May 26, 2013

Caps’ John Carlson gets a haircut, finally

This is hockey, and there will always be something to talk about besides a player’s performance on the ice, even on a night when your chosen team isn’t playing.

For Washington Capitals fans, that something else is often a player’s grooming habits. Namely those of defensemen John Carlson and Mike Green.

[Read more...]

Washington Capitals Re-Sign Holtby & Erskine; Brouwer goes off as Caps prepare for Canes

ARLINGTON, VA–Crazy day today in Arlington as the Washington Capitals re-signed goalie Braden Holtby and defenseman John Erskine to two-year deals as they prepare for the return of Alexander Semin and the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow.

Braden Holtby, 23, signed a two-year contract extension worth $3.7 million.  Holtby has has played in eleven games this season, has a  5-6-0 record with a 3.37 GAA and a .896 Save pct. plus one shut out.  Holtby had a 1.95 GAA, .935 save pct. in the playoffs last season.  Holtby will start his seventh game in a row tomorrow night.

“Just trying to do it ahead of time,”  Capitals General Manager George McPhee said.  “We all believe there is a lot of upside there, good young goalie.”

John Erskine, 32, signed a two-year contract extension worth $3.925 million.  Erskine has played in eleven games this season and has one goal and one assist.  This is John Erskine’s eleventh NHL season and has been playing with John Carlson for the majority of the year.

“I thought he should’ve played more last year,”  McPhee said on Erskine.  “Unfortunately he didn’t.”

The veteran defenseman is very happy with his current role.

“Things have worked out this season and I’m glad to be here a couple more years,”  Erskine said.

If that wasn’t enough, forward Troy Brouwer went off on Alexander Semin and the system they played under Bruce Boudreau.

“Some nights you didn’t even know if he was gonna come to the rink,”  Brouwer said on Semin.

On playing under Bruce Boudreau, Brouwer said, “It was very laxidasical…kind of guys were able to do whatever they pleased. There wasn’t a whole lot of accountability and then when we had a little bit of trouble and there needed to be accountability it wasn’t received exactly with open arms, I’ll say.”

Brouwer does though enjoy playing under Adam Oates, “Everyone’s still accountable. Everyone has to do their job, but he’s letting guys play the way that makes them successful.”

Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin says he still talks to Semin once a week and wishes he was still playing here.

“Yeah. Of course. He’s great player, good guy, but you know it’s a business.”

On the injury front…Mike Green (groin) says he’s “100 percent” and ready to go for tomorrow.

Marcus Johansson (upper body) is still not ready to go.  “Marcus is progressing,”  McPhee said.  “We’ll see how he is the next few days.”

Nicklas Backstrom (sick) missed practice today and went to go see the doctor.   ”A little under the weather, we’ll see how he is tomorrow morning,”  McPhee said.

Jason Chimera (lower body) left practice early today.  “Nothing major, should be fine. Just being careful,”  McPhee said.

Brooks Laich (groin) hasn’t skated in nine days.  McPhee says he is “concerned about it” and has his “fingers crossed”.  McPhee added that Laich’s current treatment that he is on takes two weeks.

McPhee said “we’ll see” if they’ll need to make a recall tomorrow and added that “it’s already been discussed and what we might do if we need to recall”.

The Caps forward lines today looked like Chimera-Ribeiro-Ovechkin, Fehr-Johansson-Brouwer, Wolski-Perreault-Ward, Hendricks-Beagle-Crabb.

Oates said we could see Michal Neuvirth in net on Wednesday in Philadelphia on the second game of a back-to-back.

Listen here to what George McPhee, Adam Oates, Troy Brouwer, Braden Holtby, John Erskine, Mike Green, Karl Alzner, Alex Ovechkin & Michal Neuvirth.

George McPhee Practice Audio

02-25-13 George McPhee Presser RAW

Adam Oates Practice Audio

02-25-13 Adam Oates Practice RAW

Troy Brouwer Practice Audio

02-25-13 Troy Brouwer Practice RAW

Braden Holtby Practice Audio

02-25-13 Braden Holtby Practice RAW

John Erskine Practice Audio

02-25-13 John Erskine Practice RAW

Mike Green Practice Audio

02-25-13 Mike Green Practice RAW

Karl Alzner Practice Audio

02-25-13 Karl Alzner Practice RAW

Alex Ovechkin Practice Audio

02-25-13 Alex Ovechkin Practice RAW

Michal Neuvirth Practice Audio

02-25-13 Michal Neuvirth Practice RAW

 

Washington Capitals Practice Update & Audio: Oates, Ovi, Green & More

ARLINGTON, VA–The Washington Capitals held their final practice before the play the New Jersey Devils at noon tomorrow.  Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (4-6-0, 3.62 GAA, .891 Save pct.) will start his sixth straight game tomorrow.

