McPhee is less fond of making bold and potentially risky moves during free agency and at the trade deadline, but historically, GMGM has drafted well and is known for bringing players he’s drafted up through the Capitals’ system. This time of year, you hear words like “potential,” “promise” and “prospect” thrown carelessly about, but it’s hard to predict the future success of a raw 18-year-old [Editor's Note: That also explains several of our college boyfriends].

Prospects are just that - prospects. Sure, one may be dominant in whatever obscure Canadian junior league he played in, but it’s difficult to predict how that will translate to the NHL level; some just aren’t cut out for the bigs. Take Filip Forsberg, whom the Capitals drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft, for example. NHL teams have scouts that keep an eye on how prospects are developing (George McPhee is not omnipresent, no matter what you may have heard), simply because owners, general managers, and coaches cannot be in all places at once.

Back to Forsberg. While that trade with Nashville was, and still is unpopular, there was no guarantee that Forsberg (No relation to Peter), would end up being something special in the NHL. McPhee said he spoke with several team scouts prior to the trade and they agreed to go forward with trading Forsberg to Nashville for forward Martin Erat. They saw something in his development they didn’t like and gave the okay to set him loose. It was speculated that Forsberg was not a strong skater among other things. Nashville is hoping he’ll end up being a stud in more ways than one, but that remains to be seen.

The Capitals have the 23rd pick in the first round of the draft and eight picks overall. All seven rounds will be taking place on the same day, beginning at 3PM Eastern time, which means I’ll probably be asleep sometime during the 5th round (don’t judge, we all need our beauty sleep, even me). Here’s the breakdown:

• 1st round: 23rd pick
• 2nd round: 53rd pick
• 3rd round: 84th pick
• 4th round: 114th pick
• 5th round: 127th and 144th pick
• 6th round: 174th pick
• 7th round: 204th pick

The draft class this year has been touted as the deepest since 2003, when Marc-Andre Fleury was the number one selection that year. Other members of the 2003 draft class were Patrice Bergeron the Martyr, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter (because you can’t mention one without mentioning the other), Ryan Getzlaf, and Zach Parise, to name a few.

Expect McPhee to draft shrewdly, addressing future franchise needs as well as possibly trading a pick or two for something better. He’s GMGM, the ninja. Have faith. And do check out the NHL Central Scouting report to learn more about this year’s draft class (there are quite a few of them).

After the jump, we get down to brass tacks…

The free agent market looked to be pretty slim pickings initially, but since more than a few teams look like they’re taking advantage of the buyout under the new CBA, things are looking a little bit brighter for teams that want to buy. That’s bad news for Capitals free agent Mike Ribiero, who wants term and money in his next deal. Some Caps fans are asking themselves, why sign Ribiero to a 5-year, $5.5 million contract at age 33 when there’s the recently bought-out Vinny Lecavalier on the market?

It doesn’t make sense, but under the new CBA, teams have to pay two-thirds of a player’s salary for twice the duration of the remaining contract. That means the team that acquires the bought out player will only have to pay one-third of the player’s salary. Pretty awesome, right? Anyway, I’d like to see the Capitals get their mitts on Lecavalier for a couple years instead of dropping mad, mad money on Ribs, as much as we all do love him. It’s all about the money, child. Lecavalier is a cheaper alternative to Riberio – with the salary cap going down, and the Capitals with a lot if money tied up as it is, Lecavalier would be a more affordable and practical option. You listening, George? Grab your Sonic Ear.

Another passenger on the buyout train is Danny Briere. Yes, he is 35, and yes, his production is declining. But he’s gritty, tough, proven in the playoffs, and not to mention, kind of cheap. He would be another good plug for a hole the Caps need to patch. Matt Hendricks’ days as a Cap are likely numbered. Let’s hope they’re not, but again it boils down to moolah. Why re-sign Hendricks for more money when it would be easy to find another guy with the same skill set for less? He is well-respected in the locker room and is recognized as one of the most hardworking, blue-collar players on the team, but things like that matter less in the face of tight finances.

