Countdown to Olympic Hockey

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics start 6 months from tomorrow. It is unbelievable how fast time flies. It seems like yesterday Sweden was upsetting Finland for Olympic gold. Next February's tournament returns to the Great White North for the first time since 1988 when it was held Calgary. With Canada being the world's hockey mecca, anticipation and expectation are growing exponentially. Coming off a disappointing tournament in Torino, Canada is expecting nothing less than gold. However it would not be wise to assume gold for Canada, not that I'm assuming anybody is. Okay, somebody in Red Deer is, but the majority are not. There are number is impressive teams being put together.

I suppose on paper any number of teams will provide a challenge to the tournament heavyweights. But in my opinion it comes down to two teams, Russia and Sweden. Think of a team that carries the ammunition and fire power of Ovechkin, Malkin, and Semin. Now think of a team in which those three players are on the same line. Yikes! And wait, there is more. Add to that Datsyuk, Kovalchuk, and Kovalev on the second line. Now it just isn't fair. A blueline with the likes of Gonchar, Markov, and Tyutin isn't to shabby either.

Let's not diss the defending champs, they demand respect because well....they're the defending champs. Sweden has all sorts of firepower as well and most importantly the best goalie in the world. King Lundqvist will be between the pipes and is the wildcard. We already almost saw him dismantle two-thirds of Russia's potential top line during last years playoffs during the Rangers/Capitals series. More often then not elite goaltending will stifle elite offense and come out on top, but remember international rinks are bigger than NHL rinks. The last thing any goalie wants is more space for Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin to roam around finding seams in between defenders. All the more reason why Lundqvist will be the most important player for Sweden. This isn't to suggest Sweden lacks at other positions. This team is loaded with talent, but what Olympic team isn't? Any team in this tournament is capable up netting 4 or 5 goals. The question is which goalie is going to stand on his head. My answer is Lundqvist. I promise the home nation will have it's hands full with Russian and Sweden. I can't wait to see how it plays out.

Six months is still a long way away but with pre-Olympic camps starting at the end of August, things are starting to heat up. Once the rosters are set, I'll have my predictions.

An Expensive 20 Cents

For those who have not heard, Patrick Kane was arrested yesterday after robbing and assaulting the driver of a taxi he and his cousin were riding in.......allegedly. According to the story, Kane and his cousin were expecting some change after paying a cab fare, change the driver apparently did not have. How much change? 20 cents. Now there have been claims that the cab driver is fabricating the story. There is even a claim out there that the cab driver locked the doors anticipating that Kane would skip out on the tab. Let's assume the cab driver did do that, in no way shape or form does that justify Kane throwing haymakers. That being said, I will let the justice system takes its course. The point of this is that those 20 cents may be an expensive 20 cents for Kane.

Consider the following:

--How will this affect Kane's standing with the already mediocre team USA hockey team? USA hockey's pre-Olympic camp starts this month. Kane's court date is scheduled during camp. Does a conviction of any kind keep Kane off the team?

--Kane is the cover boy and was paid big time bucks (terms not disclosed) by EA to appear on this year's NHL video game. Interestingly enough, John Tavares, having not yet played an NHL game, was also signed on but was not placed on the cover. Does Tavares replace Kane? We have seen players set to be on the cover replaced in the past. Back in 2004, Joe Thornton was signed on to be on the cover, but a slight brush with the law prevented that. Thornton was charged with assault. Ironically enough, Thornton's replacement was supposed to be Dany Heatley, but he too was booted from the cover due to the drunk driving tragedy that claimed the life of teammate Dan Snyder.

--Kane is turning into a marketing dynamo for the NHL. Kane has been the cornerstone of the rebuilding process in Chicago. After a 13 year playoff drought, Kane has turned the Blackhawks into perennial contenders. This team is going to be around for awhile and the NHL is jumping all over this opportunity. The NHL will waste no opportunity to market an origional 6 team. How will this affect his marketability?