The Caps switched forward lines a bit today.  The new lines were: Chimera-Ribeiro-Ovechkin, Fehr-Backstrom-Brouwer, Wolski-Perreault-Ward, Hendricks-Beagle-Crabb.

Capitals Head Coach Adam Oates decided to switch Eric Fehr and Wojtek Wolski on the second and third lines.

“I want to give Fehrsie [Fehr] a few more minutes playing with Nick [Backstrom] & Brouw [Brouwer] just because I thought he’s really been playing good hockey for us and I want to test chemistry…give WoJo [Wolski] a chance to take a step back, maybe not try and be too fancy and simplify his game a little.”

Mike Green (lower body) says “I feel good”  and that he was able to be a little more explosive today.

Green added, “We’ll see…I’m hoping” on giving it a go tomorrow.

Oates had no updates on Brooks Laich (groin) and Marcus Johansson (upper body).  Laich didn’t skate for the sixth day in a row and Johansson worked in with the fourth line.

Capitals Captain Alex Ovechkin didn’t agree with his penalty in the third period last night and jokingly said  ”Referee out of shape…they need some times too to be in shape.”

Oates had no excuses on the six minor penalties the Caps took in the third period last night.

“You can’t blame the refs for six. You can’t. That’s on us.”

Listen here to what Adam Oates, Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Mike Ribeiro & Joel Ward had to say following practice today.

Adam Oates Practice Audio

02-22-13 Adam Oates Practice RAW

Alex Ovechkin Practice Audio

02-22-13 Alex Ovechkin Practice RAW

Mike Green Practice Audio

02-22-13 Mike Green Practice RAW

Mike Ribeiro Practice Audio

02-22-13 Mike Ribeiro Practice RAW

Joel Ward Practice Audio

02-22-13 Joel Ward Practice RAW

 

Washington Capitals Morning Skate Update & Audio for Feb. 21: Oates, Green & Johansson

Audio courtesy Sky Kerstein.

Mike Green will be a “game-time decision” for tonight’s matchup against the New Jersey Devils.

“It’s frustrating but you gotta be smart,” Green said after lightly skating this morning at Kettler. “I’ve been through this before so I know what to do and what not to do. Just take it day by day here and hopefully I’ll feel good enough to go tonight.”

Marcus Johansson is still day-to-day, while Brooks Laich did not participate, marking the fifth straight day he hasn’t been on the ice, according to the Washington Post’s Capitals Insider.

For Green’s full comments, plus head coach Adam Oates and Johansson, please click the links below.

02-21-13 Adam Oates Practice RAW

02-21-13 Mike Green Practice RAW

02-21-13 Marcus Johansson Practice RAW

Washington Capitals Practice Update & Audio for Feb. 6: Oates, Green & more

Audio courtesy Sky Kerstein

Washington Capitals head coach Adam Oates mixed the lines up again at practice this Wednesday morning following another embarrassing home loss, this time to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2. Oates has tried just about every line combination out there, but at the morning practice he actually had Alex Ovechkin designated on the second line right wing, along with Mike Ribeiro at center and Wojtek Wolski at left wing.

Marcus Johansson, after what was probably his strongest game this season, was moved up with Mick Backstrom and Troy Brouwer on the first line.

Oates talked about the multiple mental and communications mistakes in the loss to the Leafs.

“I think, in the course of a game, no one plays perfect any game and there’s going to be mental mistakes and how you handle what happens after them. You try to fix them all the time, but no one plays perfect.”

So how to you correct those mental mistakes?

“You fight through it. You stay with it. I don’t think there’s been a game we’ve been out of it in a long time. That shows they’re doing a lot of things correctly. Because of that you’re in the hockey game, right to the end.”

For Oates’ full comments, and those of Mike Green, Troy Brouwer, Jason Chimera and Roman Hamrlik, please click the links below.

