tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58919377182244506782024-11-03T18:12:21.967-05:00A Capitals blog with a different viewKoseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-41939849693985033952024-03-08T11:46:00.002-05:002024-03-08T11:46:23.751-05:00

 We will always love the Bird Man. Keep smiling.

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-16213205979722020302024-03-05T20:13:00.003-05:002024-03-05T20:13:19.680-05:00

Sorry, for a bag of picks.He gone.

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-31988737293651719672024-02-29T14:08:00.003-05:002024-02-29T14:08:42.843-05:00

With the trade deadline looming, and the Capitals' playoff hopes fading, the Caps have to decide which fork to take. There are essentially three approaches: go all in for a playoff push (not the worst idea given how thin the East is); retool on the fly; or sell (there is a fourth approach, which is to strip down the roster, but given the team's relationship with Alex Ovechkin and his chase for

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-25060504539335922862024-02-15T16:49:00.001-05:002024-02-15T16:49:13.116-05:00

With Sonny Milano's impending return against Montreal on Saturday, the Capitals were forced to make a roster move. Thus, the Matthew Phillips experiment seems to be coming to an end. And not a moment too soon.Phillips is the definition of a tweener, a highly prized commodity who can contribute meaningfully to an AHL roster, helping drive the prospect pool to a deep playoff run, and fill in spots

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-5557454783572701112024-02-15T13:38:00.004-05:002024-02-15T13:38:18.414-05:00

 The Columbus Blue Jackets are not a good hockey team. They are not exactly a hockey city, though Ohio State's program has come a long way. But southeastern Ohio is the home of backyard brawling football players and the eastern bound of the corn-fed baseball sluggers. So it should come as no surprise that the Blue Jackets have consistently struggled with attendance, never finishing above the

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-49753250132364967252024-01-14T14:04:00.005-05:002024-01-14T14:04:44.257-05:00

First off, pretty much no one carries it, other than traditional cable/satellite. But no worries, the NHL has your back!. All you have to do is follow each link and input your info into each provider's website. Thanks guys, you brought the internet back to the 90s. Without the good parts.To watch 82 Capitals games out of market, but within the US, one needs to subscribe to two separate services (

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-43383478322705892952024-01-08T14:18:00.008-05:002024-01-08T14:35:14.602-05:00

The big news of the day is William Nylander’s monster extension: 8 years, $92mm, with a full NMC throughout. Good for William. He deserves it. He took a team deal last time, despite holding out until the last possible moment to resign. Morgan Rielly did too, sans holdout. No one else did though: John Tavares signed for his hometown team, his preferred destination, for the largest contract

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-29900159046448467492023-12-20T19:51:00.002-05:002023-12-20T19:51:45.415-05:00

First shift I love Miro. He skates at the net like it owes him money 

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-90052645644069759792021-07-08T17:10:00.011-04:002021-07-10T00:13:35.666-04:00

With the Stanley Cup awarded last night to a team 25% above the salary cap (wow), it is time for a quick recap of this blog's preseason predictions. 1. Ovechkin will not win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the leading goal scorer in the regular season.Ha! Nope. Next. 0/12. Jakub Vrana will lead the Capitals in goals scored.Wrong, but not as far off. As an added plus, the Vrana trade opened a

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-25928073416437847802021-05-05T01:13:00.001-04:002021-05-05T01:13:04.769-04:00

Tom Wilson is in the news again, this time for his actions in yesterday's thrashing of the New York Rangers. Midway through the second period, while on the penalty kill, Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich crashed the net and tried to poke loose the puck after Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanacek had gained control. Wilson, like every hockey player in the sport's history, decided to defend his goalie,

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-67042832878045268882021-04-17T16:19:00.002-04:002021-04-17T16:19:09.981-04:00

 Five days and three Capitals games have passed since Monday's trade deadline, headlined by the blockbuster deal the Capitals struck with the Detroit Red Wings. Your favorite blogger, for fear of making an emotional plea, wanted to wait to post the recap. This post was largely drafted on Monday, but was edited to include up to date statistics, which strengthen the position laid out

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-87048583168442779452021-01-14T17:28:00.001-05:002021-01-14T17:28:28.177-05:00

300 days since Alexander Ovechkin was shorted a chance at another 50 goal season, with 8 meaningful games played since (during which the Capitals scored a total of a whopping 13 goals), your Washington Hockey Team is finally back, and better than ever. Or at least better than last year. Which might be good enough to get a shot at the semi-finals. And that should count for something. Right?Let's

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-43032936855480006302021-01-04T23:08:00.000-05:002021-01-04T23:08:01.393-05:00

 We are back for another season of Capitals hockey. For the second time in ten years, the NHL begins the slate in January, although this time it was not due to a labor stoppage (Gary Bettman has been thoroughly impressive in leading the NHL through these tough times, and deservedly gets a shout out from a blog that has not been friendly to him. This time around, we are looking at a 56

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-8342091755361081252020-08-23T16:37:00.002-04:002020-08-23T16:37:58.962-04:00

