	Lloydminster, Saskatchewan	9/16/1989	WHL
80			G	DUNN, DAN	20	6'-4''	200	Oshawa, Ontario	6/20/1988	NCAA
34			D	POKULOK, SASHA	22	6'-5''	220	Montreal, Quebec	5/25/1986	AHL	Yes
47			D	ALZNER, KARL	19	6'-2''	206	Burnaby, British Columbia	9/24/1988	WHL	Yes
46			D	MCNEIL, PATRICK	21	6'-0''	195	Strathroy, Ontario	3/17/1987	AHL	Yes
73			D	GODFREY, JOSH	20	6'-0''	197	Collingwood, Ontario	1/15/1988	AHL	Yes
74			D	CARLSON, JOHN	18	6'-2"	212	Colonia, NJ	1/10/1990	USHL
86			D	MESTERY, ERIC	18	6'-5"	195	Winnipeg, Manitoba	5/28/1990	WHL
89			D	SEABROOK, KEITH	19	6'-0''	198	Delta, British Columbia	8/2/1988	WHL
36			R	BOUCHARD, FRANCOIS	20	6'-1''	187	Sherbrooke, Quebec	4/26/1988	AHL	Yes
48			L	OSALA, OSKAR	20	6'-4"	217	Vaasa, Finland	12/26/1987	Finland	Yes
58			L	LACROIX, MAXIME	21	6'-0''	180	Quebec City, Quebec	6/5/1987	AHL
63			R	GORDON, ANDREW	22	5'-11''	180	Halifax, Nova Scotia	12/13/1985	AHL	Yes
65			L	GLASS, ANDREW	19	5'-11''	180	Wrentham, MA	7/14/1989	NCAA
67			C	TAYLOR, JUSTIN	19	5'-11''	180	London, Ontario	2/8/1989	OHL
75			C	DESIMONE, PHIL	21	5'-11''	193	East Amherst, NY	3/19/1987	NCAA
79			C	BRODA, JOEL	18	6'-3"	196	Yorkton, Saskatchewan	11/24/1989	WHL
81			R	LEFFLER, BRETT	19	6'-0''	198	Wynyard, Saskatchewan	5/19/1989	WHL
83			C	BEAGLE, JAY	22	6'-3''	201	Calgary, Alberta	10/16/1985	AHL	Yes
84			L	DELLA ROVERE, STEFAN	18	5'-10"	196	Richmond Hill, Ontario	2/25/1990	OHL
85			C	PERREAULT, MATHIEU	20	5'-8''	151	Drummondville, Quebec	1/5/1988	AHL	Yes
90			R	PINIZZOTTO, STEVE	24	6'-1''	195	Mississauga, Ontario	4/26/1984	AHL	Yes
91			L	BURKE, GREG	18	6'-1"	185	Portsmouth, NH	5/16/1990	EJHL

Capitals Free Agency - Day 1

The Caps had a great beginning of the day. They signed Mike Green to a 4-year $21-million deal prior to the noon o'clock opening of the free agent season. Then things took a left turn as they tried to get Crisobal Huet to resign with the team. As Huet's price and length of contract grew they turned to Plan B. They signed Jose Theodore to a 2-year contract worth $9-million. GM George McPhee was none to pleased with the negotiating tactics of Huet and his agent as the Caps GM divulged the inter workings of the process to the press. Huet ended up signing with Chicago for 4 years and 22.5-million dollars.

What does all this mean? Well, first of all the Caps keep one of the top young defensemen in the NHL. Secondly, they get a number one goalie who has Hart and Vezina trophy on his resume at a reasonable price. Not to say he doesn't come with a lot of question marks. Since his MVP season his performance has been sporadic at best but he performed well for Colorado last season and got his team to the second round of the playoffs. From this report, he sounds excited to play for the Caps and prove that he is indeed an top goalie in the NHL. Besides, following in the footsteps of Huet and longtime Caps goaltender Olie Kolzig can't be as hard as replacing Patrick Roy, twice.
Speaking of Oile the goalie. He signed a one year deal to play with division rival Tampa for a reported $1.5-million with opportunity for bonus.

Caps Sign Goalie Jose Theodore

According to TSN, the Caps signed Jose Theodore to a two year contract this afternoon. Apparently the team could no longer wait for Cristobal Huet to and made the decision to go with another goalie. Theodore comes over from Colorado where he played the last three seasons.

Mike Green Signs for 4 Years

TSN reports that Mike Green has signed a 4-year deal with the Capitals. He will earn $5,250,000 per year for a total of $21,000,000. Thats a lot of green Mr. Green.