GDT: 2023 NHL Free Agency Frenzy

[crazy8888]

I would love D’Angelo on this team for the right price.

 

[Misery74]

I don't agree that he looks like a bust. He's 20 and has shown pretty good impacts at the NHL level, along with having a junior career that indicates star potential. Again when you contextualize his ice time only Kevin Fiala has a better assist rate than Byfield on the Kings.

I don't think Washington has any high-end center prospects in the pipeline. McMichael could be a fine player but nothing about his career indicates much more than a 2C at best. Lapierre is even further behind that pace. Byfield has shown much more than these two combined, and with young coaches behind the bench in DC I could see them unlocking his potential in a way that a more veteran-centric bench and roster in LA couldn't.

It'd be a swing, and there's a potential it wouldn't work out. But Washington needs to take big high-upside gambles rather than going with low-ceiling sure things. The latter is what they've done under Peter Laviolette, and what do they have to show for it?

LA just traded for PLD. I am fairly certain Winnipeg would have asked for Byfield if he were available.

It’s unlikely he gets moved.

The time for gambling is over. It’s our time to acquire chips. Rock the Red is over.

On another note, I wish we could fire Peter Laviolette all over again. What a ridiculous coach he was.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

I would love D’Angelo on this team for the right price.

Hell no. Character issues abound.

 

[g00n]

Gmbm is looking for a "hockey trade" with these guys but that's got to be Plan A only.

He's got to be ready to fall back on a cap dump situation that almost nobody will enjoy, because it will be a poorly leveraged situation returning middling draft picks.

 

[max21]

LA just traded for PLD. I am fairly certain Winnipeg would have asked for Byfield if he were available.

It’s unlikely he gets moved.

The time for gambling is over. It’s our time to acquire chips. Rock the Red is over.

On another note, I wish we could fire Peter Laviolette all over again. What a ridiculous coach he was.

Lavi sucked didn’t he lol, I still remember one of the first games under his tenure we were all so hyped because we played with some real defensive structure. The Florida series we really were in control and he coached great that series against that high flying Florida team, that was lame. Wilson still in that series would have been different.

 

[crazy8888]

Hell no. Character issues abound.

Im aware. But the talent is definitely there. Do you know any specific about what those issues were?

 

[twabby]

He stinks

 

[Neil Racki]

I would love D’Angelo on this team for the right price.

Briere tried to trade DeAngelo and came close to executing a deal to send him back to Carolina a few days before the NHL draft in June. The trade would have involved the Flyers retaining 50 percent of his $5 million cap hit for 2023-24 — leaving them with $2.5 million on their books for the coming season — and receiving a low-level prospect in return.


Seems like GMBM isnt interested if he could have been had for peanuts on a 1yr 2.5M deal.

Idk ... his defense must be really really bad to be a person non grata. Even with his personality aissues, if teams thought he helps them win theyd add him.
--------------

I feel like we arent doing anything more to the roster and am going to roll with what we got until trade deadline .. then reassess like this past season.

And I like that.

 

[traparatus]

Ok, let's talk about this, because I think the whole Covid time warp thing has maybe skewed some peoples' memories of what the actual context was for the Backstrom contract. Here's the situation at the time, Jan 14, 2020.

-The Caps are a year and a half removed from their first Cup. They'd gone out in the first round to the Canes in 7 games last season, losing Oshie part way through the series, but as of today they're tied with the defending champion Blues for the best record in the NHL and the window is by no means looking closed.

-Backstrom, 32 as of that November, has missed 8 games but is still 5th on the team in scoring with 35 points in 39 games while playing 19:15 a night. He recently recorded his 900th NHL point and is already 2nd on the Caps all-time points list, and he's closing in on both his 1000th game and 1000th point, neither of which has been done by a Cap other than Ovie.

-Nick is in the final year of his sweetheart 10x6.7M extension that's been below market value basically since day one and is currently only the 4th highest cap hit on the team.

