Do The Caps Need-emi?

Believe it or not, there are parallels between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals (minus the whole winning-the-Stanley-Cup thing). Both teams went through necessary fire sales at some point, albeit for different reasons, to shed salary cap space. Think of it in reverse. The Caps unloaded talent in order to start over and contend, while the champion Blackhawks had to do the same because they couldn’t afford the talent that helped them win. Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, Colin Fraser and Adam Burish have found new homes.

On a player-only level, the Blackhawks and Capitals share even more similarities. For example, Cristobal Huet led the Capitals to a record-setting run during the second half of the 2007-2008 season before deciding to bolt to Chicago. Personally, the connection is even deeper, considering both teams shared my hometown team as a minor-league affiliate at one point (the ECHL’s Hampton Road Admirals, which turned into the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals). Now after taking over the starting position and ultimately leading Chicago to its first Stanley Cup victory since 1961, goaltender Antti Niemi has been let go after the Blackhawks declined his arbitration ruling of $2.75 million. Washington is a rumored destination.

It’s “Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon.” Hockey style.

It gets better. When you think even more about it, Niemi and probable starter Semyon Varlamov have a lot in common, too. And it is for that reason that the Capitals should not make an effort to sign Niemi.

Recall the end of the 2009-10 season. Niemi usurped Huet (just like Huet did to Olaf Kolzig) as the Blackhawks’ starting goaltender and ran a hot streak all the way to the Stanley Cup. In 2008-2009, Varlamov did the same thing (once again, minus winning the Cup). Varlamov took over for a struggling Jose Theodore after Game 1 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New York Rangers and played an integral part in erasing a 3-1 deficit to win the series. Regardless of the fact that Niemi won the Cup, he is no more experienced than Varlamov. In his NHL career, Niemi has 42 regular season games and 22 playoff games to his credit. Varlamov has 32 and 19, respectively. Niemi had a .912 save percentage and a 2.25 GAA last season while Varlamov’s were .909 and 2.55. The two, statistically, are essentially the same.

George McPhee pursued Theodore in 2008 because the Capitals needed a veteran goaltender (who also happened to be a former MVP) to help bridge the gap between the departure of Kolzig and the new era of Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth. Theodore, more or less, did a great job of leading the team while also giving the rookies a chance to develop. His job is done and he will not be re-signed, though rumors believe Chicago might be interested. Eerie. If the Capitals were to pursue a goaltender, someone like Marty Turco would have been perfect. But who signed him? Chicago. More eerie.

The Capitals believe that Varlamov and Neuvirth are the goalies of the future and rightfully so. Varlamov has proven himself worthy and Neuvirth is a two-time Calder Cup champion. Bringing in Niemi would only delay the inevitable and consequently push everyone back. Varlamov would not be able to fully develop while splitting time, Neuvirth would stay stagnant in Hershey and Braden Holtby would lose valuable experience riding the bench with the Bears. Goaltending and defense have been a thorn in the Caps’ side for years, but signing the hot new goaltender won’t guarantee success. What has been successful is the team’s plan of building for within and they should stick to it. Who knows? The Capitals could have more in common with the Blackhawks at the end of the season.