Post-Game Talk: Caps @ Stars, 8:30PM

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hb12xchamps

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There's enough dmen in Hershey that could step in as 7/8, but I don't think you would want to give them regular time and expect success. Lucas Johansen has progressed well this season and has gotten better each game that I've seen him play, but I can't see the Caps having Djoos, Bowey and Johansen/Lewington/Siegenthaler/Hobbs on the back end if they have any thoughts of making it out of the 2nd round. Plus, Hobbs isn't playing yet since he suffered his arm injury. He's expected to get back into a game this week but I wouldn't count on him being an effective call up.

I would expect the Caps to have Ness as the first call up option followed by Johansen/Lewington depending on LD/RD need and then Siegenthaler, Williams, Hobbs in that order.

The only forward that makes sense for them to move would be DSP but he alone isn't going to be worth a whole lot coming back. Maybe another UFA D? I just wouldn't trust that many rookies on D because Trotz and co can't shelter all of them.
 

Ridley Simon

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The issue is subtracting from the top nine (or the backup) in favor of insurance on D just in case. D depth is important but not to that extent, esp. if regulars are performing well. I could see it if there was a performance issue but short of that or an injury the likes of Johansen, Siegethaler, Hobbs and Lewington could also be of some help. System familiarity alone can be helpful and any 7/8 acquired when healthy will have to gain that based mainly on video and practice. That's tough and not something I'd go out of the way to address beyond a DSP/Graovac type deal and maybe a small future (again, unless there's an issue). If you're giving up a 65 or 10 it should be for an outright upgrade over Bowey and someone that could be fringe top four quality.

Any moves can wait, though. The next couple months should be about settling into form, developing and re-assessing. The division seems wide open but it's hard to single out glaring roster deficiencies. For me it's the Beagle and Chiasson spots in terms of pace and speed 5-on-5 but as trusted PKers I'm not sure that happens. Everything else is more contingent on development and gaining further cohesion.

I think Stephenson and even Boyd have be speed and smarts to play top 9 as complimentary players. Hell, even Chiasson didn't look completely out of place. Kuznetsov is looking to be the kind of player that can carry a line. He just needs wingers that can keep up.

Connolly disappeared last playoffs. Gonzo. Maybe it was an aberration? I am not counting on him.

Do we really want Chorney and or Ness to decide our fates?

Connolly and Grubauer are 2 easiest to target salary slots where they could add a D-man that can actually play top 6D, and possibly even supplant Bowey. I think it's a need.
 

Sam Spade

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There will be a D injury in the playoffs. There always is. We cant assume that the current group wont get dinged (we've already lost Niskanen for a spell...both Orpik and to a lesser degree Carlson have missed time due to injuries over the past few years. Djoos and Bowey are both new to the rigors of an 82gm NHL season....and Djoos is slight. So that leaves Orlov?).

Well Bowey had the achilles thing so missed time but Djoos played 83 and 78 games the last two seasons, so hopefully he is able to handle it.
 

maacoshark

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I think Stephenson and even Boyd have be speed and smarts to play top 9 as complimentary players. Hell, even Chiasson didn't look completely out of place. Kuznetsov is looking to be the kind of player that can carry a line. He just needs wingers that can keep up.

Connolly disappeared last playoffs. Gonzo. Maybe it was an aberration? I am not counting on him.

Do we really want Chorney and or Ness to decide our fates?

Connolly and Grubauer are 2 easiest to target salary slots where they could add a D-man that can actually play top 6D, and possibly even supplant Bowey. I think it's a need.
If we are looking for a rental defence man, it is possible Hamhuis could end up being available. He is older but still a pretty solid dman.
 

CapitalsCupReality

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I’ll take a depth D for a late pick, not for Burky or Bowey. If the Caps fates come down to Chorney or Ness, a whole bunch of much better players already pooped the bed.

I sure hope they’re shopping Grubby...an upgrade out of his return and salary would be nice.
 
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Raikkonen

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Hamhuis? Trotz connection strikes back? Interesting idea.

2nd round exit!!! Sold.