However, the consensus among educated Capitals fans in choosing between fellow FAs Karl Alzner and Matt Hendricks seems to be Alzner. They are both valuable to the team, but Alzner more so, as he is one of the top four Capitals defensemen. It is clear the Capitals want to keep him – McPhee told the media on Monday that they would match any offer sheets for Alzner and Marcus Johansson.

But…Johansson. Let’s not get into that. I think the Capitals would do well to lock up his rights and take advantage of his trade value. Yes, the Capitals’ forward depth situation is not stellar, but it would give the team an opportunity to freshen and improve the roster for next season. I also believe Johansson would benefit from a change of scenery as well, so it could end up being a mutually beneficial arrangement. George, I really hope you’re listening. This is good stuff. I mean it.

Defensive depth is another issue that the Capitals will need to address via free agency or within their system. I know we hate all of those creeps, but Andrew Ference of Bruins fame will not be returning to Boston. He’d be a solid addition to the Capitals blue line, and wouldn’t be outrageously overpriced. Well, at least not yet. Plus he seems like a nice guy, he’s won a Stanley Cup and played in two Cup Finals series in the last three years. Two words: Veteran. Leadership. Go get him, George.

The Capitals have the benefit of something I like to refer to as TGINF. Thank God it’s not Philadelphia. That means there isn’t a goalie controversy every four seconds. Nope, no leaky five holes here. Well – nevermind. Speaking of that, have fun in Philly, Ryan Miller.

Now, the entire city of Washington is balancing on that skate blade. Like the morning shift at a strip club, the Capitals’ season is up for grabs. It is a testament to how awful this team was at the start of the season that the playoffs are still not a sure thing despite this recent streak, but the way this lockout season will be remembered in Washington will be decided this week. Let’s get into it.

The Capitals play three games this week: against Toronto on Tuesday, at Ottawa on Thursday, and at Montreal on Saturday. Canada Week has begun in the nation’s capital like a syrup-soaked apology, and the Caps’ season is teetering on the precipice like a tipsy canuck sipping Molson. Yes, the Mighty Mighty Washington Capitals have won a league-best seven games in a row and are currently driving the Southeast division like the mad captain of a sinking ship.

We need to not kid ourselves, though; this baby is far from a sure thing. The Caps are only two points ahead of the eighth-place Rangers, and only four points ahead of fellow Southeast bottom-dweller Winnipeg. One loss, and we’ve slipped out of the top eight. Two losses, and it’s a long, lonely summer for the Capitals. That’s how close this thing is, so let’s not get too comfortable.

I’m going to propose two alternate realities to you: one optimistic, one pessimistic. Let’s examine how the next few months might play out if the Caps manage to cry havoc and let slip the dog sleds of war, tearing through Canada like the Keystone pipeline, and how things might go if the wheels fall off this Miata before we reach May.

Scenario 1: The Capitals Lose

A good groin is hard to come by in this town, and it comes back to bite the Caps. Brooks Laich never makes it back into the lineup, and his grit and good decision-making are sorely missed. Erat needs more than six games to learn a system it took the entire team several months to figure out, and he isn’t able to produce enough to fill the void. As a result, tough customers Matt Hendricks and Jason Chimera are brought back up to the top line to inject some sort of testosterone-driven urgency into the team, but everyone forgets that they can’t score.

Meanwhile the defense, like a non-profit pimp, gives away too many scoring chances. John Carlson is hearing the calls from Hollywood for his services as a carpet cleaning spokesman, and that extra time on set is less time on the ice. Ol’ Spike Strip reverts to his early season habit of blowing tires on the back check, and Jack Hillen, like Obi Wan wailing that Anakin was supposed to be the chosen one, is unable to save him. The Capitals implode like a neutron star, and there are no playoffs this year for DC.

It’s a long off-season in Washington. The old echoes of “no top-six talent” come floating back like the damned wails of the ghost of Jacob Marley. This time, George McPhee can’t claim he’s backloading for the future; Filip Forsberg has by now been elected mayor of Nashville and has cut a platinum album with Carrie Underwood. 

GMGM, breaking out in a cold sweat, runs to his red emergency phone and dials the Too-Good-For-Their-Age-Defensemen Hotline in Hershey, but there is no answer. Hershey has no more young studs to send to Washington to shore up our defenses; the well has finally run dry.  McPhee collapses on the floor of his office, and is shaken awake by an aid. “It’s Kuznetsov,” the aid whispers. “He says he’s not coming anymore.”