-The only hip issues Nick's had so far was arthroscopic hip surgery at the end of the 2014-15 season, but in the 4.5 seasons between that surgery and now he's played 357 of a possible 375 games (and put up 336 points in the process). All indications are that it's behind him.

-In the seven years since the last lockout, the salary cap has ballooned from 60M to 81.5M, and annual increase of roughly 3M per year. The Covid-19 pandemic that would ultimately cause the salary cap to increase by just 2M over the next three seasons is only just starting the get media attention, and it would still be another two months before the league shut down.

If you're in MacLellan's shoes on Jan 14, 2020 and Nicky asks you for 5x9.2M (literally Nicky, he didn't use an agent so you're working this out directly with him), are really gonna play hardball with him, or even let him walk?

Btw, here's the discussion of the Backstrom contract when it happened. Plenty of people remark that it's higher than they would've hoped for, but no one called it a mistake.

To my recall, Backstrom's contract was received with general shrug of the shoulders. It had to be done, that's all. The risk was obvious but between the calibre of the player and his historical placement in Caps' greats hierarchy, there really wasn't much of a discussion to be had.

So that was the reality at the time and there is no reason to re-write it. However, within a very short time of the contract signing, the situation changed drastically. That's where I begin to have issues with some of BMac's actions and in-actions. If the team is going to be dragging a massive boat anchor contract for years to come and is completely capped out, BMac had to take action. He didn't. So we ended up with a team that has no chance of winning anything and has no cap room.

I think there was a point, immediately following the total annihilation by the Islanders, to do an aggressive reset. Get rid of contracts before they become completely worthless and immovable. Eller, Oshie, Kuznetsov, etc. We got rid of Vrana in possibly the worst action of BMac era. This is one person's opinion but I think the Caps have spent way too much time worrying about what Ovechkin wants and not enough time devising a long term winning strategy. They needed an LA style reset. They opted for 2010s Detroit style painful slow death. In a couple of years Caps will begin a rebuild and we'll have to look back and wonder whether the previous 7-8 years of total mediocrity were worth it.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

To my recall, Backstrom's contract was received with general shrug of the shoulders. It had to be done, that's all. The risk was obvious but between the calibre of the player and his historical placement in Caps' greats hierarchy, there really wasn't much of a discussion to be had.

So that was the reality at the time and there is no reason to re-write it. However, within a very short time of the contract signing, the situation changed drastically. That's where I begin to have issues with some of BMac's actions and in-actions. If the team is going to be dragging a massive boat anchor contract for years to come and is completely capped out, BMac had to take action. He didn't. So we ended up with a team that has no chance of winning anything and has no cap room.

I think there was a point, immediately following the total annihilation by the Islanders, to do an aggressive reset. Get rid of contracts before they become completely worthless and immovable. Eller, Oshie, Kuznetsov, etc. We got rid of Vrana in possibly the worst action of BMac era. This is one person's opinion but I think the Caps have spent way too much time worrying about what Ovechkin wants and not enough time devising a long term winning strategy. They needed an LA style reset. They opted for 2010s Detroit style painful slow death. In a couple of years Caps will begin a rebuild and we'll have to look back and wonder whether the previous 7-8 years of total mediocrity were worth it.

Indeed. That was a pathetic series of pure quit.

 

[Roric]

Rumor floating around that the Caps are trying to trade Kuzy, Mantha, and a pick for Logan Couture.

I co-sign.

According to the mains we can't get rid of Kuz at 50% retention for a bag of steaming dog shit so good luck with this one

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Im aware. But the talent is definitely there. Do you know any specific about what those issues were?

Not specifics but know he had some arguments with his teammates on the Rangers.

 

[traparatus]

Not specifics but know he had some arguments with his teammates on the Rangers.

I think it was regarding some bold political views that he just wouldn't shut up about, despite being repeatedly asked to do so.

 

[HeyMattyB]

Do you know any specific about what those issues were?

