Stopping the Bleeding After the All Star Break

The Washington Capitals had been playing so strongly that it's easy for one to have been lulled into a sense of comfort, that the team as constructed didn't need many major changes,  that this team was a veritable threat come playoffs.  Defense had been solid enough to hold one goal leads, offense clicking enough to obtain one goal leads, Alex Ovechkin firing on all cylinders both in 5v5 and on the power play, and Braden Holtby was in full on beast mode, saving the team on more than a few occasions, and posting a save percentage in the last two months that was good enough to bolster him to 7th in the NHL. Yes, the Caps were flying along without a worry in the world.

But underneath the wins, there are some festering issues.  That same defense that was holding one goal leads was losing a bit of depth in the form of an injury coming from a consistently strong performer in Nate Schmidt. While Jack Hillen is certainly proving to be a strong, calming presence on the blue line, he is also seemingly weighing down Mike Green, who has seen a bit of  regression from his time partnered with Schmidt despite being an "assist demon", to use the words of Craig Laughlin. Matt Niskanen looks tired and is making the types of mistakes a tired player makes, including taking a ton of terrible penalties, many leading to opponent's game winning or go-head goals.  His puck control is lacking, his passes are awful, and he is hardly a presence once the puck crosses the blue line and into the Caps' own end.

That same offense that was obtaining one goal leads, playing a much stronger two-way game, and finding some chemistry in late December and early January is now starting to expose some glaring weaknesses.  The 2nd line of Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Troy Brouwer isn't working, the first line doesn't have a legitimate wing-mate for Alex Ovechkin, and when you're getting more shots on net from a 4th liner (Jay Beagle) than you are your 2nd liners like the team did in Nashville, you have an obvious problem.

Let's talk about goal tending.  Since, as discussed in a prior post in which my conclusion was arguably (and apparently?) faulty, the Caps have purportedly been riding an unsustainable amount of luck (PDO) and some extremely hot goal tending from Braden Holtby, and it was obvious to many that the team would regress in net and thus pay the consequences.  But how poorly Justin Peters has played thus far was not expected.  As of last night, Peters posts a save percentage of .864, good for 73rd (!!!!) in the league, and a Quality Start % of .143*, good for 68th (!!!) in the league with only two players having played more games than him behind him in that rating.

Yesterday, both Barry Trotz and General Manager Brian MacClellan stressed the need to find a couple of missing pieces.  Many a good article has and will be written addressing what moves can be made, and I plan to address this myself after the break, but here's something I particularly liked from my friends at Stars and Sticks about what may happen with the current crop of young forwards as we approach the trade deadline in early March.

In sum, if the team's mission is to stop the bleeding after the All Star break, there are a few obvious ways they can do so:

• Get Nate Schmidt and/or Dmitry Orlov healthy enough to get back into the game. Schmidt particularly has been a major asset this season, but Orlov's future is hazy at this point. The Caps need to maintain defensive depth, and I don't like the answers outside of these two (an unproven Connor Carrick, an unproven Patrick Wey, or a 'know what you're getting' Steven Oleksy to name a few).
• Send Justin Peters to Hershey and replace him with Philip Grubauer.  Grubauer played well in the majors last year and deserves a shot as a back up.  His work load will decrease (which some may argue will affect his development) but giving him some quality starts and Holtby some rest for the remainder of the schedule might be a critical piece in managing a playoff birth, let alone what happens beyond.
•  Make some acquisitions that will beef up your offense.  Much has been made of finding a second line center, which is an obvious need, but if you have to choose between allowing Kuznetsov to continue developing in that role or picking up a top 6 forward to play along side Ovechkin and Backstrom, what do you choose? Upcoming unrestricted free agent Mike Green would prove a tantalizing trade piece in obtaining either, but a package deal is likely imminent.
• Much has been made of the "culture change" Barry Trotz has ushered in Washington, but one thing he has not been able to wrap his arms around is protecting a lead and playing a good 60 minute game in order to do so.  Maybe some personnel changes are needed but I think some strategy changes are, as well. Let's hope that's being addressed during the break.

Did I miss anything? What are your thoughts on how the team is playing and what you think they can do to become a veritable threat after the break?  Email me at cpinto001@gmail.com or tell me on Twitter @c_pinto001 and I'll include them in a future post. 

*Quality Starts are a concoction of Rob Vollman. Click to find out more.