Post-Game Talk: Champs vs Fishsticks: The Return of the Trotz | 1/18/19 | 7:30p

[VaCaps Fan]

Well beagle is actually worth a damn as a hockey player and face off specialist. Plus Stanley cup champion!

 

[Bladerunner]

The overreaction here is quite comical

I don't think the way the Caps are playing is comical. Another c-word applies - their play is causing concern.

Few if any here are suggesting the Caps will miss the playoffs. However I think some are making excuses due to being SC champs. Look at Pitt after their slow start. Their fans were all over the team and Sully. They weren't, well we've recently won b2b SCs, ehh they'll make the playoffs. Pitt is now 2 pts back of Metro 1st.

We'll see soon enough. Three in four days coming up, two vs. top teams. They could easily go 0-2-1 if they don't pick up their play.

 

[maacoshark]

Brutal. They don't need a single player of that age and with that contract.

We do need a faceoff man though. We are the worst on faceoffs in league. Tough to play the game when you dont have the puck.

 

[DrewGl]

I'm not sure I'd call it the cheap route. They went with a guy who they thought was ready when the incumbent coach decided he wasn't going to honor the contract he signed.

I think they could have renegotiated that contract after the Cup win. Seems to me Ted and company were not willing to budge.

 

[twabby]

It turns out the key to the Capitals has been this guy:

Won a Cup with him in his first year on the big club, and look disjointed with him out of the lineup this year.

 

[txpd]

Reminder. Last season the Caps a bad streak long enough to it's been reported the team was 1 lose away from firing Trotz.

I didn't see the game last night but the recent barrage of goals against came to a halt. That remains the foundation of their game. This is the logical first step back.

 

[maacoshark]

I don't think the way the Caps are playing is comical. Another c-word applies - their play is causing concern.

Few if any here are suggesting the Caps will miss the playoffs. However I think some are making excuses due to being SC champs. Look at Pitt after their slow start. Their fans were all over the team and Sully. They weren't, well we've recently won b2b SCs, ehh they'll make the playoffs. Pitt is now 2 pts back of Metro 1st.

We'll see soon enough. Three in four days coming up, two vs. top teams. They could easily go 0-2-1 if they don't pick up their play.

No one is saying the Caps will miss the playoffs but the possibility is there. The 9th seed is only 5 points back. Luckily the Sabres lost lastnight. We are also lucky the Sabres gave been in a free fall.
Right now it's so close other than Tampa. 2 points separating the next 7 teams. It is quite possible that one of those 7 teams gets bumped.

 

[txpd]

I think they could have renegotiated that contract after the Cup win. Seems to me Ted and company were not willing to budge.

Seems to me. We have NO idea what really happened there. MacLellan comments indicated a willingness to work on it. I saw definate signals that Trotz was offended at having to work out that entire season without an extension. Remember, he told Torts after round one that he was out.

We know nothing about the inner workings of that and 90% of it was inside

 

[kicksavedave]

Seems to me. We have NO idea what really happened there. MacLellan comments indicated a willingness to work on it. I saw definate signals that Trotz was offended at having to work out that entire season without an extension. Remember, he told Torts after round one that he was out.

We know nothing about the inner workings of that and 90% of it was inside

Exactly this. We don't know the Caps offer, if there even was one or not, or if Barry just told them "thanks but I'm out" and merely waited the two weeks to not disrupt the euphoria of the Fountains. We don't know what the whole dynamic was. We likely never will really know.

But what is much more knowable is that if BT had stayed, when the Caps hit their inevitable mid season slump, there would be posters here calling for his head. People would be saying things like "we only won the Cup because of Reirdens schemes" or things like "we got lucky once but the team had tuned Barry out again."

Some people just can't be patient and let things work themselves out. I'm glad that Ted and Brian aren't like that...

 

[SpringfieldSkins]

I think that I’ve seen enough of Ovie Backstrom Wilson. Need to break that one up, stat. At least Kuzy will shoot the puck. We need to start scoring goals again and that’s one thing that I’ve seen change for the negative over this skid, is the persistence of playing Backstrom over Kuznetsov.

 

[maacoshark]

Seems to me. We have NO idea what really happened there. MacLellan comments indicated a willingness to work on it. I saw definate signals that Trotz was offended at having to work out that entire season without an extension. Remember, he told Torts after round one that he was out.