IIRC, TDA was very vocal on social media, and used Twitter to express Covid skepticism and to support/boost 2020 election denialism (among other extreme/wackjob right-wing talking points). When Trump got booted from Twitter, TDA had an online temper tantrum and deleted his Twitter account and, uh... joined Parler (home of QAnon conspiracy theorists, Capitol-storming insurrectionists, and other dregs of society).

So, in addition to being trash on the ice, he's trash off it.

 

[crazy8888]

Not specifics but know he had some arguments with his teammates on the Rangers.

I remember he was politically outspoken, could that be it? If so i feel like it would not be that big of an an issue with current caps core if he came on board.

 

[Hivemind]

Im aware. But the talent is definitely there. Do you know any specific about what those issues were?

Sarnia's Anthony DeAngelo suspended for slur directed at teammate

Sting defenceman Anthony DeAngelo gets eight games for making a "most inappropriate statement to a teammate."

sports.yahoo.com

Report: DeAngelo, Georgiev Allegedly had ‘Altercation’ Following Loss vs Pittsburgh

New York Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo got into “an altercation” with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev following Saturday’s overtime loss to Pittsburgh, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello reports.

www.blueshirtbanter.com

GM confirms Tony DeAngelo will not play for the Rangers again

Beyond that, the Rangers were interested in refuting and denying other rumors.

www.nbcsports.com

Also - the talent isn't even close enough to justify the distraction and division he causes. He's a very replaceable D.

 

[usiel]

I think it was regarding some bold political views that he just wouldn't shut up about, despite being repeatedly asked to do so.

Hey no way I'd rather idiots reveal themselves because freedom.

IIRC, TDA was very vocal on social media, and used Twitter to express Covid skepticism and to support/boost 2020 election denialism (among other extreme/wackjob right-wing talking points). When Trump got booted from Twitter, TDA had an online temper tantrum and deleted his Twitter account and, uh... joined Parler (home of QAnon conspiracy theorists, Capitol-storming insurrectionists, and other dregs of society).

So, in addition to being trash on the ice, he's trash off it.

Reminds me of a coworker I brought up a couple of times to sub for one of my house league teams that so annoyed my teammates that later when we only had six players they said they would pay me to NOT bring him to play, heh.

 

[HTFN]

To my recall, Backstrom's contract was received with general shrug of the shoulders. It had to be done, that's all. The risk was obvious but between the calibre of the player and his historical placement in Caps' greats hierarchy, there really wasn't much of a discussion to be had.

So that was the reality at the time and there is no reason to re-write it. However, within a very short time of the contract signing, the situation changed drastically. That's where I begin to have issues with some of BMac's actions and in-actions. If the team is going to be dragging a massive boat anchor contract for years to come and is completely capped out, BMac had to take action. He didn't. So we ended up with a team that has no chance of winning anything and has no cap room.

I think there was a point, immediately following the total annihilation by the Islanders, to do an aggressive reset. Get rid of contracts before they become completely worthless and immovable. Eller, Oshie, Kuznetsov, etc. We got rid of Vrana in possibly the worst action of BMac era. This is one person's opinion but I think the Caps have spent way too much time worrying about what Ovechkin wants and not enough time devising a long term winning strategy. They needed an LA style reset. They opted for 2010s Detroit style painful slow death. In a couple of years Caps will begin a rebuild and we'll have to look back and wonder whether the previous 7-8 years of total mediocrity were worth it.

You say GMBM didn't take action but one trend of his is that he just won't trade for losses. It's not worth it to anybody.

