The Rebuild is Not Over

Nope, not by a longshot. It’s like saying, I’ve had all the materials delivered, now the house is built.

Let’s say it out loud...the rebuild is not over. Look at the raw materials...

Goaltending – Olaf Kolzig is the number one goaltender, probably for as long as he is a Cap. The event of a sublime Brent Johnson performance is not going to change that, but Johnson playing well in 15-20 games or more is a critical ingredient to success. So far, Johnson has been pretty good. His 3.35 GAA isn’t where one would like it, but having to face 53 shots in one of the three games he’s played (and giving up seven goals) will do that. His .904 save percentage is what the club needs.

Defense...It’s young and not experienced among its parts. Tom Poti is new to the club, and the Caps have a lot of sub-25 year old types manning the blue line. This is the task that really can’t be rushed. Defensemen take time to grow and learn. Mike Green looks like a wholly different player than the one he was last year, to the benefit of the Caps. If someone like Jeff Schultz can find that leap this year, all the better.

Power Play...perhaps the most intricate part of the construction, there are parts to it that must be performed correctly, or it just doesn’t work. A credible threat from the point, a deft hand on the side boards, a gritty stalwart in front, players with quick hands and good vision all around. And chemistry. It takes time to become adept at building, it takes time to integrate different parts from different teams (last year, Poti, Nylander, Kozlov, and Backstrom played in different cities) and create that needed chemistry.

Penalty Killing...The studs have to be put in place correctly and in alignment, or you have problems that can last the whole season. The Caps have the materials here – Boyd Gordon, David Steckel, Matt Pettinger, and Chris Clark can be very effective forwards on the penalty kill, and as the defense matures it can become just as effective. But it is a work in progress, not a rebuilt edition.

The foundation...Alexander Ovechkin. He has six points in seven games, but he looks more like a well-rounded hockey player than he has in either of his first two years. His attention to more facets in his game than scoring can have the effect of being an example for the team. Whether this has an effect on Alexander Semin will be something interesting to watch when he returns from injury.

The fixtures...Viktor Kozlov, Michael Nylander, Nicklas Backstrom. At one point or another, any or all of them will center Ovechkin this year. The trick in making them fit with Ovechkin is equal parts art, science, and time...this is what the Capitals are still working out.

Shootout...An item that has been installed, although not tested, but one – whatever what one thinks of this abomination – that has to improve, even if it is somewhat overrated (of 32 playoff teams over the two full years of the shootout, 12 finished below .500 in shootouts; Ottawa had a combined record of 4-12). And whatever improvement the Caps might have in adding Viktor Kozlov and Michael Nylander, the improvement has to include the goalies, as well (.639 save percentage over the last two years).

The materials are on the lot, and the framing is up. But let’s not confuse this rebuild with a completed project. There are things to assemble, things to install, and problems to overcome. The rebuild will be done when the Capitals have clinched a playoff spot, not before.

But there is a deadline of sorts to this. The Capitals, as Tarik El-Bashir notes in his Capitals Insider and we suggested here, cannot fall too far behind the leaders in October. A sub-.500 record in October is a large hole out of which to climb. And if this club is still struggling to find its identity and standings points at Thanksgiving, the playoffs will start to look more like wish than expectation.

What all that suggests, to carry this rebuild idea up another notch, is that the materials have been delivered to the site and are in place...it is now the job of the "foreman" to make sure that the project comes together expeditiously. It's not too late, despite the doom and gloom in the usual places...but it's not too soon for a sense of urgency, either.