GDT: Caps vs Canadiens 7pm Apr 6

[PlushMinus]

So an emotional response. Similar one to what we have with Mantha now.

My feeling was that Samsonov had to be let go because his r/ship with his team mates had been damaged beyond repair. He had plenty of opportunities to redeem himself but he would make bad mistakes and allow soft goals and it seemed like the rest of the team were thinking "oh f*** he's blown it again". Samsonov's confidence was totally shot.

So I think there was no way back for Samsonov (with the Caps) so they cut him loose. It is interesting that he's had a decent season with Toronto (apparently his underlying stats aren't great, however), but I think this also points to how damaged his r/ship with the Caps players / coach / org was.

Others have suggested it's the goalie coaching but I don't have the "eye test" skills to tell if his style of goaltending etc has changed in Toronto.

I think they could have kept Vanacek as a backup - THAT definitely felt like an emotional decision and some kind of "house cleaning" exercise. For me it's been nice to see Vanacek playing well in New Jersey. Again, his numbers aren't fantastic but he benefits from a team that can (and does) easily outscore the opposition, and that also plays pretty good defence. So his save percentage is (only just) lower than Kuemper's but his goals against is better and he has 31 wins.

I also think Ovie has a bigger voice than a lot of people here like to admit. And his r/ship with Samsonov in particular seemed to have deteriorated big time. And he's the captain, so I could easily picture a scenario where he had a say in the decision to not re-sign Samsonov. Again, because of locker room friction and a complete breakdown in the ability to trust him in goal.

 

[Marshall]

Red Tank runs on sadness.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Had beer league tonight so I didn’t watch a single minute. 0 points, onto the next.

 

[Capsman]

Rant on brother - there was always going to be a peak and a descent. But it didn’t have to be like this. The whole emphasis on THE CHASE is inherently stunting for the organization. And if you’re stunting growth in this league, you’re regressing. The refusal to grapple with the realities of aging, physical decline, skill drop-off, and the failure to adapt to changes in the game produce outcomes like this.

On the bright side, the commitment to tankage is the highlight of the Caps in 2023

I’m perplexed by fans who place OV’s record above the good of the team. I’m even more perplexed by the team thinking it’s a priority for fans. Yes OV’s a great player but if McDavid or Matthews sniff OV’s goal record with their superior 2-way games (and McDavid’s way higher point totals) OV’s record means less in my view. I just don’t see it as big of a deal as some.

 

[usiel]

Red Tank runs on sadness.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

….rooting for the loss, then bitching about losing…never change you 4-5 fans. You’re nothing if not comical.

And no….Matthews and McJebus won’t sniff 800 goals. Book it.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

I’m perplexed by fans who place OV’s record above the good of the team. I’m even more perplexed by the team thinking it’s a priority for fans. Yes OV’s a great player but if McDavid or Matthews sniff OV’s goal record with their superior 2-way games (and McDavid’s way higher point totals) OV’s record means less in my view. I just don’t see it as big of a deal as some.

I'm team first but Ovy breaking the record puts the Cap's in the record book with him. Some of us thought guys like Gartner and Bondra were special guys, however Ovy is an NHL legend and his legacy reflects the franchise. Not his fault slackers on this team let the team down and prior GM wasted his prime on fringe guys. Future NHL players and UFAs notice this kind of stuff. I'm not bashing you, I get it. There will never be a record like in our lifetime.

 

[ovikovy817]

If not the month of December we would be in solid place for the Connor Battle

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

They are hard to watch now. I love Ovie and want to see the record as much as anyone. He can get it without us keeping his boys around dragging the team down. Backy is so bad its sad, glad he came back from his hip but he has to know how bad hes playing.

 

[Corby78]

two shorties given up = strong tank effort.

 

[g00n]

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Ovechkin is not the problem. The problem is the players they are surrounding him with.

 

[Misery74]

….rooting for the loss, then bitching about losing…never change you 4-5 fans. You’re nothing if not comical.

And no….Matthews and McJebus won’t sniff 800 goals. Book it.

No one is rooting for losses. The losses are inevitable with this coaching staff.

McDavid has a chance at every scoring record imaginable.

 

[Ridley Simon]

No one is rooting for losses. The losses are inevitable with this coaching staff.

McDavid has a chance at every scoring record imaginable.

No. He doesn’t. I mean everyone has a chance at everything. Sure. But let not get ahead of ourselves

 

[Caps8112]

I'm rooting for zero wins. Get a better pick. Can't belive how many posters believe the ovi chase has anything to do with how bad they are. It is a professional team based on making money based on winning. Sure they are going to root for ovi and give him opportunities but to say they are keeping his boys around to do it is just silly. If it were up to management they would have retired Backstrom, traded kuzy and anyone else that makes the team better. The wheels just totally fell off this year with am aging injury prone core. It's too bad december happened.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

No one is rooting for losses. The losses are inevitable with this coaching staff.