PS: Kinda expensive for Caps. No space for him.
 

maacoshark

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I’ll take a depth D for a late pick, not for Burky or Bowey. If the Caps fates come down to Chorney or Ness, a whole bunch of much better players already pooped the bed.

I sure hope they’re shopping Grubby...an upgrade out of his return and salary would be nice.
I'd like them to shop Grubauer as well but I'm not sure how much value he has. I can't see us getting much for just Grubauer.
 

txpd

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Shopping Grubauer doesn't make a lot of sense for a team that has aspirations. They have a Vezina caliber starter but he is one guy. If a D goes down the Caps have other defensemen that have a track record in the league on their team. Grubauer has playoff starts. The team is comfortable playing in front of him. I wouldn't mess with that. Its too risky
 

hb12xchamps

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Shopping Grubauer doesn't make a lot of sense for a team that has aspirations. They have a Vezina caliber starter but he is one guy. If a D goes down the Caps have other defensemen that have a track record in the league on their team. Grubauer has playoff starts. The team is comfortable playing in front of him. I wouldn't mess with that. Its too risky
To add on to this thought. Copley's play has been less than stellar lately. His confidence is way down and Vanecek has steadily outplayed him. If Holtby goes down I wouldn't feel comfortable with one of those two to step in and be on Grubauer's level. We would definitely need to find a veteran backup G if Grubauer is moved in season.
 

twabby

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Grubauer seems like a much better candidate to shop in the offseason. Looking through the list of potential playoff teams this season barring injury I don't really see any teams that would need a goaltender besides maybe NYI and I doubt Washington trades in division, especially since they could meet in the playoffs this postseason.

And yeah like txpd said it's important to have a goalie who can step in and play decent hockey, even if Holtby has been healthy throughout his NHL career and it's somewhat unlikely Grubauer will need to be called upon.
 

maacoshark

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Grubauer seems like a much better candidate to shop in the offseason. Looking through the list of potential playoff teams this season barring injury I don't really see any teams that would need a goaltender besides maybe NYI and I doubt Washington trades in division, especially since they could meet in the playoffs this postseason.

And yeah like txpd said it's important to have a goalie who can step in and play decent hockey, even if Holtby has been healthy throughout his NHL career and it's somewhat unlikely Grubauer will need to be called upon.
We can't shop him in the off season. He will be a free agent. In my opinion we should stop him now and bring Copley up and get him some time with the big club. If not then we just stick with Grubauer and let him walk after the season is over.
 

maacoshark

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To add on to this thought. Copley's play has been less than stellar lately. His confidence is way down and Vanecek has steadily outplayed him. If Holtby goes down I wouldn't feel comfortable with one of those two to step in and be on Grubauer's level. We would definitely need to find a veteran backup G if Grubauer is moved in season.
Grubauer will be a free agent after the season so he will more than likely be gone. In all honesty I don't have a lot if faith in Grubauer. He put up good numbers in a backup role on the top defensive team in the league in limited action. We should have traded him before this season started.
 
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twabby

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We can't shop him in the off season. He will be a free agent. In my opinion we should stop him now and bring Copley up and get him some time with the big club. If not then we just stick with Grubauer and let him walk after the season is over.

He's an RFA, not a UFA, so he'll still be under team-control. Yes he has arbitration rights but he shouldn't command much of a salary increase given his relatively small number of games played. If they want to move him they should be able to do so relatively easily.
 

maacoshark

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He's an RFA, not a UFA, so he'll still be under team-control. Yes he has arbitration rights but he shouldn't command much of a salary increase given his relatively small number of games played. If they want to move him they should be able to do so relatively easily.
For some reason I thought he was a UFA.
 

CapitalsCupReality

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This team doesn't need a depth defenseman. They have plenty of depth defensemen already. If they're going got acquire a defenseman, it needs to be one that slots high enough in the line-up to push the depth defensemen into the role they should be playing.

This is fantasy...they're not overpaying for that guy this year after Shattenkirk. By depth D I meant bottom pair....a relatively cheap guy.

