The NHL’s 2008 Entry Draft is complete, and the Capitals have added a total of eight prospects to their organization. In the order they were drafted, they are:

(1) Anton Gustafsson (center) - selected 21st in the first round, 21st overall
The skinny: The Capitals traded the 23rd and 54th overall picks to New Jersey for the 21st overall pick in order to be able to make this selection. Gustafsson is the son of former Capital Bengt Gustafsson, and like his father is a natural center. Played most of 2007-08 in Sweden for Frolunda’s under-20 team, where he had 10 goals, 13 assists, 43 penalty minutes and a plus-17 rating in 23 games. Anton played one game with the senior squad last year but didn’t register a point.
The good: Gustafsson has been described as having a mid-first round overall skill set. This selection addresses a number of needs simultaneously for the Capitals: Gustafsson provides both size and two-way play at forward, as well as depth at the center position. He has been described as a mature player both on and off the ice.
The bad: Gustafsson has had significant injury trouble, most notably with a slipped disc in his back and doesn’t have all that much experience against high-level competition. It may have been unnecessary to trade up in order to take Gustafsson.
Initial Reaction: “What?! They traded up to take him?”
More Thought-out Reaction: The only serious issue preventing Gustafsson from being a projected mid-first round pick was his health, and given the Capitals’ meticulous nature, fans should rest assured that he is, or will be able to, recover completely. If that’s the case, Gustafsson looks like he could be a very solid second line center, and being drafted by the same team his father played for could prove to be a source of motivation.
Grade: B-

(2) John Carlson (defense) - selected 27th in the first round, 27th overall
The skinny: The Capitals traded Steve Eminger and the 84th overall pick to Philadelphia for the 27th overall pick in order to make this selection. Carlson is a big, physical, stay-at-home defenseman with the potential to be a shutdown defenseman in the NHL. He played for the Indiana Ice in the USHL this past season, where he had 12 goals, 31 assists, 72 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating in 59 games. He’s slated to play next season for the London Knights, Dale Hunter’s OHL team, and alumni to Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner.
The good: TSN compared Carlson to Mike Komisarek in their draft preview and he has the potential to be that kind of player: a mean, physical defender who can go against the NHL’s best forwards. Going to London helps to assure he will be well coached and develop at a steady pace. In trading Eminger as part of the package to get this pick, George McPhee got a very good return on a player who had fallen out of the Capitals’ long-term plans.
The bad: According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Carlson needs to work on his conditioning. Playing in the USHL means he has yet to have significant experience against elite competition.
Initial Reaction: High-fives and jumping around the room.
More Thought-out Reaction: High-fives and jumping around the room. Carlson is exactly the type of player the Capitals need on their blue line (and who I wanted them to take with the 21st overall pick) and although the team has Joe Finley and Viktor Dovgan in the system, each is far from a sure thing.
Grade: A

(3) Eric Mestery (defense) - selected with the 27th pick in the second round, 57th overall
The skinny: Mestery is a tall (6′5”) defender who currently plays for Olaf Kolzig’s Tri-City American of the Western Hockey League. He’s fairly thin for his height (195 pounds), but you’d have to think he’ll fill out a little. The word on Mestery is that he could develop into a solid, but not spectacular, NHL defender. Before you go thinking Mestery is Version 2.0 of Jeff Schultz, consider that Mestery had three fights in the WHL last year, which is three more than Schultz has had in his life as far as I can tell.

(4) Dmitri Kugryshev (right wing) - selected with the 28th pick in the second round, 58th overall.
The skinny: Kugryshev spent this season with CSKA Moscow’s developmental team, playing in the Russian third league, where he had 29 goals and 29 assists in 35 games. Kugryshev has also represented Russia at the under-18 and under-20 levels; in the past World Juniors he scored a goal and three assists in seven games. Kugryshev is supposed to have good offensive instincts, but is in need of work in terms of his skating. He’s reported to have a strong work ethic and be a player who’s willing to go into corners and engage in board play, so it seems that his attitude is a plus.

(5) Braden Holtby (goalie) - selected with the 2nd pick in the fourth round, 93rd overall.
The skinny: It would appear the jury is out on Holtby: he was ranked as the fourth best North American goalie by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau and 56th overall by the TSN, but 80th by Bob McKenzie and was left unranked by The Hockey News. Overall, a pretty good pick for the Capitals since if Holtby fulfills the promise some think he has, he should be a solid NHL goaltender and if he doesn’t…well, once you get to the fourth round, you’re inherently gambling anyway. Holtby was 25-29-8 with a 2.84 GAA and .908 save percentage for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL in 2007-08.

