Word to the wise, says Olaf Kolzig, his Washington Capitals won't be as bad as people think this season.
"I don't think it's going to be as tough a time as most people think," the veteran goaltender said this week.
If that's the case, Kolzig obviously feels he's going to have a huge season. Because other than his all-star skill in net and the super talent of rookie winger Alexander Ovechkin, there isn't a whole lot that catches your eye on this hockey club.
As such, the Caps, who went 23-46-10-3 and placed 27th overall in 2003-04, are the pick of many to place dead last this season.
"Everybody has read the predictions and the previews," said the well-spoken Kolzig. "You know, sometimes those things aren't always accurate. Two years ago they predicted we would win the Southeast Division and be a legitimate contender and we fell flat on our face."
Caps GM George McPhee says he isn't bothered by the dire predictions. The plan is to take their lumps now and build into a contender down the road.
"We're going to take our time and build it right rather than continue to be a middle-of-the-pack team that doesn't win a Cup," McPhee said Thursday from Washington.
"The evaluations of our team don't bother us because we understand where we are and why we're there and why people are grading us the way they are. We are taking a long-term approach. We all have our pride though, we want to be able to walk into a building with our head held up high and know that we have a good team.
"But I think Olie is right, we are better than most people think."
Not helping matters is the fact the Caps were counting on young forward Alexander Semin to be helping Ovechkin carry the offensive load. But Semin, despite being under contract to the Caps, didn't show up to camp and remains in Russia.
"That's disappointing because he's a fabulous talent," McPhee said. "He may very well have been our best forward this year. It's difficult to say what's going on there, we're not sure. We get different stories all the time - it's the military, it's the visa, it's a moving target it seems."
It's the last thing a team like Washington needed, especially because much was expected of Semin, the Caps' first pick, 13th overall, in 2002. He had 10 goals and 12 assists in 52 games with the Caps in 2003-04 as a 19-year-old.
"It's frustrating because you don't understand why he's not here," Kolzig said. "You don't know if it's because he doesn't want to be here, you don't know if it's something political over there that's keeping him there. Because he is such a talented player, he would add so much to our offence."
The Caps did get some good news Thursday, 26-year-old forward Petr Sykora (not the one with the same name in Anaheim) is on his way to Washington and will play this weekend after finally ironing out some contractual issues with his Czech club.
Kolzig, meanwhile, faces a dilemma either this season or next summer. Depending on how the Caps progress, the 35-year-old must decide whether or not he's going to leave the only NHL club he's ever played for. He'll be an unrestricted free agent July 1 but could also ask McPhee for a trade before the trade deadline this season if he doesn't like the way things are going.
"It's a bittersweet thing," said Kolzig, earning $4.94 million US this season. "It's rare nowadays in sports when a guy starts and finishes his career with the same team. I really would like to be one of those guys. Having said that, if this rebuilding process takes longer than three years, then it would be a situation where I would go talk to George at some point and find out what direction the team is going in. If it's a long process to turn things around here then I probably would look at going somewhere else, whether it's traded at the deadline or next year as a free agent."
Then again, Kolzig - who wants to play another three to four years - said he could be encouraged by how the young players are developing.
"If it's using the Tampa model where you bring in a bunch of young guys and after struggling for two years, you become a good hockey team and you add veteran players to round it out and before you know it you're contending for the Stanley Cup - if that's the case, then I would probably be willing to wait it out here."
McPhee is on the same wave length as his goalie.
"I don't disagree with him," said McPhee. "We don't know how long this will take. We're hoping it's sooner rather than later and it could be as early as next summer or later on this season, we'll see. If it's going to take a while, we'd certainly try and accommodate Olie. We understand where he is in his career. That being said, if we're making the right decisions and we are showing a lot of progress, he's a guy that we would like to keep here."
One player who will help the rebuilding phase is Alexander Ovechkin, the first overall pick in 2004 who hasn't disappointed so far in camp.
"He's a very talented, explosive player," Kolzig said of the 20-year-old Russian. "He plays hard, he goes after the puck, he battles in the corner, he's got a great release. And he's a great kid. He wants to learn the English language, he loves being out with the guys, being part of the team. He wants to room with the guys from North America so he can improve his English. He's just happy to be over here playing in the NHL.
"When you've got a superstar young talent like that feeling the way, the sky's the limit and it does nothing but boost the whole morale of the team."
But Kolzig admits it's going to be hard for his young teammate to snatch the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year away from Pittsburgh phenom Sidney Crosby.
"I think it's going to be a little tougher for him because obviously his supporting cast isn't as strong as what Crosby has in Pittsburgh," Kolzig said. "But who knows, when you're a superstar you're supposed to make everybody else around you better and hopefully Alex can do that."