I'm also not worried about the backup in a playoff run. Talk about sweating the minutia. Let's worry about primary concerns, not secondary ones that probably won't even materialize.
 

hb12xchamps

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Grubauer will be a free agent after the season so he will more than likely be gone. In all honesty I don't have a lot if faith in Grubauer. He put up good numbers in a backup role on the top defensive team in the league in limited action. We should have traded him before this season started.
The organization made it pretty clear that Grubauer will eventually be moved by giving Copley a 1-way deal next season. Last offseason hurt our chances to move him because of the expansion draft and all the trades leading up to it. This offseason he should be a hot commodity for a team looking for goaltending help. Why wouldn't a team take a chance on him?
 

CapitalsCupReality

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I’m concerned he’s not that well regarded around the league. He’s not stealing games when he gets his limited chances. He’s not playing phenomenal. I hope they can entice someone into a trade, but today I feel like the return will be underwhelming if it does happen eventually. Hope I’m wrong.
 

Ridley Simon

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Shopping Grubauer doesn't make a lot of sense for a team that has aspirations. They have a Vezina caliber starter but he is one guy. If a D goes down the Caps have other defensemen that have a track record in the league on their team. Grubauer has playoff starts. The team is comfortable playing in front of him. I wouldn't mess with that. Its too risky

Meh. If Holtby goes down, the Cup aspirations goes down with him. Not a reason to keep Grubauer. We need to shed salary to better the Defense. So again, its either Grubs spot, or Connolly/Burakovsky's.

No chance to add an actual D-man unless we send out some salary
 

txpd

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I'm also not worried about the backup in a playoff run. Talk about sweating the minutia. Let's worry about primary concerns, not secondary ones that probably won't even materialize.

A couple of years ago the Caps lost game 1 in the first round v the Islanders. Holtby was off. Turned out he was sick and was unavailable for game 2. Grubauer was solid and the Caps won to even the series. When the games really count, just one of them can make the difference.

If Holtby misses a playoff game, I want Grubauer. Not Copley and not some veteran back up goalie. One game can make the difference. Its not minutia
 

CapitalsCupReality

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Again, you’re sweating a “could happen” scenario by raising this concern in protest of a trade. He's getting traded at some point...you should come to terms with it.

I know, I know...you're completely sold that mid-season trades can't happen.
 
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maacoshark

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The organization made it pretty clear that Grubauer will eventually be moved by giving Copley a 1-way deal next season. Last offseason hurt our chances to move him because of the expansion draft and all the trades leading up to it. This offseason he should be a hot commodity for a team looking for goaltending help. Why wouldn't a team take a chance on him?
I'm not sure if other teams are high on Grubauer. There is rumors that teams that are looking for goaltending are talking to the Sharks. Havent heard of anyone asking about Grubauer.
 

Ridley Simon

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Decent D at or near the deadline are rare. Have the Caps ever found one that worked out ok? Corvo and Shattenkirk sucked. Hannan was a failure. Lets not talk about Webber.

Why is it deadline? I'm not talking deadline. I'm talking ASAP.

And there are lots of D that have helped teams win it all. Look at Pens last 2 years? Corvo, Hannan....they have nothing to do with this team. Shattenkirk did, but that wasnt GMBM's fault. Webber was not brought into start....he had to play due to injury. You think Ness would do better?

Come on Tex....
 

maacoshark

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Shopping Grubauer doesn't make a lot of sense for a team that has aspirations. They have a Vezina caliber starter but he is one guy. If a D goes down the Caps have other defensemen that have a track record in the league on their team. Grubauer has playoff starts. The team is comfortable playing in front of him. I wouldn't mess with that. Its too risky
Grubauer doesn't have playoff starts. Pretty sure he has one career playoff start in a 4-3 win over the Islanders filling in for Holt by who had the flu. The odd thing is. At the time I think Peters was the backup and Grubauer was playing in the AHL. The Caps decided to call up Grubauer for the start because Grubauer had been seeing a lot of action in the AHL. Peters hadn't played a game in quite awhile. Peters was bad anyway.
 
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