(6) Joel Broda (center) - selected with the 23rd pick of the fifth round, 144th overall.
The skinny: Broda has pretty good size, especially for a center (6′0”, 196 pounds) and potted 28 goals in 70 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL last season. The only scouting opinions I could find came via The Peerless Prognosticator, whose sources suggest Broda has the potential to be a solid depth player at the NHL level if he manages to put it all together.

(7) Greg Burke (left wing) - selected with the 23rd pick in round six, 174th overall.
The skinny: The extent of the information I have on Burke is this: he’s a 6′0”, 185 pound left wing who scored 21 goals and 25 assists in 40 games for the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs (who praise his work ethic on their website) in 2007-08 and has committed to the University of New Hampshire.

(8) Stefan Della Rovere (left wing) - selected with the 23rd pick in round seven, 204th overall.
Della Rovere is 5′10”, 196 pounds and had 171 penalty minutes and 14 fights in 68 fights for the Barrie Colts of the OHL last year, so I think it’d be fair to make a guess as to what type of player he is. It’s worth nothing, however, that Della Rovere does have some offensive talent though: he also had 32 points in 07-08.

Welcome to the Washington Capitals, gentlemen.

Trading to move up twice during the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, the Capitals selected the son of former Capital Bengt Gustafsson, Anton Gustafsson with the 21st overall pick and defenseman John Carlson with the 27th overall pick.

Anton Gustafsson - selected 21st in the first round, 21st overall
The skinny: The Capitals traded the 23rd and 54th overall picks to New Jersey for the 21st overall pick in order to be able to make this selection. Gustafsson is the son of former Capital Bengt, and like his father is a natural center. Played most of 2007-08 in Sweden for Frolunda’s under-20 team, where he had 10 goals, 13 assists, 43 penalty minutes and a plus-17 rating in 23 games. Anton played one game with the senior squad last year but didn’t register a point.
The good: Gustafsson has been described as having a mid-first round overall skill set. This selection addresses a number of needs simultaneously for the Capitals: Gustafsson provides both size and two-way play at forward, as well as depth at the center position. He has been described as a mature player both on and off the ice.
The bad: Gustafsson has had significant injury trouble, most notably with a slipped disc in his back and doesn’t have all that much experience against high-level competition. It may have been unnecessary to trade up in order to take Gustafsson.
Initial Reaction: “What?! They traded up to take him?”
More Thought-out Reaction: The only serious issue preventing Gustafsson from being a projected mid-first round pick was his health, and given the Capitals’ meticulous nature, fans should rest assured that he is, or will be able to, recover completely. If that’s the case, Gustafsson looks like he could be a very solid second line center, and being drafted by the same team his father played for could prove to be a source of motivation.
Grade: B-

John Carlson - selected 27th in the first round, 27th overall
The skinny: The Capitals traded Steve Eminger and the 84th overall pick to Philadelphia for the 27th overall pick in order to make this selection. Carlson is a big, physical, stay-at-home defenseman with the potential to be a shutdown defenseman in the NHL. He played for the Indiana Ice in the USHL this past season, where he had 12 goals, 31 assists, 72 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating in 59 games. He’s slated to play next season for the London Knights, Dale Hunter’s OHL team, and alumni to Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner.
The good: TSN compared Carlson to Mike Komisarek in their draft preview and he has the potential to be that kind of player: a mean, physical defender who can go against the NHL’s best forwards. Going to London helps to assure he will be well coached and develop at a steady pace. In trading Eminger as part of the package to get this pick, George McPhee got a very good return on a player who had fallen out of the Capitals’ long-term plans.
The bad: According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Carlson needs to work on his conditioning. Playing in the USHL means he has yet to have significant experience against elite competition.
Initial Reaction: High-fives and jumping around the room.
More Thought-out Reaction: High-fives and jumping around the room. Carlson is exactly the type of player the Capitals need on their blue line (and who I wanted them to take with the 21st overall pick) and although the team has Joe Finley and Viktor Dovgan in the system, each is far from a sure thing.
Grade: A