02-06-13 Adam Oates Practice RAW

02-06-13 Mike Green Practice RAW

02-06-13 Troy Brouwer Practice RAW

02-06-13 Jason Chimera Practice RAW

02-06-13 Roman Hamrlik Practice RAW

Washington Capitals Practice Update & Audio for Jan. 28: Oates, Green & Brouwer

Audio by Sky Kerstein

With win No. 1 in the books, Washington Capitals head coach Adam Oates had Alex Ovechkin back on a line with center Jay Beagle and winger Joey Crabb in practice this morning. Afterwards, he explained what he likes from the trio.

“I thought they provide a lot of speed of [Ovechkin] and maybe back the D off,” Oates said of the grinding forwards. “Obviously, during the course of a game you can change it back and go through combinations, but I like out balance with it.”

“I guess I’m still learning. I like having North-South guys with him,” Oates said. “Maybe sometimes with the other guys they might try and get too creative. And at the time when I did it [against Buffalo] we needed creativity. We needed something. We needed a spark. We need a goal, as opposed to just maybe being more relentless as a team going north. And I think playing with Joey and Beags, they’re going to go north more.”

You can hear Oates’ full comments, plus his thoughts on Michal Neuvirth’s recent play and John Erskine’s contributions below. [Read more...]

Washington Capitals Game 4 Recap: Outstanding Effort By Neuvirth Falls Short in 3-2 OT Loss

Four games into the abbreviated regular season, the Washington Capitals are still winless after dropping a 3-2 result Friday night on the road against the New Jersey Devils.

With nothing to lose after a 0-3-0 start, Washington Capitals head coach Adam Oates made wholesale changes to his roster for Friday night’s tilt against the Devils. All four forward lines consisted of never-before-seen combinations, the usually steady shutdown defensive pairing of Karl Alzner and John Carlson were broken up, and right wing Eric Fehr and defenseman John Erskine saw action for the first time this season while Roman Hamrlik, Tom Poti, and Mathieu Perreault were healthy scratches.

It didn’t work.

After falling behind by a margin of 2-0, the Capitals scored twice in the final eight minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime and earn their first point of the season. Despite killing off a penalty in the extra session, an exhausted scamble in the defensive end with seconds to play left star Devils wing Ilya Kovalchuk open to hammer home a rebound with 21 seconds to play to earn his team a victory. [Read more...]

Washington Capitals Practice Update & Audio for Jan. 17: Ovechkin, Green, Ribeiro, Hamrlik, Poti

The Washington Capitals held a mini-fanfest at Verizon Center Thursday night, complete with an open practice. While the highlight of the evening might have been Troy Brouwer “dancing” Gangnam Style during the player Q&A with DC101′s Elliot Segal, the team’s opener is less than two days away in Tampa Bay against the Southest Division foe Lightning, so every chance at practice is another opportunity to soak in Adam Oates’ systems.

“I’ve got to compliment the guys because we’ve thrown a lot at them, myself and the other coaches,” Oates said. “We’ve talked to them a lot and they’ve handled it great, because it’s been a lot. It’s a lot in a short span of time, and I think they’ve done a great job with it.”

A minor bit of news that came out Thursday was that Tom Poti, who hasn’t played in an NHL game since Jan. 12, 2011, could very well be in Saturday night’s opening lineup. Poti was back with the Caps after a conditioning assignment with AHL Hershey and apparently passed with flying colors, including scoring a power play goal. “It was awesome,” Poti said Thursday. “It was fun to be playing hockey again. I was having a blast out there and I thank them for letting me come down there and working my game a little bit.”

Here’s raw audio from Thursday, including Adam Oates, Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Mike Ribeiro, Roman Hamrlik and Tom Poti.

01-17-13 Adam Oates Practice RAW

01-17-13 Braden Holtby Practice RAW

01-17-13 Alex Ovechkin Practice RAW

01-17-13 Mike Green Practice RAW

01-17-13 Mike Ribeiro Practice RAW

01-17-13 Roman Hamrlik Practice RAW

01-17-13 Tom Poti Practice RAW

Caps Practice Update & Audio: Oates Says “Absolutely” He Would Put Ovi On PK

ARLINGTON, VA–The Washington Capitals continued training camp Wednesday and with the season starting on Saturday, they worked heavily on special teams.

