Speculation: Acq./Rost. Bldg./Cap/Lines etc. Part LXXI
- Thread starter g00n
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twabby
Registered User
- Mar 9, 2010
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I mean I agree Backstrom isn't a good fit right now on the top line, but first line center Marcus Johansson and first line winger Jay Beagle don't scream great things either. I'd rather they go back to:
8-92-77
90/65-19-14
25-90/83-83/65
26-10-43
1. Backstrom is not playing like a first line center and his chemistry with Ovechkin is bad this season. Put Kuznetsov on the first line with Ovechkin. Even though Kuznetsov is going through a little slump right now, he still looks dangerous and he's been getting a little bit unlucky. The first line now contains two players who can cycle (92 and 77) along with 3 players who can shoot.
2. The second line becomes the new power on power line. Backstrom is still effective defensively, even if he stinks in the offensive zone right now. So put this line up against the opposition's best line. This makes it so that 92 and 8 who aren't great defensively avoid the opposition's best. Choose between 65/90 as the LW depending on who's playing better and what brings better balance to the lineup.
3. Leave Wilson in the lineup for now, but consider Michael Latta or Stan Galiev if things don't change. Neither are terrible options over Wilson, who has done more harm than good recently.
8-92-77
90/65-19-14
25-90/83-83/65
26-10-43
1. Backstrom is not playing like a first line center and his chemistry with Ovechkin is bad this season. Put Kuznetsov on the first line with Ovechkin. Even though Kuznetsov is going through a little slump right now, he still looks dangerous and he's been getting a little bit unlucky. The first line now contains two players who can cycle (92 and 77) along with 3 players who can shoot.
2. The second line becomes the new power on power line. Backstrom is still effective defensively, even if he stinks in the offensive zone right now. So put this line up against the opposition's best line. This makes it so that 92 and 8 who aren't great defensively avoid the opposition's best. Choose between 65/90 as the LW depending on who's playing better and what brings better balance to the lineup.
3. Leave Wilson in the lineup for now, but consider Michael Latta or Stan Galiev if things don't change. Neither are terrible options over Wilson, who has done more harm than good recently.
Last edited:
NoMoreChoking
Registered User
- Sep 30, 2009
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Here's the thing. If we choke in the playoffs again, what will be our excuse now?
This is by far, the most complete team we have had. If we don't win it with this team the next 2 years, there isn't much we can add and do to make us over the top.
GMBM has done everything he could to try and make this team compete. The problem lies within the players
This is by far, the most complete team we have had. If we don't win it with this team the next 2 years, there isn't much we can add and do to make us over the top.
GMBM has done everything he could to try and make this team compete. The problem lies within the players
Langway
In den Wolken
- Jul 7, 2006
- 32,403
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I guess it does when Trotz leaves so much from a discipline standpoint up to them. Historically despite whatever leadership they've added that would be a bad idea. If it comes down to a shaky leadership group then trading Orlov isn't going to cut it. I don't think it's just a leadership question. I don't think they truly do development at a high enough level. They supply a sound system and Reirden has chops as far as D goes mostly but forward development? Overall composure and creativity on the puck? Trotz seems to want to win in the easiest fashion possible from a preparation standpoint. Supplying the system and telling them to go through teams is not enough. If you get consistent max effort maybe that works but it's not efficient. It glosses over execution and composure...two keys that any contender must have in their pocket to maintain discipline.
If Backstrom isn't a Cup winning level 1C, and he certainly doesn't look like it, then I don't know how that issue gets solved. He's probably not going to get better at this stage of his career so how do they maximize his strengths better? He's better than this 5-on-5. There are a lot of support and development issues that they gloss over because their raw skill is able to take them so far. It's always the underlying weaknesses that get tested in the playoffs and once again they seem to be glaring.
If they don't elevate their game they need to have a bit of a reset organizationally. They'd need to say goodbye to the retread Mike Richards types, let Chimera go and stop with the mediocre grinder fetish. Develop the likes of Vrana, Barber, Walker and Stephenson as smarter, cheaper, more hungry depth forwards and, more importantly, foster much better offensive cohesion. They're going to need to not just be fully in the moment in the playoffs but to process it methodically and crisply. That doesn't just happen over night, certainly not for a team that's never been the sharpest knife in the drawer.
