Holtbyisms
Matt Irwin is a legit talent
Sure we do! We just need to keep a group together and give them time. Changing players in and out every 30 seconds isn't really a chemistry builder.
Post-Game Talk: Blues and Caps: eller returns
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Sure we do! We just need to keep a group together and give them time. Changing players in and out every 30 seconds isn't really a chemistry builder.
g00n
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- Nov 22, 2007
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Trotz kept basically the same lines all last season and they stagnated.
It's mostly mental. They all have the skills and they can all adapt to play on just about any line for short periods of time.
txpd
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I guess I don't understand the complaints about line changes for the bottom six. Eller has not gotten out of the gate at all and we are 20 games in. He clearly has been effected by an injury he has tried to play thru that resulted in it going public, but with that you would expect that they would be moving some pieces around to find some chemistry for him.
Last night Beagle had the unestablished rookie and the spare forward on his wings. Eller had Winnik and Wilson and from what I saw they had some good possession and some solid scoring chances. They need some finish.
Last night Beagle had the unestablished rookie and the spare forward on his wings. Eller had Winnik and Wilson and from what I saw they had some good possession and some solid scoring chances. They need some finish.
ovikovy817
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Good game, but the ending was very meh.
We have the best PCT in the Metro, but playing not well
We have the best PCT in the Metro, but playing not well
twabby
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- Mar 9, 2010
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I don't know that the bottom six line combinations are bad. It's just that the talent is lacking. Langway mentioned it earlier but the team looks like it has two 4th lines instead of a top 9 and a 4th line. Wilson, Winnik, Sanford, and Connolly are all 4th liners at best on a contender, some are healthy scratches. Eller and Beagle are 3rd/4th liners on contenders. Their insistence on keeping Winnik and overpaying Wilson led them to be unable to sign anyone but a bargain basement winger (Connolly) to bolster their depth.
trick9
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- Jun 2, 2013
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That's not an issue when fully healthy (Oshie), but for now it is an issue. 3rd line would still be good if it had one of Johansson or Oshie carrying it. It would also be fine if they got better performances from Lars Eller. Now that they are all underachieving (besides Beagle), it's looking pretty bad.
Plenty of time to pick it up though.
txpd
Registered User
Beagle and Eller are both 3rd line level centers. Eller is not playing to form. This is an area of strength for this team. Not weakness. Connolly is a spare playing with as an injury fill in.
The weak spot really is Sanford and the Oshie injury. With Oshie in one of Johansson, Burakovsky or Williams is no the 3rd line. Assuming Burt and Williams start scoring, the 3rd line is fine with a TDL acquisition to fill Sanford's spot(unless Wilson starts to finish).
Oshie out and 65 and 14 struggling makes things look a lot worse
The weak spot really is Sanford and the Oshie injury. With Oshie in one of Johansson, Burakovsky or Williams is no the 3rd line. Assuming Burt and Williams start scoring, the 3rd line is fine with a TDL acquisition to fill Sanford's spot(unless Wilson starts to finish).
Oshie out and 65 and 14 struggling makes things look a lot worse
Carey isn't any good either. I wasn't thrilled with him.
Time to end the Sanford experiment, and send him down. Walker or Vrana (cap willing) or both. Send down Connolly too.
twabby
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The problem is the Capitals had plenty of cap space to adequately address the wing position in the offseason, but instead foolishly overpaid Wilson by $500k. $500k more in cap space could have yielded Versteeg, Parenteau, Stempniak, etc. instead of Connolly. Wilson is not a $2M forward in the NHL and he's not snakebit. He just doesn't create anything (worst points/60 on the team, second worst shots/60 amongst forwards on the team, behind another grossly overpaid forward in Winnik).
There's nothing wrong with giving guys like Sanford or Vrana a shot to see if they can produce at an NHL level, but they are the furthest thing from sure things while guys like the ones I mentioned have proven year after year to produce at good clips.
There's nothing wrong with giving guys like Sanford or Vrana a shot to see if they can produce at an NHL level, but they are the furthest thing from sure things while guys like the ones I mentioned have proven year after year to produce at good clips.
Ovechkins Wodka
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Langway
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Eller struggling is mostly what makes it look worse. I'm guessing when healthy they'll give him an extended opportunity at 3C, perhaps with Williams as was the initial plan. But there's no LW that can carry that line enough based on what we've seen from those two without weakening a higher line since Johansson deserves top six minutes. They might as well try Vrana there eventually but he's going to have a learning curve. I don't doubt Beagle eventually will be the 3C in a must-win type scenario. The only thing Eller has managed to do well is put up solid possession stats despite mostly being an offensive passenger. I'm not sure the coaching staff will value that over Mr. Lovable when it matters.
It's also not clear the coaching staff values gearing the third line or the bottom six overall toward being more dangerous offensively. Certainly they're not going to sacrifice their precious structure in order to make it an urgent priority. They're being very patient with a lot of their depth forwards and will likely continue to be until the end result dictates otherwise. I'd venture that's the reality when it comes to making essentially any changes or improvements. As long as the end result is tolerable they will largely skim through the regular season just as they have in each of Trotz's seasons so far.
Parenteau blows. Versteeg seems a terrible teammate.
Either way, it's done. Let it go twabby. We all know your feelings on Wilson and his salary.
Burakovsky need to score, as does Williams. Caps biggest problem is their own guys performance, not a bunch of has been players that were missed. Vrana and Stepehson or Walker could be equated to the Pens youth from last year. They need a shot here, not some one dimensional winger like PAP
And as I've stated a few times now,I'd deal Bura and Winnik for Hanzal and Vrbata.
troyerlaw
Life is party again
txpd
Registered User
Don't forget Orpik
Versteeg has scored a goal in one game this season. Parenteau is goalless and -5 in his last 7. Stempniak hasn't scored a goal in the last 13 games he has played. Not sure where any of these guys are better than what the Caps already have.
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