The guys on Home Ice discussed these five questions. What do you think?
1. Will the young Caps finally arrive as a group?
2. Can Olaf Kolzig be a 37-year-old workhorse?
3. Will this year's spending spree have a bigger splash than the Jagr signing?
4. Is it a team that improves in increments by adding these little parts here and there, or can they leap into playoff contention?
5. Can George McPhee and Glen Hanlon survive another so-so season?
2 comments:
1. I think so, but so much depends on the defense. Will at least two youngsters (Jurcina, Shultz, Morrisson, etc.) make the leap and become solid 3-4 guys? If so thing will be sweet; if not, they miss the playoffs again.
2. Yes, though hopefully a 60-65 game workhorse, with Brent Johnson taking one of each back-to-back (or perhaps one of the youngsters).
3. Buzz-wise, no. Improvement in on-ice product, yes.
4. Both.
5. GMGM, yes. Hanlon, not so sure.
1)There are fewer excuses for this team now. They now have depth that they didn't 2 years ago
2) If Kolzig doesn't play well, it doesn't matter how well the others play. The team will be in trouble. Its a lot to ask of a 38 yr old!
3) It can hardly be called a 'spending spree. the caps payroll is still well within the bottom 1/3 of the NHL. That said, they did seem to make god acquisitions without breaking the bank
4) Point wise the team didn't improve last season, but did have positive developments. However, improvement NOW needs to equate into wins! Playoff 'contention' is a must. A spot is another matter
5) Hanlon definitely should NOT be here next year if they finish under 80 points. GMGM has a bit more 'goodwill' from Ted, but he best make a good coaching choice if Hanlon is let go.
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