McDavid has a chance at every scoring record imaginable.

Bwahahahahahaha….

No. He doesn’t. I mean everyone has a chance at everything. Sure. But let not get ahead of ourselves

Nooooo….McJebus just had a great goal scoring year finally…..so he’s totally going to do it. /eye roll

 

[Misery74]

Bwahahahahahaha….



Nooooo….McJebus just had a great goal scoring year finally…..so he’s totally going to do it. /eye roll

I didn’t say he was going to do it. I said he has a chance. You said he has no chance at 800. How you could possibly know that is beyond me.

Actually, a lot of what you post is beyond me.

 

[AZ Caps Fan]

The red tank posts are stupid.

 

[YippieKaey]

What does everyone expect when the Caps haven't gone out & acquired another goal scorer the entire time Ovi has been in the franchise! Did anyone expect the Caps to win lots of cups with a couple of passers & only 1 finisher on the entire roster since what the 2010-2011 season?

I mean:

Vrana
Bura
Mantha (in theory)
Oshie (if not injured).

 

[YippieKaey]

I’m perplexed by fans who place OV’s record above the good of the team. I’m even more perplexed by the team thinking it’s a priority for fans. Yes OV’s a great player but if McDavid or Matthews sniff OV’s goal record with their superior 2-way games (and McDavid’s way higher point totals) OV’s record means less in my view. I just don’t see it as big of a deal as some.

Yeah Mcdavid and Matthews won't be getting 800. They're already behind the curve.

 

[Calicaps]

So Ovie's on track to break an unbreakable record, and it's no big deal because every good player in the league is gonna do it too. Got it.

 

[Silky mitts]

Yeah Mcdavid and Matthews won't be getting 800. They're already behind the curve.

McDavid is 26 and 84 days and has 301 goals. Ovy was 26 and 27 days when he hit 302. So 57+ days behind the curve.
Matthews has 297 and is 25 and 202 days, will likely hit 302 at a younger age than McDavid.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Just lose baby.

And those of you who think Matthews and McDavid have a chance...lol.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Rant on brother - there was always going to be a peak and a descent. But it didn’t have to be like this. The whole emphasis on THE CHASE is inherently stunting for the organization. And if you’re stunting growth in this league, you’re regressing. The refusal to grapple with the realities of aging, physical decline, skill drop-off, and the failure to adapt to changes in the game produce outcomes like this.

On the bright side, the commitment to tankage is the highlight of the Caps in 2023

This is such an odd take that’s really grounded in nothing. Please give me examples as to how the team is building around only wanting to get Ovi the record and not wanting to win. The front office has said they made a commitment to Ovi not to do a full rebuild while he’s still playing — is that what you’re referring to?

Otherwise I’m perplexed when people think the team is somehow making moves to let Ovi score more at the expense of trying to win. The only thing I can think of is people interpreting them not doing a full tear down while Ovi is still playing as prioritizing Ovi scoring over winning. If that’s not your take please tell me how a skill drop off in the team helps Ovi but hurts the team. Tell me how players aging around him and regressing helps him but hurts the team. Making the team better helps Ovi and helps the organization try to compete and win. I fundamentally don’t understand how making the team worse helps Ovechkin catch Gretzky so I really want to hear about the moves the team is making to prioritize Ovi scoring over winning. Explain it to me like I’m five because these takes make zero sense.

 

[Calicaps]

This is such an odd take that’s really grounded in nothing. Please give me examples as to how the team is building around only wanting to get Ovi the record and not wanting to win. The front office has said they made a commitment to Ovi not to do a full rebuild while he’s still playing — is that what you’re referring to?

Otherwise I’m perplexed when people think the team is somehow making moves to let Ovi score more at the expense of trying to win. The only thing I can think of is people interpreting them not doing a full tear down while Ovi is still playing as prioritizing Ovi scoring over winning. If that’s not your take please tell me how a skill drop off in the team helps Ovi but hurts the team. Tell me how players aging around him and regressing helps him but hurts the team. Making the team better helps Ovi and helps the organization try to compete and win. I fundamentally don’t understand how making the team worse helps Ovechkin catch Gretzky so I really want to hear about the moves the team is making to prioritize Ovi scoring over winning. Explain it to me like I’m five because these takes make zero sense.

The crux of it appears to be... they haven't fixed it all RIGHT NOW. Therefore they're not going to fix anything. Therefore, they must be trying to gaslight us fans by focusing on Ovi's chase... which posters also now seem to believe is unspecial and will be duplicated by the two flavors of the day in short order.