Washington Capitals Plans

[rk2k3]

Greetings , thank you all for joining me here today.

Washington is a team currently in the rebuilding stage, we have some great prospects coming up, who are looking to thrive right away. With that being said though, the team and personnel will be strictly evaluated. There is no doubt we will be in trade talks for quite a while. We are still missing key components required to rebuild and make an impact down the road. Thus, we are excited to be a part of the league, and looking to interact with the various GMs .

There are certain players of course hehe that will remain with the club, and will be an integral part of the team now, and in the future. Players such as Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Jeff Halpern, and Steve Eminger are built into the team's present and future plans. The rest of the players will have to be evaluated to determine their status with the team. Not even players such as Darius Zubrus, or Olaf Kolzig are safe.

So, stay tuned folks ;D

[dominator]

Good luck with your rebuilding! ;D

[rk2k3]

Press Release: Caps Acquire Rearguard Sami Salo
It was a busy day for the Washington Capitals, a team that engaged in numerous trade talks with a variety of teams. The Capitals were linked to discussing possible deals with the Boston Bruins, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Buffalo Sabres, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Vancouver Canucks. The latter team turned out to be the most significant, as the Caps agreed in a deal, seeing prospects Jared Aulin and Tomas Fleischmann being shipped to the Canucks, along with a 6th round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. In return, the Caps fulfilled one of their needs, acquiring quality rearguard Sami Salo.

"Today, our primary goal was to acquire two 3rd-4th dmen who could help our pp and pk respectively. Acquiring Salo was extraordinary, since we obtained a dman who could play on both units. Defense is our weakest position, since it is the position where we have the least amount of depth. Only Shaone Morrison, and Mike Green are our future d, other than that, we have no depth, so this deal was very significant. Instead of needing a 3rd-4th dman, we now need a 5th-6th one, although another 3rd-4th would be nice, but you have to take what you can get" Kassam proclaimed.

The defensive lines on opening day will therefore see Eminger and Salo paired together, with Morrisonn and Clymer being the second pairing, and Jamie Heward being paired with no one at the moment.

Thus, the Capitals are speculated to not be done by any means, emphasizing that they have more team needs.

"We still need a scorer, no doubt about that, or a superb checker, the reason being is that we know Jeff Halpern is extremely versatile. He has the means to score, and check, so we need one or the other to compensate. Even then, we may need another scoring winger, but we will try and aim for one first" Kassam reiterated.

"Furthermore, we are looking for goaltending, as after Olie is gone, no one has the capability to even take the starting duties from him. Thus, we are willing to trade Olie to a team that is driving for the cup, and needs an elite goalie in order to do so. Of course, we are certainly not desperate to move Godzilla, since he is one of the best netminders in the league, a good offer will indeed be required" Kassam stated.

...


Lastly, everyone was anticipating the buzz of teams pilling in to try and nab one of the Caps prized rookies, Alexandre Ovechkin.
"Oddly enough" Kassam pondered, "we have received no requests for AO.............................................




naw I am kidding , of course we have , but he is not, never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, in a million, zillion years, leaving the Caps "

Thus, it seems that the Washington Capitals are going to be in even more trade talks, and possibility, for quite a while, but none involving Mr. Ovechkin himself ;D.

[rk2k3]

Press Release: Caps Have Their Top Six, Sarich Comes to Town, Pending on Condition

The Caps have struck again on the trade front, solving one of their team needs, defense.
The Capitals agreed in principle to a deal today, seeing young defenseman Nolan Yonkman and hardworking forward Brian Sutherby head to Tampa Bay, in exchange for solid defenseman Cory Sarich. The deal hinges on the condition that TB re-signs Sarich to a contract extension.

As a result, the Capitals defence has improved considerably, acquiring two solid dmen in Salo and Sarich immediately satisfies the team's needs on defence, and allows the team to give highly touted prospect Mike Green the much needed development he needs in the minors.

On opening day, the caps top six seems to be set:
Eminger-Salo
Sarich-Clymer
Morrisonn-Heward

The caps focus will now switch to needs up front, as even though the Caps have gunner such as AO, AS, Fehr(who may even still need a year in the minors), and Zubrus, the team needs at least to fill two holes on the top lines. Once possibility is versatile player Jeff Halpern becoming the first line centre. However, this would leave the Caps without a top line checker. Thus, the Caps will now require a scorer, or a top line checker for the time being .

[rk2k3]

Press Release: Big Move Coming Soon?

The Washington Capitals seem to be at it again. With the acquisitions of defensemen Sami Salo and Corey Sarich, the Caps do not appear to be done by any means.

Kassam has open stated that the Caps are a very young team, and require solid veteran players to help move their team forward. With the blueline having accomplished this task, the Caps are now looking to do the same upfront.

Rumour has it that Kassam is talking to a couple of teams, specifically in the Eastern conference, to acquire a key checking centre to help the team, which may help the Caps even try for a playoff spot this season.

One deal may potentially involve nabbing a bigtime player, while the other, not so much, but would still net that key checking centre needed for the team.

The Caps are also speculated to still be looking for a 5-6th defenseman, since Jamie Heward will probably be assigned as the seventh defenseman. A couple of teams in the East have once again drawn interest.

