The Caps needed Heidi Klum out at Kettler Iceplex on Monday morning as they told players on the roster bubble who was in and who was out. Here’s an analysis of who made it and why.
In…
» Chris Bourque was a question mark after a mild concussion last week against the Buffalo Sabres and then missing two preseason games. Instead, he returned to the lineup, scored a goal Sunday and made the cut. Will be an energy player on third or fourth line. But he must produce with Eric Fehr (shoulder) just a few weeks away.
» Caps coach Bruce Boudreau called Tyler Sloan the team’s best defenseman in camp. His salary-cap friendly contract also helped as did the need to get prized prospect Karl Alzner regular playing time at AHL Hershey.
“There would have been no reward or justice if we had to send Tyler down,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau.
» Quintin Laing has never met a puck he didn’t want to stop with his face. That skill pretty much fits a fourth-line left wing. He has his limitations, but Boudreau loves him, he can play in any defensive situation and every NHL team can use a player like that.
Out…
» Pretty simple why forward Alexandre Giroux – who scored 60 AHL goals last year – didn’t make it. Bourque was better in camp and Giroux didn’t finish enough of his chances. Now on waivers and will know by Wednesday if he has a job with another NHL team. Otherwise, it’s back to Hershey.
“For Alex Giroux to come in here he would have to have a great camp,” Boudreau said. “But I didn’t think his camp was as good as these guys.”
» Another player who has hit a brick wall in Washington is center Keith Aucoin. May have a better shot at clearing waivers than Giroux and returning to Hershey.
» Brandon Sugden never had a shot. But lasted this long because he has an element Caps lack – a true fighter. Went toe-to-toe twice with former Caps enforcer Donald Brashear last week.
» Caps defenseman Karl Alzner can play at the NHL level. But the simple fact is he’s easier to send down than Sloan or another veteran. Alzner doesn’t have to clear waivers. And his salary-cap hit would be bigger than Sloan’s. In a perfect world that wouldn’t matter. But in the modern-day NHL it does.
“Sometimes the salary cap hurts you and sometimes it helps you. And in this case it hurt us,” Boudreau said.
Boudreau spent his career bouncing between the minors and the NHL so he is especially sensitive when breaking news to players that they haven’t made it. It’s the part of the job he hates the most.
“Can I empathize? Yes. Deliver it? Nobody I know likes giving bad news to anybody. I certainly don’t. I have a hard time with it. Because I know they all tried so hard. And to see guys – sometimes they’re welling up and getting emotional. And I understand that whole thing because I’ve been on that seat more times than I care to admit.”