Meanwhile, Ovi and Maria spend the offseason on a goodwill tour, visiting theme parks and defeating all comers in any conceivable athletic endeavor. Alex Semin pens his tell-all memoir, and Ted Leonsis declares that the Wizards are now his top priority.

There is no joy in Mudville in this scenario. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Scenario 2: The Capitals Win

The Caps make poutine out of Toronto and Ottawa, and Montreal cries “merde!” as Ovechkin rolls over them without a thought like so much English grammar. Meanwhile, our centers keep making plays. Mike Ribeiro only knows how to move two things: pucks, and attitude, and he moves plenty of both. He and Backstrom make more assists than the staff of a retirement community, and the offense keeps clicking like Jaromir Jagr’s hip. The power play continues to utterly overpower opponents, and Adam Oates writes a hit song called “I Told Y’all So.”

On the other side of the puck, Alzner keeps squeezing dudes against the boards like a cruise ship activity director and Mike Green finally realizes, “Wait, I’m on defense?” Holtby and Neuvirth are called on to make fewer saves than a Las Vegas priest, and trash is cleared from in front of the net faster than you can say “Orlov.” With the ability to move the puck quickly out of their own zone, and deftly around once in the attacking zone, the ice begins to tilt for the Capitals and good times are here.

Oh, and Ovi wins the Hart.

With an offensive savant behind the bench and a newly dedicated cast of players executing properly, this Capitals juggernaut could really make a run into the playoffs. The Capitals were a team sans identity last year, and they were still able to knock off the defending champs. As we saw with the Kings last year, it’s all about getting hot at the right time. The Capitals were slower to get up to speed this year than an Eli Whitney cotton gin, but with all the pieces in place and players coming back from injuries, the Caps are rolling downhill and have won 11 of their last 13 games.

When they get into the playoffs, they will face a field of five mediocre eastern conference teams, and three bona fide contenders (Pittsburgh, Boston and Montreal). For the Penguins, Crosby and Malkin are hurt, and as deep as that team is, the Pens need those guys. The Caps have beaten both Boston and Montreal this year, the latter in Montreal. There is not a team in the league that wants to play the Washington Capitals in the first round, and that is a new development.

So What Should I Look For This Week?

Watch the urgency with which the team is playing. When the Caps nearly collapsed in the third period in what should have been a blow out against Tampa Bay, it was because they reverted to their worst habit: the patented “lazy pass to no one.” Hockey is tiring. I play the sport, I get it. But most of the Capitals’ woes come from an unwillingness to skate hard to make the play that is available. It is easier to make an outlet pass to someone else and hope they do the work. But you will not ever win hockey games that way, period. As I’ve said, hockey is a game of a million consequent nows. If you see the Caps busting their asses to win little battles that you aren’t even sure are important, be glad and take courage. If you see them limping their way through the neutral zone and turning over a lot of passes, be worried.

A week from now, we’ll have a very good idea whether or not the Capitals are going to make the playoffs, and how deep they have a shot to go if they do. I don’t know about you, but if I have to watch baseball for the next two months, I’m going to scream. For that reason alone, I say, Go Caps.

Speaking of the lockout, don’t even ask us how we plan to waste bandwidth file copy during it. To be honest, we’ve ramped up the staff with additional writers and we’ll do our best to continue cranking out the shenanigoats and tomfoolery insightful analysis and commentary that we’re known for. It’s our first lockout. We’re scared. Someone, please hold us!

Kettler was empty save for a few souls in the stands and in the press box, but it was a good turnout on the ice: Greenie (looking scruffy), Nicky, Neuvy, MoJo (in goalie pads?), Carlson (with flow in tow), Erskine, Dima, Chimdog, and some new guys who we still have a hard time ID’ing. We’ll get to know those guys soon enough – sooner if the the warring factions in NYC get their collective (bargaining) acts together.

But the guy we really wanted to see on has been a favorite of ours – and certainly with countless other Caps fans, Matt Hendricks.

