Brooks Orpik – McKeen's Hockey

Capital One – Washington Capitals 2018-19 Season Preview

Ryan Dadoun — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 14:32:25 +0000

REVIEW / STATE OF PLAY – Throughout the Alex Ovechkin era, the Washington Capitals have fielded strong teams that have fallen apart in the playoffs. Washington exceeded 100 points six times over the span of nine seasons from 2008-09 through 2016-17 and didn’t make it past the second round once. They even secured back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies in 2015-16 and 2016-17 only to be eliminated in the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins each time.

Expectations were a little lower for Washington in 2017-18 after their cap situation led to the Capitals giving up Marcus Johansson, Justin Williams, Daniel Winnik, and Karl Alzner in the summer of 2017 while Nate Schmidt went over to Vegas in the expansion draft and Kevin Shattenkirk left Washington after being a midseason acquisition for the Capitals’ 2017 playoff push. With all that talent lost, the Capitals did take a bit of a step back in the regular season with a still impressive 49-26-7 record, but their core of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Braden Holtby clicked in the playoffs to lead Washington to its first Stanley Cup championship.

NO EXODUS – While Washington is a team up against the cap, its core will still be around to defend the championship. Re-signing John Carlson was their biggest task after he scored 15 goals and 68 points in 82 games last season while averaging 24:47 minutes per game. Washington was ultimately able to secure him to an eight-year, $64 million contract. To make that work, the Capitals unloaded the final season of Brooks Orpik’s five-year, $27.5 million contract to the Colorado Avalanche in a trade that also involved Washington trading Philipp Grubauer, who was a restricted free agent and had become overqualified for the backup gig he was stuck with in Washington.

Colorado then bought out Orpik’s contract, which eventually led to Washington bringing back the veteran defenseman on a one-year, $1 million contract that contains another $500,000 in potential performance bonuses.

Braden Holtby

Thanks to that maneuvering, the Capitals’ 2018-19 roster will be almost exactly the same as it was in 2017-18, minus Grubauer and Jay Beagle, who signed with Vancouver after scoring seven goals and 22 points in 79 games last season. The loss of their backup goaltender isn’t inconsequential though, especially given that Holtby struggled at times in 2017-18 and posted a 2.99 GAA and .907 save percentage in 54 regular season starts, which would have been a major talking point if not for his strong play in the postseason.

Pheonix Copley is expected to get an opportunity to serve as the backup goaltender and while he might be adequate in that role, he’s not the strong fallback option that Philipp Grubauer was. So the Capitals are going into the season without much of a safety net in that regard.

THE TODD REIRDEN ERA – While the team on the ice is largely the same, the bench will look very different. Veteran head coach Barry Trotz decided to leave the Washington Capitals immediately after leading them to a championship in favor of signing with the New York Islanders. In his place, Todd Reirden, was elevated to the head coaching position.

Reirden had been a member of Washington’s coaching staff for the last four seasons and served as an associate coach for the last two, so he seemed like a natural successor under the circumstances. Rather than be tasked with shaking things up, as is often the case with a new head coach, the goal here is for Reirden to provide a seamless transition from the Trotz era to his reign.

He has the burden of expectations, but is also inheriting a golden opportunity given the talented group he’ll get to work with.

OUTLOOK – When everything is working out for the Capitals, they have some of the top offensive weapons in the league, a strong defense, and an elite goaltender. There are times when some of those elements seem to be absent and even when they are firing on all cylinders, there are a handful of teams that can potentially stand up to them. It’s also important to note that successfully defending a championship is incredibly hard in the NHL. Pittsburgh managed to do it, but before the Penguins, the last team with back-to-back championships were the Detroit Red Wings back in 1997 and 1998. Still, the Capitals’ championship group has been left almost entirely intact and they remain in their prime, so they have to be regarded as one of the league’s top teams.

