The Washington Capitals

Washington Post staff writer Tarik El-Bashir was online Friday, Nov. 30 at noon ET to examine the team and the rest of the National Hockey League.

A transcript follows.

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Washington Capitals

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Tarik El-Bashir: Hello and thanks for joining me this afternoon. I know you've got tons of questions for me since lots of news has happened since our last chat. So let me get started.

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Glover Park: Tarik, the media often explain a coach's firing with the tired cliche "If the team isn't winning, you can't fire the players, you fire the coach" and leave it at that, which is not very helpful at all. I have not seen any critical analysis regarding Hanlon's tenure in the papers. In your opinion, what did he do wrong, what should he have done differently, where are his weaknesses as a coach, where did he fail? Or, do you think he's a damn fine coach and the failure lies in team depth and/or player underperformance?

Tarik El-Bashir: That's a great point. I was speaking with a hockey official last night about Glen. (And no, he doesn't work for the Caps.)

The concensus around the league is that Hanlon did an admirable job considering the lack of depth and experience he's had the past three-plus years.

But he obviously couldn't get through to a few key veterans this season. Those players refused to play his system (at least all the time) and therefore the Caps stuggled, particularly in the offensive end.

The injuries didn't help, either.

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Atlanta: Mr. El Bashir,

Have there been any rumblings around Caps personnel about how Mr. Leonsis feels about the job McPhee is doing? Is GMGM's job in jeopardy?

Tarik El-Bashir: In a word, no.

I've talked to folks within the organization and outside and I don't get the sense that George McPhee's job is in jeopardy at the moment.

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Leonardtown, MD: Tarki,

Settle a bet, what character did Bruce Boudreau play in Slap Shot? We can't find him in the credits anywhere.

Tarik El-Bashir: Bruce played an extra, which is probably why he's not in the credits.

He wore No. 7 for the Hyannis port Presidents.

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Washington, D.C.: Why do the Caps continue to give so much ice time to Nylander? He has been their worst offensive player this year - both in terms of offensive productivity and in terms of blunders that cost the Caps goals. While he may lead the team (barely) in assists, his plus/minus (-13. . . almost double the next worst, Fleischmann) clearly shows that he is the biggest liability the Caps have on the ice. Isn't it time for the new coach to take a serious look at who's getting the playing time and make some changes?

Tarik El-Bashir: Nylander has struggled with turnovers this season. No doubt about that.

I can't tell you why he gets so much ice time, but I can tell you that Boudreau is an admitted stats hound. One of the stats he considers to be incredibly telling is plus/minus.

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Spotsylvania, VA:

Tarik,

I've been happy to see Boudreau holding certain players accountable for their poor play and scratching them from the lineup on occasion (Jurcina, Pettinger, Schultz, Flash).

Is Brian Pothier immune from this sort of accountability? I could put together a rather lengthy highlight reel with his gaffes from the last month alone (including last time the Caps played Carolina when he fell down, allowing a breakaway within the first 90 seconds of the game).

Many fans feel that he is being protected because his benching would be an admission that the GM's 4 year $10 million contract for a now 30 year old defenseman with less than 300 games of NHL experience was a HUGE mistake (and the contract makes him virtually untradeable as well).

Tarik El-Bashir: Pothier is tied for the team lead among defensemen with nine points and is a team-leading plus four. Yes, he's had his ups and downs.

But he's not the problem.

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Washington, DC: If McPhee had fired Hanlon earlier, would he still have traded Brian Sutherby? In other words, who was responsible for the decision that Sutherby couldn't contribute any more here--it seems hasty given that Semin has been touch and go (and now Gordon's out too). And, does McPhee think that Brian Burke maybe took advantage of him, if both teams supposedly evaluated Sutherby as a fourth line player, but he's spent about as much time on Anaheim's top line as the fourth line.

Tarik El-Bashir: I do find it strange that Sutherby is receiving the kind ice time he's getting out there. But I've got to be honest, I've only watched about a period of one Anaheim game since the trade. I believe Suts got a few shifts with Getzlaf and Perry.

Funny they couldn't find any time for him here, isn't it. But I'm not a coach or a GM.

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Bristow, Va.: So is it to late to save the season? Is this yet another lost season for the team? Who is the coach of the team long term?

Tarik El-Bashir: Anything else you want to know?

Seriously, it's going to be very tough for the Caps to get to the playoffs. It's probably going to take 92-96 points. They've got 18 through 25 games. Do that math. It ain't pretty.

As far as the coach, it's Boudreau's job for now. It's too early to say with any certainty whether that interim tag is going to be removed.