With the NHL Draft set to begin in less than 48 hours, Caps Blue Line has prepared a cliff notes version of what Capitals fans need to know. In addition to being availble to read on this website, this primer is also available in the following formats (right-click and choose “save link as” or “save target as”):

Microsoft Word 97-2003
Microsoft Word 2007
Adobe PDF

I. Capitals 2008 Draft Picks
(1) Round 1, Pick 23, 23rd overall
(2) Round 2, Pick 24, 54th overall
(3) Round 2, Pick 27, 57th overall
(4) Round 2, Pick 28, 58th overall
(5) Round 3, Pick 23, 84th overall
(6) Round 4, Pick 2, 93rd overall
(7) Round 5, Pick 23, 144th overall
(8) Round 6, Pick 23, 174th overall
(9) Round 7, Pick 23, 204th overall

II. Draft Strategy
The Capitals are sittin’ pretty heading into this draft, coming of a playoff berth, holding four of the draft’s first 58 picks and one boasting of the league’s best group of prospects to boot. While it might be tempting for the Caps to package some combination of the 23rd, 54th, 57th and 58th pick together for a high first rounder, it’s more likely that the Capitals will hold on to their picks and take advantage of their scouting staff and one of the deeper drafts in recent memory. Given the club’s past drafts, its overall prospect depth and the lack of any particular pressing need, it’s likely the Capitals will be content to draft the best overall player. With apologies to anyone who was hoping for fireworks out of the Caps, they’re unlikely to make any significant trades and any player chosen will probably have to wait until at least 2010 or 2011 to wear a Capitals uniform.

III. Capitals Top Prospects
These are the Capitals’ top prospects, regardless of position. After their names you will find their position, age, and the team with which they spent most of last season.

(1) Karl Alzner – Defense, 19, Calgary Hitmen, WHL
(2) Semen Varlamov – Goalie, 20, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Russia
(3) Chris Bourque – Left Wing/Right Wing, 22, Hershey Bears, AHL
(4) Sami Lepisto – Defense, 23, Hershey Bears, AHL
(5) Josh Godfrey – Defense, 20, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL
(6) Francois Bouchard – Right Wing, 20, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, QMJHL
(7) Mathieu Perreault – Center, 20, Acadie-Bathurst Titan, QMJHL
(8) Michal Neuvirth, Goalie, 20, Oshawa Generals, OHL
(9) Joe Finley – Defense, 21, University of North Dakota, NCAA (WCHA)
(10) Andrew Gordon – Right Wing, 23, Hershey Bears, AHL

IV. Top Prospects by Position

Left Wing
(1) Chris Bourque, 22, Hershey Bears
(2) Oskar Osala, 20, Espoo Blues, Finland
(3) Luke Lynes, 20, Brampton Battalion, OHL
(4) Andrew Glass, 18, Nobles (High School)

Center
(1) Mathieu Perreault, 20, Acadie-Bathurst Titan, QMJHL
(2) Kyle Wilson, 23, Hershey Bears, AHL
(3) Andrew Joudrey, 23, Hershey Bears, AHL
(4) Philip DeSimone, 21, University of New Hampshire, NCAA (Hockey East)
(5) Travis Morin, 23, South Carolina Stingrays, ECHL

Right Wing
(1) Francois Bouchard, 20, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, QMJHL
(2) Andrew Gordon, 23, Hershey Bears, AHL
(3) Stephen Werner, 23, Springfield Falcons, AHL
(4) Brett Leffler, 19, Regina Pats, OHL

Defense
(1) Karl Alzner, 19, Calgary Hitmen, WHL
(2) Sami Lepisto, 23, Hershey Bears, AHL
(3) Josh Godfrey, 20, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL
(4) Joe Finley, 21, University of North Dakota, NCAA (WCHA)
(5) Sasha Pokulok, 22, Hershey Bears, AHL
(6) Viktor Dovgan, 20, CSKA Moscow, Russia
(7) Oscar Hedman, 22, MODO, Sweden
(8) Andrew Thomas, 22, University of Denver, NCAA (WCHA)
(9) Patrick McNeill, 21, Hershey Bears, AHL

Goalies
(1) Semen Varlamov, 20, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Russia
(2) Michal Neuvirth, 20, Oshawa Generals, OHL
(3) Daren Machesney, 21, Hershey Bears, AHL
(4) Dan Dunn, 20 on draft day, St. Cloud State, NCAA (WCHA)

V. Organization Strengths
(1) Goaltending. Varlamov projects to be a good number one NHL goaltender at this point and both Neuvirth and Machesney look like they have the potential to be significant contributors at the NHL level. Not very many NHL teams can boast three legitimate NHL prospects at the goaltending position, let alone two who look like they are very likely to become starters.
(2) Defense. Amazingly the Capitals top six defensive prospects could one day be NHL regulars. Not only that, but the origination boasts blueliner prospects to fill just about any role: Alzner and Pokulok project to be good two-way players, Godfrey and Lepisto are more offense oriented and Finely and Dovgan are physical, stay-at-home types.

