John Erskine

'07-08 Stats                      Age (on October 1): 28                  Contract: UFA after '09

'07-08 Season Report

Erskine provided the Capitals with toughness on the blueline. Unfortunately he also provided a pair of the slowest feet on the team. Erskine finished second on the team in penalty minutes with 96, a sign of both these traits.

He tied with Milan Jurcina for most hits per game among Caps defensemen, averaging 2 per contest. He also was involved in 4 of the 5 fights by Capitals defensemen while delivering a few highlight reel hits along the way.

But he was exposed regularly by the league's quickest skaters and had the second worst +/- among Caps blueliners. But at +1, that's not a whole lot to complain about. This shows just how well the inexperienced corps played throughout the season.

Intangibles

Where Donald Brashear brings grit and toughness up front, Erskine does so from the back. Jurcina hits as hard as Erskine does, but Erskine is the one that gets in people's faces. There is no other guy close to being NHL ready who fits that bill, so Erskine has his job because of it. Former Caps prospect Ted Ruth was projected to be that type of player, but he left in that trade for Sergei Fedorov. Ruth would have likely been another year or two off anyways.

Future Fit

Erskine is under contract for one more season. But it's the smallest deal of any Caps defenseman (including Sami Lepisto) so he may end up being an insurance guy next season. That's probably the best spot for him.

If Karl Alzner makes the team and the rest of the defense returns, that should be enough to bump Erskine out. Plus, Lepisto is still young with good upside, so Erskine likely won't be considered a long term fixture on the Capitals defense.

He may end up playing a significant role yet again for one more season if Alzner isn't ready yet or if a couple of the big RFA's end up leaving the team, an unlikely but not impossible scenario.