The Caps first power play unit consisted of Mike Green and Alex Ovechkin up top, while Nicklas Backstrom was on the half boards with Marcus Johansson and Troy Brouwer rounding out the five.  The second power play unit consisted of John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin up top, while Mike Ribeiro was on the half boards with Wojtek Wolski and Joel Ward.

“It’s a great luxury,”  Capitals Head Coach Adam Oates said on having both Backstrom and Ribeiro quarterbacking the power play.  “Both guys distribute the puck very well and it’s a great problem to have.”

Oates also said, “The Capitals PP has been kind in place for a long time. I’ve always thought it was correct, so we’re not going to change it.”

Caps center Nicklas Backstrom broke down the power play.

It’s nothing in the zone positioning-wise that’s different. We just have to move the puck and we have to know what we’re doing. The key in a power play is to move the puck quick, get a lot of shots and get a lot of traffic in front of the net we have to make sure that we shoot it at the right time and that we pass it at the right time.”

The big news came when Oates was asked if he would put Alex Ovechkin on the penalty kill and he responded with “absolutely”.

Ovechkin played a total of two minutes and one second on it a year ago and has played 178 minutes and 38 seconds during his career shorthanded.  He also has four shorthanded goals.

“Well, you know what, he’s a smart hockey player and a lot of times penalty killers are smart guys,”  Oates said.  “You need execution. You need clears. You need guys that know what a power play will do. And he’s also a threatening player, so when a team’s power play is on the ice, they know he’s out there. If we can get in their heads a little bit, that’s a great situation to be in.”

Oates added that he has talked with Ovechkin about being on the penalty kill.

One important penalty killer for the Caps is Brooks Laich, who continues to not practice with the team and didn’t skate today.

“We put him through the paces a lot, so he’s just taking it easier today,”  Oates said on why Laich didn’t skate.

Oates was asked if Laich has had an MRI or other tests.

“You know, I mean he’s doing all the battery of tests that he’s supposed to be doing.”

Mike Green was back on the ice after missing yesterday with the flu.

18-year-old Tom Wilson is still in camp and his future hasn’t been decided yet.

“George and I are going to talk about it later. He’s done a great job and we haven’t really decided yet.”

If Wilson played five games or less, he won’t count against the first year of his entry-level deal. [UPDATE: Wilson was returned to Plymouth later in the day.]

Oates talked about how the goalie situation will work out today.

“Sometimes that’s a healthy competition. Given the schedule we’re gonna have, I think both guys are gonna play a lot. I think we’re fortunate we have two good young goalies and I think it’ll sort itself out.”

One interesting note, Adam Oates said he met together with Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Brooks Laich the other day.

“You know what, I met with them the other day and they are the core of this team. They’ve been together for a long time and a real good nucleus obviously and talented guys. It’s their job to be the pros of this team and let their habits rub off on the other guys. And it’s their team.”

Listen here to what Adam Oates, Nicklas Backstrom, Troy Brouwer & Mike Green had to say during practice today.

Adam Oates Practice Audio

01-16-13 Adam Oates Practice RAW

Nicklas Backstrom Practice Audio

01-16-13 Nicklas Backstrom Practice RAW

Troy Brouwer Practice Audio

01-16-13 Troy Brouwer Practice RAW

Mike Green Practice Audio

01-16-13 Mike Green Practice RAW

Washington Capitals 2012-13 Positional Preview: The Defensemen

Karl Alzner -Practice April 27(Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

Karl Alzner at practice, April 27, 2012 (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

With the season opener right around the corner, District Sports Page takes a look at the construction of the roster to start the season. Today, the defensemen.

Karl Alzner
Though not the most experienced, highly paid, or offensively skilled defenseman on the Washington Capitals roster, Karl Alzner has emerged as the face of the team’s defensive corps thanks to his consistent play and willingness to face the media in any circumstance. The same composure Alzner demonstrates in front of a camera is evident with his play. Per statistics site Behind the Net, Alzner faced the strongest competition of any Caps player in 2011-12, yet still led the team in plus-minus with a plus-12.

New Capitals assistant coach Calle Johansson sees a younger version of himself while watching Alzner on the ice, and the talented young defenseman should benefit under Johansson’s tutelage. Many years down the road Alzner may also challenge Johansson for the Capitals’ franchise record for games played. The Swede played 983 of his 1,109 career NHL games for the Caps, while Alzner has played 215 games in part of four seasons, including all 82 games each of the past two years.

