As we continue to wind down from the 2007-08 season, Caps Blue Line will take a look at the state of the team, by position, looking forward to 2008-09. Please note that depth charts are based on my opinion, not where the players actually stand in the organization.

Top Performer: Cristobal Huet. Maybe a low hurdle to a certain extent, but Cristobal Huet would have been the top performer on a lot of teams this season, going 32-14-6 with a .920 save percentage (tied for sixth in the NHL) and a 2.32 goals against average (tied for ninth in the league). Huet was also at his best (11-2, .936, 1.63) with the Capitals.

Underachiever: Olaf Kolzig. Kolzig started strong and did a bit to redeem himself after his playing time was reduced in the season’s second half, but for much of the year he was one of the league’s worst netminders statistically and was, by his own admission, allowing a soft goal in most of his starts.

Underrated: Cristobal Huet. Only three to chose from means that this label goes to Huet, who has the second best post-lockout save percentage in the NHL.

One to watch: Daren Machesney. Until this season, Machesney’s resume was not all that impressive. Picked 143rd overall in 2005, Machesney split his first professional season (2006-07) between South Carolina (ECHL) and Hershey (AHL), putting up save percentages of .888 and .887 and GAA’s of 3.30 and 3.18. In 2007-09, Machesney performed significantly better for Hershey, posting a .916 save percentage, a 2.55 GAA and a record of 22-10-2. A good showing in 2008-09 would go a long way towards establishing Machesney as a legitimate NHL prospect, while a poor showing would relegate him to the “career AHLer” ranks (for the time being at least).

Under Contract for 2008-09: Brent Johnson, Daren Machesney, Michael Neuvirth, Semen Varlamov
Restricted Free Agents: none.
Unrestricted Free Agents: Cristobal Huet, Olaf Kolzig

Depth Chart
(1) Brent Johnson
(2) Daren Machesney
(3) Semen Varlamov
(4) Michael Neuvirth

The Good: Cristobal Huet played extremely well after being traded to the Capitals, while Brent Johnson still looks like a very good reserve goaltender. Prospect-wise, both Neuvirth and Varlamov had solid years and should be ready for their first pro season in North America, and Machesney had a better season than anyone could have expected.

The Bad: Olaf Kolzig had the worst year of his career statistically and is out for good in D.C.; Huet’s playoff performance did not match what he was able to do for the Capitals down the stretch in the regular season.

2008-09 Outlook: At the moment, the outlook for the Capitals goaltending situation for next season isn’t very good - Johnson, a one time NHL starter, is the only goalie under contract with any NHL experience and none of the other netminders inked for next year are NHL ready. As Capitals’ fans already know, how the team shapes up in the crease for next season is primarily contingent on George McPhee being able to get Huet under contract. If Huet decides to stay in D.C. the team should feel very comfortable with their goaltending situation; if not things will get very messy, and the Caps would likely be forced to take a chance on a less-than-desirable goalie from an unimpressive free agent pool and hope for the best.