The Capitals took plenty of shots in Game 2, giving Evgeny Kuznetsov some needed value on a short slate.

SMC 2-14-2016 Good morning everyone and Happy Valentine’s Day! Got my coffee and raring to go! We are getting into the homestretch and there are some tight playoff races going on already. Philadelphia needed that 2 points against the Devils.  It will just be harder to make the playoffs now.  Too many better teams ahead of them. Cory Schneider is having a sensational year.  If only the Devils had some consistent scoring.  The Schneid is carrying this team. Amazing that Wayne Simmonds didn’t get any suspension for concussing Ranger Ryan McDonagh. The one year I don’t draft Brad Marchand in my league with my last pick, he goes on to score 30 goals, well, almost. Let’s see how he does if Patrice Bergeron is put for any length of time. Jason Pominville is getting the time and shots on goal but not enough goals.  Maybe they should have let go of Poms along with Head Coach Mike Yeo! I see the shutout by Nashville of the hot Florida Panthers and knew that it wasn’t Pekka Rinne in net.  What is going on with Rinne this season? Carolina is fighting hard to stay in playoff contention but just like the Philadelphia Flyers, there are too many good teams ahead of them. Islander Defenseman Nick Leddy is killing me this year with not scoring consistently enough and them having some bad +/- games. The Hurricanes didn’t miss a beat with Justin Faulk out of the lineup by scoring 6 goals against the Islanders on Saturday. Ottawa lost to Columbus which will not go over well with their fans if they miss the playoffs this season. The Toronto Maple Leafs said ‘see-ya’ to Dion Phaneuf, lost the first game without him and then promptly went out and beat Vancouver 5-2.  Same old Leafs. Welcome to 2015-2016 NHL Season Mr. Mark Arcobello, who scores his first two goals of the season on Saturday. Granted he has only played in 3 games this season.  Might be worth a pick up as he garnered some valuable ice time on the PP, second only to Parenteau. I’ve noticed Andre Burakovsky has been shooting a bit more lately. Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf is one tough SOB.  He has brought his ‘A’ game since the All-Star break. If only Ryan Kesler got some more PP time he would be such a valuable asset in fantasy circles.  Not that he isn’t already, but he would be top shelf talent.  He had 8 SOG last night. It’s a shame John Gibson went down to injury during the tilt against Chicago.  Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for the uber-talented net minder.  Not to worry Duck fans.  Frederik Andersen is more ...

Kuznetsov had recently been bumped up to the second line and it looked like all was going well, but he will sit tonight with Brooks Laich returning to the lineup. He has one goal and five assists in 12 games this season.

Despite Kuznetsov playing just 11 shifts and totalling only 6:36 TOI, Trotz said "if he keeps going the way he is, he'll be taking up a lot of ice time." Fellow rookie Andre Burakovsky scored on his fourth career shift and Kuznetsov could be the same kind of player with his skill set.

There was a ton of preseason hype about Kuznetsov, but he will start his career under Barry Trotz as the fourth line centre. "[Kuz] thinks it's the right spot for him at this moment," said Trotz after practice on Wednesday. He will centre a line with Chris Brown and Liam O'Brien on his wings, so the offence doesn't sound like it will be there in the early going. Fellow rookie Andre Burakovsky will centre the second line; Kuznetsov's projected spot.