We learned a couple of months back that Hendy taped a PSA for You Can Play. Tuesday morning, the video was released. It was especially heartening to see team management throw their weight behind YCP by promoting it on the Caps website and across the other team channels.

We’re cool that the Post scooped on this. No, really, we’re cool. Those torched and trashed WaPo news boxes all up and down K street this afternoon? Not our doing.

Actually, Barry did a great job on the story and it was just the kind of wake up call we love to have on a Tuesday morning. Just when we thought we couldn’t be more proud of our team, a great player like Matt Hendricks steps up huge for a great effort, with the team standing up behind him. Serious pride. Not gay pride; it’s bigger than that. #hendypride #capspride #forever.

The Hardest Working Man in Show Business: The Ovechcam operator last night.

Alex surfing a Blue wave: Toronto Star - Vince Talotta

It was a big TV night north of the border; solid numbers in the key demos and a sizable share, even though Caps fans in the DC viewing market had to hunt for the game.

Alex and Nicky Abelimages - Getty

The DVR here got a workout; we wanted to relive those many highlights and do our own slo-mo replays. (No pun intended).

The game evolved like many had hoped; an early lead, buttressing that edge with a few more goals, coupled with stunning displays of defense and net-minding.

A three-game road trip with six points on the line yielded five.  We like those numbers, even though the goal totals last night and on the Island were a little soft considering the weakness of the opposition.

Number 70 On The Ice, But Number One In Our Hearts: “And Holtby makes the Save!” “Another glove save by Holtby!”  “Pad save, Holtby!” 

Heart Throb Hot B Holtby: Darren Calabrese - AP

We never got tired of hearing that last night.  35 stops in all, 18 in the last frame – when it really mattered. 

Locker called it a “coming out party,” for the SK native.  What a troika of young goalies this team is blessed with.  Already there’s talk of the heathy returns of Neuvy and Varly and what it means for Braden’s near-term future.  Whether he’s in DC or Hershey, this kid gave us some nice memories this week and it’s comforting to know he’s just a phone call and a short ride away.  And speaking of eventual returns, when Sasha and Eric get back, there will be some more tough decisions to be made.

Enough is Never Phaneuf: The collective hope among Caps fans is that Alex is back. 

OV Nicky Carly Party Canadian Press - Darren Calabrese

It was quite a display from the Caps’ Captain last night: His first hat trick since last season, his 10th career and first multi-goal game since October.

He was all over the ice.  Sometimes it’s hard to get worked up over an empty-netter, but last night Alex had to work for that one as the clock wound down: he took a shot against the board, swerved around one Leaf then finally moved past Dion Phaneuf for the goal.

Man Bites Dog: Was that Matt Hendricks with the fake, curl, drag and score?  

After taking a shot to the nose from Leaftwit and noted gangster, Mike Brown, Matt later quieted the Air Canada Arena with a pretty sweet display of neutral zone thievery and scoring.

Hendy Score Abelimages - Getty

Dog Bites Man: The game-time tweeters who were monitoring the CBC brodcast of the game said Don Cherry was being a dick. No kidding. Some sharpies in Capsblogistan managed to pull this screen grab of a kid who really needs a better role model.

"I never met a TV test pattern I didn't like" Courtesy mkpanda78 via RMNB

The Boys In The Band(wagon): It was a whole team effort last night, one that everyone hopes will continue in the out weeks, starting with Monday’s game @ Verizon with the Rangers. Maybe the kinks are worked out and the new lines are working more seamlessly. Whatever the formula that has worked this week, the next few games may foreshadow where we are come springtime. 

First Things Last: Happy 32 to Number 23. 

The jokers at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue may be looking to make cuts in the nation’s defense budget, but the Capitals Defense looks mighty robust after we spirited Scott away from Colorado. Take the day off, dude. 

That trade meant we lost the Flash to the Avs and the news this week of his embolisms was tough.  Just recently, an ECHL player, Mitch Fadden, the Florida Everblades’ top scorer, was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg.  He too, will miss the remainder of the year.  Speedy recoveries to both and we look forward to squaring off against you guys next season.

Speaking of D, happy 100th game to Karl Alzner.