Confirmed with Link: Jakub Jerabek for 2019 fifth round pick

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I do not share the optimism that these trades mean that Orpik is on his way out. Barry Trotz still coaches this team. Both Trotz and MacLellan have gone on record about Orpik's importance to this team. This seems much more like they're blaming the rookies on the defensive issues, and are going to end up pushing Djoos and Bowey out of the lineup.

This. I want to believe that they realize Orpik is killing them and that these moves spell the end of his time in DC, but Trotz gon' Trotz. Djoos and Bowey will sit for these guys and Orpik will still stink up the joint.

 

[Empty Goal Net]

"... he's a smart player. Anticipates the play well, makes good decisions with the puck."

If so, the average hockey IQ of the caps' D just went up.

 

[bur and 666 others]

I don't know anything about this guy, but it'll be sweet if he turns out in the same way as all other Montreal's Ds that have been traded.

 

[Mrb1p]

Jerabek is super smart, you'll like him.

Keep in mind he's a LD though, played some on the right but not that much, and its one of the reason he hasn't played much on the Habs, that and Julien/MB being Pejorative Slured.

I don't know who of Carlson or Niskanen do the heavy lifting but I'd guess he'd look really good next to the one who's the furthest away from that.

He's good defensively and has a really nice, active stick and he knows how to use his body to protect the puck and make good zone exits.

He does get outpowered though and at times he struggles with gap control. Can PK, can PP, can ES. He's great, but wasn't given his chance. Any defensively sound RD that needs a puck mover will thrive with him.

 

[Sam Spade]

They both sound better than Chorney, thats for sure.

I think they will deal Orpik and some significant assets to get one of the well known wingers that's available. Kane or Pacioretty. I feel it....

Orpik/Siegenthaler/Burakovsky/1st for Pacioretty

Bowey for Hjalmarsson.

Ovechkin - Kuznetsov - Wilson
Vrana - Backstrom - Pacioretty
Connolly - Eller - Oshie
Stephenson - Beagle - DSP
Chiasson

Orlov-Niskanen
Hjalmarsson - Carlson
Djoos - Jerabek
Kempny

Man if the Caps managed to pull off a move for Hjalmarsson I might actually start to believe.

 

[Mrb1p]

I don't know anything about this guy, but it'll be sweet if he turns out in the same way as all other Montreal's Ds that have been traded.

Touché

Just send them Orpik and they'll be happy

 

[Langway]

The combined comments from MacLellan to Vogel recently and re: Jerabek clearly signal a dissatisfaction with their zone exits and that being the motivation behind both deals. That's not exclusively a personnel problem but the biggest culprits are the third pair and, when in, Chorney. MacLellan's admission of how much the league has changed in four years also suggests a devaluation of what Orpik brings to the table. Whether they can actually get rid of him is another thing but it's hard not to read into these comments and two left shots being added and not wonder.

I don't at all believe Orpik is the only problem but I guess if you're the GM and the staff can't make improvements then better options could at least help. Either way, it suggests a certain wastefulness in their overall approach. Again, it isn't just the third pair that at fault. They've stuck out the most but it's team-wide issue.

 

[Capsman]

The combined comments from MacLellan to Vogel recently and re: Jerabek clearly signal a dissatisfaction with their zone exits and that being the motivation behind both deals. That's not exclusively a personnel problem but the biggest culprits are the third pair and, when in, Chorney. MacLellan's admission of how much the league has changed in four years also suggests a devaluation of what Orpik brings to the table. Whether they can actually get rid of him is another thing but it's hard not to read into these comments and two left shots being added and not wonder.

I don't at all believe Orpik is the only problem but I guess if you're the GM and the staff can't make improvements then better options could at least help. Either way, it suggests a certain wastefulness in their overall approach. Again, it isn't just the third pair that at fault. They've stuck out the most but it's team-wide issue.

Orpik has been a HUGE factor in not clearing the zone. With the young guys, playing them at the very least brings them experience and gets them that much closer to being every day 3-6 d-men. I think there's little to nothing Opik brings at this point. He's making rookie-type mistake himself.

 

[Sam Spade]

What if they role with:

Kempny - Carlson
Djoos - Niskanen
Orlov - Jerabek

Orlov/Nisky has been sucking lately so shake it all up and see how it plays out.

OR, get Hjalmmerson.

 

[Langway]

There are options. Sure. I don't know how you necessarily just mix it all up and not also get a fair amount of defensive breakdowns due to unfamiliarity in the process, though. That's the danger in trying to do too much too quickly, particularly if the messenger is also maybe losing his influence. It could be an opportunity for them to hit the reset button and very deliberately try to improve their breakouts but that's hard to do on the fly. It can be done but their widely varying collective effort level makes it a bit dicey to believe much of anything will fundamentally improve. The cost hasn't been prohibitive and it does give them options but it seems like their biggest issue more than anything is a lack of leadership. All these depth moves do is try to maybe dress that up to slightly more appeal. Maybe it also gets the attention of their better defenseman but without them leading the way it's hard to really believe that it's just a matter of finding the right elusive combinations.

They did need more skill level and sense than 44/22 but it's not like it's just been that pair that have been glaringly lazy. It's not like Djoos has been the problem either. It's a combination of tactics and just laziness. They can try to set a different standard maybe with players that can more easily execute what they want but it's hard to change that in late Feb. (and I'll be very curious how they manage the PK without 44 if he is subtracted).

 

[RandyHolt]

Good stuff @Langway - the young D are likely getting the fingers getting pointed at them the most, yet are the ones that need a real NHL grade breakout system to succeed.

