Caps Defense - Other People's Thoughts and Our Own...

From "On Frozen Blog" Coach Boudreau is quoted as saying "I think we've got eleven NHL defensemen." Over at The Peerless Prognosticator, Peerless makes the point " Why are there questions about the Caps defense? Well, because there should be, and here is why." Both these blogs usually bring up good and valid points - so you may be wondering "which is it?" My reaction after reading and thinking about it - "Probably both..."

What?!?!?!? You say...

Well here's the 11 guys who can and probably will make NHL rosters either in DC or elsewhare as NHL Defenseman and hold their own in the next 24 months:

1) Mike Green; 2) Tom Poti; 3) Brian Pothier; 4) Shoane Morrisonn; 5) Milan Jurcina; 6) John Erskine; 7) Jeff Shultz; 8) Karl Alzner; 9) John Carlson; 10) Tyler Sloan; 11) Sean Colins and possibly 12) Bryan Helmer and a few others too...

Speaking of Caps current and former Defensemen did you all hppen to cath this signing: "The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Steve Eminger to a two-year contract."

So with this "wealth" of NHL caliber blue line talent in their system how can Peerless be right too? Well first of all it's because he's Peerless and well he's very often, mostly, usually right... Secondly, having 11 NHL Caliber defensemen the majority of whom are guys who can play a regular shift and be worth between the NHL Minimum and say $1.5M per year and having a defense anchored by 3 or more guys who are worth a lot more then that and rugged enough and fit enough to log significant (say 20+) minutes per game, play in 65 or more games in the regular season, and be ready for a playoff run that is long and takes you too and through say the Stanley Cup Finals... Well that's an entirely different set of conditions and leads to an entirely different set of "worries." Further, add in to the discussion, consideration of the level of experience a Stanley;ey Cup finalist's blue line usually has as a consideration when looking at the Caps today and is Peerless wrong or too pessimistic when he says:

"Well, because there should be..."

For my 2 cents - I think not. However, I'm a fan first and foremost and I take encouragement and derive optimism from his other very valid point - "We could be accused of splitting hairs when no matter which of these groups of six we're looking at, we're looking at a record that reflects a 100+ point pace. And given how bad the Caps defense was a short few years ago, we might be seen as splitting the split hairs. " I'm still thinking that with everything else that GMGM has to consider throughout the first part of the season through the trade deadline, if this looks like a year that could be "The Year" - we have a lot of pieces to use to complete the puzzle in a myriad of ways...

Less than a month till the season opener y'all.... My understanding is we STH's should be receiving our tickets this week....

LETS GO CAPS!!!!