Closing in on Lord Stanley's Cup

Plugging Holes -- Washington Capitals

The Hole: More help on defense

The Capitals are coming off the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in NHL postseason history. While there are a number of reasons for the loss to the Montreal Canadiens -- luck is legitimately one of them, too -- the Capitals still lack a shut-down defenseman. Defensemen like Mike Green, Tom Poti and John Carlson can move the puck as well as anyone, but shutdown defensemen they are not. Jeff Schultz (plus-52 goal differential at even strength) clearly made great progress last season, but he is probably more apt to fill in the No. 4 defenseman slot on the team instead of the No. 2 position.

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E.J. Hradek

Senior Writer, ESPN The Magazine

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E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989.