The long term implications of this will be the same as the majority of other athletes who have encountered brushes with the law. There won't be any long term implications. Short term implications could be far more grave. A spot on the Olympic team, missing out on a personal dream of being on the cover of a video game, and potential big time money, all for 20 cents? That's an expensive 20 cents.

Clearing Cap Space For Zherdev?

It has now been three days since the New York Rangers decided to walk on Nikolai Zherdev, who was awarded a 1-year $3.9 million contract via an arbitration hearing. I think most people agree that this was a good move. Zherdev didn't exactly wow the crowds of MSG as he did in Columbus the season before. To make matters worse, the slick skating winger scored a grand total of 0 goals during last year's postseason. To make matters even worse, he didn't register a single point and was a -13. So your probably expecting me to give a big thumbs down to this rumor. I am not ready to do that just yet.

Zherdev is an incredibly dynamic player and has shown signs of brilliance in his young NHL career. The question behind Zherdev is his heart. Is his head in the game as it should be? Zherdev looked a bit overwhelmed in my opinion playing on broadway. Let's face it, there is a big difference between Columbus and New York. Chris Drury, Wade Redden, and Scott Gomez can attest to this. All three of these players saw significant drop offs in their productivity once landing in broadway. The bottom line is that New York is a difficult city to play in and I am not ready to write a player off based on one bad season in NYC. Others have questioned Zherdev's ability to adjust to life in North America. I suppose this notion could be considered, however where were these questioners when Zherdev was in Columbus?

So what do the Caps have to do to land Zherdev? Simple, clear cap space. The obvious contract to get off the books would be Michael Nylander. Nylander is signed through 2011 with a cap hit of $4.8 million per year. Nylander's play has dropped of tremedously since Boudreau took the helm last year. Boudreau's style is run and gun. Nylander thrives in a puck possession style game. He just doesn't fit the style now being used in Washington. Nylander could be an asset to many NHL teams, but at the current price he will be tough to move.

The other bulbous contract on the books right now is our potential backup goaltender, Jose Theodore. Theodore will collect $4.5 million next year after which he will become a free agent. With the rise of Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth, one can expect Theodore's tenure in DC will come to an end after next season.

The Caps are currently over the cap by $1.7 million so clearing cap space is a premium obligation for GMGM. Assuming enough cap space is cleared to bring in Zherdev, would it be in the organization's best interest? The only worry I have is the implications this would cause next year when both Backstrom and Semin are restricted free agents. It is priority number one to have them locked up for the long term.

Zherdev is yet to prove that he was the worth the first round pick he was, but just imagine a second line consisting of Alex Semin, Brendan Morrison, and Nik Zherdev? That is frightening for just about any opposition.

Ovechkin 2, Crosby 0

Of course I would rather this be the score in terms of numbers of Stanley Cups, but at this point it is not. This is the score on the number of video game covers by Ovechkin and Crosby. That's right, Ovechkin 2, Crosby 0. I am not ready to dismiss that Canadian bias, but hey, at this point I'll take what I can get. In case some of you haven't seen the new cover to NHL 2K10, here it is.
Not only is the Great 8 on the cover, as he was on the EA version back in 2007, but two of Ovechkin's most notorious on ice moments are also captured in this game. Nobody will ever forget "the goal" scored by Ovechkin during his rookie campaign against the Coyotes. And in one of Ovechkin's more controversial moments, NHL2K10 has captured the infamous "hot hot stick" 50th goal celebration last season scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning. This is video game genius in my opinion and I can't wait to pick it up. To view the trailer, click here

The Nation's Capitals Now on Twitter

Let's be honest. We all knew it was just a matter of time before The Nation's Capitals would be live on Twitter. I will be tweeting at a rapid pace. I hope you can keep up. To view my twitter updates you can do two things; 1) look at my recent tweets on the right hand column or 2) click here.