Development Camp -- Day One

And…they’re off!

It’s Day 1 at Capitals Development Camp. Players, bloggers, twitterers, uh…coacherers. It’s nice to have hockey in July. If you’re looking for deep insights or comprehensive breakdowns of the performances of the young charges, well… we ain’t got ‘em. Not today. We have pics and a few comments…

One of the interesting subplots in the morning session was the frequency with which Joe Finley (6’7”, 229) was matched against Mathieu Perreault (5’9”, 165) in one on one situations. One might have thought that Perreault would skitter and dart and turn Finley inside out. Such was not the case… at least not too often. We’d rate the morning a draw between these two.

Speaking of Perreault, he was the special object of Coach Bruce Boudreau’s affection on one occasion when Perreault spent a little too much time hanging onto the puck trying to do everything himself. Perreault ended up shooting the puck into goalie Braden Holtby’s pads. Boudreau took him aside and explained how he’d never beat him that way (with a good-natured expletive tossed in for appropriate adjectival emphasis).

For Day 1, at least, it seems a bit like a stripped down affair in one respect. The Caps brain trust now seems to know what they want and how they want it, and there was a lot of situational action with teaching moments from Coach Boudreau interspersed. For the moment, there seems to be a bit of hesitancy – of not wanting to stand out by making a mistake – among the boys, but Boudreau and newly minted assistant Bob Woods were giving encouragement to guys in groups and individually.

But Boudreau did appear to offer a warning of sorts (at least, if our hearing wasn’t too poor) with respect to being in shape and what awaits in September when the stakes get higher. Knowing what took place at last year’s rookie camp before the vets arrived, this was no idle warning. As if to give the guys a taste, he conjured up an oldie, but a goodie, to close the morning session – what players refer to as a “bag skate,” in this case, from the near boards to the far boards and back, far faceoff dot and back, hash marks and back, etc., with one cycle added to each shortened distance, until the guys did six repetitions of near hash marks and back.

We won’t be at the afternoon session, but we’ll try to pick up things tomorrow. For the time being, some snaps of the morning action (click for larger images)…

Ten Games That Mattered In 2008-2009, Part III

Here we are with another three-fer in the look at games that mattered in 2008-2009, a trio of games against a pair of traditional rivals, calling back memories of old Patrick Division scraps…

Washington at Philadelphia, March 12, 2009

The result: Capitals 2 – Flyers 1

The background: The Flyers were on a nice run – 10-4-1 since losing the first game of February to Boston. The streak included a 4-2 win over the Caps in Washington, keeping alive a streak of not having lost to the Caps in regulation this season (2-0-1). There were a couple of competing subplots to this on the Caps’ side of the contest. On the one hand, Washington was having a difficult March – they had lost four in a row to start the month before squeezing out a 2-1 overtime win in Nashville. On the other hand, that win in Nashville was the Caps’ fourth road win in a row. Which Caps team would show up was the question.

Why it mattered: The Flyers were very possibly a team that the Caps would have to face in the playoffs. If there was a time for a message – that the Caps could compete and do so on Flyer ice – this was the time. It was hardly a dominating performance, and not even an especially good road game in terms of style. The Caps were outshot, 36-30. They lost 32 of 48 draws. They were outhit 24-18. But they got goals from Brooks Laich and Alex Ovechkin, and they got one of the best performances of the year from Jose Theodore in goal (35 saves on 36 shots).

The takeaway: It was the first time since March 6, 2001 that the Caps had won five straight road games. For a team that spent five straight years not winning more than 15 road games (until winning 20 in 2007-2008), it was an important statement that they could win on the road and in a difficult place for opponents to do so. The Caps would go on to win 21 games on the road for the season, tied for second most in club history (22, 1983-1984).

