Working the Three Goalie System

As the dust settles from the Huet deal, it's starting to look more and more like this goaltender situation could be a problem. How big a problem and what repercussions it will have, on and off the ice, remains to be seen.

Looking at this move from both a GM standpoint and a hockey fan standpoint, bringing Huet in for a song was absolutely the right thing to do. You get a proven number one goalie with experience but also with lots of good years left, someone who can bridge the gap between the old guard and the new - and all for a second round pick in two years. You also shore up a position that, while solid recently, has had peaks and valleys this season and could be a weak spot heading into the postseason.

And, if they can work it right, this move gives the Caps a lot of options. If one guys falters there's someone else to pick up the slack, and if that guy falters there's still someone else in the wings to come in and clean up. It's a luxury a lot of teams don't have - actually it's one that no teams have, and you have to think that it will push all three goalies to play at their best. We've already seen how Olie responded on Tuesday, stopping 34 of 35 shots in a stellar performance that coupled with Laich's offensive explosion gave the Caps a huge two points. If that's how he responds the rest of the way, things could be very promising for this team down the stretch.

But while both Olie and Johnny remain just as classy as ever, there are rumblings. Johnson is frustrated (and understandably so), coming in just at the end of practice today for a bit of ice time and conceivably manning the stands for at least the near future. Kolzig's agent is reportedly unhappy that the Caps brought in another number one goalie. The coach doesn't seem to be completely on board with the idea of a three-man rotation, although like the others he's being professional in airing his concern.

It is confusing why McPhee would choose not to move one of the other two guys, particularly Johnson. If he's not going to play here there had to be another team in need of a solid backup who is having his best season in quite a few years - and keeping him here isn't going to do Johnson any favors. He's not going to get to play much if at all, no matter how much McPhee and others may assure fans and the media that three goalies is a workable situation.

There's no question that Kolzig and Johnson will both handle this with professionalism. Neither is going to snub Huet; after all, it's not his fault he's here and that's not their way even if it was. Neither is going to pout and complain. Olie has said he would do everything he could to make Huet comfortable and Johnson made a point of saying that he would continue to be a positive presence in the locker room.

But what about the psychological impact, the confidence level? Whether the Caps were looking for a new number one goalie or not (and I don't believe they were), you have to think that both Johnson and Kolzig are feeling like the team has no confidence in them to take this team to the next level. It's something the team, the coaches and the management will have to work with down the stretch to avoid this becoming a poisonous situation.

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New Troops in Town

So the deadline has passed, the dust is slowly settling, and it's time to take stock of what we've got, what we lost, and where we're going.

Let's start with the first deal of the day for the Caps. GMGM snatches up Cristobal Huet from Montreal for a second round pick in 2009, the pick received in exchange for Brian Sutherby. Talk about maximizing your assets - in Huet the Caps get a 32-year-old goalie who is a proven starter, a goalie capable of stealing games for his team despite his recent slump, a goalie familiar with our coach and his systems, and someone who down the road could carry the work between the pipes while we wait for our baby goalies to develop.

Drawbacks? He doesn't bring a lot of playoff experience, with just six games under his belt (although his 2.33 GAA and .929 save % are pretty numbers for that stretch). He has the tendency to be a bit inconsistent and even admitted himself that he didn't work hard enough to keep his spot in the Habs lineup. Still, it's hard to be too upset with a guy who comes to us for little more than a pick. Now the question becomes, with the deadline come and gone, what happens in net? We have three goaltenders...only two can stay. You do the math.

Moving on to the second "holy hell, where did that come from" trade - Sergei Fedorov, acquired from the Blue Jackets in exchange for prospect and 2007 draftee Ted Ruth. This is another one of those potentially low risk, high reward moves for the Caps, and Fedorov brings a few things to the table that could be key.

He provides another veteran Russian presence for our two young Russians, which is going to be key down the stretch. He's also got experience (as we all remember) with winning a Stanley Cup, and he fills Nylander's center spot - something that the Caps have needed since losing Michael for the season. As for downsides, again, low risk, potentially high reward here; if he doesn't work out we have him for about a month and then set him free, and if he does, we might see ourselves doing more in April than we have in many years.

And the final piece in the puzzle, Matt Cooke coming to DC from Vancouver in return for Matt Pettinger. We've talked about Pettinger around here already and it really looked like his days were numbered; he just wasn't getting it done for the Caps anymore and you have to like that he'll get a second chance to prove himself on a team he grew up rooting for. In Cooke the Caps add some grit to the third or fourth line, a similar player to Pettinger but more of an agitator. It's something that has been lacking a bit in the lineup and all in all it looks like another good deal.

Oh, and welcome back to Alexandre Giroux, who returns to the Caps in exchange for Joe Motzko. I think I speak for all of us when I say...woo.

So the dust slowly settles and it looks like we can throw that whole "standing pat" thing out the window for sure. But this was a good day for GMGM and the Caps. Some key moves shoring up some key positions while not giving away the farm, and a definite message that this team is serious about making the playoffs.

