You can't win without good defense, that's been proven. The last two Stanley Cup winners (Anaheim and Carolina) had a solid defense to protect their netminders. Anaheim boasted a combo of Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, while Carolina sported a combo of Sean Hill, Niclas Wallin and Glen Wesley, all proven defensemen.
The Caps have proven this adage over the past few years with their defensive efforts--and win totals. Washington allowed the second-most shots against per game (33.3) in the NHL and thus were ranked 26th in goals allowed per game (3.35). Of Caps defensemen who played more than 30 games, only 3 had a +/- rating of even or better: Jeff Schultz (+5 in 38 games), Shaone Morrisonn (+3 in 78 games) and Milan Jurcina (even in 70 games). In addition, most of Washington's regulars from last year (Eminger, Green, Pothier) were -10 or worse last year. And the Caps didn't help the offensive cause either, with Pothier leading defensemen in points with 28.
In a summer flush with new faces, only one will be joining the defensive core: Tom Poti. Poti had a lot of success on Long Island, boasting -1 rating in 78 games (in which he logged an average of more than 25 minutes per game) and was second in scoring for defense with 44 points. The points will surely help the defensive core, but the fact remains that only adding one defensemen to a struggling squad won't boost it too much, unless the younger players step up their game.
The major problem of only adding Poti to the defensive core is that it does not address the glaring problem of toughness. Last year, Poti recorded only 61 hits, placing him 5th on the Islanders' defense. Washington did not have a defenseman register over 120 hits last year (Shaone Morrisonn led the team with 112 hits). Poti also only recorded 40 PIMs last year, which shows good discipline, but not the grit the Caps need on defense. But Poti will help in the blocked shots department. He blocked 170 last year, which was 14th best in the league.
This year, the Caps defense depends a lot on players improving. Morrisonn has established himself as a steady defensive d-man who has shown improvement over the last few years. Pothier was asked to play 1st-pairing minutes with perhaps 2nd-pairing talent, and his numbers might improve now that Poti can alleviate some of the ice time. Jurcina finished strong last year after coming over from Boston for next to nothing. And Poti will certainly add some veteran stability on the blue line and eat a good chunk of ice time.
Those four have basically guaranteed spots with the Caps, but the last 3 (or perhaps 4) defensive slots are open. Mike Green's strong preseason has given him the edge to perhaps make the Caps opening night roster on the 3rd d-paring. Alongside him might be John Erskine (added to give the Caps a little grit on defense after he showed great determination last year) or Josef Boumedienne (as perhaps a second power-play unit quarterback). The preseason was riddled with injuries for Steve Eminger, but he's still in the mix to make some noise and be on the Caps opening night roster, either as a player or healthy scratch. Jeff Schultz will likely start in Hershey, despite his impressive numbers from last year, simply because of the competitive defensive unit this year. And last but not least, Jame Pollock could still get a shot on the team after an impressive year.
In short, the Capitals have what they lacked last year: depth in the defensive core. The defensive unit might not be as intimidating as others, but could be able to tread water if the dynamic offense can provide goals.
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