New York Rangers at Washington, April 18, 2009

The result: Rangers 1 – Capitals 0

The background: The Capitals were, if not a prohibitive favorite, then certainly a solid one to eliminate the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. However, the playoffs are at least as often as not a goaltender’s time of year. A hot goalie can steal a series, as any Caps fan of long-standing can attest. The flip side of that is that if a goalie is not on his game, the margin of error is so small in the playoffs that winning a series becomes iffy at best. Both sides of the coin were on display in Game 1 of the opening round series – Henrik Lundqvist stopped 32 of 35 shots for the Rangers, while Jose Theodore managed only 17 saves on 21 shots for the Caps in a 4-3 Rangers win. Given that Theodore limped into the playoffs, allowing three or more goals in four of his last five regular season games against bottom feeders Tampa Bay, the Islanders, Atlanta, and Florida, it was an ominous sign and raised the possibility of a change in goal for Game 2.

Why it mattered: Bruce Boudreau rolled the dice, to the surprise of the Verizon Center crowd, sending Semyon Varlamov out for Game 2. It was a calculated gamble. Varlamov had only six games of regular season experience, but in five starts he was 4-0-1 and did not allow more than two goals in any of them. Still, the playoffs are a different animal, but here to, Varlamov had some experience to draw on. In 22 playoff game appearances for Lokomotiv Yarloslavl in Russia over two seasons, he had a 2.00 goals against average and five shutouts. At the highest level at which he played before the NHL, he was successful in a playoff setting. And the gamble paid off in this one, even though the Caps did not win the game. The Rangers scored on their second shot of the contest – Ryan Callahan converting a two-on-one – but would add no more. Varlamov stopped 23 of 24 shots overall, and if not for the brilliance of his counterpart, Henrik Lundqvist (who stopped all 35 shots he faced for the shutout), would have been a winner in his NHL playoff debut.

The takeaway: Varlamov added to the evidence that his brief experience – wildly successful as it was – was no fluke. It was the sixth straight start in which he allowed two goals or fewer (a streak that would grow to nine before this series was over). And if the Caps hadn’t yet stopped the bleeding in this series, at least they gave evidence that momentum – something they showed they could capture when things looked like they could take a gruesome turn in the regular season – was once more bending in their direction.

New York Rangers at Washington, April 28, 2009

The result: Capitals 2 – Rangers 1

The background: The Caps had not won a seven-game series since defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in the Patrick Division semi-finals in 1988. Coincidentally, the Capitals won that series after fighting off a 3-1 deficit to force a Game 7. So it would be in this game, the Caps riding the unexpected goaltending of Semyon Varlamov (five goals allowed in four games and two shutouts) to force the deciding contest. After winning Games 1 and 2, the Rangers’ offense went silent – five goals (two of those scored after the competitive portion of Game 6 ended after the Caps built a 5-1 lead through two periods) and 2-for-21 on the power play. The spice added to this game was the return of John Tortorella behind the Ranger bench. Tortorella took a seat in the stands after earning a one-game suspension for having squirted water into the Verizon Center crowd in Game 5 and tossing a water bottle over the glass into the stands. Six times the Caps had played in a Game 7, and in no such instance had they allowed fewer than three goals. Would Varlamov succumb to the curse of Game 7?

Why it mattered: All year, the Caps showed an ability to come back in games, even from multi-goal deficits. In this one, things started ugly… the Rangers registered the first five shots on goal, including a breakaway by Nik Antropov in the first minute. Caps fans might be forgiven if the beginning of this game looked like too many deciding playoff games from the Caps’ past. It got worse when Antropov snapped the puck past Varlamov in the game’s sixth minute on that fifth shot by the Rangers. But Varlamov shut the door on the visitors after that to allow the Caps to get their legs under them. Then fate, being fickle and heretofore not a Caps fan, smiled on the home team. Nicklas Backstrom carried the puck down the left wing and left it for Alexander Semin at the top of the faceoff circle. Semin wrong-footed a wrister than hit the shaft of the stick of a diving Ryan Callahan, then the puck hit Callahan again as it was going by, fluttering under Henrik Lundqvist’s glove and over his left pad to tie the game. You’d search a long time to find a goal like that scored by the Caps in a deciding playoff game. After that it was a goaltender’s game – again, the sort the Caps never could find a way to win when it mattered in the playoffs – but it was two different sorts of performances by the goalies. Lundqvist was peppered frequently by the Caps (22 shots in the last two periods), while Varlamov had to fight the tendency to lose focus with so few shots thrown his way (seven in the last two periods). Would Lundqvist blink, or would Varlamov let one slip by between yawns? It was a blink late in the third that decided things, when Sergei Fedorov scurried down the right side, slammed on the brakes, used defenseman Wade Redden as a screen, and rifled a wrist shot over Lundqvist’s glove on the short side for the winning margin.

