Caps Satisfied With Draft; Unlikely to Carry a Legit HW Next Year

[caps87]

The Washington Capitals completed a trade on the second day of the NHL draft. It's just not the one they had hoped to swing when the weekend began.

General Manager George McPhee sent prospect Sami Lepisto to the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday in exchange for a pick in next year's draft. But the Capitals left Bell Centre without making a trade to fill their biggest void: a second-line center.

"There wasn't a lot of [trade talk] that went on here," McPhee said. "There may be more of that next week and closer to camp. We're not going to force anything. The season doesn't start until October."

With the departure of veteran forwards Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov this month, McPhee said he plans to monitor the free agent market, which opens next Wednesday, and will sign someone "if it makes sense." But he quickly added that he's not feeling intense pressure to do so because he feels there are players on the roster capable of replacing them.

"We feel Brooks Laich can play [second-line center], and he might be able to play it very well," McPhee said. "He did it a lot last year when Sergei was injured."

McPhee added: "Chris Clark scored 30 goals [as a first-line right wing] a couple of years ago. We've got guys internally who can do it. We'll just see what's out there. If there's a player out there that can help our club, we'll be interested. Just don't expect us to go out and commit to a big or long-term deal in free agency. We've seen that movie before."

McPhee also said he does not expect to replace Donald Brashear with another heavyweight enforcer if, as expected, he does not return.

"Do you take a page out of Detroit's book and throw as much talent at the other team as you can?" McPhee said. "If people want to screw around, you beat them on the power play. Nobody is going to intimidate [Alex] Ovechkin, [Nicklas] Backstrom, [Mike] Green or Laich or any of those kids. Some teams you have to have it, some teams you don't."

Full

Mcphee, you homo. Ovechkin will take a two hander to the face next year without a legit guy to protect him.

[blackngold]

If people want to screw around, you beat them on the power play.

Oh God, Detroit 2.0 is coming to the nation's capitol.

[marc123]

I'm sure erskine will go back to his regular duties, well I hope anyway...

[caps05]

I'm embarrassed as a Caps fan that GMGM has made such a moronic comment.

You don't have to copy Detroit. Look at 2 of the last 3 champs; they had heavies, and you're going to have to deal with the Flyers, Rangers, Isles, and the champs, all of whom will likely have a heavy.

[NJDevils17]

Originally Posted by caps05

I'm embarrassed as a Caps fan that GMGM has made such a moronic comment.

You don't have to copy Detroit. Look at 2 of the last 3 champs; they had heavies, and you're going to have to deal with the Flyers, Rangers, Isles, and the champs, all of whom will likely have a heavy.

Even Detroit had sort of a heavy when they won too with Aaron Downey.

[Jack Schitt]

Originally Posted by caps87

Ovechkin will take a two hander to the face next year without a legit guy to protect him.

That is a very real possibility.

Sickening.

[Rugged]

"If people want to screw around, you beat them on the power play. Nobody is going to intimidate [Alex] Ovechkin, [Nicklas] Backstrom, [Mike] Green or Laich or any of those kids. Some teams you have to have it, some teams you don't."

Is this guy serious?

I love wearing my Steelers & Penguins gear around here. Leonsis and Snyder are a joke.

[caps05]

Originally Posted by Rugged

Is this guy serious?

I love wearing my Steelers & Penguins gear around here. Leonsis and Snyder are a joke.

You live in/around DC Rugged? Whereabouts?

[OilersHockey]

Originally Posted by caps87

Full

Mcphee, you homo. Ovechkin will take a two hander to the face next year without a legit guy to protect him.

Don't worry... that was almost a word for word quote of what Lowe and MacT said in Edmonton two and three years ago...

But, once they had 9 guys on the IR list at one time, 5 with head injuries, they realized that maybe, just maybe they had miscalculated... You see, you might score on the PP... you just might... but taking a 2-1 lead in the second period pales in comparison to the fact that Jarrett Stoll, your second line centre just got his SECOND concussion in two weeks and is now out for the season...

Once they realized that this whole "the pp is our enforcer" theory was absolute bull sh!t, they went out this year and dressed Stortini almost every night, played MacIntyre a bunch and had Peckham as the first callup on D... The Oilers were top 5 in FMs this year... a far cry from the "we don't need to fight" BS of the past few years.

Mark my words - McPhee will publicly eat his words within 24 months...

[R.Middleton]

Thank god Washington isn't playing in the winter classic.

[Rugged]

Originally Posted by caps05

You live in/around DC Rugged? Whereabouts?

Northern VA, bro. I told you that before. I'm 20 minutes outside of DC.

[caps05]

Originally Posted by Rugged

Northern VA, bro. I told you that before. I'm 20 minutes outside of DC.

That's right, you did tell me where you lived. I can't keep up with who lives near/around DC on here.

[caps05]

Originally Posted by OilersHockey

Don't worry... that was almost a word for word quote of what Lowe and MacT said in Edmonton two and three years ago...

But, once they had 9 guys on the IR list at one time, 5 with head injuries, they realized that maybe, just maybe they had miscalculated... You see, you might score on the PP... you just might... but taking a 2-1 lead in the second period pales in comparison to the fact that Jarrett Stoll, your second line centre just got his SECOND concussion in two weeks and is now out for the season...

Once they realized that this whole "the pp is our enforcer" theory was absolute bull sh!t, they went out this year and dressed Stortini almost every night, played MacIntyre a bunch and had Peckham as the first callup on D... The Oilers were top 5 in FMs this year... a far cry from the "we don't need to fight" BS of the past few years.

Mark my words - McPhee will publicly eat his words within 24 months...

We can only hope, Oilershockey.

[Rugged]

Originally Posted by caps05

That's right, you did tell me where you lived. I can't keep up with who lives near/around DC on here.

I asked you to contact me the next time you make it to Maryland to see your folks (if they still live there). Maybe we'll see a Pens/Caps game together.

[caps05]

Originally Posted by Rugged

I asked you to contact me the next time you make it to Maryland to see your folks (if they still live there). Maybe we'll see a Pens/Caps game together.

I will.

It all depends on the schedule of course, but I'll look you up.