Training Camp Notes – October 3rd, 2017

Ryan Dadoun — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 22:25:53 +0000

Anaheim

Ryan Getzlaf – Sustained a lower-body injury last week and hasn’t resumed skating yet. A couple days back Ducks coach Randy Carlyle did say on Saturday that he expected Getzlaf to play in the opener, but that’s on Thursday so we’re cutting it pretty close now.

Patrick Eaves – Didn’t end up playing in any preseason games. His lower-body injury might keep him out of the season opener as well. He’s another player Carlyle projected to be available for the opener while speaking on Saturday though, so we’ll see.

Arizona

Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Good news on this front. His recovery from his knee injury has progressed to the point where he’s been practicing with the Coyotes. It looks like he’ll be ready for the season opener.

Antti Raanta –A lower-body injury kept him out of the Coyotes’ last preseason game. He practiced with Arizona on Sunday though, so he’ll probably be fine for the opener.

Boston

Torey Krug – The Bruins are hoping that his jaw injury only sidelines him for the first three-to-five regular season games. In the meantime, he has been skating. For what it’s worth, when he does return he’ll be wearing a protective mask.

Buffalo

Benoit Pouliot – Was on a line with Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo during Sunday’s practice. He had been practicing as a bottom-six forward previously, so it will be interesting to see if he ends up on that unit to start the campaign.

Zemgus Girgensons – It was bad news for Girgensons. He was previously on Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo’s line, but Girgensons was knocked down to the third unit with Sam Reinhart and Jason Pominville. The Sabres’ third line has potential though.

Rasmus Ristolainen – After averaging 26:28 minutes per game last season (up from 25:17 minutes in 2015-16), Sabres coach Phil Housley wants to cut Ristolainen down to 22-23 minutes per game. The hope is that will keep him fresher for the final stretch.

Calgary

Jaromir Jagr – Signed a one-year contract with Calgary that comes with a $1 million base salary. Not sure what line Jagr plays for, but here’s a fun aside: Jagr was drafted the same year as Matthew Tkachuk’s father Keith. Keith Tkachuk retired seven years ago.

Carolina

Lee Stempniak – His hip/back problems remain something of a mystery. On Monday Hurricanes coach Bill Peters remarked, "We've got to get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later." Stempniak is questionable for the season opener and how much time he might miss beyond that seems like anybody’s guess.

Chicago

Connor Murphy – Sustained a lower-body injury on Saturday and didn’t practice on Monday as a result. It’s not clear if he’ll be available for the opener.

Colorado

Jonathan Bernier – As mentioned before, he sustained a groin injury on Sept. 25. The good news is that he resumed practicing with the team on Monday.

Columbus

Brandon Dubinsky – Got into the preseason finale on Saturday after missing all the previous exhibition contests due to a wrist injury. He should be fine for the season opener.

Pierre-Luc Dubois – Although the Blue Jackets have experimented with using him as a center, it looks like he’ll be serving as a left winger to start the campaign. His projected linemates are Brandon Dubinsky and Matt Calvert.

Boone Jenner – His back injury will keep him out of the season opener. Beyond that there’s no timetable for his return. He hasn’t skated with the Blue Jackets yet.

Detroit

David Booth – Signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Red Wings. It sounds like he’ll be in the lineup for the season opener, probably alongside Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening.

Florida

Owen Tippett – He’ll be part of the Panthers’ roster for the start of the 2017-18 campaign. The downside is that it might be as a fourth line forward, so he might not be a fantasy factor for a while still.

Los Angeles

Mike Cammalleri/Jonny Brodzinski – The two might find themselves on either side of Anze Kopitar to begin the season. Obviously that would be great news for both of them, but it’d be a particularly big opportunity for the rookie Brodzinski.

Minnesota

Zach Parise – Is now expected to miss the first two games of the regular season due to his back problem. He also missed the Wild’s whole preseason schedule.

Nashville

Viktor Arvidsson – There’s been talk of him not opening the season with Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg. Two potential candidates to replace him on the top line would be Kevin Fiala and Scott Hartnell. None of that’s been finalized yet though.