The takeaway: For only the second time in Caps’ history, they won a Game 7. For the first time in Caps’ history, they allowed fewer than three goals in a Game 7. For the first time a long time, dating back to the 1998 playoff run to the Stanley Cup final, fans could say that it was the other team that faced the hot goaltender in a deciding game (well, the series, actually). For the first time since that playoff run 11 years ago, the Caps won a playoff series of any sort. And there was more than a whisper comparing Semyon Varlamov – 4-2 in the series, 1.17 GAA, .952 save percentage, and two shutouts – with Cam Ward (a rookie who led the Carolina Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup in 2006) and Ken Dryden (a first year player – he would be a “rookie” the following year – who led the Montreal Canadiens to a Stanley Cup after playing in only six regular season games in 1971).

A Major Announcement! A Major Announcement!!

So sayeth the NHL...

MEDIA ADVISORY

WHAT:		The National Hockey League will make a major announcement concerning a special event
WHEN:		Wednesday, July 15 @ 2:00 p.m. ET
WHERE:		Fenway Park Yawkey Way Boston, MA 02215 **This event also will be simulcast on NHL Network and streamed live on NHL.com**
NOTE:		Media should enter via the media entrance at Gate D, located at the corner of Yawkey Way and Van Ness Street. Doors will open at 1:00 p.m. ET. In the event of rain, media should still enter via Gate D and proceed to the State Street Pavilion. ...gee, can you guess what it might be?

Ten games that mattered in 2008-2009, Part II

We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge that Reed-CK over at Capitals Kremlin has already penned a compilation of the top-ten games of the year, and it would be hard to quibble with the games he picked. But we're going to plug along here, because we're fighting off a bit of a cold, and we just don't want to stop in the middle of this. So, let's look at another three-fer of games that mattered this past season...

Washington at Montreal, December 13, 2008

The result: Capitals 2 – Canadiens 1

The background: Montreal came into this game having been undefeated in regulation against the Caps on home ice in the last five games at Bell Centre. The teams were also tied in standings points (37). For the Caps, it was the back end of a back-to-back, their fifth such set of games in a month. They had split the previous four. But the Caps won the first half of the back-to-back leading into this game, and it was a night of note. The previous night was the night that Brett Leonhardt was tapped to take warm-ups and pull baseball cap duty until Semyon Varlamov could get into town from somewhere in Texas, where the Hershey Bears were playing. Well, given the Caps injuries in goal, this night might just as well be the night when Varlamov would make his own debut on the ice.

Why it mattered: Varlamov did, in fact, get the call in this one, and except for one iffy goal was perfect. He made 32 saves on 33 shots (not including one save by the crossbar mid-way through the first period), and many of those saves were of highlight quality. There was also the matter of Michael Nylander scoring the game-winning goal, one which he scored late in the third period to break a 1-1 tie on a ricochet off Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak while falling backward at the side of the net.

The takeaway: Hope. On the one hand, that the Caps investment of a first round pick in Semyon Varlamov would pay the sorts of dividends in the long term that they did in this game. He showed why he was a first round pick, displaying the sort of acrobatic athleticism that allowed him to cover ground (or ice) that few goaltenders could. And, there was Nylander, who scored his first goal in almost two months. Maybe this would be the spark – a somewhat ugly goal – that would get him out of his funk.

Washington at New York Rangers, December 23, 2008

The result: Capital 5 – Rangers 4 (OT)

The background: The Caps were fat and happy heading into the holiday break. They had won seven of eight games since dropping a 5-4 decision to Florida to open the month. But then they went to Philadelphia, played their best period of hockey of the year (25 shots in the first period and utter domination of the home team), but ended up getting splattered across the South Philly pavement after they failed to score in that first period and lost, 7-1. Now, they would head to Manhattan, another inhospitable venue.