So did he not take action even though he traded a pending RFA for a cost controlled contract and some of those actions didn't work, he's just not willing to spend every asset in the cabinet to wipe the slate clean just to immediately bind it to one set of free agents and hope that's good enough. Are we just not going to give any credit to the times he says (including recently) that they tried to make moves but the value wasn't there?

are you just not capable of understanding how a sudden flat cap f***ed the team they were building? As soon as the flat cap came into place he made a number of savvy moves that have been arguably better than the big swings other teams made in the same frame. How is that bad? He's cautious, but that's okay, and I think his statements about being surprised how many other teams were aggressively trading for cap space says that fairly well. He doesn't see that as a win in the mid-term, and I agree.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

To my recall, Backstrom's contract was received with general shrug of the shoulders. It had to be done, that's all. The risk was obvious but between the calibre of the player and his historical placement in Caps' greats hierarchy, there really wasn't much of a discussion to be had.

So that was the reality at the time and there is no reason to re-write it. However, within a very short time of the contract signing, the situation changed drastically. That's where I begin to have issues with some of BMac's actions and in-actions. If the team is going to be dragging a massive boat anchor contract for years to come and is completely capped out, BMac had to take action. He didn't. So we ended up with a team that has no chance of winning anything and has no cap room.

I think there was a point, immediately following the total annihilation by the Islanders, to do an aggressive reset. Get rid of contracts before they become completely worthless and immovable. Eller, Oshie, Kuznetsov, etc. We got rid of Vrana in possibly the worst action of BMac era. This is one person's opinion but I think the Caps have spent way too much time worrying about what Ovechkin wants and not enough time devising a long term winning strategy. They needed an LA style reset. They opted for 2010s Detroit style painful slow death. In a couple of years Caps will begin a rebuild and we'll have to look back and wonder whether the previous 7-8 years of total mediocrity were worth it.

I don’t agree with all of your assertions but I’ll just say this. The core that we all love (not being sarcastic) has done zilch since 2018. In almost every playoff series (besides Carolina and Florida) they were laughed out of the building. Mgmt gave them lots of chances given the success they had in 2018. Was it right, was it wrong? That is above my pay grade but I think it’s s reasonable question. I’m not going to pretend I have all of the answers because I don’t. However, mgmt is not infallible and I sometimes wonder if they rode this core for too long. Too late now but it makes for great July discussion.

 

[HTFN]

I don’t agree with all of your assertions but I’ll just say this. The core that we all love (not being sarcastic) has done zilch since 2018. In almost every playoff series (besides Carolina and Florida) they were laughed out of the building. Mgmt gave them lots of chances given the success they had in 2018. Was it right, was it wrong? That is above my pay grade but I think it’s s reasonable question. I’m not going to pretend I have all of the answers because I don’t. However, mgmt is not infallible and I sometimes wonder if they rode this core for too long. Too late now but it makes for great July discussion.

This isn't a video game. COVID happened , the cap ceiling compressed hard, and next to no high salary movement happened afterwards without retention (or being a rental), or being a nutty ass lopsided deal. Just up and deciding to trade core pieces is one thing but how do you think the discussion reasonably goes? You think when they're trying to trade Vrana, for example, that they don't float other assets as well?

Unless you're willing to throw away assets at a loss just to do something different (and it sounds like you are, which is insane and really bad team management) they're doing exactly what they should be doing.

 

[Kalopsia]

I don’t agree with all of your assertions but I’ll just say this. The core that we all love (not being sarcastic) has done zilch since 2018. In almost every playoff series (besides Carolina and Florida) they were laughed out of the building. Mgmt gave them lots of chances given the success they had in 2018. Was it right, was it wrong? That is above my pay grade but I think it’s s reasonable question. I’m not going to pretend I have all of the answers because I don’t. However, mgmt is not infallible and I sometimes wonder if they rode this core for too long. Too late now but it makes for great July discussion.

So 2/4 is almost every series? I don’t think they got laughed out of the building against the Bruins either. They got Halak’ed by Rask and had an OT and a 2OT loss.

 

[Kalopsia]

This isn't a video game. COVID happened , the cap ceiling compressed hard, and next to no high salary movement happened afterwards without retention (or being a rental), or being a nutty ass lopsided deal. Just up and deciding to trade core pieces is one thing but how do you think the discussion reasonably goes? You think when they're trying to trade Vrana, for example, that they don't float other assets as well?

