Washington Capitals Mailbag: Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Crosby

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Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

This Washington Capitals mailbag features questions about position battles, Kuznetsov, Backstrom, Schmidt, Chorney, Johansson, Crosby, Ovechkin, and more.

The Washington Capitals still have some questions despite their strong 6-1-0 start. They have some position battles going on. Head coach Barry Trotz is human. Ergo, he has probably made some mistakes. There’s an eternal debate over who’s the better player: Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby.

There’s also a bit of a debate over who is the better center right now between Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom. Finally, there’s been much discussion over whether Nate Schmidt or Taylor Chorney should be the sixth defenseman. There might not be a definitive yes or no answer to these questions.

Can Kuznetsov Keep Up The Pace?

This question comes from Steve from North Carolina.

Center Evgeny Kuznetsov is off to an incredible start to the season. Do you think he can keep this up? Is he the first line center for the forseeable future?

Thanks for the question Steve. I agree that Kuznetsov is off to an incredible start. I would consider myself an optimist about Kuznetsov. When nobody thought that he was worth the wait, I was one of the few who said that the wait would be worth it. It’s definitely been worth it. Even I couldn’t have foreseen that he was going to be THIS good this early in his career.

Let me get this out of the way early on. I would be shocked beyond the description of words if Kuznetsov kept up his current scoring pace. He has 11 points in seven games so far. He’s currently on pace for 129 points (rounded up from 128.85) if he plays all 82 games. Scoring 129 points in a single season is difficult. It’s only happened 49 times and only 22 players have accomplished the feat. 19 of those 22 players are Hall of Famers. Two of them (Teemu Selanne and Jaromir Jagr) ought to get in the first year that they are eligible. The only one of them who isn’t in the Hall? Pierre Turgeon. Sorry, Kuznetsov is most likely not going to sustain a pace that would put him in such an exclusive and elite group. I’d love for him to do it, though.

I don’t know if Kuznetsov is the first line center of the future for the Washington Capitals. Sure, he’s off to an incredible start. Kuznetsov needs to keep producing like a first line center if he wants to prove that he’s a better first line center option than Nicklas Backstrom. It’s a darn nice problem to have when you have two centers capable of handling first line duties. I’m certain that every NHL team would love nothing more than to have that problem.

Kuznetsov’s a pretty special player. Sit back and appreciate what he’s doing. It’s not that often that we get to see it.

Next: Kuznetsov vs. Backstrom

Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Kuznetsov Vs. Backstrom

This question comes from Ryan from West Virginia.

The Caps are pretty darn lucky. They have Kuznetsov and Backstrom. Which one of the two have you been more impressed with so far this season?

That’s a great question. I’ve been impressed with them both. I knew Kuznetsov was going to be good. I knew that he was going to be a viable first line center option while Backstrom recovered from his hip injury. I had high expectations for Kuznetsov because I know how good he can be. He has exceeded those expectations. He has emerged as a leader on the first line. He developed immediate chemistry with Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie. He was magnificent against the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.

I’ve also been impressed with Backstrom. I had my concerns about how Backstrom would play away from Ovechkin. I wondered if Backstrom could be the alpha male on a second line that needed someone to take charge. Backstrom has done that so far. He’s being more aggressive with the puck. He’s shooting it. He’s scoring goals, something that he hasn’t been doing much of the past few years. Being the second line center lets him participate more on special teams. He tends to shine on special teams, so obviously that’s a good thing for the Washington Capitals.

I’ve been more impressed with Kuznetsov. My feelings about Backstrom are closer to “pleasantly surprised” than “impressed”. I know Backstrom had it in him to return to his goal scoring days. The Washington Capitals are blessed to have them. Most teams struggle to find one excellent center. The Caps could have two of them.

Next: Has MoJo found his mojo?

Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Johansson’s Improvement

This one comes from Peter from Aberdeen.

I must admit that you were right about Marcus Johansson. He’s a guy who I’d like to see the Capitals keep long-term if possible. What do you think has been the difference with him?

Thank you for your compliments and honesty, Peter. Let me be honest as well. Before last season, I was driving the “trade Johansson” bandwagon. Not only that, I probably had the pedal to the metal. So what changed? Barry Trotz helped Johansson become a better player.