The Caps stress however that they would love to talk to teams in the Western Conference, but so far, the Caps have not had the opportunity, nor have been contacted by many, if at all, Western Conference teams with the exception of a select few. Thus, Kassam urges Western Conference teams that is he indeed interested in making a deal with them .

However, with such a young core, many uncertainties remain. Can a young team like the Caps produce? Will a lack of scoring experience get the best of them? All remain to be seen.

[rk2k3]

Caps Make Veteran Move

The Washington Capitals, much to the surprise of many, made a trade, but not with an Eastern Conference team speculated yesterday.

It seems that the word for Western Conference teams to approach the Caps worked, as Washington acquired key veteran, two-way forward Shean Donovan from the Calgary Flames today, while the Flames received forwards Brooks Laich and Colin Forbes.

The acquistion of Shean now gives the Caps a much needed upfront veteran presence. With Jeff Halpern expected to take on first line duties, Donovan, along with Chris Clark, will be paired together on the 3rd line to provide a checking presence.

This is because early scouting reports of forward Eric Fehr point to signs that Fehr is ready to make an immediate impact, and possibly acquire 2nd line duties.


Are the Caps done trading? Highly unlikely, as the Caps would still love to find a 5th-6th defenseman, along with a proven scorer, or a proven checker. Right now though, it seems that the Caps are committed this year, which could see an exciting team hit the ice, and make a playoff push. Stay tuned for more updates .

[rk2k3]

Ryn to "Capital" City

The Washington Capitals have now solidified their back end today, acquiring gritty defenseman Mike Van Ryn from the Florida Panthers.

This gives Washington the much needed flexible and stability on the blueline that they have been seeking all preseason long.

Plus, the Caps have not had to give up many of the assets to acquire defenseman, with the exception of Bryan Sutherby and Jared Aulin, two players who will be solid players down the road. However, the Caps have managed to preserve their best assets and picks, indeed good management.

The focus now for the Caps is to prepare for the upcoming season, although there are rumours that the Caps are in talks for acquiring a scoring threat. Stay tuned for more updates

[rk2k3]

Scorer Added

The Caps once again made BIG news yesterday, acquiring scoring threat Mark Parrish from the LA Kings, along with 3rd and 5th round picks in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In the process, the Caps dealt Rico Fata, prospect Chris Bourque, and a 2nd round pick in 07.

The Caps have now accomplished their team needs, acquiring defenseman, a checker, and a scorer.

Now, it is time for the team to gell and gain chemistry. It is going to be a long season, and everyone must be prepared.

Does Parrish make the Caps a legitimate threat? Only time will tell, but the Caps have indeed spoken: They want to win, they want to make it into the playoffs, they want to make their fans proud and happy.

Alas, things are finally looking up in Washington for the first time in a very longtime.

[cujo31]

I hear something HUGE has gone down in Washington earlier today...expect a press release very soon by the Caps' GM. for SportsRadio (with inside info. ) , and the this has been ex-TB GM, Aly Kaba.

[cujo31]

apparently...something is imminent...thats the word I've got directly from the caps' GM himself...

[rk2k3]

BREAKING NEWS: The Kaba Returns

Just two days ago, it was announced that Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager, Aly Kaba, had to step down due to other commitments.

While many saw the shocking news as a loss, the caps decided to turn it into their gain, by officially hiring Aly Kaba as Assistant General Manager of the Washington Capitals today.

"We are pleased in having such an excellent person become a part of our organization, who knows the ins and outs of the game. His track record speaks for itself, being a GM of various leagues, and being very successful at the position. We need expertise, advice, someone who knows when the timing is right to make the right decisions, and the right deals. We could not afford to pass up an extraordinary opportunity. We value the experience we have gained today, and look forward to move Washington to a stronger position in the league with Mr.Kaba helping us to get there".

-Washington General Manager, Rahim Kassam

[cujo31]

"When I stepped down as Tampa GM, I had no idea such an offer would come my way. It feels great to be with an organization, where I can offer up my advice, and help out in a lesser capacity. I know a lot of people prefer being the front-men, the main GM, but being hired on by a friend, and to be back in the HEHMHL, with the Washington Capitials, will give me a different perspective, I will learn a new approach at GM'ing from my friend, & the Caps GM Rahim Kassam. He is a very knowledgable GM, and it was a terrific oppurtunity for me to still be a part of this league, in a lesser capacity, and offer what ever knowledge or advice I can. It is a truly gratifying feeling knowing that your opinion is respected, and that you can share your knowledge, and your approach to someone else and see them be successful. There is no question in my mind that Mr. Kassam could be successful on his own, as he has been in the DMHNL, claiming the pacific division title during his rookie EHM season, last year. I am grateful for the oppurtunity, and I know I will learn as much from Rahim, if not more, as he will learn from me. I am pleased to have signed a 5 year contract as Asst. GM to Rahim, with the Washington Capitials, I think the future will be a bright one for the caps', even brighter with Mr. Kassam at the helm."

[jnewton91]

This is innovative work by the Washington Capitals organization, the Blue Jackets applaud such a move and are reported to be jealous that they had not thought of the idea first.

[instaaled]

If you two wish, I can delete all the posts not by you so you can have this place to yourselves

[rk2k3]

instaaled said:

If you two wish, I can delete all the posts not by you so you can have this place to yourselves

Naw, that is quite all right, we want GM reaction! ;D