RED ALERT: Single game tickets on sale Saturday

Wes Goldstein from CBS Sports writes on the Caps taking it one step higher.  On Theodore and Varlamov,

There’s some logic to it
considering the 21-year-old Varlamov still has some things to learn and
won’t have the adrenaline rush that comes from being in the playoffs,
and because Theodore is in the last year of his contract. That tends to
be a good motivator — it pushed Theodore into the best season with
Colorado a couple of years back — and if it has that effect, it means
Washington will get some quality goaltending from its veteran and a
chance to showcase him for a possible trade.

I tend to agree.  Fact is, Varly has not played a full season int he NHL and his stamina would be an issue.  However, I don’t think Theo stays the starter very long.  You can bet Theo will be on a  short leash.  Just look at the playoffs as a statement of that fact.  More on Varlamov and Theodore here at USA Today Caps report.   

Instead, the team has brought in a couple of North American veterans in Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison
to change the dynamics a little bit. Knuble is a 37-year-old veteran
who is tenacious enough to get in to the dirty areas and can chip in
with a respectable number of goals as well. Morrison, at 34, is a few
years removed from his best seasons centering Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi in Vancouver, but still able to be a productive second-line and power play center.

I have a gut feeling that Knuble and Morrison are going to be upgrades over Sergei Fedorov and Victor Kozlov.  Knuble really gives the caps the net presence and rough edge that this roster has been lacking. 

Tarik wrote yesterday about the finally healthy team captain, Chris Clark.  Clark is another player that plays tought and will mix it up.  Question is, can Clark stay healthy and get back to the production they once thought they would get? In addition, what line will the Caps place Clark in?  I like Chris Clark.  He can be a jolt to the offense if he can back to his 2006/07 season in which he scored 30 goals and added 24 assists.  Heck, at this point, I will take his preceding year to that, when he notched 20 goals and 19 assists.  

Get ready for tomorrow.  Single game tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10AM.  You can also follow that link to check out the schedule and the promotional events on each game day.