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Alexandria, Va.: Which free agent acquisition is (Poti, Kozlov, Nylander) has least lived up to expectations?

Tarik El-Bashir: All three can play better, that's for sure.

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Atlanta, GA: Now that the trade market has opened up, at least a little bit, is there any chance the Capitals will make a trade, perhaps to add a wing who could provide toughness and a decent scoring touch?

Tarik El-Bashir: Sure it's possible. I've got my ear to the ground, but I haven't heard any rumblings.

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Baltimore: At Wednesday's Panther game was I seeing things or did it look like the Russian line (Ovechkin-Koslev-Seiman) had good chemistry together? If so, will they be re-united?

Tarik El-Bashir: I thought they looked okay, not great. But every time Semin and Ovechkin skate together, particularly in the offensive end, it seems like they end up tripping over one another. So I would be surprised if it becomes a regular thing.

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WDC: Mike Green plays like a man possessed in the third period, happily carrying the puck into the offensive zone, attacking, and so on. Why doesn't he play that way more often -- it's obviously what he's best at. Is he leashed in that much more in P1 and P2 by the coaching staff?

Seems to me that BB could let him loose a little more. I think the team/forwards could handle it.

Tarik El-Bashir: That's a great observation. But you've got to remember that Green is still just a kid. He's trying to learn the most complicated position on the ice (next to goalie) on the fly. He's got a lot going through his head.

But it's also clear to me that he's going to be a special player. All-Star caliber.

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Atlanta: Mr. El-Bashir,

Can't speak for anyone else, but I did the math. The Caps would need to play at a 102 point pace to reach 95 points this season? Do they have it in them? Would they have a shot if they went on a run, say going 6-1-1, 12-3-2, or something like that?

Tarik El-Bashir: That's just about what they have to do: win two out of every three games from here on out.

Do that have it in them? I'm not sure, but I'm leaning toward no. But we'll know for sure in a week or so, once Boudreau gets familiar with his personnel and the players are comfortable with their new coach's system.

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Finn: how can players develop chemistry and start producing if they play with a new partner every game? Same lines should be used for 3 games at least to give players a chance to bond and understand each other on the ice. All this shuffling shows is that it's December, and the Caps still don't know what their lines look like. In January all "contenders" will start pulling away in the standings. We, however, will keep shuffling. Does the coach have any idea what the best lines are?

Tarik El-Bashir: You make a great point, Finn. But line/pairing chemistry went out the window when Boudreau took over. It's like starting all over again, for the players and the coach.

Boudreau's got his own style of play, and his own idea of who plays better with whom.

The line shuffling for tonight's game was necessary because of the injuries.

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Finn: How will the Caps try to sell season tickets next season? With this product can they blame people for not showing up to watch their team?

Tarik El-Bashir: It's a vicious cycle. If the team doesn't win, attendance suffers. If attedance suffers, ownership doesn't want to spend.

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20008: (Every time I've seen Suts on Center Ice he's been fighting someone!)

Eminger: GMGM/coaches have totally destroyed his asset value. He's almost certainly going to walk as an RFA. Then, in his ONE game, he was paired with lead-skates Erskine... and then they both got scratched again. (I thought 44 played OK that night.) Why, why, why? Please explain this not from the POV of Eminger's frustration, but why GMGM/the organization have handled 44 this way....

Tarik El-Bashir: I've been scratching my head over this one.

It's impossible for Eminger to play with confidence when he gets into the lineup once a month. But that's what they are asking him to do.

I wish I could give you management's take on this, but they won't talk about it. As you read in The Post last month, Eminger is beyond frustrated with his role.

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Washington, D.C.: Tarik, Ted Leonsis declared at the beginning of the season and repeated after we started 3-0 that the rebuild is over. Our GM has stated we are in year 3. Certainly, injuries aside, the evidence (the won/loss record) indicates the rebuild is far from over. Based on their statements, is there a disconnect in expectations for this year between ownership and management?

Tarik El-Bashir: One thing I think everyone regrets right now, including Ted, was the declaration that the rebuild was over. That put way too much pressure on the coach and the players.

It heightened expectations among the fans and media.

That said, the Caps really aren't last place bad. They are underachieving big time.

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across the street from Kettler: Is Glen Hanlon doing anything for the Caps? If not, how long before someone hires him.

Tarik El-Bashir: Glen has been given some time to decompress. I think he had this year and next year reamining on his contract.

I haven't heard anything official from the Caps, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's offered and accepts a job within the organization at some point.

It's easier to land a new gig when you are employed.