Unless you're willing to throw away assets at a loss just to do something different (and it sounds like you are, which is insane and really bad team management) they're doing exactly what they should be doing.

Yep. It’s easy to say with hindsight that they should’ve shaken up the core, but when exactly did that make sense? In 2019 they could’ve but it would’ve been insane to do it one year after the Cup. 2020 it’s possible they could’ve but that was the weird Covid bubble year and their big change was hiring Lavi. 2021-23 you can make the argument they should’ve, but the flat cap killed the value of vets on big contracts, so you likely wouldn’t have been getting much more than cap space back in return. The last few years have also been pretty much the doldrums for the Caps farm system, so if they had moved out an aging vet they probably would’ve had to just sign a new aging vet in free agency to replace them. Then there’s Ted who’s notoriously attached to his stats and for all we know could’ve told MacLellan the core was off limits. The options for significant positive change have been really limited.

 

[usiel]

This is endless hindsight 2020 which, imho, is pissing against the wind. Don't get me wrong this is summer time debate is fair game. When I do simplify things I just focus on the playoffs series lost and the painful series moments EVERY TIME.

Makes me realize, which I did recognize at the time, just how precious the 2018 run was. I will always get emotional in that which I can only have anyone come close to understanding here.... versus anyone IRL

 

[PlushMinus]

I don’t mind hockey talk at all, sir. Your comments are all merited and have value. I don’t agree with them, but that’s just part of being a fan of the team!

@SherVaughn30 has long criticized Scott Murray for the Caps goalie issues. The fact that BOTH Samsonov and Vanacek went on to have stellar seasons (and each was part of winning a playoff round) bears looking at.

I’m very supportive of a deal that sends out Kuz and Mantha. As you can see.

I had wondered if a new coach and a new season might bring a change with Mantha, but I'm not confident of that anymore, given it's been openly discussed that the team has been trying to trade him. I get the feeling he is the kind of personality whose confidence is only going to be even less as a result of that. Previously I would have said Lavi might have messed with his head and there was still a shot at redemption.

My thoughts on Samsonov: he messed up off the ice and then let in some pretty bad goals on the ice, culminating in that playoff losing fiasco behind the net against Boston, and that was it as far as the team / locker room went. We all saw Ovie let fly at him and I think for Samsonov it would have been a very uncomfortable environment after that, if it wasn't already.

He goes to Toronto and has a very good regular season in a new environment, which is really what he needed. I do give the guy props: Toronto is probably the 2nd toughest market in the league and it's a credit to him how well he played - up until the playoffs. And sure he got injured but he looked like "our" Sammy in those playoff games.

Anyway, just my opinion.

 

[PlushMinus]

To my recall, Backstrom's contract was received with general shrug of the shoulders. It had to be done, that's all. The risk was obvious but between the calibre of the player and his historical placement in Caps' greats hierarchy, there really wasn't much of a discussion to be had.

So that was the reality at the time and there is no reason to re-write it. However, within a very short time of the contract signing, the situation changed drastically. That's where I begin to have issues with some of BMac's actions and in-actions. If the team is going to be dragging a massive boat anchor contract for years to come and is completely capped out, BMac had to take action. He didn't. So we ended up with a team that has no chance of winning anything and has no cap room.

I think there was a point, immediately following the total annihilation by the Islanders, to do an aggressive reset. Get rid of contracts before they become completely worthless and immovable. Eller, Oshie, Kuznetsov, etc. We got rid of Vrana in possibly the worst action of BMac era. This is one person's opinion but I think the Caps have spent way too much time worrying about what Ovechkin wants and not enough time devising a long term winning strategy. They needed an LA style reset. They opted for 2010s Detroit style painful slow death. In a couple of years Caps will begin a rebuild and we'll have to look back and wonder whether the previous 7-8 years of total mediocrity were worth it.

Excellent post - well said!