Why it mattered: The Caps had shown an ability to come from behind, evidenced by the 4-3 win over Pittsburgh in October, when they spotted the Penguins three goals. But when the Caps fell behind the Rangers, 4-0, early in the second period, watched as Jose Theodore was pulled for a gimpy Brent Johnson (who clearly looked as if he was having physical problems), then saw Theodore go back in (he would give up that fourth goal early in the second), it looked like it would be a Grinchly Christmas for the Caps. But then… Alex Ovechkin spun and threw a puck at the net from the left wing half wall late in his shift. The puck looked as if it changed direction several times before settling over goalie Henrik Lunqvist’s shoulder to at least get the Caps on the board. But later… Tomas Fleischmann scored in the early in the third to make things interesting… then Viktor Kozlov snapped a wrist shot past Lundqvist… then Ovechkin stole a deflected pass at the Ranger line, settled the puck, and broke in alone on Lundqvist, potting the puck and tying the game. When Shaone Morrison scored the unlikely goal in overtime (it was his first of the year, and his first dating back to February 26^th, also a game winner), it was another reason to think no lead was safe against the Caps.

The takeaway: Momentum. There is no telling what the effect on the Caps might have been had they been pasted by the Flyers (after that amazing first period) and the Rangers right before the holiday. But the fact is, this game propelled the Caps into a seven game winning streak, what would be their longest of the season.

Washington vs. Detroit, January 31, 2009

The result: Capitals 4 – Red Wings 2

The background: The Capitals hadn’t had a test like this since facing San Jose in November, a test they flunked. And, they were having some trouble getting traction as far as momentum goes. After their seven-game winning streak starting with the comeback in over the Rangers, the Caps lost three in a row, won three in a row, then lost a pair in a row coming into this game. Detroit was missing some parts, too, as Henrik Zetterberg (groin) and Tomas Holmstrom (back) sat this one out with injuries, and Chris Osgood took the day off in favor of Ty Conklin. Still, it was the Red Wings, and the Caps weren’t such a hot team coming in.

Why it mattered: Big time. The Caps traded goals with the Red Wings in the first period (Ville Leino for the Red Wings late in the period, followed by Viktor Kozlov a minute later) and in the second period (Mike Green for the Caps late in the period, followed by Johan Franzen two minutes later). But then, it became the Alex Ovechkin show. Ovechkin scored goals 76 seconds apart in the third period. Big players step up in big games, even on a Sunday in January. And, with the win, the Caps tied the Red Wings with 31 wins on the season.

The takeaway: Momentum II. The win – on the last day of January – served as the right way to move into February, where the Caps went 9-3-1, including wins in New Jersey and in Boston, and against Pittsburgh. But there was another sort of “momentum” that started with this game. Nicklas Backstrom came into this one on a four-game pointless streak (his longest since a five-game streak in October). But starting with this game, in which he had a pair of assists, he would go 7-19-26, plus-4 in his next 21 games, failing to register a point in only three of them.

Hail! to the Victors Valiant...

...Hail! to the conquering heroes
Hail, hail, to Michigan...

From whence Mike Knuble and today's signing, Brendan Morrison, hail.


Knuble played four years with the maize and blue, ending in 1995, where in 157 games he was 103-72-175 with 238 penalty minutes. Morrison wore the Michigan colors for four years, ending in 1997, where in 155 games he was 102-182-284, with 159 penalty minutes. Morrison won an NCAA champsionship with the Wolverines in 1995-1996, and capped his stay in Ann Arbor by winning the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year award and the Hobey Baker Award in 1997.

...but as a former Spartan, they might call it maize, but we still call it "corn."

Ten games that mattered in 2008-2009

Since we're sitting here in the throes of summer, waiting for development camp and pondering the latest signing (elsewhere) of free agents, we thought we'd provide some fresh leftover reading material -- a look back at the 2008-2009 season and ten games that mattered in the course of things. Some are wins, some are losses (some of them grisly), but all have something to take away from them. We won't cover them all at once, but we will cover them chronologically. Here is a three-fer to get you started...

Washington at Atlanta, October 10, 2008.