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Rockville, Md.: Tarik,

What's your feeling for the length of Bruce Boudreau's leash? I assume the GMGM named him the "interim" coach so that they could send him back to the Bears and find someone else if things don't work out. I think the team has responded well so far but their margin of error is rapidly diminishing. How long does Boudreau have to show results? Are we talking days, weeks or months?

Tarik El-Bashir: I would say weeks, perhaps months if things turn around. It's the break of a lifetime. Now he's got to make the most of it.

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Washington, D.C.: Tarik,

Please find out more about Gordo's status. It seems mysterious that they won't say what's going on.

And Semin? How can he be injured in the last game, only to be healthy two days later? What is going on here? He needs to stop playing.

Tarik El-Bashir: Semin, like most players, wants to play. That's why he's in the lineup tonight.

But I'm with you, if this continues to happen, he needs to be shut down for a couple of weeks, or at least have his playing time managed more carefully. He shouldn't spend long stretches on the bench, then play every other shift in the third. That's probably what happened last game. His ankle tightened up on him.

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Anonymous: The Capitals recently have had so many games with little break and in the coming days, the same situation is to be seen.

My question is, how many FULL practices has BB had with the team and has he truly or really had a chance to really implement and discuss the changes he wants on the team yet, or are we still suck in a mixed Hanlon-BB system, seeing as though we still have the same assistants?

In other words, when can we really start seeing unique changes other than say Backstrom on the 4th line & PK situations.

This team still has been awful offensively and I thought they were going to pick up the slack, but we're back to 2 goals in 2 games again.

Thanks for reading my question; hope you can answer it for me.

Cheers

Tarik El-Bashir: By my count he's had two full practices, plus a few morning skates and tons of meetings and video. He was saying yesterday that he's really looking forward to next week, when the team gets a five day break.

Boudreau's system isn't more complicated that Hanlon's, but it is different and it will take time for the players to "get it", play without thinking about where they are supposed to be on the ice.

The biggest adjustment is for the D-men, who are being asked to play further up in the neutral zone.

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Toronto: Tarik,

With the news that the NHL is changing the schedule for next year (reduction in intra-divisional games, playing each team at least once), each team will have three "flexible" games. It's a no-brainer up here; the western Canadian teams will all take on the eastern Canadian teams, but any thoughts on who the Caps would add?

Tarik El-Bashir: I would have to imagine that they would want games that sell tickets at home. Opponents like Philly, NYR and Pittsburgh can pack the house at Verizon.

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Round Hill, Va.: In regards to the previous question about Pothier, isn't he protected by the new CBA and that is why he is not being sent down to the Bears?

Tarik El-Bashir: Are serious? The Bears? Pothier is not going anywhere.

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Washington, D.C.: Why can't The Post see fit to hire at least one columnist who could write intelligently about hockey now and then (not to mention soccer, boxing and other less covered sports)? When the current crop does anything on hockey (one or two times a year), it is embarrassingly ill-informed.

Tarik El-Bashir: I would have to say that not having a columnist cover the Caps on even a semi-regular basis is a pretty big hole in our coverage. But I don't make those decisions.

You could always petition my boss about having me promoted to columnist. How about that?

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Penn Quarter: Any chance with Boudrou coaching Clymer could get called up? I don't know why, but I like him.

Tarik El-Bashir: It's possible. But I'm starting to think Clymer's days in Washington are done.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him get picked up on waivers after the All-Star break, when contenders start to shore up for the playoffs.

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Arlington, Va.: Tarik -- The Caps are starting to remind me of the recent Rangers teams who would load up on talent, but couldn't find any cohesion on the ice. I don't see lack of talent this year as the problem. There is a general dysfunction for when to pass, shoot, and even change lines. The guys play every game likes it's their first one with each other. Is this just bad coaching or a bad mix of players?

Tarik El-Bashir: Chemistry seems to be an ongoing problem with this bunch of players.

But you have to remember that Nylander, Poti, Kozlov and Backstrom are all new. It takes time. I just don't think anyone thought it would take this long.

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Atlanta, GA: Mr. El Bashir,

What's the general mood around the Capitals these days? Do they feel like they're a winning streak (and maybe, finally, some good luck) away from being back in the playoff race? Or do you gt the impression the feels that, with all the injuries and the hole they're already in, they're already headed for a lottery pick?

Tarik El-Bashir: I've got the feeling that some players believe a run is possible. But it's going to take all of them, not just a handful.

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Tarik El-Bashir: Thanks for spending some time with me today. Lots of great questions, and I even got to most of them. See you next week.

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