Speculation: Acq./Rost. Bldg./Cap Part XXXVI

[Hivemind]

Trading Green makes the defense no better than last year's.

 

[Roughing]

Baring unforeseen major problems, the Caps are a playoff team. How good they are is highly variable though. There have been a lot of changes but other than possibly Grabo leaving you'd have to think all are improvements. The D is better. How much? Who knows... The coaching is better by a lot, which I hope means the Forward play improves. A lot also depends on the kids making an impact and Laich being healthy. Last year was a disaster in many ways and they still almost made the playoffs. I see several reasons to believe they are better this year.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Trading Green makes the defense no better than last year's.

 

[SimplySensational]

Improving the Islanders defense by giving them the offensive RHD they need doesn't seem beneficial to the Capitals at all.

 

[um]

it certainly makes our defense suck again. maybe not as much though.

 

[MrGone]

Trading Green makes the defense no better than last year's.

So you are saying the difference between Mike Green and Niskanen + Carlson stepping. Is a bigger difference then Connor Carrick and Brooks Orpik.

I will take Niskanen, Carlson and Orlov with six NHL dmen. Over the 4-5 NHL dman we played last season. Not even close.

Its been years since Mike Green has done anything to justify having Connor Carrick in the top six.

 

[Roughing]

So you are saying the difference between Mike Green and Niskanen + Carlson stepping. Is a bigger difference then Connor Carrick and Brooks Orpik.

I will take Niskanen, Carlson and Orlov with six NHL dmen. Over the 4-5 NHL dman we played last season. Not even close.

Its been years since Mike Green has done anything to justify having Connor Carrick in the top six.

What language is this?

 

[BobRouse]

What language is this?

I believe its AbhorGreen speak.

Yeah fat chance we try and improve the Islanders or the Red Wings.

Our D is a whole on paper is excellent or at least very good.

Its been more than 15 years since we could say that. Lets see how it plays out.

If we were going to trade Green then it would have been done at the draft or right after the UFA period.

 

[noptov]

If we were going to trade Green then it would have been done at the draft or right after the UFA period.

I'm not so sure. As you said, they'll see how things play out and then I think there's a chance Green is moved at the trade deadline (if, for instance, none of the contenders holds down the 2C slot). Still, it makes sense to wait and see what effect Trotz has on Green and where the rest of the team is at.

 

[ChibiPooky]

I personally feel that their options at stopgap 2C are significantly better than their options at stopgap D.

 

[Hivemind]

The upgrade from Schmidt to Orpik is less than the downgrade of Green to Niskanen. Right now the defense is good because there's depth. If you trade Green, we're right back to having a questionable (at best) 3rd pairing.

 

[txpd]

I think that if you remove Green from the defense you put the team back into the same place it was last season. With two rookies/scrubs playing on the 3rd pair. Orlov, Schmidt, Carrick, Oleksy and so on. The upgrade is Oprik over Erskine and I approve of that, but an injury to Oprik, hardly and irrational thought puts the Caps right back where last season 3 of those young players were playing every night.

That's the point.

btw...please don't be someone that puts Orlov up as a steady defenseman while spending much of the last years bashing Green for being injured. Orlov's health record has not been as good as Green's the last couple of years.

 

[fsnoles98]

Green will be gone sometime this year, either by the beginning of the season or at the trade deadline. This comes down to a contract and when they get get the most for what he is worth. He will not be resigned next year unless he is willing to take a pay cut, just be prepared.

 

[Ajax1995]

Green will be gone sometime this year, either by the beginning of the season or at the trade deadline. This comes down to a contract and when they get get the most for what he is worth. He will not be resigned next year unless he is willing to take a pay cut, just be prepared.

Do you honestly feel if at the deadline the Caps appear comfortably in the playoff, are playing well, and Green is a decent part of that, as outside of injuries if the others are true the 3rd part almost has to be true, that the Caps will deal Green away just because of the his likely impending UFA status?

Not a chance IMO.

If the team looks out of the playoffs then sure. And if during the season the defense as a whole is definite strength they feel they could afford to weaken and the 2C spot is the obvious problem with the team then sure I could definitely see them dealing from that strength to fix a weakness, which would likely mean Green.

What happens with Green this year very much depends on the play of the team as a whole IMO.

 

[Devil Dancer]

I think the most likely scenario is Green departs as a UFA next summer.

 

[Ajax1995]

I think the most likely scenario is Green departs as a UFA next summer.

I don't think that is as much of a foregone conclusion as many think if Green isn't dealt at some point this season.