John Carlson
Riffing on the hockey tradition to not shave during the playoffs, Carlson showed up to training camp looking like he hadn’t cut his hair since the Caps’ playoff loss in May. Surfer hair notwithstanding, Carlson is coming off a career high in goals despite serving with Alzner on Washington’s shutdown defense pairing. The young defenseman may benefit the most from new head coach Adam Oates’s offensive scheme, possessing scoring ability, the speed to get back in the transition game, and the stay-at-home defensive partner to allow him to take chances.

The real test for Carlson will be if he can maintain his defensive form and conditioning. Unlike some of his teammates, Carlson stayed in the D.C. area rather than play professionally overseas or in a North American minor league. Instead, he kept active by skating informally with a small group that included teammates Mike Green, Jason Chimera, and Jay Beagle and former teammate and Maryland native Jeff Halpern. In doing so Carlson has saved several months of wear-and-tear on his body, but a lack of conditioning could lead to injury or poor play if he isn’t able to reach suitable form in short order.

John Erskine
Erskine is of the class of players who stood to suffer the most from the NHL lockout: a non-skill, marginal roster player good enough to stick around the NHL but not good enough to take one of the limited roster spots available to non-Europeans in an overseas league. Instead the Kington, Ontario native returned to his hometown to skate and workout on his own, and showed up to training camp looking much thinner and quicker than he has in years. That seems unusual for a defender for whom the most fitting adjective has traditionally been “hulking,” but perhaps Erskine took a look at film from new assistant head coach Calle Johansson’s career and realized he needed to alter his style to stay in Washington’s longterm plans.

In 2011-12 Erskine skated in only 28 games, spending much of the season as a healthy scratch while Dale Hunter relied on rookie Dmitry Orlov and the same roster game-in and game-out. With the addition of Jack Hillen and return of Tom Poti, Erskine will be part of a crowded field vying for one of the bottom pairing spots on the Capitals’ roster. He remains Washington’s de facto enforcer, a status without much cachet under Oates but which nonetheless helps his chances at securing one of the seven roster spots on defense to start the season.

Mike Green
2011-12 was a lost season for the former 31-goal scorer, who only played 32 games due to a recurring groin injury. He’s now completely healthy, but that’s a recent development as of about a month ago. Across the league groin injuries as a major concern for this condensed season, and Green is as susceptible as anyone else. Regardless of whether he’s paired with Roman Hamrlik, Dmitry Orlov, Jeff Schultz, or another teammate, Green will be the defenseman responsible for moving the puck when he’s on the ice, leaving him open to contact.

A complete season would be a triumph for Green, but a return to his scoring form would also be appreciated by the Washington organization. Shortly before the end of the lockout Green underwent laser eye surgery, which if nothing else may give him a psychological boost if he thinks he’s seeing the puck better. Green has traditionally played the right point on the Caps’ power play, which was Oates’ specialty while an assistant coach for New Jersey and Tampa Bay, and any increase in Washington’s power play effectiveness from last season’s 18th will reflect on Green’s personal statistics as well.

Roman Hamrlik
A former first overall draft pick and the most veteran member of the Washington Capitals, Hamrlik is a usually soft-spoken player who drew jeers during the lockout as one of the few voices players to explicitly criticize the NHLPA’s stance on negotiations. As one of six current players — Teemu Selanne, Ray Whitney, Jaromir Jagr, Martin Brodeur, and the soon-to-retire Chris Pronger are the others — to experience three lockouts, Hamrlik’s position is understandable, even if his means of expressing it was ill-considered.

Despite his active NHL best 1,379 career games played, Hamrlik remains capable of playing top-four minutes and was a steady partner to Mike Green last season. He’s seen it all, which makes him a valuable presence in a young defensive corps, and his late-career transition from powerplay quarterback to defensive-minded stopper is the blueprint for teammate Poti to do the same. The ascendancy of Orlov or return of a healthy Poti will spell a decrease in time for Hamrlik, and how he handles the move may be his real legacy with the Caps.

