Post-Game Talk: Caps Isles 700

[RaindanceMaggie]

I'm not saying Trotz has to go, but can we get a ****ing coach whose going to play to the teams STRENGTHS. We have one of the most skilled and offensively talented rosters in the league and yet we play one of the most conservative, nonchalant play styles out there. Our Roster isn't much different than Pittsburgh yet they look 10X faster night in, night out. Something needs to change or this team won't have a chance come April.

 

[RandyHolt]

Bingo.

The league seems in transition from "defense wins cups" to a modern system that is built around the modern game; taking advantage of all the rule changes including stretch passes, coupled with the elimination of slow players and basically physical play altogether has led us to where we are today.

Clean games, tons of skating with nary a whistle, generally limited scoring, and an easy path to a loser point almost any night a team wants. I think the overall skill level of players has largely unchanged over the decades; but instead of offense they learn defense. And, what little offense there is, now has to be done at top speed every single shift. But most all young players are defensively responsible and can skate. That is the league now.

The league has changed a TON even since Bruce was being told that he needed to win the right way. Dare I think someone may need to tell Trotz to do the same. We clearly have the horses to compete in the modern game, and to play fast. I don't see it as a priority to Barry, which should surprise few as an old school guy.

The real kick in the jimmies was that our PP FINALLY dominated last playoffs, and we still choked. Proof almost that the PP will never win this system the cup.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

The real kick in the jimmies was that our PP FINALLY dominated last playoffs, and we still choked. Proof almost that the PP will never win this system the cup.

It did dominate... for the first 3 games against Philadelphia. The Flyers played completely passively on the PK, instead of aggressively, and it killed their chances. After those first 3 games, the Capitals went 15% on the PP, which would've had them 11th out of 16 teams. Not very good.

 

[txpd]

Each guy on the pair has a role. One guy can't be free to roam offensively without a capable steady defensive partner he KNOWS is going to cover for him..

Not sure what is old school or outdated about this above which was my point. Tom Poti was a puck mover offensive player that slowed down and morphed into a good stay at home. He had better hands than the pylons in the old style league. But, he was a stay at home. His role was defending and stability

 

[MrGone]

I am not sure how to fix this mess. I am sure I dont want to roll the dice on a big deal for Kuza. I tend to think the window is a lot closer to be closed than most people. I believe this from looking at it from a cap stand point.

I would really think about moving Kuza. We could get a kings ransom for him. This team does not have time for him to find his game. If he is not rolling full speed by mid-season I would move him. The last thing I want is to hold onto another “Hero†until he is a zero. Sell high and fill some gaps. If this team is going to rebuild like the Sharks did with their stars being a little older. They will need a few young guy that out play there contracts. Like we all hoped Bura and Willison would have done.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

This is the case with every coaching change. I don't think that particular fear is enough to rule out making a move. It's the same "maybe the next guy will be worse" thing some said for years under GMGM.

If we're going with evidence instead of thinking our way through things, then what evidence is there that Trotz can win a Cup with any roster? If anything there's a lot of evidence that he can't get out of the 2nd round, and is coaching a franchise with pretty much the same problem.

But again, it's about more than just certainty vs uncertainty. I think we all know that. It's just time for us to smash our fists into our keyboards because it's better than doing nothing and being bored like the first month of the season.

I'm not the one who first trotted out the term "evidence" I simply responded in kind.

The Organization knows it has a coach that should get them to the playoffs in relatively decent position. There's a pretty good certainty in that. Rolling the dice firing the coach when things just aren't that bad yet is a bad business decision today.

If they nosedive and lose 10 straight and fall out of a playoff spot, then you consider it sure. Right now I would hope Management is working closely with the coaching staff, discussing the issues we all see.

With all the handwringing around here about system issues and incompatibility, it would be interesting to know if that's even an area of great concern at the GM level.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Not sure what is old school or outdated about this above which was my point. Tom Poti was a puck mover offensive player that slowed down and morphed into a good stay at home. He had better hands than the pylons in the old style league. But, he was a stay at home. His role was defending and stability

What's outdated is the concept that it's still always desirable by NHL teams to have two guys like that paired up.

Every team would love to have 3 capable pairs of Keith/Seabrook-type skill set players (all good skaters, puck handlers and more than capable defenders, not those specific guys). In the past, guys who were bigger and not that fleet of foot became the stay at home D. Those guys are slowly diasappearing from the league IMO. I bet there are still plenty of old school Execs who like that pairing type, but the league overall seems to be shifting away from it IMO.

Totally agree on Poti, injuries and age made him the stay at home guy in that pair.

 

[g00n]

I'm not the one who first trotted out the term "evidence" I simply responded in kind.

The Organization knows it has a coach that should get them to the playoffs in relatively decent position. There's a pretty good certainty in that. Rolling the dice firing the coach when things just aren't that bad yet is a bad business decision today.

If they nosedive and lose 10 straight and fall out of a playoff spot, then you consider it sure. Right now I would hope Management is working closely with the coaching staff, discussing the issues we all see.

With all the handwringing around here about system issues and incompatibility, it would be interesting to know if that's even an area of great concern at the GM level.

If your goal is to win a Cup--particularly in a "window" like Ovechkin's career--then it's a big risk to have a guy that can't seem to get it done. Considering about half the teams in the league make the playoffs, I don't think just getting there should be the main concern. NOT getting there is often enough to get a guy fired, but most teams only give coaches so many chances to go deeper before trying something else.

Regarding the handwringing (lol) about system, yes gmbm made comments right after the playoff loss to Pittsburgh last year regarding disappointment with the system and not playing the right way. It was discussed here as possibly being an issue between Trotz and gmbm. If the guy running the restaurant and buying the groceries tells the cook he's making the wrong dishes, then there's a problem.