Report Card: Marco Sturm

Ayyy, Marco!

Today I give you the seventh installment in my "Report Card" series, as I continue my evaluation of each Capital through this past regular season and playoffs.  Today's player is winger Marco Sturm, who finished his first season with the Caps this year after coming over from LA.

Stats/Season Summary: Sturm was claimed off waivers in late February after starting the season with the Los Angeles Kings.  He suited up in 18 games for the Capitals, scoring one goal and adding six assists to go along with an even +/- rating and six penalty minutes.  The winger played almost all of his minutes on the second and third lines, though he did see a few shifts on the first and fourth lines as the season wore down, though that was more from Bruce Boudreau juggling than anything else.  The German also was a stabilizing veteran presence in the locker room.  Sturm did not miss a game due to injury while on the Caps, which was a major accomplishment for him; he sat out the regular season finale to rest. Grade: C+
Role Play: Sturm was brought in off the waiver wire to do exactly what he did: provide leadership in the locker room and add a little bit of scoring punch.  He didn't record even close to a point per game, but he wasn't expected to.  Sturm cost the Caps nothing in terms of personnel, only the $800,000 minimum he was paid because he was claimed off waivers.  He saw a little bit of power play and shorthanded ice and filled in no matter where he was needed on both the left and right wings, which was certainly another thing that George McPhee saw when he decided to claim him.  In short, he met expectations. Grade: B
Playoffs: Sturm played in all nine Caps playoff games, recording one goal and two assists to go along with a +1 rating and four penalty minutes.  He played okay in the Rangers series, only registering one assist, but was one of the few Caps who wasn't completely awful in the Tampa series, with a goal and a helper. He never looked out of place, but then again, he never was particularly good, either. Grade: C+
Future Potential: Sturm is only 32, but he has had several major knee surgeries in his career, including two in the last three years, so there is no reason for the Caps to bring the unrestricted free agent back.  They can fill his role with younger players.  Because he has the potential to score 20-25 if he can stay healthy, he will latch on somewhere, but it almost surely won't be with the Caps. Grade: C

The next report card will be posted on May 15th, and it will feature winger Eric Fehr.