Jack Hillen
At the age of 26, Hillen is already on his third NHL franchise having played parts of four seasons for the New York Islanders before skating in 55 games for the Nashville Predators last season. Prior to signing a one-year deal with Washington in July, Hillen was best known to Capitals fans as the player whose jaw was broken by an Alex Ovechkin slapshot in January 2010. He’s all recovered now, and will challenge for a depth position on the Caps after skating on the third pairing for a dominant Predators defensive corps.

Hillen is a puck-moving defenseman, and his smooth skating drew raves from locker room neighbor Alzner after the team’s first training camp practice. That style of play will endear him with both Oates and Johansson, who are known to appreciate smooth skaters. He’s also acclimated well with his new teammates, sharing jokes with locker room neighbor Alzner after the team’s first session.

Dmitry Orlov
A potential breakout year for Orlov was derailed first by the lockout and then by a groin injury suffered in December, ironically during the Hershey Bears’ AHL Showcase game at the Verizon Center. Before his injury, Orlov was largely underperforming in Hershey with only one goal and eight assists in 18 games. His lengthy stint with the NHL squad last season removed any doubt that he belonged in the big leagues, so his production for the Bears may be more a case of personal disappointment than regression.

His rookie season with the Capitals last year saw Orlov post three goals and 16 assists in 60 games, averaging a respectable 16:52 time on ice. One of the smaller defensemen on Washington’s roster, Orlov’s abilities fit better in Adam Oates’ system than that of Dale Hunter, who nonetheless relied heavily on the services of the Russian defender over those of John Erskine and Jeff Schultz much of the season.

Tom Poti
For the first time since 2009, the Boston-born Poti is healthy at the start of the season. A groin injury and then fractured pelvis kept Poti to only 22 games played in the 2010-11 season, and he was on long-term injured reserve for all of last season, during which general manager George McPhee said he thought Poti’s career was over. Instead, the defenseman declared himself 100 percent healthy shortly before the end of the lockout, and since then has proven a man of his word. After passing his physical Poti was sent to the Hershey Bears for a conditioning assignment, upon which he scored a power play goal in his first game Saturday night.

It’s unclear what Poti can bring to the Capitals roster at this point, if only because no one has any clue how his skill set has changed in the past two years. He was already beginning to transition from puck-moving offensive threat to physical stay-at-home defender when he was injured, and it’s hard to imagine him resuming the puck-moving role with Green, Carlson, and Hillen or Orlov on the roster. Although he’s 35, staying out of professional hockey for two years has saved that much wear and tear on his body and allowed him to heal up from all those little aches and bruises that accumulate over the course of the years.

Cameron Schilling
Of the ten defensemen invited to training camp, Schilling was the longest shot when it comes to making the roster, and indeed has already been sent back to Hershey. The undrafted player from Indiana was signed as a free agent last spring immediately after the conclusion of his senior year at Miami University and appeared in 11 games for the Hershey Bears. His stint included four games in the Bears’ five-game first round series loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, in which Schilling netted two goals. In 33 games this season in Hershey Schilling has three goals and four assists and is fifth on the team with a plus-6 rating.

Compared to the rest of the players in the Capitals organization, Schilling has a leg up in one regard: he’s the only player with significant experience under Adam Oates as head coach, when Oates took over bench duties in Hershey for a stretch in late 2012. Although George McPhee insisted that every player in camp has a chance to make the Capitals’ roster, Schilling’s presence was largely to get the youngster acclimated to the NHL experience. Washington only has four defensemen with NHL experience under contract for the 2013-14 season, and the camp invite was a notice to Schilling that he’s expected to be ready should the need arise later this season and to contend for a spot next season and beyond.

Jeff Schultz
The erstwhile top-four defenseman and league plus-minus leader is now relegated to fighting for a spot on the Capitals bottom pair every night. Although Schultz has seemed to be on the outs for the past few seasons, the four-year, $11 million contract he signed after the 2009-10 season has kept him in Washington red and white. He was a favorite of Bruce Boudreau, who coached Schultz while in Hershey, but began to fall out of favor under Dale Hunter’s regime. It remains to be seen how he fits into Calle Johansson’s defensive scheme.

Schultz has demonstrated the ability to stick around for the past few seasons, and the quiet Canadian seems to get along well with his teammates. Although he doesn’t possess overwhelming physical or puck-moving capabilities, he plays strong positional hockey and rarely panics in his own end. There is no guarantee that Schultz will be able to maintain his roster spot this season, particularly with the return of a healthy Poti, but stranger things have happened.