hockeykicker
Moderator
- Dec 3, 2014
- 35,265
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So is there anyone resembling a true #1 D that might be available a la Pronger?
Orpik was terribad to start the season, got hurt, had a setback in his recovery, and still isn't skating with the team. Anyone who's penciling him to their shutdown pairing at this point is being overly optimistic.
Not being a smart aleck but I think you missed the point. Richards is irrelevant, not losing anyone "in the room" is.
If the Caps trade Marjo or Beagle will it affect the room? I have no idea, they are professionals, but I just don't know. That is were Trotz earns is money, by gauging a situation like that.
You are making a weird argument because on one hand, you are saying puck possession is important (I agree wholeheartedly with this), but on the other hand Orpik is the worst possession D on the team by far so you are kind of making my point for me.
The difference between Orpik and Wilson is that Wilson's hits are on the forecheck and they cause turnovers in dangerous areas of the ice, whereas Orpik's hits are almost always in his own zone and very rarely cause a turnovers.
Here is a list of leading hitters amongst defensemen:
Mark Borowiecki
Radko Gudas
Roman Polak
Alexei Emelin
Nick Holden
Dustin Byfuglien
Klas Dahlbeck
Mark Stuart
Erik Gudbranson
Brayden McNabb
Michael Del Zotto
Aside from Byfuglien that is a list of really bad defensemen. It's almost as if hits are not important if you are on D!
And how are you so sure Orpik will have time to get ready? The playoffs are less than 3 months away and he hasn't even skated yet.
I'm not advocating that Ness, Carrick, or Stanton (who was brutal last night) should take the place of Orpik, only Chorney. He has played 36 games which is enough for me to say he's earned a spot in the lineup.
I think Orpik would be an excellent backup plan, but he should be exactly that: a backup plan.
So is there anyone resembling a true #1 D that might be available a la Pronger?
my question is, if it doesn't make sense to them and they don't do it, are you ok with that?
Orpik is still a better player than Chorney, come on guys.
Screw Chicago. Their ongoing ability to compete is built on Keith and Hossa's cap circumventing deals. I hope Kane and Toews bury them for years to come.
When time and space decrease you need a defenseman who can make the clever pass or skate the puck to the neutral zone in order to mount an attack. Orpik looks like he is handling a grenade any time he has the puck on his stick. Why is Duncan Keith so good in the playoffs? Certainly isn't his size or grit. It's because he can neutralize a forecheck with good passing and zone exits.
Now I won't say that Orpik was the worst defenseman last year in the playoffs (that honor belongs to Tim Gleason), but I find it hard to believe that Orpik is better than Schmidt, Orlov, or hell even Chorney right now. Orpik should be the 7D going into the playoffs if everyone is healthy and in my opinion it's not even close. Puck possession is king in the playoffs, and Orpik is a black hole of possession.
The extra depth they were able to keep because of these deals was unfair. I don't understand how the NHL allowed a few teams to benefit from these cheater contracts.
The purpose of these contracts was to generate a lower salary cap “hit†for their respective teams, since the average annual salary is calculated against the salary cap, not the actual salary itself.
Duncan Keith’s contract is a good example. In the first seven years of his 13-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, he earns $8 million per season in the first three years, $7.65 million in year four, $7.6 million in year five, $7.5 million in year six, and $6 million in year seven. His average cap hit, however, is just over $5.538 million.
That’s because in the final six years of his contract, his real annual salary drops steadily, from $5 million in year eight, to a mere $1.5 million in year 13.
Critics correctly pointed out this constituted circumvention of the salary cap, but in only one instance – the Devils initial re-signing in 2012 of Kovalchuk – was a contract rejected by the league for circumvention.
The 2016 UFA defenseman market is pretty paltry. Not much to see there in terms of rental potential. Byfuglien is the biggest name and has been discussed to death. Other than that, there's Brian Campbell, but Florida is comfortably in playoff position and Campbell's strengths as a PP LD doesn't really mesh with our needs. Dan Hamhuis is a name that intrigues me, even if he's not quite the player he was a couple years ago. Obviously that's going to depend on how he looks after he gets back from his injury*.
My wildcard pick for a potential #1 defenseman would be Victor Hedman. Highly highly doubtful he's traded, especially with an entire season before he hits UFA. But the Stamkos and Drouin situations create a lot of potential for shake-up in Tampa. Depending on what assets are moving in and out, and how much money Tampa allocates, there's an outside chance (~5%) that the cards fall right for Tampa to deal Hedman. The price would obviously be really steep.
I'd also think that Columbus would be willing to listen to offers on Jack Johnson, but I'm not in love with him as an NHL player (his play with a USA jersey on is a different matter).
*Side point: I refuse to believe the NHL takes player safety seriously until they make full cages (or equivalent) mandatory.
The difference between the Keith deal and the Kovalchuk deal is that there's a reasonable chance that Keith could actually play until the end of his contract (2023, age 40). Kovalchuk's deal didn't expire until he was almost 44. If Kovy remained active until the end of that 17-year contract, he would have been one of the 10 oldest skaters in NHL history.
Basically, Kovy's deal did everything to a bigger extreme than the other front-loaded contracts. Good article on it here:
http://www.arcticicehockey.com/2010/7/21/1579736/why-ilya-kovalchuks-contract-was
The difference between the Keith deal and the Kovalchuk deal is that there's a reasonable chance that Keith could actually play until the end of his contract (2023, age 40). Kovalchuk's deal didn't expire until he was almost 44. If Kovy remained active until the end of that 17-year contract, he would have been one of the 10 oldest skaters in NHL history.
Basically, Kovy's deal did everything to a bigger extreme than the other front-loaded contracts. Good article on it here:
http://www.arcticicehockey.com/2010/7/21/1579736/why-ilya-kovalchuks-contract-was
It's beyond comprehension that any Caps fan is questioning this timeline, or the value of that kind of player, when this prototypical top pair stay at home d-man has been so obviously missing from the roster since the Cup finals team.
Last year the consensus was he was WORTH EVERY PENNY. If Orpik is healthy he's the clear #1D and a team leader to boot.
i want the puck in the offensive zone and it sure as hell won't be there often if orpik is on the ice. If any of those players have extended possession of the puck they will score no matter who is defending them. Orlov, schmidt, and he'll even chorney have been driving play really well and this is the best form of defense. It isn't a difficult concept to grasp. there's a reason why good teams like chicago and la prefer puck moving defenseman over the stay at home dinosaurs. Players like orpik are a relic from the past.
tell me: Who should orpik replace and why?
So is there anyone resembling a true #1 D that might be available a la Pronger?