New Jersey

Jimmy Hayes – More of an FYI because he doesn’t have fantasy value, but he did earn a one-year, $700,000 contract with New Jersey after attending the Devils’ training camp on a PTO.

Pavel Zacha – He’s getting a big opportunity off the bat as he’s projected to open on a line with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri. It’s not set in stone, but Devils coach John Hynes called it a “strong possibility.

NY Rangers

Kevin Shattenkirk – It’s not surprising, but it looks like Shattenkirk will be paired with Ryan McDonagh to start the season.

NY Islanders

Jordan Eberle – Another bit of anticipated, but nice to be basically confirmed news is that Eberle will be starting the campaign alongside John Tavares. The third member of that unit should be Anders Lee. Islanders coach Doug Weight has been happy with that trio so far.

Ottawa

Derick Brassard – Has been cleared for contact, so he might be able to play in the season opener. He’s been recovering from a shoulder injury.

Erik Karlsson – Still dealing with a foot injury, it’s now very unlikely that he’ll play in the opener. Not sure when he’ll be back.

Philadelphia

December 5, 2015:Philadelphia Flyers Defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere (53) moves the puck out of the Flyers zone in the first period during the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)

Shayne Gostisbehere – Sustained an upper-body injury during Sunday’s game. There hasn’t been an update yet, but he did join the Flyers’ flight to San Jose (ahead of Wednesday’s opener), so you could take that as an encouraging sign.

Travis Sanheim/Sam Morin – They were battling for a spot on the roster, but if Gostisbehere isn’t available then they could both stay on the roster for now. Fellow rookie defenseman Robert Hagg did make the roster so he should remain with the squad regardless of Gostisbehere’s status.

San Jose

Joe Thornton – He made his preseason debut on Saturday, clearing the way for him to participate in the opener. He underwent knee surgery to repair a torn ACL/MCL.

St. Louis

Scottie Upshall – Not of much fantasy relevance, but he did sign a one-year contract with the Blues. He began on a PTO with Vancouver, but found an opportunity with the Blues instead due to their injuries. Upshall is likely to enter the season on the fourth line alongside Kyle Brodziak and Chris Thorburn.

Washington

Tom Wilson – He’ll have a hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) for boarding the Blues’ Sam Blais. He already served a two-game preseason suspension over interference, so maybe this will be a harsher punishment as a result.

Brooks Orpik – Capitals coach Barry Trotz is tentatively planning to pair Orpik up with John Carlson to open the season. Orpik usually played alongside Nate Schmidt last season, but he’s not with the team anymore. Similarly, Carlson’s most common 2016-17 partner, Karl Alzner, is also gone.

Jakub Vrana – Not set in stone, but there’s a chance that Vrana not only opens the season with the Capitals, but does so on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Winnipeg

Matt Hendricks – Is on the injured reserve after sustaining an undisclosed injury during Wednesday’s preseason contest. He’s regarded as day-to-day.

Andrew Copp – Suffered a knee injury during Saturday’s preseason contest. Jets coach Paul Maurice hasn’t ruled out Copp for the season opener though.

REAL-TIME STATS AND FANTASY HOCKEY

Carl Lemelin — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:55:22 +0000

The eight-team keeper fantasy hockey league I help run and also participate in is considering incorporating the NHL’s Real-Time Stats starting next season. These new-age numbers were introduced by Gary Bettman and company back in the 2002-03 season and were intended to quantify important aspects of players’ performances that had yet to be accounted for. It had always been said that there was more to a hockey player than goals, assists, PIM and plus-minus, but what exactly was impactful enough to be tallied?

The league finally came up with these categories: hits, blocked shots, giveaways, takeaways and missed shots. At first the new stats were widely viewed as nothing more than a novelty that only the biggest ‘hockey nerds’ would take an interest in. Even the pro hockey community, living up to its well-earned ‘dinosaur mentality’, generally dismissed Real-Time Stats as gimmicky.

