OT: Caps Close To Being Blown Up?

[bulldog]

in this great year of 2002 for Washington sports, the Redskins are not the only underachiever so far.

the Caps have the sixth highest payroll in the NHL and can't seem to get the handle on a division where the the top several teams in the Conference do NOT reside.

Kolzig is out now but the team has been underperforming much of the season after a good start in the first 4 or 5 games.

in reality the club has played three or four 60 minute games this season and has been rewarded with 4-1 wins over Philly and the Penguins as well as a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay and 2-1 over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Other than that we have seen some 40 minute efforts, some 20 minute efforts and the rare but agonizing 58 minute effort that cost the team a win over the pitiful Sabres last week in Buffalo.

What is ironic is that for 15 years from the 1982 trade that brought Rod Langway to Washington from Montreal to 1995 or 1996, the Caps were known mostly as an overachieving team that had to work at 100% for everything it got because the squad never had overwhelming physical talent.

In 2002, the opposite case seems to be operative. Too many big names and big contracts up front and too few pucks in the net. And not enough leadership out of those big money players as well.

In the past 15 games Sergei Gonchar and Peter Bondra have been nowhere to be found when the team has needed a power play goal to tie a game or turn the momentum toward the Caps.

Robert Lang and Jagr have accumulated points and Jagr has 4 game winning goals this season, but both players have picked their spots.

There have been periods when this team with the man advantage several times should have buried less talented squads, but wasted the opportunities.

In one embarrassing game the Caps only managed 12 shots on goal in a loss in Philly.

Those were the kinds of numbers the 1974-75 Caps that went 8-67-5 put up :laugh:

But in reality it is no laughing matter for the team. I have the feeling if the ship does't right itself in the next 5-10 games there are going to be some major changes.

13 wins in 32 starts is not acceptable for this club.

As a fan you can accept losing when your team simply lacks the talent to compete, but when it loses because it is being outworked on a regular basis, that is something that needs to be nipped in the bud before it becomes habitual.

We could learn a lesson from the Rangers who have struggled to find a balance between talent and work ethic the past few years

[fuji869]

The Cap are just as painful to watch as the Skins. Same story, a lot of money spent and no results! :cuss:

I wonder if Jagr would want a trade if they don't make the post season this year? :deal:

[RySkins]

As a non-hockey expert, but stil a pretty big Caps fan, the way I see it is that the Caps have too many big name players who want to play their own game.

Sometimes you just need to dump and chase and forcheck. Jagr and Lang and Bondra and Nylander would rather carry the puck across the read line than dump the puck in and try to work the hard way for a game.

BTW, Nylander is playing the best hockey on the team right now.