TSN's Combine Blog

Go read it. Here.

Notice that a certain general manager is mentioned by name as observing the proceedings. McPhee said last year that the team doesn't really concentrate on the workouts, but the interviews. I wonder if there's any prepping of deals for draft weekend?

Staying or going: Matt Cooke

In our look at the Caps' UFAs and RFAs, let's start with agitator and forechecker extraordinaire, Matt Cooke.

Cooke's speed, ability to hit, and get under the other team's skin played okay in the Caps' system, not setting the world on fire, but wasn't as big a force as some had thought. On paper, his style fits into Coach Bruce Boudreau's aggressive forechecking system, but on the ice it was a mild, not a major, success.

Stay or go, the Pettinger-for-Cooke deal was a good one for Washington, as they got out of the final year of struggling Pettinger's contract, and Cooke is a UFA.

What really makes this decision, it seems, is the Caps' 3 year commitment to Matt Bradley. There probably isn't room on the team or the payroll for two similar players at a similar price, though I wouldn't be surprised if Cooke will get more than a million on the open market.

DH's WAG: Cooke moves on.

Melrose back behind the bench?

According to TSN, there's a report out there that Melrose may replace Tortorella as the Lightning's coach.

My first reaction: Surprise. Then, as a Caps fan, I kinda like it. Melrose may not have been that good a coach to begin with, and he hasn't been behind an NHL bench in more than twelve years. Moreover, this move is reportedly being pushed by the prospective new owner of the Lightning, and history reports mixed results at best for coaches being directly hired by an owner.

Melrose would join a team with a few top-flight players, and not much else. As the worst team in the league last year, they'll be able to add top prospect Steven Stamkos to the stable, but there is a lot of work to be done in Tampa.

If it's true and it comes to pass, it will certainly be an interesting experiment. Whether or not it's a successful one is another matter. My guess is probably not.

Initial Post

First off, go read DumpnChase, OnFrozenBlog, Japer's Rink, The Peerless, Offwing, Kukla's Korner, Spector's, all those real sites.

Now that you're done with those, a quick word about what may or may not go on here: Just some random thoughts, mostly about the Caps and hockey. This site is founded on a complete lack of ambition, and a dedicated apathy to things like graphics, professionalism, and any sort of technical competence. Keeping it simple.

This may last a post, or it may last 100. It's kind of a test run to see if blogging is something I'm still interested in, in an ad hoc, no-script environment. Thanks for bearing with me.