So amidst the ridiculous hype of the "Lebronathon" (good grief, did we not already know the King was going to the Heat? We needed a one-hour primetime special for that?), the Capitals locked up another cog in the wheel with the signing of winger Eric Fehr to a two-year contract.
Fehr, 24, set career highs in goals (21), assists (18), points (39), plus/minus (+18) and shots (145) while averaging 12:07 of ice time. He finished seventh on the team in goals and ninth in plus/minus rating. Each of the 105 other NHL players who scored at least 20 goals this season averaged more ice time than Fehr; only Alex Ovechkin (1.90), Alexander Semin (1.71) and Sidney Crosby (1.68) averaged more goals per 60 minutes of ice time than Fehr (1.50). The Capitals were 16-3-1 when Fehr scored a goal and 27-4-3 when he had a point. Fehr scored three goals in the playoffs, third-best on the team, and tied for fourth on the team with four point and did I mention he's just a super nice kid from Manitoba?
That leaves only one player, Tomas Fleischmann, left to sign. Despite a stellar regular season (which started late due to the blood clot he suffered in the pre-season), Flash was missing in action during the playoffs. Many fans and media types have been "thinking out loud" and expressing opinions that Flash, Semin and some of the other "passengers" Bruce Boudreau alluded to after being rudely knocked out of the first round, should be dealt in exchange for a more consistent, gritty and veteran player. Time will tell but GMGM is certainly playing the patience card. If you haven't read this post from On Frozen Blog about shoring up the defense, it is a must-read and I couldn't agree more. While Jeff Schultz is a good player, I'd like to see him use that ginormous body of his much more to knock some heads around and scare the daylights out of opponents in front of our crease. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if GMGM has anything up his sleeve....
Meanwhile, the team has released the schedule and roster for next week's Development Camp. For those looking to get a glimpse of some possible future Capitals and beat the heat at the same time, here goes:
Capitals Summer Development Camp On Ice Schedule:
Sunday, July 11 Players arrive
Monday, July 12 Group A on ice at 9:45 a.m.; Group B on ice at 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 13 Group B on ice at 9:30 a.m.; Group A on ice at 11:45 p.m.
Wednesday, July 14 Group A on ice at 9:45 a.m.; Group B on ice at 11:15 a.m.; scrimmage at 3:15 p.m.
Thursday, July 15 Scrimmage at 9 a.m.
Friday, July 16 Group A on ice at 9:30 a.m.; Group B on ice at 11:15 a.m.
Saturday, July 17 Scrimmage at 10 a.m.
Hockey Mom will be in Thrasherland next week visiting the non-hockey fan part of the family so keep up with all the fun from Development Camp with the great people on my blog roll! Meanwhile I'll still be following all the sources if any trade action should emerge...
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