Unsurprisingly, after capping off an embarrassing playoff series by getting shut out, Head Coach Todd Reirden was fired.  Seeing as it is nearly a given that Braden Holtby will move on, 2019-20 was widely seen as the last run with the 2018 Stanley Cup roster largely in place.  Thus, with Reirden failing to capitalize on that momentum and guide the team to at least the second round, and

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-73034061177504814292020-08-21T09:48:00.002-04:002020-08-21T09:48:10.702-04:00

Your favorite team got rolled up by a stingy Islanders squad led by former Capitals HC Barry Trotz and goaltender Semyon Varlamov. And it wasn't pretty. Nor was it close. A few thoughts, before a deeper analysis (coming maybe this weekend. Maybe):- John Carlson is not very good. He is great offensively. He is an excellent passer. He is barely a top four in the defensive zone, and got burned

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-72585568241467169462019-10-31T00:15:00.002-04:002019-10-31T00:15:13.296-04:00

In a series of firsts, the Washington Nationals win their first World Series, and the city's first since, like, the Civil War. Big ups to our crosstown brothers.  Here's to hoping the Caps can keep up this winning tradition, because obviously the Redskins and Wizards will not carry the torch.  Ha! Congratulations to Max Scherzer for throwing 100 pitches while injured and somehow

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-8316214342243889142019-04-25T02:25:00.002-04:002019-04-25T02:25:13.050-04:00

Living up to his nickname, future Hall of Famer Justin Williams threw a loose puck from the corner to the goal crease, where Brock McGinn tipped it in for the game winner in double overtime.  Earlier, McGinn saved the game late in the third by diving across the crease (a la Top Line Tommy).  While we are obviously disappointed with the result, we here at Contrarian Sports are still

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-24122129863011205502019-04-15T22:54:00.001-04:002019-04-15T22:54:02.365-04:00

About halfway into the first period of Game 3, the first playoff game in Carolina in a decade, Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin was goaded into a fight Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov, of all people. The bout was short, with Ovechkin finishing the much smaller, younger, and oddly aggressive Svechnikov with 3 rights in short succession. Please pardon the annoying commentator.

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-19505150899444063512019-04-08T01:01:00.000-04:002019-04-08T01:05:07.686-04:00

Here is my playoff bracket.  Caps repeat as champs, beating Vegas in 6 games.   If the image is too small due to formatting, you can click on the image to see it in more detail.

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-53965026746914458262018-11-13T21:01:00.000-05:002018-11-13T21:01:08.370-05:00

At long last, nearly two months after landing a clean open ice hit, Tom Wilson's adjudication has been completed.  His previous 20 game suspension was reduced to 14 games.  By "pure chance", and in no way because of Gary Bettman's desire to push the appeal as far back as possible, Wilson will end up having missed the first 16 games of the year. No matter.  Fresh legs, and a nice

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-17291791077380116202018-06-24T20:33:00.004-04:002018-06-24T20:33:48.263-04:00

In signing an 8 year contract worth $64 million, John Carlson surpassed Dion Phaneuf as the highest paid second pair defenseman in league history. We like Carlson.  A lot.  He is a great powerplay quarterback (that is, he shoots right handed) who lays down precise passes to #8.  His slap shot is hard and accurate.  He is a good skater.  Quite frankly, he is the

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-9626112368527578242018-06-23T12:19:00.003-04:002018-06-24T20:09:39.094-04:00

The Capitals made clear that Philipp Grubauer was getting moved on or before the draft, with an ask of a first round pick.  Logically, GMBM decided to add Brooks Orpik, to get a lower return (47th overall), but clear much needed cap space. Here are the results thus far, along with a brief analysis: Round 1, pick 31: Alexander Alexeyev, D, Red Deer, WHL Injuries may have caused

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-68637217314195039362018-06-22T19:36:00.000-04:002018-06-22T19:36:32.081-04:00

Per the Capitals Twitter handle, Philipp Grubauer and Brooks Orpik were traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2018 2nd round pick, 47th overall. Obvious cap dump is obvious. More to come.

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-61918828135041721002018-06-22T14:17:00.003-04:002018-06-22T14:17:49.421-04:00

Having finally earned hockey's highest honors, your Washington Capitals are drafting in the enviable (if only symbolically) 31st slot.  Following this, the Caps have Florida's middle of the round 2nd pick, the original 3rd, 4th, 6th, and Mr. Irrelevant 7th. Rumors are abound, however, that Philipp Grubauer will be on the move today, with an ask of a first rounder.  While

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5891937718224450678.post-75626220541782643712018-06-13T16:16:00.001-04:002018-06-13T16:16:33.807-04:00

Most of the NHL coverage after the Stanley Cup naturally surrounds the draft and free agency, as teams look to rebuild or otherwise restock the shelves. This year is no different. The three biggest prizes in free agency this year are John Tavares, John Carlson, and Ilya Kovalchuk, the latter notably having played the last five seasons in the KHL after breaking his 400 year contract with the

Koseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01731862062481888410noreply@blogger.com0