The biggest difference that I’ve seen in Johansson’s game is that he’s a much more confident player than he was under Adam Oates. People forget that Johansson was productive under Dale Hunter. That alone should tell you how good Johansson is. Oates put Johansson on the first line. When that happened, I think that Johansson got away from his game. He started focusing too heavily on how he could help Ovechkin and Backstrom. That got him away from what he does so well.

Trotz got him back on track. Since Trotz has been hired, Marcus is shooting the puck at a better rate than he has in his career. Does he still need to shoot the puck more? Absolutely. He’s been improving steadily at it and honestly, I’ve been impressed by him.

Perhaps the thing about him that I’m most impressed with is how he’s doing the little things. There are countless little things in hockey that you never see in the score sheet. He’s arguably the Washington Capitals best option as far as power play zone entries. He enters the zone with confidence and makes things happen. He’s starting to be more physical and more defensively responsible. Heck, he’s even screening guys. That’s something that I never thought I’d want to see Johansson doing because of his lack of size. It works because he’s so quick.

In lay terms, Johansson has his swagger back. I don’t know if the Washington Capitals should keep him because Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky are likely going to render him a third line forward in the near future. If they can afford to keep him, they should because he’s at worst a solid top six forward. You shouldn’t get rid of those guys if the main reason that you want to get rid of them is because you *think* you have enough top six forwards. You can’t have enough of those types of guys.

Next: Schmidt vs. Chorney

Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

This Schmidt-uation Is Serious

This one comes from Bob from Arlington (Virginia).

Trotz has been using both Schmidt and Chorney this season. Which one do you think should be getting more playing time?

The answer to that question is pretty simple. It’s my opinion that Nate Schmidt should be playing more than Taylor Chorney. Schmidt can do a lot of things than Chorney can’t do. Don’t get me wrong. Chorney has been playing fairly well. He’s a safe guy. He brings a physical presence. There is something to be said for that. However, what Schmidt does better than Chorney is more important than that physical presence.

Schmidt drives possession better than any Washington Capitals defenseman. Sure, he allows a few more scoring chances than some defensemen. That’s because he generates more than most. Schmidt has the highest even strength CF% of any Caps defenseman right now. When he’s on the ice, the Caps generate more shot attempts for and fewer shot attempts against. Schmidt is one of the Caps best defensemen at leading the rush up the ice.

Chorney has been fine so far. However, Schmidt is better. I wish I could know why Trotz doesn’t trust Schmidt. All of this said I refuse to get upset over third pairing defensemen. If Schmidt was a top four defenseman, I’d have an issue. But honestly? This isn’t even worth the energy to get upset about. Chorney isn’t hurting the Washington Capitals. As long as that remains true, it’s not worth getting mad about.

Next: Crosby vs. Ovechkin

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Eternal Debate

This one comes from Michael.

Who would you rather have on your team: Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin?

Figured this question was going to happen eventually. The eternal debate is back. Ovechkin and Crosby’s rivalry goes way back to their teenage years. The Washington Capitals got Ovechkin in the 2004 NHL Draft. The Penguins got Crosby in the 2005 NHL Draft. They were both first overall picks.

I think that they are both generational talents. Rarely does the NHL have two guys who are as excellent at what they do than the Washington Capitals captain and the Pittsburgh Penguins captain. They have both been historically good so far. They are both going to end up in the Hall of Fame whenever their careers end.

I’ll take Ovechkin over Crosby. This is not a slight to Crosby. He’s an incredible player. He’s the best passer I’ve ever seen (keep in mind I never got to see Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux in their primes since I started watching hockey in 1994). He elevates the play of everyone around him. He has turned guys like Chris Kunitz into all-star players. You don’t do that unless you’re a pretty freaking special player. Combined with his goal scoring, Crosby is about as dangerous as they come.

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is a completely different animal. Let’s face it. Goals are more valuable and meaningful than assists. There’s an award given to the guy who gets the most goals. There’s no award given to the player who gets the most assists. Ovechkin is so much better at his craft than everybody else, it’s ludicrous.

I’d be happy with either of the two captains. Give me Ovechkin over Crosby though. I could easily understand an argument for Crosby. There is no wrong answer to this eternal debate. Let’s stop hating these two superstars and appreciate them because they aren’t going to be around forever.

Next: Three Biggest Surprises This Season

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