VI. Organization Weaknesses
(1) Left Wing. Only Chris Bourque, who actually played on the right side in his brief stint in Washington in 2007, projects to be a solid NHL player from this bunch. Fortunately for the Capitals, with Alexander Semin and Alex Ovechkin manning the left side, they can afford to be thin at the pipeline for this position.
(2) Two-way Forwards. Bourque, Gordon and Wilson all look like they could contribute as defense-first depth players while Perrault and Bouchard are both offense players who lack grit, size and defensive aptitude. Thus while the Capitals have a decent number of solid forward prospects, they don’t have anyone who’s likely to significantly help them at both ends of the ice.

VII. Names to Know

Steve Stamkos – The consensus number one overall represents a win-win situation for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were able to unload Brad Richards’ huge contract and will be able to keep a modified version of “The Big Three” intact once Stamkos is under contract.

Nikita Filatov – There are those who think Filatov is the second-best player in this draft in terms of overall skill. However, the crop of talented defensemen and questions about Filatov’s size (he’s generously listed at 5’11’’, 171) means he might just fall into the lap of a team picking sixth or lower.

Drew Doughty – Generally regarded as the best of the “Big Three” (or “Big Four”) defensemen in this year’s draft, Doughty is both offensively adept and defensively sound. He should go either number two to Los Angeles or number three to Atlanta.

Zach Bogosian – The second of the “Big Three/Four”, Bogosian also projects as a two-way defenseman, though he’s not supposed to have the same kind of skating or puckhandling skill that Doughty does. Bogosian’s most likely destination is Atlanta, who hold the number three overall pick.

Luke Schenn – Schenn has less offensive upside than either Bogosian or Doughty and is more of a physical, stay-at-home type. Schenn is supposed to be a very good puck mover however, so although he might not have the offensive talents of a true number one defenseman, he should be able to more than hold his own.

Alex Pietrangelo – He doesn’t have the offensive upside of Doughty or Bogosian or the shutdown ability of Schenn, but Pietrangelo is a big body who projects to do well at both end of the ice at the NHL level.

Kyle Beach – Beach is one of this draft’s more intriguing stories. A center at the junior level, Beach projects more as a wing as a professional. Though he owns first-round talent, Beach has a reputation for being unable to control his temper on the ice and for being hard-headed and difficult to coach off it. With good cost-controlled players being such an asset under the salary cap, it wouldn’t be surprising for a number of teams to pass over a player with as many question marks as Beach. It is also fairly likely that he’ll be selected 12th overall, by Anaheim, who would love his combination of grit and skill.

David Toews – The younger brother of Calder finalist Jonathon is the 27th ranked skater in this draft. Like his brother Toews has been praised for his intelligence, maturity and two-way play. He’s just the kind of player New Jersey likes, and the last time the Devils went off the board a bit to select a forward in the first round (Zach Parise), it worked out pretty well for them.

Michael Del Zotto – Praised by the Hockey News as the Best Offensive Defenseman available in this draft, Del Zotto is expected to go mid-late first round and some mock drafts have the Capitals selecting him with the 23rd overall pick.

Anton Gustafsson – The son of former Capital Bengt Gustafsson has a lot of potential but hasn’t player many games against top competition and faces injury concerns. Projected to go late in the first round, he’s another player the Caps could potentially take at number 23.

Adam Comrie – Comrie is Canadian born but spent most of his youth in Arlington (home of Kettler Capitals IcePlex) and played for teams in Ashburn and Reston. Ranked 44th overall for this draft, Comrie, a defenseman, says of his game, “I think my best attributes are my physical sense of the game, my grit, my shot, my work ethic, my determination, passion and heart. I’ve been captain of two teams.”