If indeed Djoos and Bowey are failing (after years of doing fine as prospects), that tells me the fingers should be pointed at whoever is managing our defense and breakout system.

 

[traparatus]

All I know about two players we have traded for is that they exist and, when it comes to this Jerabek fella, I'm 50/50 on it.

 

[Ridley Simon]

There are options. Sure. I don't know how you necessarily just mix it all up and not also get a fair amount of defensive breakdowns due to unfamiliarity in the process, though. That's the danger in trying to do too much too quickly, particularly if the messenger is also maybe losing his influence. It could be an opportunity for them to hit the reset button and very deliberately try to improve their breakouts but that's hard to do on the fly. It can be done but their widely varying collective effort level makes it a bit dicey to believe much of anything will fundamentally improve. The cost hasn't been prohibitive and it does give them options but it seems like their biggest issue more than anything is a lack of leadership. All these depth moves do is try to maybe dress that up to slightly more appeal. Maybe it also gets the attention of their better defenseman but without them leading the way it's hard to really believe that it's just a matter of finding the right elusive combinations.

Well, 2 of the 6 could be brand new. So I wouldnt say the messenger would lose his influence on them.

I honestly dont care if they finish 3rd in the Metro (or 4th or 5th). If they can shake up the team and use the next 25 games as the experiment point, then lets do it.

HELL -- maybe GMBM saw the Cleveland Cavaliers shake up their team with young athletic rotations adders and realized he could do the same.

I am sure he's not done yet...and we can't lament a 3rd, a 5th (next year!), and Chorney all that much, can we? Or perhaps its just your new narrative and no move will change that (save firing Trotz).

I also think that this flurry of activity means Trotz will most certainly NOT get fired this year. He's getting new tools for one last roll at the dice

 

[Langway]

I am sure he's not done yet...and we can't lament a 3rd, a 5th (next year!), and Chorney all that much, can we? Or perhaps its just your new narrative and no move will change that (save firing Trotz).

I also think that this flurry of activity means Trotz will most certainly NOT get fired this year. He's getting new tools for one last roll at the dice

Throwing around futures to help compensate for a coaching approach that you know is problematic and haven't been able to improve isn't at all ideal. So, yes, I think the root problem remains and if they just sort of leave it up to these new individuals to improve what's more of a collective issue then it's not likely to pay off very much.

One other consequence of these moves is that perhaps they end up moving Johansen or Siegenthaler but it's also very quick to just suddenly believe that either of these two additions will actually turn into quality contributors for them. They might but who knows?

The other thing is: does it really matter how good a puck mover a defenseman is if his options are basically bad? That's the more fundamental problem as I see it. An upgrade in that area is fine at these costs I suppose but I don't count on it paying off tremendously well given how terribly predictable and restrictive their breakouts tend to be. Unless they've been somehow forced to play that way because of 44/22 then it's a real stretch to imagine that it's solved based on these moves alone.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Is he also a UFA?

 

[hockeykicker]

Is he also a UFA?

yes

 

[hockeykicker]

so last 2 times chris patrick was scouting somewhere a trade happened. chicago and montreal. so wherever he goes a trade likely comes

 

[SherVaughn30]

yes

He's still on his entry level contract, so he is waiver exempt.

 

[SherVaughn30]

so last 2 times chris patrick was scouting somewhere a trade happened. chicago and montreal. so wherever he goes a trade likely comes

His dad is still a D*ck!

 

[hockeykicker]

the thing im wondering is do they still make this trade if they dont lose chorney on waivers?

 

[g00n]

the thing im wondering is do they still make this trade if they dont lose chorney on waivers?

If they pulled the trigger minutes after the deadline, probably

 

[hockeykicker]

If they pulled the trigger minutes after the deadline, probably

then to me (and im totally guessing) theres something else going on. unless they were definitely sure they were gonna lose chorney yesterday

 

[discobob]

the thing im wondering is do they still make this trade if they dont lose chorney on waivers?

I'm going to assume yes... they know that they don't like what Chorney brings to the table... a 5th is worth the possibility of an upgrade...

 

[Ridley Simon]

Throwing around futures to help compensate for a coaching approach that you know is problematic and haven't been able to improve isn't at all ideal. So, yes, I think the root problem remains and if they just sort of leave it up to these new individuals to improve what's more of a collective issue then it's not likely to pay off very much.

One other consequence of these moves is that perhaps they end up moving Johansen or Siegenthaler but it's also very quick to just suddenly believe that either of these two additions will actually turn into quality contributors for them. They might but who knows?

The other thing is: does it really matter how good a puck mover a defenseman is if his options are basically bad? That's the more fundamental problem as I see it. An upgrade in that area is fine at these costs I suppose but I don't count on it paying off tremendously well given how terribly predictable and restrictive their breakouts tend to be. Unless they've been somehow forced to play that way because of 44/22 then it's a real stretch to imagine that it's solved based on these moves alone.

You're assuming GMBM has the option to change coaches. I have long thought its Patrick's influence that kept the status quo. Thats not about to change now. So GMBM is doing what HE can to alter the future. I think he's doing a great job....

Like I said, I see at least one more deal coming. Perhaps 2. Both will probably be bigger than these first 2.

 

[Ridley Simon]

then to me (and im totally guessing) theres something else going on. unless they were definitely sure they were gonna lose chorney yesterday

I dont think they cared about Chorney. If they did, they would have sent Bowey down. They didn't (though that may still be the next move here....in the short term, as they are STILL carrying 8 d-men), so it shows me that they were ready to move on from Chorney. Kempny or Orpik will be the new #7. Bowey is probably #8.