Now What? (Fedorov Leaving?)

After a week of reflection and frustration (we could be the team crushing Carolina), it's time to take a look at what's next for the Capitals. Deals will be made and players will be leaving. What should they do? Here's what I think: 1). Re-sign Sergei Fedorov (for the right price). He may not be the player he once was and it helped that he missed 40+ games this year because it kept him fresh for the playoffs. His goal in Game 7 against the Rangers proved he still has that big game performance in him and he's been pretty darn good in faceoffs. He is a calming influence on the young Russians and if they can get him for around $3 million, I think it's a no-brainer you bring him back. However folks, a report on TSN.ca on Monday night read: It appears Sergei Fedorov is ready to leave the Washington Capitals and play in the Kontinental Hockey League next season. Citing sources in Russia, RDS is reporting that Fedorov is about to agree to a two-year deal with Russia's Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The report indicates the two-year contract will see Fedorov collect $3.8 million per season. Fedorov would be joining his younger brothers Fedor and Evgeny on the Metallurg Magnitogorsk roster. Last season, Fedorov scored 11 goals and added 22 assists for 33 points with the Capitals. In 14 playoff games, he scored one goal and eight points. Over his 18-year NHL career, Fedorov scored 483 goals and added 696 assists for 1,179 points in 1,248 games. Besides the Capitals, he also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets. He won three Stanley Cups and one Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player. If this comes to pass, the Caps will desperately need another center. Desperately. And Nylander is not the answer. 2). Keep Jose Theodore. Most people are saying the Caps should look to move Theodore and if they end up doing it and freeing up the cap space, so be it. But the play of Simeon Varlamov cleary went down as the playoffs went on and there is no guarantee that he is the type of player yet that can play 60 games in the regular season and then an entire playoff season as well. The book on Varly before he even played a game in the NHL was that he did not have much endurance yet and had trouble playing a lot in a short period of time. Remember the guy is still a project and is still 21 years old. He has a lot of potential and I believe he is the guy, but having an insurance policy in Theodore for one more year is a good thing. Maybe having a 21 year old steal your job is what Theo needed to get serious about his weaknesses. 3). Sign or Trade for a defenseman George McPhee said recently he does not like signing free agents because they end up getting too much money for too long of a term. Most of them do not live up to the outlandish expectations put on them by the team, fans, and media and often it's not their fault. There are no shut down defensemen that really standout in the free agent pool this year (not even Boumeester, who would cost a fortune). It's in the Caps best interest to look to make a trade for a younger potential shut down defenseman using their amazing depth of talent in the NHL and minors. John Erskine proved he can be a solid playoff defensman and I'm now glad the team signed him to an extension last year, but while Milan Jurcina had his moments, I'm not sure he can't be replaced. And that brings me to a big question mark.... 4). What to do with Shaone Morrisonn. This is going to be the biggest decision of the offseason. Morrisonn is eligible for arbitration and he asked for $3 million last year before being awarded around 2. This year I'm sure he will likely be awarded close to that 3 and that might be a bit too much for the Caps to pay. Two years ago, it looked like Morrisonn was going to be the big time defensive defenseman the team was looking for, but this past season, he was inconsistent. He took some ridiculously bad penalties and was overmatched just a little bit too often in my opinion. He is still a solid player with a nice future in the NHL, but they might be better off letting him go if they can get another defenseman in or.... 5). Trust Alzner and perhaps Carlson. Now I've never seen John Carlson play, and the Caps still have Josh Godfrey and others in the minors waiting for their opportunity, but Carlson has been the talk of the organization this year. Is he ready for the big leagues? He'll likey get a shot in training camp and we'll see what he does with that opportunity. Meanwhile, Karl Alzner should get a spot on the team unless he really struggles. Alzner looked pretty good last year when he was up with the big club and he is getting some good playoff experience right now, even if it's AHL playoff experience. 6). Trade Tomas Fleischmann and/or Eric Fehr. I love those guys, especially Fehr, but I'm not sure they can take that next step and we need a couple of tougher wingers and perhaps one more veteran who has Cup experience. A guy like Bill Guerin really helped the Penguins this year and getting a guy like that (much like Fedorov at the trade deadline) can re-invigorate an older player's career. Maybe get one at the trade deadline. Anyway, Flash had his moments, but ultimately he did not finish some scoring opportunities that we need to finish and he was too streaky. Perhaps the front office thinks he is going to break out and that's their call. Fehr just has not had that killer scoring instinct that he had in his early days in the minors and juniors. He has battled injuries, which has been tough for him, but the time may be coming when we can't sit and wait anymore. This team is ready to contend now and they need somebody who can get it done. 7). Give Chris Bourque a shot. Will he be an inconsistent player who is pushed around or will he be a Dino Ciccarelli like forward who can score some big goals? He has put up points in the AHL and now it's time to find out whether he can get it done with the big boys. Put him on one of the first 2 lines for a while and see what he can do. 8). Sign David Steckel long term. I know the Caps don't have a lot of money to spend, but Steckel is one of those core players that every team needs. He scores timely goals, is sick on faceoffs, and sets a good example to all players, young and old. 9). Find a new assistant. It's already been discussed in some articles out there, but the Caps decided to keep Dean Evason on staff, but Jay Leach has not received an extension as of yet. Bruce Boudreau will not be changing his style, so he needs to find an assistant who can teach defense within the style the Caps play. Successful teams in the playoffs play disciplined defense, which includes having the forwards come back and play defensive BEFORE heading up ice to try and score. Alex Ovechkin will always cherry pick, but he should be the only one allowed to do it. Guys like Alex Semin have to learn to be responsible in his own end before taking chances. The amount of turnovers and odd man rushes allowed in the playoffs should be a huge sign to this team that they still have a lot of work to do. 10). The Kozlov Question. Ovechkin loves Viktor Kozlov. Kozlov teases us with a great shot and an occasional big time game, but he is too streaky to sign to a big contract now that he is a free agent. I like the guy and I think the Caps should offer him another 2 year deal, BUT it must be financially friendly to the team. If Kozlov gets a better offer in Russia and leaves, so be it. It's a spot for another player to come in and contribute. Playing with Ovechkin and Backstrom should have gotten Kozlov many more points than he has put up the last couple years. 11). Deal Nylander at all costs. It's been rough for Michael Nylander, who probably regrets signing with the Caps 2 years ago. But the change in coaches and philosophy pretty much ended his effectiveness on this club. There is likely no way to repare the damage and it's in both sides best interest to trade Nylander. His contract poses a problem, but there has got to be some team out there who would like a playmaker like Nylander who still has skills. The Caps have gone out of their way to say that they are not necessarily going to trade him, but I think that's just talk because everyone in the league knows they are going to do their best to get out of the final 2 years of that contract as soon as they can. It might be difficult to trade him, but I think GMGM should do every he can, including throwing in a prospect in order to free the Caps of that salary, especially if the cap goes down next year like has been rumored. So there you go. The Caps are in good shape with the depth in the organization to make some moves and I think it will be a busy offseason. Remember, it was just about 17 months ago that this team was horrible and had just fired their coach. They have come a long way in 17 months and still have a lot of learning to do. The experience of the past 2 postseasons have given McPhee and the team a blueprint of what they need to do to take the next step. They aren't far away, but the moves made in the next 2 years are very important to the future of this team.