Washington Capitals season preview

The Capitals weren't nearly as bad as most people (including this author) figured they would be. That's a credit to coach Glen Hanlon and a hardworking, tough-nosed bunch of players, a rookie sensation named Alexander Ovechkin and a top-notch goaltender in the form of Olaf Kolzig. We'd like to report that things are looking brighter for the Caps, but ownership has set the team adrift, apparently reconciled to the fact that attendance stinks (28th in the league last season) and won't get better until the team improves. Ownership seems unwilling to spend the necessary money even to at least give the appearance that improvement is on the agenda. That's a shame for Ovechkin, Kolzig and the Washington fans, who all deserve better.

Offense: When your best player, a rookie, is 49 points better than your next-best scorer, you either have a heckuva rookie or almost nothing in terms of scoring depth. In the Caps' case, it was some of both as Ovechkin turned out to be even better than expected in a 106-point performance good for third in league scoring. He was a revelation in terms of his personality and his willingness to use his skill to beat defenders wide or use his size to simply go through opponents. Center Dainius Zubrus just is never going to be the star many imagined when Philadelphia made him the 15th overall pick in the 1996 draft, and Chris Clark and Brian Willsie were surprise 20-goal men last season. But there simply isn't anyone on this team who is going to help Ovechkin evolve as an offensive star or take the pressure off him to produce such a huge part of the team's offense. Alexander Semin might be such a player, but he essentially ran out on the team last year, so let's just say the jury's still out on his commitment even though he has lots of raw talent.

Defense: Only sad-sack Pittsburgh gave up more goals than the Washington last season, and that is simply a reflection of personnel. In the past, a team without skilled puck movers could dumb down the game with obstruction and hang on for dear life. No more. The Caps lack a true leader on the back end and enough confident puck movers who can make that first, safe pass to help break out of the defensive zone. It's no surprise, given the team took a boatload of penalties, revealing an inadequate power-play unit that gave up more goals than any team in the league (116). Brian Pothier, who emerged as a steady NHL defender in Ottawa, will help stabilize the Caps' blue line, and there are some diamonds in the rough (or is that rough diamonds) such as Steve Eminger.

Goaltending: Kolzig remains one of the most solid netminders in the NHL, and his loyalty to the Caps franchise is admirable. He could have become an unrestricted free agent after last season, and there was much speculation that he would go to a contender at the trade deadline. But Kolzig signed an extension with Washington, presumably hoping the team was about to turn a corner. One wonders whether he'd like to reconsider, given the negligible steps taken to improve the team. That said, Kolzig will help cover up a myriad of mistakes in front of him once again.

Coaching: Hanlon might be one of the unsung coaching heroes of the NHL. His team was rarely outworked, and even though the Caps were outmatched most nights, they came prepared to play. The issue for Hanlon will be trying to keep losing from becoming part of the team mentality in his second year behind the bench.