The One That Got Away?

No one can argue with GM George McPhee's success lately in drafting talented young players. The Capitals collective prospects right now are ranked 6th in the NHL by Hockey's Future. But last summer, sitting in the number 5 position, McPhee had a tough decision to make. Go with a potential franchise defenseman or a top line center to compliment Nicklas Backstrom. He chose to go with the defenseman (even though he began to announce the center as his selection) and so Karl Alzner was the pick. (Stanley Leary/Associated Press)

The man he bypassed was center Sam Gagner who was chosen one spot later by the Edmonton Oilers. While Alzner was sent back to the WHL this season for another year of seasoning with the Calgary Hitmen, Gagner stayed with the Oilers. The decision to keep him with the big club has payed off for GM Kevin Lowe. Gagner was named the NHL rookie of the month for February after leading all rookies in scoring, 3 goals and 10 assists in 12 games. He is also tied for 2nd in the NHL in shootout goals with 5 in 15 chances.

Capitals fans should expect to see Alzner in the lineup sooner rather than later. Once his junior season is over he should join the Hershey Bears for their Calder Cup run. But at least for the near future, the debate will rage on. Should McPhee have taken Gagner instead?

Ducks Pass on Penner Offer

Dustin Penner became a member of the Edmonton Oilers today as the Anaheim Ducks declined to match Kevin Lowe's 5 year $21.25 million offer for the up and coming power forward. The Ducks now receive the Oilers 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks in next years draft, which is projected to be a deep one. It's a steep price to play for a player that only has one full season under his belt and averaged only 13:59/game of ice time.

After playing the role of a support player with the Ducks, there's no doubt that Penner will be counted on to immediately to step in and be one of the Oilers big guns on a team desperate for help up front.

Update: Penner was quoted on Espn.com, saying "The pressure that I receive from the media and fans won't be near the pressure of what I put on myself," he said in a conference call. "I know myself I didn't peak this last year as a player in Anaheim. I don't know what my potential is, but I think in the next five years I'll find out."

Sounds like he believes he's up to the task. He better be or he and Kevin Lowe will be eaten alive by the media and the Oilers' fans.

The Capital Fanatic.com Show: July 29th

My thanks to David Berry of "Covered in Oil" for appearing on the show today to talk about the Edmonton Oilers. We talked about the Dustin Penner offer, the Michael Nylander incident, and the bid by local billionaire Daryl Katz to purchase the team among other topics. I also took a look back at the Caps moves of the past week as they resigned Brooks Laich and Milan Jurcina. And finally a little Redskins talk to close out the show. The show is available on iTunes as well as by clicking on the link below or the media player to the right of the homepage.

Edmonton: The Happiest Place on Earth?

After being spurned by all the major free agents so far, Kevin Lowe has suggested that he will hire a concierge for the Oilers' players and their families in hopes of becoming a more appealing destination. Nice touch isn't it?

On second thought, instead of all this whining that players won't come to his city, he should be blaming nobody but himself. The contract Ryan Smyth was looking for back in February would have been a bargain based on the current market. If he had just locked up Smyth he wouldn't be in the position he currently finds himself.

Let's face it, he took a major gamble that he could acquire a big name FA or two to replace Smyth's offense and lost.

Now Lowe says the team will look into all means in order to improve the roster, including perhaps jumping into the restricted free agent market. It sounds like an act of desperation from a general manager that has seen his team completely fall off the map since losing to Carolina in the Finals just a little over a year ago.

Around the NHL

Here are some good articles from issues around the NHL. Read, rate, and discuss.

1. Everyone is talking about the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins and their talk of relocating the franchise. But there is another franchise that arguably is worse shape, the Florida Panthers. An ESPN article by Damien Cox describes their troubles.
   
2. The Edmonton Oilers are in involved in talks for a new arena to replace the aging Rexall Place. They have seven years remaining on their current lease and would like to move into a new downtown arena at that time.
3. Sean Burke has a new home after being claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Kings.
4. The highly debated Rail Cam will be used during the NHL All-Star game, and will be available in HD.
5. Speaking of the All-Star game, Joe Sakic and Brendan Shanahan were named All-Star captains.
6. The AHL All-Star game will be broadcast to over 100 million homes throughout the US and Canada.
7. The American Conference defeated the National Conference 6-3 in the ECHL All-Star game last night. The game was available free of charge via b2networks.
8. I refuse to come to a conclusion about the new uniforms until a see more about them. But here's an article on what Gary Bettman has to say about them.
9. A nice article on the Hershey Bears recapping their first half of the season. It also announces that Coach Bruce Boudreau will return next season to the Bears as the Capitals have picked up their option in his contract.