The Barry Trotz era is about to begin and there are so many questions heading into the 2014-2015 campaign. Trotz is known for being the only Head Coach in Nashville Predator history and is more known for his defensive-style system than his offense which becomes a concern to poolies because of players like Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, two major offensive stars in Washington. Then there is the flipside of that in which the major defensemen in Nashville led the way on offense for the Preds. Will that translate in Washington?  Will that transform D Mike Green back to the offensive star that he once was? What should be the most important question is will Braden Holtby be that guy the Caps were hoping he'd be? GOALIES I was never one for the two-headed goaltender system. There needs to be a clear number 1 and a steady backup with the backup clearly knowing his role.  Perhaps with the new coach and the new system, Holtby can be that number 1 goalie the Capitals were counting on last year.  His metrics last season were far from impressive as he took a baby step backward in his development.  With Trotz behind the bench and incoming goalie coach Mitch Korn, Holtby's numbers should improve as he regains his confidence in net.  Korn was the goaltending coach in Nashville for the past 15 years, instructing NHL elite goaltender Pekka Rinne. Now if Holtby can be Rinne........Gone is Michal Neuvirth who was traded to buffalo at the trade deadline last year. Justin Peters signed 1 2-year deal as a free agent to back up Holtby. DEFENSE It will be interesting to see who emerges on defense in the Trotz system. Will it be a return to elite form for Green, or will John Carlson take that next step as a premium fantasy defenseman? Matt Niskanen parlayed his career season (46 pts.) in Pittsburgh into a 7-year deal with the Capitals. At 27, Niskanen is in his prime, but don't expect a return to those numbers unless he benefits this time from an injury to Green or Carlson.  He does have the talent but expect a little drop-off in production in his first year with the Caps.  Karl Alzner, Dmitri Orlov and free agent signing Brooks Orpik are all defense-first D-men so don't expect much in the way of offense. FORWARDS The Capitals offense begins and ends with Ovechkin, aka the Great 8 and Center Backstrom. Some say that it's Backstrom that makes Ovechkin better, but having either on your fantasy is a win-win. The duo were actually tied for the team lead in points ...

The Barry Trotz era is about to begin and there are so many questions heading into the 2014-2015 campaign. Trotz is known for being the only Head Coach in Nashville Predator history and is more known for his defensive-style system than his offense which becomes a concern to poolies because of players like Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, two major offensive stars in Washington. Then there is the flipside of that in which the major defensemen in Nashville led the way on offense for the Preds. Will that translate in Washington?  Will that transform D Mike Green back to the offensive star that he once was? What should be the most important question is will Braden Holtby be that guy the Caps were hoping he'd be? GOALIES I was never one for the two-headed goaltender system. There needs to be a clear number 1 and a steady backup with the backup clearly knowing his role.  Perhaps with the new coach and the new system, Holtby can be hat number 1 goalie the Capitals were counting on last year.  His metrics last season were far from impressive as he took a baby step backward in his development.  With Trotz behind the bench and incoming goalie coach Mitch Korn, Holtby's numbers should improve as he regains his confidence in net.  Korn was the goaltending coach in Nashville for the past 15 years, instructing NHL elite goaltender Pekka Rinne. Now if Holtby can be Rinne........Gone is Michal Neuvirth who was traded to buffalo at the trade deadline last year. Justin Peters signed 1 2-year deal as a free agent to back up Holtby. DEFENSE It will be interesting to see who emerges on defense in the Trotz system. Will it be a return to elite form for Green, or will John Carlson take that next step as a premium fantasy defenseman? Matt Niskanen parlayed his career season (46 pts.) in Pittsburgh into a 7-year deal with the Capitals. At 27, Niskanen is in his prime, but don't expect a return to those numbers unless he benefits again from an injury to Green or Carlson.  He does have the talent but expect a little drop-off in production in his first year with the Caps.  Karl Alzner, Dmitri Orlov and free agent signing Brooks Orpik are all defense-fist D-men so don't expect much in the way of offense. FORWARDS The Capitals offense begins and ends with Ovechkin, aka the Great 8 and Center Backstrom. Some say that it's Backstrom that makes Ovechkin better, but having either on your fantasy is a win-win. The duo were actually tied for the team lead in points with 79....

Kuznetsov is expected to make his NHL debut on Monday vs the Penguins. The Caps are likely to ease him into NHL action on the fourth line. Depending on how he performs, he has the skills to become a potential top-6 difference-maker for Washington. He is worth speculative add in keeper leagues, but likely won't have a big impact in standard leagues.

The wait is over Capitals fans. After picking Kuznetsov 26th overall in the 2010 NHL draft, they have finally got him to North America. The 21-year-old had eight goals and 13 assists (21 points) in 31 games in the KHL this season. He is high-energy, highly-skilled prospect that can make an early impact if he adjusts well to the NHL game. He will practice with the Capitals on Sunday and likely play on Monday.