There’s a lot to get to, so here’s a rundown:
* Michael Nylander did not address the cache of local media (which was about two dozen strong but did not include ANYONE from a local network television station) but he is indeed here.
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“He’s here and in great shape,” general manager George McPhee said. “There is some discussion with some European teams. Something may develop there, but we’ll see.”
McPhee and Bruce Boudreau also said they don’t think the coach and Nylander need to sit down and “clear the air” after Nylander’s comments to a Swedish media outlet this summer about his relationship with Boudreau.
* McPhee said he doesn’t think having too much depth is a problem. There will be 68 guys in camp, and there should be competitions to watch at every position. There are the three guys in net, 11 or so guys fighting for a spot in the defense corps, and plenty of forwards trying to crack a lineup that doesn’t have a lot of openings.
“You’re not sure what is going to happen; there is no script,” McPhee said. “We’ll see how this develops. We have some assumptions about what might happen, but let’s see what might happen over the next three weeks and see what decisions we have to make.”
* When asked about the salary cap, McPhee pointed to the return of the bonus cushion as a reason for everyone to have more flexibility but didn’t necessarily talk specifically about the Caps in comparison to last year.
* McPhee said he thinks Eric Fehr will be 1-2 weeks behind everyone at the start of training camp. He said he doesn’t think Fehr is going to have to start the year on long-term injured reserve.
* McPhee said Grant McNeil may be slowed at the beginning of camp because of recent knee surgery. He also said Josh Godfrey is day-to-day with the hip injury from yesterday’s rookie game.
* McPhee on not having an enforcer: “We like what we have now, and if we need that element, we’ll go get it. … We’re reluctant to pay a lot for that position right now.”
