After the Capitals' playoff collapse, falling to the eighth seeded Canadiens in seven games while blowing a 3-1 series lead, questions arose. The vast majority of questions were directed towards the blue-liners and Semyon Varlamov.
Can Varlamov be a number one goalie? Should Mike Green be traded? Do the Capitals need a stay at home defenseman?
The answers are maybe, no, and yes. However, the Capitals may not need to look far to answer that last question. The answer could and probably is right there in the organization.
I'm talking about John Carlson and Karl Alzner. If they can turn into the players the Capitals are hoping, then they won't need to look outside, or sacrifice other top-notch players in trades.
Take the fans' favorite scapegoat, Mike Green. Green has been labeled as just another forward calling himself a blue-liner. His plus-39 rating certainly says differently, but plus/minus is a flawed stat.
What he needs is someone to balance out his offense. Green can put up monster numbers, but isn't nearly as good at defense as he is offense. Jeff Shultz, his partner, led the league in plus/minus with a mind-boggling ...
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Article written by Sam Snyder
Washington Capitals’ Fate Rests On Young Defensemen
August 4th, 2010 by Sam Snyder Leave a reply »
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