Currently if nobody re-signs this season the Caps have 3 important RFAs who will be in need of contracts after this season, Holtby, Kuznetsov, and Johansson, and one, maybe two important UFAs other than Green, Ward and Fehr. If the cap doesn't go up at all, which would be shocking IMO, they have just under $21 mil to get those guys signed and fill out the roster.

IMO they can very likely bring Green back at a similar cap number as he has today and not have to sacrifice any important players to do that.

 

[BackToTheBasics]

I don't think that is as much of a foregone conclusion as many think if Green isn't dealt at some point this season.

Currently if nobody re-signs this season the Caps have 3 important RFAs who will be in need of contracts after this season, Holtby, Kuznetsov, and Johansson, and one, maybe two important UFAs other than Green, Ward and Fehr. If the cap doesn't go up at all, which would be shocking IMO, they have just under $21 mil to get those guys signed and fill out the roster.

IMO they can very likely bring Green back at a similar cap number as he has today and not have to sacrifice any important players to do that.

The problem is he might not want to come back. There are rumors that he asked for a trade last year. But that's all they are, rumors.

 

[g00n]

The problem is he might not want to come back. There are rumors that he asked for a trade last year. But that's all they are, rumors.

IMO Green was not happy with the way he was used under Hunter and Oates and wanted out because of that. Trotz and Green are sniffing each other out now and I believe Trotz named MG to the "leadership group" to get some buy-in from him. In return I think Green will expect some leeway on the ice. But it all depends on what BT actually has planned for him, and how Green handles it. If BT has him grinding and off the PP, I suspect Green is looking for the next train out.

Again, IMO. Nobody needs to whine about proof. This is my ****ing opinion. K? K.

 

[MW6]

3-way trade

SJ
Johansson/Brouwer
Jurco
Caps 2nd

Det
Green

Caps
Thornton
Kindl

Yeay or ney?

 

[Ajax1995]

3-way trade

SJ
Johansson/Brouwer
Jurco
Caps 2nd

Det
Green

Caps
Thornton
Kindl

Yeay or ney?

As the Caps there is no way you can say no to that deal. I don't know if the other teams would though...

 

[LifetimeUFA]

3-way trade

SJ
Johansson/Brouwer
Jurco
Caps 2nd

Det
Green

Caps
Thornton
Kindl

Yeay or ney?

Yeay, definite yeay

 

[Devil Dancer]

The problem is he might not want to come back. There are rumors that he asked for a trade last year. But that's all they are, rumors.

There's that and there's the likelihood that the team and the player may have very different opinions about what he's worth. In this new post-Orpik era of NHL salaries, a 30 year old Green, even if he's nowhere near the player he used to be, will be worth a ton to some franchise desperate for offense willing to take a risk that he can return to some semblance of his former dominant self.

 

[txpd]

Green will be gone sometime this year, either by the beginning of the season or at the trade deadline. This comes down to a contract and when they get get the most for what he is worth. He will not be resigned next year unless he is willing to take a pay cut, just be prepared.

I think that presupposes that Green will be a failure this season. Lets say Green gets what he wants. He is the Caps primary offensive defenseman. He plays 90 seconds out of each power play. He gets the offensive zone starts. he gets the bump in minutes when they are behind. He gets primary minutes at 4 on 4 and overtime. And with that he racks up the kind of production he is known for.

You seriously think that the Caps trade him at the deadline?

Sure, if the Caps give Carlson and Niskanen those minutes or Green gives them up because of injury, Green will be rightly unhappy and want out. Bye. But I don't see a scenario where the Caps are strong in the playoffs, the power play is rocking, and Green is leading or near the lead in goals and points from defense and is then sent packing 30 days before the playoffs.

 

[BobRouse]

I'm not so sure. As you said, they'll see how things play out and then I think there's a chance Green is moved at the trade deadline (if, for instance, none of the contenders holds down the 2C slot). Still, it makes sense to wait and see what effect Trotz has on Green and where the rest of the team is at.

The only way Green is traded at the deadline is if he either wants out or the Caps are not in sniffing distance of the playoffs.

If the Caps are trying to address the 2C position at the deadline then they will be in playoff contention with aspirations. If thats the case they won't be dealing roster players to fill a hole while creating another one. I don't want Jack Hillen, Erskine or Schmidt playing his minutes in the playoffs and the team won't either.

Even if they DID want to trade a roster player it would be one of their many wingers. If they bring a forward in then at least a forward has to go out. We have too many as it stands. No incentive to trade a dman.

 

[Hivemind]

I think the most likely scenario is Green departs as a UFA next summer.

I agree with this. "Most likely" obviously doesn't mean that it's certain, but I find this to the most plausible scenario.