The result: Thrashers 7 – Capitals 4

The background: Opening Night. Atlanta was coming off a disappointing year, finishing 14th in the 15-team Eastern Conference, unveiling a new slogan, “Become One in Blueland.” The Caps were coming off a disappointing finish to a spellbinding season that saw them rise from worst to first in the Southeast Division and a three-seed in the playoffs, where they lost to Philadelphia in the opening round. But it was a different Caps team in one important respect. The goalie who led them on a sprint to the finish, going 11-2-0, 1.63, .936, with two shutouts in the process, signed a contract with Chicago. The Caps were left to pursue a “Plan b,” signing Jose Theodore to a two-year deal. Theodore would open for the Caps on Opening Night.

Why it mattered: Theodore was shelled, giving up four goals on 17 shots in 29:30 of play before being relieved by Brent Johnson (who took the loss after the Caps tied the game late in the second period). Everything that the Caps could be – good and bad – was on display. The Caps spotted the Thrashers a 3-0 lead, but tied the game at four in the second, but… they gave up three goals in 2:10 in the third period to provide the final margin. The Caps were a grisly six-for-nine on the penalty kill, the nine shorthanded situations faced being as bad as the poor percentage of success, but… David Steckel potted a short-handed goal to get the Caps back within one after falling behind 3-0. Mike Green had a three-point night (2-1-3), but… he was on the ice for the first two Thrasher goals.

The takeaway: For a team now employing a goaltender for whom the consensus seemed to be that he lacked consistency, this was just about the worst start imaginable.


Washington at Pittsburgh, October 16, 2008.

The result: Capitals 4 – Penguins 3

The background: A Capitals-Penguins game is always special for the teams and their fans, but the addition of an Alex Ovechkin-Sidney Crosby rivalry has only added to it, giving it national (in two countries) significance. And on top of that, these were two teams that many speculated would meet in the spring. The Caps had not won on Mellon Arena ice in regulation since a 4-1 win on December 3, 2002. The only player on the roster from that team was Michael Nylander, and he had two stop-overs (Boston and the Rangers) before returning to the Caps.

Why it mattered: This was a two-fer. First, there was the matter of being able to win on the road, in Mellon Arena. Then there was the matter of the Caps being able to crawl out of a 3-0 hole (all the goals scored on the power play) they dug for themselves only 21:51 into the game. And it wasn’t Alex Ovechkin leading the way – he would finish this game scoreless. The Caps got goals from Tomas Fleischmann, Alexander Semin, Michael Nylander, and Boyd Gordon, and they got two-point games from Fleischmann, Semin, Nylander, and Eric Fehr to fuel the comeback. Boyd Gordon had the game-winner on a delayed-decision goal after he ripped one (well, as much as “Muffin” can rip one) that hit the back pipe of the goal and had it bounce back out fast enough to make it unclear whether the puck crossed the goal line in the first place. After more than two minutes of play continued, a replay showed that it did in fact count.

The takeaway: A game that the Caps fall behind early, on the road, against a formidable opponent, in which Alex Ovechkin didn’t have a point… and they win. There might be some resiliency in this team after all. And Sidney Crosby was a minus-3 for his trouble.


Washington at San Jose, November 22, 2008

The result: Sharks 7 – Capitals 2

The background: The Caps started a western part of a five-game road trip with a 10-4-3 record, but the west has not been generally hospitable to the Caps in the past. They split two games (winning in Anaheim before losing in Los Angeles) before heading to San Jose. The Sharks came into this game 16-3-1 and were 10-0-1 at home, where they had scored 41 goals in those 11 home games. This would be a game by which the Caps could measure themselves – a hot team widely expected to be on the short list of Stanley Cup contenders.

Why it mattered: If this was a test, the Caps flunked. But better such a test be administered now then late in the season. While the Caps had a good record coming in, they showed themselves capable of putting up the real stinker (the opening night loss to Atlanta, a 5-0 loss in Buffalo, a 5-2 loss to Los Angeles). But the Caps seemed to save these for lesser opponents; they showed an ability to compete well against better teams (the 4-3 win over Pittsburgh, a convincing 4-2 win over an up-and-coming Chicago team in the home opener, beating nemesis Roberto Luongo in a 5-2 win over Vancouver). But this was the biggest test of the season to date, and the Caps came out flat and had the look of a disinterested team.

