I think Skinner has been better than expected and Bob has been less than. Else it'd be 2-0 Cats by a wide goal margin.
It's nuts how fast, solid and skilled McDavid is.. Wish we had a center with 1/2 his talent. 

   


Well, that's what you can get ..... when you have the #1 pick in the draft in a year with a clear generational talent. 


That's what the Caps got when they drafted Ovie -- though the Pens were lucky that year because with their #2 pick they got a 1A prospect:  Malkin.  Those obvious types of talents at age 17/18 do NOT escape the very top echelons of the draft.


The way you get a spectacular talent later on is to draft someone who blooms into that type of talent after age 18.  It does happen, but it's probably more a matter of luck than anything, unless your organization has someone (a geneticist or something?) who can predict evolving tools as teenagers grow into adulthood.   


Now there ARE exceptions to that.  When the Caps drafted Kuznetsov, McPhee thought he had pulled a coup in the 20's because people weren't sure that he would come to play in North America, so he slid to the Caps.  He had extraordinary tools, but his own personal weaknesses limited his extraordinary play to fits and starts. 


I noticed Beagle advocating for Fiddler.  I mentioned him earlier, because I think he's the type of defenseman that fits what the Caps need.  Another guy I have my eye on is Jack Nesbitt, because he looks to me like a prototypical big #3 center, which also addresses a current need.  But this year's draft seems so uncertain as to the ordering of talent (I've seen mocks with Nesbitt going as high as #16 and as low as early in round 2) that it is impossible to know who might be available at #27.  And we never know what the Caps' organizational rankings of prospects is going into the draft.  I'm suspicious that, depending on how early to mid round 1 selections go, the Caps might trade that #27 selection if they find a club who values someone at that spot more than they do, and is willing to give up a serious NHL asset to get it. 

Fn Marchand 

I dont think you can allow 2 breakaway goals to the same POS and be successful

Skinner has been decent, but you need better than decent.

That was a disappointing finish.

Fl needed to win a faceoff there at the end of the 3rd. Gave up the pulled goalie goal. On to OT!

While the Caps are in limbo, I took a look at the draft predictions and the lates guy they had for the Caps was Blake Fiddler. He's a 6'4" defenseman and looked really good in the highlight films. Who knows who they will pick but I'd like that one.


I know we have some prospects in the pipeline, but at this point you would have to say that Lappy and Miro have been a little bit disappointing.  Maybe one of them steps up next year.  We need to not only hit on our first round picks, but we need to be the team that drafts a superstar late in the first round.


In the meantime, let's keep our fingers crossed that the Caps do not sign Carlson to an extension!