Here’s more on the Caps as we get ready for some real hockey tomorrow night when the season begins in Boston. There’s no other way to describe it – practice ended on a bummer when the team learned forward Chris Bourque was claimed on waivers by the Penguins, of all teams. For the first month of the season, waivers is based on last year’s regular-season standings. That means 22 teams passed on Bourque before Pittsburgh claimed him. The Caps receive nothing for their loss, obviously.
It could be argued that this isn’t a huge deal. Bourque will always be limited by his size at 5-foot-8, 181-pounds. He was almost certainly going on waivers within the next few weeks anyway as Tomas Fleischmann (blood clot) and Eric Fehr (shoulders) return to the lineup. Fehr has been practicing and is closer to a return.
But there’s also no question the organization’s depth takes a hit. Bourque is just 23 and put up 73 points in the AHL last year. He would have played a role at some point in Washington this year and – presumably – would have provided some offense on the third or fourth lines. Bourque’s status is linked to forward Michael Nylander’s The Caps have been trying to part ways with their 36-year-old center for months. His $4.875 million cap hit means the team is just a tick below the NHL’s salary-cap ceiling even after losing Bourque. But Nylander has a no-movement clause and that high salary makes it hard to even give him away. No agreement with a European club has been reached either. Nylander did not play in a single preseason game. With Bourque gone, Hershey callup Boyd Kane is on the fourth line while Quintin Laing moves up to the checking line with David Steckel and Chris Clark. Goalie Michal Neuvirth was reassigned to Hershey but vowed “I’ll be back.” He’s a confident kid and has played like one much of the preseason. Plenty of questions on the Bourque issue so let’s let Caps coach Bruce Boudreau handle them.
Does [Bourque’s leaving] mean that Michael Nylander is going to be in the lineup against the Bruins…
No. We need a fourth-line left winger and that experiment [last season] didn’t work. We tried that in the playoffs last year. I mean, if it was…I don’t know. So we’re going to call up Boyd Kane, who is a bigger left wing that I had when we won the Cup and he’s a responsible player. Again – we’re playing three tough games. Fleischmann should be getting the okay to start fairly soon and Eric has been cleared to play.
What becomes of Nylander if Boyd Kane is playing ahead of him…
Well, I don’t know. It’s well documented that they’re trying to do something. It’s just in the process. So we’ll play the process out.
Is this moving closer to a resolution…
We’re hoping. I don’t think – whether it’s Michael or whether it’s the Washington Capitals or whether it’s the fans – anyone wants to see this drag on. I don’t think it’s good for Michael I don’t think it’s good for us. So hopefully the resolution comes rather quick.
Why not just put [Tomas Fleischmann] on Longterm Injured Reserve [LTI]
Because he should be better way before the 10 games, 27 days [he would have to sit out if placed on LTI].
What did you say to Bourque…
We just had a long talk. We’ve spent a lot of time together, this being our fifth year. And I said ‘Good news, bad news’ to him. I said ‘Good news is you’re playing in the NHL this weekend. Bad news is, unfortunately it’s not going to be for us.’ Not trying to be flippant with him or anything because he’s still a young guy wanting to know what’s going on. But Pittsburgh evidently needed him right now. And Dan Bylsma was in the American League last year and has seen Chris for a year-and-a-half and obviously liked him and is going to give him a shot. With us, the big difference is we were going to Boston. Maybe that had a little special thing [for Bourque]. And making our opening-day lineup didn’t necessarily mean it was long term. So for Chris I’m really happy. Because once Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann get here he would have probably been the guy that we would have had to put through waivers at that time to be sent down. So he’s got a chance at the NHL and we promised – when I talked to him this summer I said ‘If you don’t have a chance to play here we hope you play somewhere else. You’re too good a kid and you’ve paid your penance and did everything that we’ve asked for you.’ So now this is an opportunity for him. As much as we don’t like losing him, I’m happy that he’s going to a team that’s in this league.
Losing a player who was a good prospect for nothing…
That’s the business. We’re only allowed to have 23 men on our roster. It’s the good news-bad news that we’ve built up great depth at Hershey. And if you look at the great depth – we lost Sami Lepisto, we lost Staffan Kronwall and now Chris Bourque. And that happens when you’ve got great teams that go to the finals then more scouts get a chance to watch you. So you’re more viable for this to happen.