Kirill Petrov – Petrov is ranked second among European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Service, but he has three more years on his contract with Kazan of the Russian Super League. There’s no doubt someone will take a chance on drafting Petrov, but with the lack of a transfer agreement between the NHL and the RSL and the exclusive rights window expiration date set a year before Petrov’s RSL contract is up it will be interesting to see which team chooses to take a chance on Petrov, and when.

Tony Oaks – The Hockey News says Oaks is the best fighter in this year’s draft, which is enough to make me curious as to who will draft him.

Coverage of the NHL Draft starts Friday, June 20th at 7:00 PM on Versus in the United States and on TSN in Canada.

Well, after hours of sifting through statistics, scouting reports and my own memories, what I consider to be the prototypical team has been built, bit by bit. The final results:

Rick Nash/Henrik Zetterberg/Jarome Iginla
Chris Higgins/Chris Drury/Antoine Vermette
Taylor Pyatt/John Madden/Mike Grier
Derek Boogaard/Steve Ott/Aaron Asham

Dion Phanuef/Chris Phillips
Christoph Schubert/John-Michael Liles
Mike Komisarek/Anton Volchenkov

Roberto Luongo
Johan Hedberg

Number One Goalie: Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks)

If you were to build an NHL goaltender from scratch, odds are he would very closely resemble Roberto Luongo: big, quick, technically sound and smart, with the ability to log heavy minutes and steal games for his team. Luongo isn’t perfect – he doesn’t handle the puck all that well and struggled down the stretch for the Canucks this season, a part of the reason they wound up missing the playoffs. Despite that, Luongo is still NHL netminder who most resembles the perfect goalie.

Others considered: Martin Brodeur, Miika Kiprusoff, Kari Lehtonen, Marc-Andre Fleury, Rick DiPietro, Ryan Miller, Evgeni Nabokov

Backup Goalie: Johan Hedberg (Atlanta Thrashers)

There are plenty of guys in professional hockey who could do an adequate job filling in for a starting goalie in a pinch, and there are plenty of guys who are happy to fill the role of reserve netminder and are willing to work towards the team’s success, no matter what their role in it. What is rare is to find these two qualities in the same player. Hedberg is such a player, filling in well for the oft-injured Kari Lehtonen, but willing to give up the spotlight once the team’s number one was ready to go.

Shutdown Defenseman #1: Mike Komisarek (Montreal Canadiens)

Statistically Komisarek led all defensemen in hits and blocked shots in 2007-08 and was tied for 12th in takeaways. Anecdotally, Komisarek was one of the few defensemen who could line up across from Alexander Ovechkin this past season and not look completely overmatched. He’ll never put up too many points, but any coach should feel comfortable matching Komisarek against his opposition’s top players or lines.

Shutdown Defenseman #2: Anton Volchenkov (Ottawa Senators)

Volchenkov is similar to Komisarek in many ways: he’s a big player, he has a heavy shot, he loves to hit and he’s one of the NHL’s best when it comes to blocking shots. What puts Volchenkov behind Komisarek is his tendency to get caught out of position going for a big hit and his overall lack of ability when handling or moving the puck.

Others considered: Hal Gill, Robyn Regehr, Jason Smith, Scott Hannan, Barret Jackman, Greg Zanon, Brendan Witt

Somewhat analogous to the second line of forwards, the second defensive pairing should consist of players who will provide solid minutes of generally mistake-free hockey and occasionally chip in on offense. Like second liners, the third and fourth defensemen also bring more value if they can contribute in specific areas, especially penalty killing or on the powerplay.

Second Pairing Defenseman #1: Christoph Schubert (Ottawa Senators)

The German-born Shubert more than pulls his weight defensively and has enough offensive skill that he’s filled in at forward at times for the Senators. Though he doesn’t own top-end offensive talent, even for a defenseman, Schubert is a good enough puck-mover and has enough offensive awareness to man the point on the second powerplay unit and although he’s overmatched against the league’s best forwards, Schubert handles himself quite well in his own end most of the time and was seventh in the league in hits this past season.

Second Pairing Defenseman #2: John-Michael Liles (Colorado Avalanche)

Lilies is a very solid skater with good offensive instincts and ability to quarterback any powerplay. In his own end, Liles has the agility, speed and defensive awareness to match up with most of the league’s better forwards. However his smallish frame (he’s listed at 5’10’’, 185) means he can have a tough time against bigger opposing forwards. Though Liles does have enough overall ability to play in any situation, he’s best utilized by having him play a moderate number of even strength minutes and then deploying him on the powerplay, where he’s most effective.