Of course, it didn’t help that the NHL seemed to have neglected to properly define and standardize each new statistical category. There were noticeable discrepancies in the way the stats were kept from one rink to another, especially when it came to hits. Infamously, the Florida Panthers all of a sudden became the most physical team in history, compiling a whopping 1021 hits, almost 300 more than their closest pursuers.

League officials have since refined the definitions for each Real-Time statistic, making it easier for scorekeepers to maintain a better league-wide standard. The result is a set of numbers that can help us better understand the variety of ways in which a player can help (or hurt) his team’s chances of winning.

Frequent hitters can be intimidating and affect the opponents’ on-ice demeanor or behavior. We’ve all seen and heard about how shot-blocking has become a huge factor in games. Takeaways are a reflection of a player’s determination and sense of anticipation without the puck and giveaway avoidance is a must in a league populated by coaches who constantly preach puck possession.

If your fantasy league doesn’t currently employ any of these stats, think about bringing it up in your next Board of Governors’ meeting. It’s a great way to learn more about the hidden skills of NHL players and since offense is at a premium in today’s NHL, it could create fantasy all-stars of a different kind for deeper leagues.

For those of you who crave a more realistic fantasy game, I’ve named a Real-Time all-star team (3 forwards and 2 defensemen). And for all traditional keeper fantasy owners, know that these stats are indicators of skills that can help players ingratiate themselves to their coaches. In the case of young offensive players, the extra ice-time it affords them can mean crucial offensive opportunity. I’ve listed a few such examples below.

REAL-TIME ALL-STAR TEAM

F- Pavel Datsyuk (DET): Leads the league once again with 24 TkA.. Has lead the category in 2 of the past 5 seasons and the only season he was ranked lower than third (11^th in 2010-11), played in only 56 games.. Yes he’s a fantasy star offensively, but he’s also the ultimate puck thief, while avoiding the many turnovers most top playmaking minute-munchers commit (only 9 GvA this season).

F- Tanner Glass (PIT): Good multi-category performer this season: 2^nd in hits (64), tied for 4^th among forwards in BkS (16) and avoids GvA (0) despite logging over 11 min./G.. Gentlemen, meet your new fantasy stud!

F- Matt Martin (NYI): Another new-wave star: leads NHL in hits (65), 3^rd among forwards in BkS (17) and also limits turnovers (3 GvA) despite playing close to 14 min./G.

D- Radko Gudas (TBL): Leads defensemen in hits (50), tied for 14^th among D-men in BkS (34) and exceptional at avoiding the dreaded blue line turnover (only 6 GvA in close to 20 min./G.).. One of the major reasons for Tampa’s much improved defensive play this season without a doubt.

D- Brooks Orpik (PIT): Tied for 9^th among D-men in hits (37), tied for 6^th among D-men in BkS (38) and has an even better turnover avoidance record (only 3 GvA in over 22min./G).. No wonder Marc-Andre Fleury is having a bounce-back year!

NEW COACH FAVORITES

Jaden Schwartz (LW) – STL: Already identified here as a possible breakout candidate, posts an impressive 8-2 TkA-GvA ratio.

Valeri Nichushkin (RW) – DAL: Offense slow to come, but seems to be doing the little things right (6-3 ratio).. Not shying away from the physical play either (15 hits).

Mats Zuccarello (RW) – NYR: Promotion to Derek Stepan line likely due to improved decision-making (6-3 ratio).

Brandon Saad (LW) – CHI: Already showing his offensive acumen, but look for him to soon replace Patrick Sharp as Chicago’s top LW with peripherals Joel Quenneville can’t ignore (15-3 ratio in over 17 min./G.).

Victor Hedman (D) – TBL: Another Lightning defenseman helping with the franchise turnaround (5^th in NHL D-men with 14 TkA, only 6 GvA).. Quickly gaining confidence handling the puck.