Season Preview: Josef Boumedienne

I really don't know why Josef Boumedienne refused to sign with the Caps coming out of the lockout. It was a golden opportunity for the developing defenseman to be an anchor on a weak blueline that included Ivan Majesky, Bryan Muir, and Mathieu Biron. Instead, Boumedienne chose to play the last two years in Switzerland, Finland and Sweden, honing his craft at the European level. Now Boomer is on a 1-year contract, during which he can either prove he belongs in the NHL or get shipped back to Europe. It looks like he's going to play on the Caps' third pair, but who the heck knows what is going on in the bottom six. I imagine the Caps will keep him around just to hold onto his rights, and he could develop into a solid 3rd pairing d-man/2nd PP quaterback. Or he could end up back in Sweden. Or Finland. Or Switzerland.