The takeaway: If it was a lesson, it was a lesson apparently taken to heart. The Caps would lose their next game – at Minnesota – but would then snap off a 16-4-0 record in their next 20 games, giving up only 48 goals in the process, holding 12 opponents to two goals or fewer. And no one might have had to learn a tougher lesson on this night than defenseman Jeff Schultz. He was on the ice for the first three goals the Sharks scored (all in the first period) and five of the total of seven, finishing a minus-4 for the evening. But over his next 20 games, he was 1-2-3, +18.

Sittin' at the end of the bar...

- Much has been made about President Barack Obama's remarks in Moscow expressing pleasure about the contributions of a certain Russian to American -- and specifically Washington -- culture. Well, here's a nod to Alexander Semin (98 goals in his last three seasons) and Semyon Varlamov (11-6-1, 2.49, .918, two shutouts in his combined inaugural regular and playoff season), a couple of up-and-coming Russians in D.C. We're pleased to have them here, too.

-- What's with the contracts for defensemen? First, Tampa Bay gives Mattias Ohlund a seven year deal (he'll be 33 years old on opening night). Now, the Flyers have given Chris Pronger a seven year contract extension ($34.7 million) that will keep him as a Flyer property until Pronger is 42 yearsold. And, the deal is front weighted. Seems the NHL has finally learned the NFL trick of adding useless years to the end of contracts to smooth the cap hits on big deals.

-- So Joe Sakic is hanging up his skates. We've always thought of him as sort of the Cal Ripken of hockey. If you see him once, you might be inclined to ask "what's all the hype about?" Flash has not been his stock in trade over a 20-year career. But if you see him often enough, you get it. His is the attention-to-detail and understated skill that wins hockey games and championships. He is, in the best sense of the word, a "winner." And, like Ripken, he's done it with one franchise, an unheard of accomplishment in this day and age. Your hall of fame plaque is waiting, Joe.

-- And if you're wondering what a Caps "plan" looks like when it matures, look at Detroit (which has been doing it for more than a decade -- an argument for patience). Guys are up for big contracts, but if they're not part of the core, the Wings wave goodbye. Ken Holland locked up Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Daysyuk, and Johan Franzen, who will be teammates at least through 2013-2014, when Datsyuk's deal expires. But Marian Hossa (12 years/$62.8 million with Chicago) and Mikael Samuelsson (three years/$7.5 million with Vancouver) are allowed to walk to make way for young guys coming through the system. Even Ty Conklin, a more than serviceable backup goalie (two years/$2.6 million with St. Louis), is bid adieu. To replace him, the Red Wings will see what Jimmy Howard can do, a goalie who has served a 187 game apprenticeship in the AHL awaiting his chance. And the Wings will see what guys like Jonathan Ericsson, Darren Helm, and Justin Abdelkader can do with more responsibility. The Wings don't rebuild, they reload.

Chops Broiled in Iowa

One and done... to a crisp.

The American Hockey League has announced that the Iowa Chops -- rebranded to much fanfare one year ago today -- have been "involuntarily suspended" by the league based on an inability "to remedy certain violations of the provisions of the league’s Constitution and By-Laws." The Des Moines Register has more on the story...

"[AHL President and CEO Dave] Andrews declined to cite the specific violation, but the Des Moines Register reported last month that the club had used the franchise as collateral to obtain a loan in March 2008 from a North Carolina branch of Wachovia Bank. Records obtained from Polk County have disclosed the loan amounted to $1.99 million and was used to cover operating costs.Andrews has said such loans are not permitted under league rules."