A few things of note - the Caps, as I mentioned, did not move Olie or Johnson, so there is a bit of an issue in net and we'll have to see how that plays out. Also, Steve Eminger remains a Cap even after saying he hoped something would happen...and the mystery of Eminger's lost season continues. More on that later. And no solid defensemen were added, although it didn't really look like the pool was that great to begin with so you can't really blame McPhee for that.

Twenty games left (including one tonight, don't forget) and the Caps sit five points out of the playoffs with a couple of fresh faces in for the stretch run. Hard not to get excited, isn't it?

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Between the Pipes

Okay, so let's talk about this whole Ilya Bryzgalov thing, because a lot of people are claiming we should have picked him up.

I am not one of those people.

Bryzgalov is a very good goalie. I'm not going to argue that fact, nor will I argue with the fact that he's 27 and probably in the prime of his career. To get a goaltender of his caliber without having to give up anything is very rare and it is, for some teams, a golden opportunity.

However...he is not the answer to our problems. He's good but not great - he's not the second coming of Patrick Roy or Marty Brodeur. Anaheim didn't have enough faith in him to carry their playoff hopes last year and when Giguere was out with an injury to start this season, Bryzgalov was not exactly stellar in relief. They have a much better defense out there, too, in case you've forgotten.

I, like the Capitals organization, am not willing to give up on Brent Johnson just yet. I was stunned to see how quickly the battle cry turned to "get rid of Johnson!" after Friday night's loss, so willing are we right now to point the finger at something concrete like a bad goalie that we forget logic and common sense. No, it wasn't his best game. I could tell you that, the commentators could tell you that...Johnny himself would likely tell you that. One bad game, though, and we dump him? Why?

I also think we're playing fast and loose with the definition of a "bad game". He let in some softies, sure, but he also made some great saves, including one sparkling one on Lecavalier that had me rewinding and watching again. And may I remind everyone that Olie had one of the worst games I've ever seen him play earlier this year against the Islanders - where were the cries to go out and get a "real" goalie then?

So what of the argument that we need to get a replacement for Olie now, start polishing up the next shiny new goalie before Zilla hangs 'em up? Frankly I don't see that there's any rush - we have some good goaltending prospects and should none of them be ready to fill the void in two years there are things called trades and there is something called free agency. Ilya Bryzgalov wasn't going to be that guy anyways - try as you might, you can't make me believe that he would hang around as a backup and then re-sign as a UFA when his contract is up.

I get that there is a sense of urgency right now among Caps fans. We're looking at the standings and seeing another long summer ahead. We're looking at the contract extensions by other big name players like Crosby, Thornton and Kipprusoff and we're wondering where they are for our guys. The future seems very uncertain right now. We see a good player become available and we want to pull the trigger, do something, show some sign that this team is interested in winning.

But you don't just go out and grab any old guy off the waiver wire, especially when you're talking about the one position that has been the steadiest all year. Aside from Ovechkin, Johnson and Olie have been the most consistent players of anyone on the team. If you asked McPhee why he passed on Bryzgalov he'd likely tell you that goaltending has not been the problem - and it hasn't been. Our netminders have been great. The rest of the team...well, that may need some work.

There's time.

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Blackouts Stink

- There were some strange doings around the league last night. On a night when Pascal Leclaire wasn't even playing, there were 5 shutouts among the 8 games - three of those by a final score of 5-0.

- Yahoo! Sports has put out a list of underrated players for each team, and I don't think it's any surprise that Boyd Gordon is the Capitals' representative. Even less of a surprise? The fact that 85% of them are guys I enjoy watching. What can I say, I love the underrated underdog.

- Kolzig and Ovechkin both will appear on this year's All-Star ballot - again, no surprises there, although it's nice to see Olie get on there. People, I beg of you, let's avoid the whole embarrassment we had last year. Vote early, vote often to get them both in there. It may be a meaningless, badly played game but it shows the league that Caps' fans have passion for a change. I know we can do it. Voting opens November 15...

- And finally, Chris Bourque gets the call tonight for his long-awaited NHL debut. Of course, none of us will get to see it (thank you, Versus) but I think this could be a spark for the Caps. Frankly it has to - something has to.

- So Brent Johnson will probably get the nod tonight against Atlanta given his numbers against them and the fact that Olie was chased in last night's game (although you can't really blame him for any of those goals). The Caps on the other hand will be facing Lehtonen's backup's backup, Ondrej Pavelec, who will be appearing in just his fourth NHL game.

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Between the Pipes

Next up on the wheel o' newspaper profiles...Brent Johnson and Olie Kolzig, our beloved goaltending tandem.

You know, I kid but the coverage of the Caps so far by both major papers has been really good lately, at least in the last two weeks or so. As much as I love to pick on the mainstream media it's nice to see them getting a few more column inches for our boys - hopefully as the season progresses they'll merit even more coverage.

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