So you would have proposed Grubby + Mojo to Vegas to keep Schmidt? I can’t get on board with that logic.
Everyone gets the roster ramifications IMO, NONE more so than GMBM. They’re paying Orpik to be a top-4 guy. Now he has to play like one.
They have plenty of horses to be a playoff team today. IMO their playoff luck is just as likely to poop out in round 2 (or earlier) with this roster as it has been doing with others. That last part is probably a bit fatalistic of me, but hey Caps fans, it is what it is.
With all this being hindsight its actually pretty logical, as everything in hindsight can be. Let me try and break it down then.
Where we are today: Grubauer is on the team, Defense is a BIG problem, Top 6 forwards are fine
Where we were before the draft: Defense was going to be fine, Goaltending was still great if Vegas takes Grubauer, and the Top 6 was going to be fine.
Forwards
-Pre Vegas Draft
Organizationally there should have been some more awareness of the amount of forwards that were coming up the pipeline. Vrana, Walker, Boyd, Stephenson, Barber should have all been looked at as serviceable forwards. Again with hindsight that makes a forward (MOJO) expendable to Vegas.
-Post Draft
Vrana is sticking, Walker has looked good, additional veteran acquisitions, cause Trotz still sucks with young guys (different argument) which can show that MOJO was expendable
Goaltending
-Pre Vegas Draft
Organizationally goaltending is a strength for a long time to come. Holtby, Gruabuer, Copley, Vanacheck*, Samsonov. The team is
hoping that Vegas takes Gruabuer because there are plenty of goalies in the system. The lack of awareness comes when the fact that there are alot of goalies in the NHL. Everyone wants to deal from a position of power, in this case the Caps power came in goalies, sometimes that deal has to come with sacrifice. The Caps relied on on outside party (Vegas) catering to their hopes, which in a negotiation is a horrible strategy.
-Post Draft
Keep Grubauer, still alot of goalies on the roster. Now there is a glut of goalies across the league and nowhere to really send Grubauer, at the moment. Gruabuer will see maybe 30 games this season usually on a back to back, relief, and spotty starts. 30 games vs 82 for a forward or defenseman is a huge difference.
Defense
-Pre Vegas Draft
Organizationally the team has a solid group of defense in Orlov, Niskanen, Carlson, Schmidt, and Orpik, plus a couple of young guys who could fight for a 6th spot to play with Orpik and add some speed to the lineup. No real thought of losing Schmidt or plans to add a defenseman if someone is lost. Again they relied on an outside source (Vegas) to factor into their roster.
-Post Draft
Our defense is a mess, no way to sugar coat it. Panic sets in, young guys underwhelm in training camp, and the season starts with Aaron Ness and Taylor Chorney because the young guys have to find a place to live (...........BS!!!!!!!!!!).
My point being the Capitals have two strong organizational positions to deal from but let Vegas control the demand with no foresight from the Caps side. What is the cost of obtaining a top 4 d man of Schmidts caliber? Is it Grubauer and MOJO to Vegas, yeah mayber! This trade deadline its probably a 1st round pick and a prospect. I am worried about the defense and Schmidt would have cured that