The suspension ends any hope of a 2009-2010 Chops season in the AHL. Talk about your troubled franchises. They started operations as the Iowa Stars in 2005-2006 (transplanted from Louisville, where they were the "Panthers," an affiliate of the Florida Panthers). Since moving to Iowa, the Stars (which became the "Chops" this past year) have had affiliations with the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Anaheim Ducks, the last of these ending this past May. When the new name was announced last July, team owner Kirby Schlegel noted that the new name "perfectly represents our vision of the new team... It illustrates Iowa’s agricultural heritage while also playing into the definition of ‘chops’, having nerve, resilience and staying power." Staying power appears to be one year, absent any corrective measures to restore the franchise to normal business operations.

It makes a Caps fan (not to mention a Hershey Bears fan) thankful for the stability and tradition a couple of hours up the road.

Perhaps as a function of the Iowa situation, the AHL is realigning its divisions. The new alignment has this look...

According to the AHL, Hershey will play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 12 times in the 2009-2010 season. Familiarity, as they say, breeds contempt.

Scratch Scratch Scratch

The unrestricted free agent signing period in the NHL is hockey’s version of perverted hope. Just one more piece (or two or three or four), and your team can compete for a playoff spot or, be still my beating heart, a Stanley Cup championship.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t often work out that way. But it doesn’t stop some teams from going over the top with their signings. Every year, it seems, there is one signing (ok, at least one) that gets one to scratching their head – what are they thinking?

A couple of years ago, it was St. Louis – a team that finished 15 points out of the playoff eight in the Western Conference, lavishing Paul Kariya with a three-year, $18 million contract. Kariya, playing for a weak team that would finish worse off than it did in the year before he was signed by the Blues, would have a decent year, all things considered – 16-49-65, -10 – but was hardly a difference maker on a club that finished with 79 standings points (two fewer than in 2006-2007), good for 14th in the West. Not much return on that investment, and one could probably see it coming when it happened.

Last year, it was Wade Redden, once a promising defenseman for a strong Ottawa Senator team, but whose production slipped after fellow defenseman Zdeno Chara left the Senators for Boston. It made for another head-scratching moment when he was signed by the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent to a six-year/$39 million deal. While the Rangers held on late to secure a playoff spot (after a 10-2-1 October), Redden struggled to a 26-point season (his lowest point total since his second year, in 1997-1998) and a minus-5 (worst of his career), often earning the wrath of fans and news columnists in the Big Apple. It is a contract we’re sure the Rangers would like to unload at this point.

This year there are a number of candidates for top head-scratching deal. There is the five-year/$37.5 million deal signed by Marian Gaborik with the New York Rangers. Gaborik has played in 207 of a possible 328 regular season games since the lockout and is coming off a season in which he played only 17 games and had hip surgery. We can, however, understand the thin thread of logic on which this deal hangs. The Rangers finished 28th in scoring for the 2008-2009 season (2.44 goals/game) and amazingly, given the reputation for weak defense the Washington Capitals had, managed only 1.57 goals/game in the seven game opening round playoff loss to the Caps. Gaborik, when healthy, is perhaps one of the top-five offensive talents in the game.

However, a bigger head-scratcher might be the deal signed yesterday by Alex Kovalev with the Ottawa Senators. Although the term is agreeable for a 36-year old forward (two years), the $5 million a year seems more than a bit odd. In his four full seasons in Montreal, Kovalev topped 30 goals only once and topped 65 points only once. On an 82-game basis, Kovalev averaged 28-43-71, -2. But except for his big 2007-2008 year (35-49-84, +18, in 82 games), he had a rather disappointing stay in Montreal overall.

That Ottawa would spend so heavily on a player who isn’t likely to play on a playoff team in either of the next two years (especially if Dany Heatley is unloaded for prospects in trade), and to give him a $500,000 raise to boot, well... it's a head-scratcher.

There are other head-scratchers out there… Atlanta giving $4 million a year to a player who has yet to net 30 goals or reach 60 points in a season (Nik Antropov)… Tampa Bay giving a 33-year old defenseman (on opening night) a seven-year contract (Mattias Ohlund)… Toronto giving a player with one full season in the NHL (20-28-48, minus-8) a three-year/$8.7 million deal (Mikhail Grabovski).

You might have your own head-scratchers to add. This summer, be careful… you might end up bald from all the head-scratching you’ll do.

Happy Independence Day

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

-- In Congress, July 4, 1776, The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America