Others considered: Niklas Kronwall, Andrej Meszaros, Rostislav Klesla

Franchise Defenseman: Dion Phaneuf (Calgary Flames)

If ever the distinction between “best” and “prototypical” is needed, it’s here. Phaneuf isn’t the best defenseman in the league – that’s an honor that clearly goes to Nicklas Lidstrom. But a big body who’s not afraid of making contact, is one of the best hitters in the league, has a bomb of a shot from the point and plays top-tier defense is what most hockey fans think of when they think of number one defenseman.

Other considered: Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Jay Bouwmeester

Number Two Defenseman: Chris Phillips (Ottawa Senators)

Like second line forwards there’s not a lot that is set in stone when it comes to discussing number two defensemen, a role that can be filled by a good all-around around player who doesn’t quite have enough skill to be a number one, a stay-at-home defenseman who moves the puck well, or a powerplay quarterback. Since I’m doing this by pairing I thus turned my focus to blueliners who could play a defensive role well enough to let their partner get in to the offensive player, but who have enough offensive talent to contribute on occasion. Phillips is such a player, fast enough to match up with the league’s better forwards, a solid hitter and an excellent shot blocker who also has enough offensive awareness to chip in. Though not a great playmaker, Phillips does have a hard shot and, just as importantly, a very good sense of when to jump into the play.

Others considered: Braydon Coburn, Brendan Witt

Here’s where it gets fun. The fourth line is the domain of the toughest, grittiest and hardest working players. Guys who rarely score or set up goals yet still make their presence felt on every shift. Despite claims that the NHL has become significantly less tough in recent years there are still plenty of hard-nosed grinders, agitators and enforcers in the league; the only challenge was determining which among them most encompassed the spirit of the fourth line. I could wax poetic about how much I love these guys and how they are part of what makes hockey the greatest sport in the world, but I’m sure everyone already knows it – these guys become fan favorites for a reason.

Enforcer: Derek Boogaard (Minnesota Wild)

He’s not the best fighter in the NHL per se (that title that still probably belongs to Georges Laraque), bnlike Laraque, Boogaard seems to welcome his role on the team and he is a good fighter, even by heavyweight standards. In addition to being able to drop the mitts, Boogaard is a ferocious hitter and his 6’7’’, 245 pound frame serves to intimidate opposing players. However, part of what makes Boogaard a prototypical enforcer is that he plays with restrained physicality – through 147 NHL games, Boogaard has yet to be suspended by the league. The prototypical enforcer is a player who will defend his teammates without embarrassing the club or distracting from the task at hand – winning a game. Sure, as a general manager you could do better than Boogaard, and in reality you’d probably like to employ an enforcer who can contribute a little more offensively. But a hulking physical presence and a willingness to play a physical game are what it takes to be a prototypical enforcer.

Others considered: Georges Laraque

Fourth Line Center: Steve Ott (Dallas Stars)

Although there are a good number of players in the NHL who would be at home on the fourth line, there aren’t all that many centers. Ott gets the nod here not only for being a solid faceoff man (58.8% in 2007-08) but also for the fact that he has enough skill to fill in on either the powerplay or the penalty kill in a pinch. Like any adequate fourth-liner Ott hits anything that moves and is more than willing to drop the gloves.

Other considered: Ryan Johnson, Adam Mair, Paul Gaustad

Fourth Line Right Wing: Aaron Asham (New Jersey Devils)

Just as Steve Ott did, Asham makes this list because his skills goes beyond just being able to bang bodies and muck it up in the corners. Like Ott, Asham is solid penalty killer and handles himself better than the average fourth liner when drops the mitts.

Others considered: Steve Begin, Adam Hall, Chris Neil, Jordan Tootoo

No cool picture on this one (JP has that covered), just a bit of text:

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau captured the 2008 Jack Adams Award as the top coach in the league as voted by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association on Thursday.
Boudreau edged Montreal head coach Guy Carbonneau, 31 first-place votes to 24 and 208 points to 196.

He took over behind the Capitals’ bench on November 22 when Washington was 6-14-1 and at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. From there, he led the squad to a 37-17-7 mark and the Southeast Division title. Washington was seeded third and lost to Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs.