Speculation: Acq./Rost. Bldg./Cap/Lines etc. Part LXXXII -- (Caps submit expansion protect list)

[trick9]

I doubt that. Not that he'll break the bank but they could be pinching pennies and I really doubt he signs for $700k somewhere. He likely stays out West anyway.

@alex_prewitt: Emphasis on stocking draft picks, Foley says, but also spreading them out. "We're out to 2020 with a couple teams."

Sounds like something the Caps would do...fling around another future pick to Vegas for them to select the player they would have selected anyway.

Seems silly to me.

They are already in red flag territory when it comes to future pieces, why trade another one just to make Knights take the guy who has twice as much value. It makes sense for Knights to try that, for sure. That'd likely be a bluff though. They should rather want Grubauer than Schmidt, and that helps them to control the goalie trade market more.

Worst-case scenario is that they aren't bluffing and take Schmidt and then GMGM trades goalie or two to kill that market for the Capitals. Even then you can replace Schmidt through FA signings, while keeping your excellent goalie tandem for another (mid?)season.

 

[Langway]

Seems silly to me.

They are already in red flag territory when it comes to future pieces, why trade another one just to make Knights take the guy who has twice as much value. It makes sense for Knights to try that, for sure. That'd likely be a bluff though. They should rather want Grubauer than Schmidt, and that helps them to control the goalie trade market more.

YOLO.

Worst-case scenario is that they aren't bluffing and take Schmidt and then GMGM trades goalie or two to kill that market for the Capitals. Even then you can replace Schmidt through FA signings, while keeping your excellent goalie tandem for another (mid?)season.

Grubauer may be too expensive to keep anyway, esp. if Oshie re-signs. Grubauer and Connolly both at ~$1.5M or so seems much too rich given constraints elsewhere. If Grubauer isn't picked then MacLellan needs to move him ASAP.

They'd also have a hard time in UFA finding a comparable player to 88 at comparable money most likely. Schmidt should be a one-year signing to monitor his development, keep his hit low and then maybe lock him up next summer. I'd target a guy like Hunwick due to value/skating/PK but they'd struggle to find the same dynamic.

Orpik is not just an issue right now but even more glaringly so next summer when Schmidt and Carlson could be due significant raises. They definitely should be contemplating what it takes for Vegas to take him off their hands. I'd move Samsonov to get that off the books myself but that's easy for me to say. (And admittedly another YOLO move.)

 

[trick9]

YOLO.

I don't see them winning with this core, anymore, to be honest. So that's a step in the wrong direction to me, barring significant changes.

Grubauer may be too expensive to keep anyway, esp. if Oshie re-signs. Grubauer and Connolly both at ~$1.5M or so seems much too rich given constraints elsewhere. If Grubauer isn't picked then MacLellan needs to move him ASAP.

They'd also have a hard time in UFA finding a comparable player to 88 at comparable money most likely. Schmidt should be a one-year signing to monitor his development, keep his hit low and then maybe lock him up next summer. I'd target a guy like Hunwick due to value/skating/PK but they'd struggle to find the same dynamic.

Orpik is not just an issue right now but even more glaringly so next summer when Schmidt and Carlson could be due significant raises. They definitely should be contemplating what it takes for Vegas to take him off their hands. I'd move Samsonov to get that off the books myself but that's easy for me to say. (And admittedly another YOLO move.)

There are easy ways to keep him. Dump Daniel Winnik and replace him with someone who can PK at half the price. He doesn't bring anything else to the table. Brooks Orpik like you mentioned, that should be atleast explored.

I don't mind if they make some moves to keep Grubauer, assuming the worst-case scenario happens and LV takes Schmidt and kills the goalie market for the Capitals. Like mentioned earlier, i don't really see this core winning the Cup anymore, but if the miracle strikes and they will, it'll likely be because of Holtby going to god-mode. Keeping Grubauer should keep him fresher for the Playoffs.

 

[um]

I don't see them winning with this core, anymore, to be honest. So that's a step in the wrong direction to me, barring significant changes.

If they can keep this core:

Burakovsky-Backstrom-Oshie
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-(Boyd?)
(Vrana?)-Eller-Johansson
Connolly-Beagle-Wilson

Orlov-Niskanen
Schmidt-Carlson
(Djoos?)-(Bowey?)
Chorney

Holtby
(Copley?)

Than they can still win. That has all the major pieces and it only requires fill ins that don't need to carry any significant load. All that needs to be done is steer Vegas away from Schmidt and get someone to take on Orpik. Personally I'm also on the trade Ovechkin train but the point is the Core is still very good.

All that has happened here is we lost the declining Williams, Winnik, Orpik, and Alzner, and we'd lose the very overrated Shattenkirk. The only guy I'd miss is Williams.

 

[txpd]

Travis Boyd on the second line and Tom Wilson on the 4th. Not thinking that is likely. And...Chorney is going to play.

 

[g00n]

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