We know nothing about the inner workings of that and 90% of it was inside

But we do know something. We know that the Caps blocked teams from talking to Reirden a year before we promoted him. Makes it pretty clear that the Caps either intended on firing him or letting his contract run out at the end of last season. They chose the latter and it may have backfired on them because of a clause in his contract. Trotz did what was right for Trotz. He knew the writing was on the wall. After everything he had done with this team, twice last season the Caps were going to fire him if they had lost those particular games. We ended up winning both. I know one if the games was the game in San Jose. Can't remember the other game. Trotz had a great run in DC. His record with us was sick. In 4 seasons with the Caps he won 3 division titles, 2 presidents trophy's, a Jack Adams and a Stanley Cup. And that isn't enough? After what he accomplished here you would think the Caps would give him what he wants. It seemed like their attitude was the same as many fans here. We won our cup so it doesnt matter what happens now.
In my opinion if Trotz stayed he would have been fired within the first couple months of the season. The Caps wanted Reirden.
What do you think would have happened if he stayed.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I think that I’ve seen enough of Ovie Backstrom Wilson. Need to break that one up, stat. At least Kuzy will shoot the puck. We need to start scoring goals again and that’s one thing that I’ve seen change for the negative over this skid, is the persistence of playing Backstrom over Kuznetsov.

Coasting Kuzy? You’re surprised he’s #2 when he’s coasting most of the games?

 

[Melkor]

We do need a faceoff man though. We are the worst on faceoffs in league. Tough to play the game when you dont have the puck.

We do. But not for 3 and a half millions a year.

I think that I’ve seen enough of Ovie Backstrom Wilson. Need to break that one up, stat. At least Kuzy will shoot the puck. We need to start scoring goals again and that’s one thing that I’ve seen change for the negative over this skid, is the persistence of playing Backstrom over Kuznetsov.

Kuzy is useless in the defensive zone. Ovechkin is kinda same. Having that kind of two slumping offensive players on the same line is a recipe for disaster at the moment.

 

[maacoshark]

I think that I’ve seen enough of Ovie Backstrom Wilson. Need to break that one up, stat. At least Kuzy will shoot the puck. We need to start scoring goals again and that’s one thing that I’ve seen change for the negative over this skid, is the persistence of playing Backstrom over Kuznetsov.

Not sure why that is a big concern for you. The change was made because Ovi Kuzy and Wilson were doing absolutely nothing. Putting Backstrom n that line wasnt better or worse.
No offense but Kuzy has been one of the biggest issues with this team. He is making poor decisions, playing lazy and he might be the worst faceoff man in the entire league.
Its not just a player or 2 struggling. Its pretty much the entire team. And it is in both ends if the ice.
Teams are standing up at the blue line against us and we still try to carry the puck into the zone. We need to dump the puck in. Problem is that we dont have many guys that are good at retrieving the puck. We need more grinders in this team. Guys like Wilson. We try to get too cute instead of making the right play.
We are brutal defensively as well and most of that actually starts in the offensive zone. Our transition to defence us the worst Ive seen here in a long time. We are giving up way too many odd man rushes. Because we aren't playing with structure. When a dman pinches to keep a puck in some one needs to cover for him. We get burnt on that several times every game. I also think Reirden has our dmen being a bit too aggressive pinching. Too many times a dman has pinched when he should have backed off. It seems that 90% of the time the dman will try to hold the line. I think this has really exposed Niskanen this year. He looks so much slower this year. I think its time Niskanen starts playing more like Orpik.
We also dont clog up the neutral zone enough. Teams are entering our end too easily. Most of that is on our forwards not getting back quick enough.
And our defensive zone coverage is pretty soft. We get caught watching the play way too often. We also dont win enough board battles.
And something that is killing us that a lot if people dont think is important is faceoffs. We are the worst in the league. Its harder to create anything positive when you are always chasing the puck.
Our goaltending has been inconsistent but its still probably the best part of our game right now.
Goaltending has kept us in a lot of games.
With every part of our game struggling and with the talent we have you can only point bat coaching.
This is probably Reirdens first big test. He needs to make some adjustments very soon. When we were winning games this season, we were only winning because we had more talent.

 

[maacoshark]

We do. But not for 3 and a half millions a year.

Kuzy is useless in the defensive zone. Ovechkin is kinda same. Having that kind of two slumping offensive players on the same line is a recipe for disaster at the moment.

I can agree with that. I like Beagle but he doesnt bring enough to warrant his salary.

 

[Bananas]

Post-game GDT therapy sessions are back.