The fine folks over at DC Pro Sports Report asked us to participate in a pre-season roundtable, discussing the upcoming season for the Washington Capitals.  We were asked a series of questions, as were a host of respected Caps bloggers.

You can read the complete panel discussion here. 

Some of my answers got truncated for space issues on the panel, so below are my complete answers (in bold) to the panel questions.  It comes off as a predictions column, so I guess I'm now on the record with all of this.

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1. Do you think the Washington Capitals will repeat as Southeast Division champs? What about Eastern Conference champs? Who do you think will be closest to the Caps in the SE Division?

Yes on both counts. The Caps are the class in the East. I don't think anyone in the Southeast will be within 20 points of the Caps, so I'll say Carolina out of habit. You could really pull all their names in a hat and draw one and that would be just as good as any educated opinion.

2. Regarding the goal tending situation, how do you see that working out? Do you see the Caps starting out in a shared situation between Varlamov and Neuvirth or do you think one will be named starter and stay as starter as long as they play well?

I think they will get fairly equal playing time, keeping both fresh (and hopefully healthy) and the competition will keep both focused throughout the season. I don't see Boudreau getting stuck on naming a "starter", and I honestly don't think they'll go outside the organization to acquire a veteran backup.

3. Regarding the final few roster spots, given the three, Mathieu Perreault, Marcus Johnansson, and Cody Eakin, which if any do you see cracking the roster?

Well, Eakin got sent out to Swift Current today (Sept. 30). I've said since beginning of camp that Johansson was the best player on the ice during development and rookie camp, but I don't see him breaking camp with the team without some other player movement or injury. Perrault is your third line center. Won't be long for Johannson to be back with the big club though.

4. Do you think John Carlson has a realistic shot at the Calder Trophy?

Absolutely. He's going to have every opportunity to succeed on a high-profile team that puts goals on the board every night of the week. It helps that he seems to have a flair for the dramatic as well.

5. Project the stats of Alexander Ovechkin.

66-58-124, +45, 74 PIM. His career year.

6. Given the first round exit of the Capitals last season, the pressure this season will most certainly rise. Assuming you believe the Caps are a playoff lock, give your projection on how far they go this season?

Stanley Cup Finalists. In my opinion, only poorly-timed devestating injury could derail the Caps this season. I'm not going to predict a Cup championship because I'm superstitious like that. But they should contend for the title this season.

7. Who wins the Winter Classic 2011?

Washington, 6-2. And Caps fans, especially those that are making the trip.

8. Finally, who are you two teams in the Stanley Cup and your Stanley Cup Champ this year?

I've already predicted the Caps in the finals, so the Western Conference rep will be...the Vancouver Canucks. They are too deep and too talented and will get past Chicago and Detroit this season. What a series that would be! Again, I won't make a prediciton on the winner cause I'm superstitious, but you can probably figure out that my superstitions have nothing to do with the Canucks.

Earlier this fall, the fine folks at DC Pro Sports Report asked us to participate in a survey of Media and Internet writers answering seven "easy" questions.  It was an honor to be asked to be part of the group, the best and the brightest covering the Capitals in the electronic media.  Thanks very much to DC Pro Sports Report for putting the survey together and asking me for my opinion.

1)  Will the Caps three-peat as SE Division Champs?

2)  Will the Caps make it to the finals?

3)  If and when will Semyon Varlamov wrestle the starting goalie position from Jose Theodore?

4)  Each year there seems to be a surprise offensive player.  Who could that be this season?

5)  What player -- or type of player -- do the Caps need to win the Cup?

6)  What impact will 2008 1st round pick John Carlson make on the Caps this season?

7)  Rank the SE Division standings.

Here are my answers.  I was fairly direct in my answers on the survey, so I'll elaborate a bit here.

1)  Yes.  Carolina has to be considered a challenge, but this Caps team is built to win this division and go deep in the playoffs.  With the addition of Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison, the team is tougher, stronger and better balanced across the three scoring lines.

2)  No.  The Caps are slowly progressing by round in the playoffs, and the natural progression of growth is good for the team; they are getting better but still have more to strive for.

3)  Christmas.  I think coach Bruce Boudreau is going to have Theodore on a long leash this fall, but eventually Theo will play his way out and Varlamov will play his way into the No. 1 spot. 

For all his talent, Varly still hasn't played a full season in the AHL or NHL.  He needs to learn how to channel his energy in playing two or three games a week instead of laying all out once a week.  We saw how his talent dulled a bit as the grind of the playoffs took it's toll. 

The regular season doesn't have the emotional strain of the playoffs, obviously, but playing more often will help him control his energy -- and emotion.

4)  As for surprise palyers up front, I just don't see it.  The door is open for someone to step up with Fehr and Fleischmann out during preseason at least.  Someone like Alexandre Giroux or Andrew Gordon will have an opportunity to impress. 

But for the most part, the Caps are set up front with dependable veterans.  And another budding superstar in Alexander Semin, who needs only to stay healthy to advance to be an elite scorer in the NHL.

5)  The biggest glaring need for the Capitals to advance to the Stanley Cup finals is a big, strong, tough, nasty defenseman whose only care is keeping his goalie's crease and doorsteps clean.  Whether they find that player internally or from another club, if they want to take "the next step", it begins with finding that player.

You can win 50 games in the regular season, but the rink gets shorter in the playoffs, especially as you get closer to the finals.

6)  I stated that there would have to be a ton of injuries for John Carlson to make a real impact.  That's not an indication of Carlson's talent -- that's unquestioned.  But the Caps have a ton of defensemen under contract, and as they showed last season with Alzner, and with Green before him, GM George McPhee is willing to be patient with this top defensive prospects.

7)  Washington, Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, Atlanta.

Almost all my collegues agreed that Washington and Carolina -- in that order -- are the cream of the division.  I'm a little surprised that several of the survey results have Atlanta higher in the standings, but the bottom three in the division won't be a factor in the playoff discussion regardless, unless something completely wacky happens.