So, I'm away for a couple of days, and the Caps sign not one, but two free agents.
Ben Clymer seems to be the prototypical candidate for the Caps right now. Nothing leaps out at you about his game, but he's a decent two-way guy who can skate. He won't put up much in the way of statistics, but he won't embarrass himself out there, either. This is the kind of player -- not too old, not too expensive, not a high-end talent -- with which I thought the Caps would try to fill in the roster.
The signing of Miroslav Zalesak confounds me. He's pretty much one-dimensional, and not the dimension the Caps need. He's scored some in the AHL but hasn't had a lot of NHL experience (12 games). He's said to be less than physically imposing and lacking on the defensive end. I would have thought that the strategy was to draft for skill (even the just-drafted, outsized Sasha Pokulok is more of a skill defenseman) then fill in the holes in physical, two-way, grinder-type players via free agency or trades. This signing, I just don't get.
But hey, the Caps are new to this . . . hopefully, they'll get better.
-- The Peerless
