INSIDE HOCKEY

It’s hard to tell how good a draft was the day after it’s occurred even when the players will all be in the league the next season (see: NFL, NBA). So with a sport like hockey, which rarely has players go directly from the draft to the NHL, it’s next to impossible.

Still, it’s worth a look at exactly what the Washington Capitals accomplished this weekend. The answer to that is not much, at least not in the way of anything that will be seen next season. That’s a bit hard for Capitals fans to see, partially because Eastern Conference rival Philadelphia imported Chris Pronger to try to shore up its defense and partially because Washington is not expected to be a major player in free agency.

On Sunday, Capitals general manager George McPhee was quoted in the Washington Post as saying “Just don’t expect us to go out and commit to a big or long-term deal in free agency. We’ve seen that movie before.” Reading between the lines, McPhee is referring to the ill-fated signing of Jaromir Jagr, which ushered in the Capitals’ decision to rebuild prior to the lockout. Washington has mainly ignored the most expensive free agents ever since. The Capitals have proven willing to buy talent that comes at a low price, but they no longer get into bidding wars.

That’s a solid strategy to follow, but part of leadership is knowing when strategy must be abandoned and an audible must be called. What McPhee and coach Bruce Boudreau must do before free agency opens on Wednesday is honestly assess their roster and who else is out there. This team has the potential to win now, so it should be absolutely sure that when October comes around, it has the best pieces possible on its roster.

Through Washington’s lack of activity this weekend in Montreal, other than making selections, one of two scenarios is possible. Either the Capitals honestly believe Brooks Laich is ready to be a second-line center, or there wasn’t a trade offer good enough to make a deal on. If it’s the former, fine, but the Capitals had better be sure they’re right, and it would be wise to add a center, someone who will come cheaply and fill Laich’s slot.

But if there wasn’t a good offer, it’s time to abandon the plan and try to bring a Cup home to Washington. Fan enthusiasm is the highest it’s been in years, and the Capitals must take advantage of that by trying to win now if possible. A player like John Madden of New Jersey will provide a stabilizing presence, since he’s won two Cups with the Devils and knows what it takes to win. The concerns with Madden is that he’s 36 and might not be the same player he was, and that he’s spent his entire career in the Devils’ defense-first system, which is the antithesis of the offensive-heavy style the Capitals play. But Madden can score when he needs to, and doesn’t really have to score that much with the weapons the Capitals already have.

Madden has indicated he’d like to stay in New Jersey, so if he remains a Devil, the Capitals might want to sacrifice the plan for Nik Antropov, most recently of the New York Rangers. Caps fans should be familiar with Antropov, who was a headache for them in the playoffs. Antropov is more of a scorer, the kind who would do well playing Capitals hockey. His problem is his contract, which is sure to increase. Antropov is young (29), talented and looking for a payday. The first two are huge assets, of course, but the third might cause McPhee to pause.

But if he’s asking about the bottom line, that’s the wrong question, unless there’s no way the Capitals can afford him. The question that matters is, does he make the team better than it would be without him? If so, they should add him if it makes financial sense. I’m not suggesting the Caps get financially irresponsible, but if they can afford him, they shouldn’t be scared off from buying talent.

This will be an interesting few weeks. If the Caps don’t add anyone, that’s a lot of pressure to throw onto Laich. It’ll be interesting to see what happens and how Laich handles his new role.