hockeykicker
Moderator
- Dec 3, 2014
- 35,197
- 12,796
my basic rule on this is that legit top 4 defensemen are hard to get. they are very hard and rare to trade for. they are hard to get via UFA market and then they are very expensive.
If Orpik is over the hill and traded for not much to move his contract this off season, and Alzner leaves as a UFA. Who plays defense on this team? Legit top 4 defensemen.
There are a lot of teams out there that need top 4 defensemen. More than one. The Caps have 4 good one's. Letting Alzner go would very likely be a big step backward.
Unless you think Alzner can be replaced by a year to year Scott Hannan type.
BingoI don't think anyone is clearly advocating for Alzner's departure, just that they'd rather not overpay him.
Not as good defensively but better in transition, which this team needs more of from the backend. Use the saved cap space to improve other areas of the roster. Seems reasonable.
Again this assumes Alzner is at 6 million + per year on a long-term contract. If he's willing to re-sign at ~5 mil per then I'd do that.
where do you get a solid 2/3 level defenseman that is good in transition and cheaper than Alzner while being almost as good as he is overall?
This is part I don't get. that player as a UFA is more expensive. That player in his restricted years is unobtanium.
I know we're really zoned in on this Alzner situation. But i want to express an opinion about the Caps struggling PP.
Why don't they try to mirror the set up for PP2 to make other teams adjust a lot more. Its looked the same for 4 years and it seems like teams are learning all the wrinkles.
PP1
Ovechkin-Wilson(Connolly)-Kuznetsov(Johansson)
Carlson-Backstrom
PP2
Williams-Vrana-Burakovsky
Oshie-Orlov
Thoughts?
Let's shave $ off of 92's contract. About 2.5 shaved off his AAV should do it.
I love Alzner, but we as Caps fans (myself included) definitely overrate him.
The Penguins scouting staff identified a player they felt had significant potential and was miscast in his situation on another team. They acquired that player for cheap, and it worked out. Not sure what there's to eye roll there. The Penguins have made that a staple. Aside of the Despres for Lovejoy trade (and even that looks better in the present than it did at the time of the trade), the Penguins have typically come out ahead in their defensive trades. They brought in both Justin Schultz and Ian Cole via trade in the lead-up to their Cup run last year. Matt Niskanen is another perfect example. Niskanen was almost viewed as a throw-in in the Neal/Goligoski trade, but he ended up arguably the best player in the deal.Trevor Daley, what a joke. Dude was run out of town and now he's suddenly the poster boy. I guess it should be easy to get a few of his type player and the Cup is ours...../eyeroll.
Huh. Not sure I get this angle.
We are hearing that people around the league think Alzner could get up to 6m a year. Caps fans seem to think he's worth like 4.5m
Doesn't that make Caps fan under ratehim?
Why can't Alzner take the same contract we gave Nisky, with a slight raise? $5.75M per year, get it done.
Not as good defensively but better in transition, which this team needs more of from the backend. Use the saved cap space to improve other areas of the roster. Seems reasonable.
Again this assumes Alzner is at 6 million + per year on a long-term contract. If he's willing to re-sign at ~5 mil per then I'd do that.
What does everyone's Alzner-free defense for next year look like?
QED
The Penguins scouting staff identified a player they felt had significant potential and was miscast in his situation on another team. They acquired that player for cheap, and it worked out. Not sure what there's to eye roll there. The Penguins have made that a staple. Aside of the Despres for Lovejoy trade (and even that looks better in the present than it did at the time of the trade),
What you just described is basically a GMGM dumpster dive.
So... instead of paying great players that play extremely well for us we should... dumpster dive.
OK, got it. Great plan