HunterSThompson
[}=[][][][][]
That is all fine and dandy at home at stoppages. However sometimes you can't control who is matched up with who all the time even at home and especially on the road.
HunterSThompson
[}=[][][][][]
I am not really arguing one way or the other, but I guess Trotz is seeing it as a mitigation of risk. One goal is all you need sometimes to lose a series. Kuznetsov hasn't been asked to take on a teams top line and top d short of about 5 or 6 games at the very beginning of this season. That unknown is a risk. Backstrom has done it all year while contributing at a +18 at 5on5, Kuznetsov is the same +18 but with twice as many goals against. Yes, I said twice, while playing against worse competition.
I agree with trying to isolate Ovechkin away from these defensive matchups, but that isn't very realistic, not extensively at the least.
HecticGlow
Registered User
I think the only line that is indisputably working is the 26-10-43/83 line.
I thought 8-90-77 made a good line - not terrifying defensively, good looks offensively. Ovechkin isn't a great defensive player anyway, so the idea of him getting a lot of defensive zone starts isn't necessarily any smarter than giving them to Burakovsky. That's why I like the idea of pairing 19 with 25, especially if that was with Beagle. Backstrom hasn't seemed as strong recently on faceoffs, either, so having Beagle on that line gives you a better alternative than Oshie for right handlers/ Backstrom being ejected from the circle.
So maybe:
65-92-14
8-90-77
25-19-83
26-10-43
Or alternatively something like:
8-92-77
25-19-14
65-90-83/43
26-10-83/43
I've seen no evidence Burakovsky works well with Backstrom - no more than Ovi does at any rate - any he, Kuzy and Williams have been cold. A 25-19-14 line could make a very effective scoring/checking line - playing much better to Backstrom's two way skill set than a Kuzy-like feeder.
I thought 8-90-77 made a good line - not terrifying defensively, good looks offensively. Ovechkin isn't a great defensive player anyway, so the idea of him getting a lot of defensive zone starts isn't necessarily any smarter than giving them to Burakovsky. That's why I like the idea of pairing 19 with 25, especially if that was with Beagle. Backstrom hasn't seemed as strong recently on faceoffs, either, so having Beagle on that line gives you a better alternative than Oshie for right handlers/ Backstrom being ejected from the circle.
So maybe:
65-92-14
8-90-77
25-19-83
26-10-43
Or alternatively something like:
8-92-77
25-19-14
65-90-83/43
26-10-83/43
I've seen no evidence Burakovsky works well with Backstrom - no more than Ovi does at any rate - any he, Kuzy and Williams have been cold. A 25-19-14 line could make a very effective scoring/checking line - playing much better to Backstrom's two way skill set than a Kuzy-like feeder.
Big fan of this. 1st line has been proven to work, Chimera's speed would help and make up for Backstrom and Williams lack of speed, and Mojo is now playing with a sniper and not 2 grinders. It's too bad there's only 2 games left in the season and Trotz is to stubborn to ever change the lines.
HecticGlow
Registered User
Agreed! Still, the way Trotz mixes the lines mid-game when things go badly I wouldn't be surprised if the lines looked different by next week.
HecticGlow
Registered User
Just a thought, but I wonder if Johansson will actually leave next year. He's not only going to be pricey as a 3C, but quite possibly hungry to return to the top six with skilled players. If he signs a long contract in the off season he loses his ability to control which team he ends up with if he's traded, and the likelihood of him returning to the top six inn Washington diminishes as players like Vrana and Burakovsky become more established.
Whereas if he signs a one year deal, he likely gets traded at the TDL and gets to pick his new home as a UFA a few months later. He's still a relatively young, versatile player who could get more minutes and (probably) money at another team. If he signs up for, say, five years at $5million, there's a fair chance he'd be traded after a year or two anyway for salary cap reasons. Why, then, is now the smart time for MoJo to sign a long term contract?
Whereas if he signs a one year deal, he likely gets traded at the TDL and gets to pick his new home as a UFA a few months later. He's still a relatively young, versatile player who could get more minutes and (probably) money at another team. If he signs up for, say, five years at $5million, there's a fair chance he'd be traded after a year or two anyway for salary cap reasons. Why, then, is now the smart time for MoJo to sign a long term contract?
artilector
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- Jan 11, 2006
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Well, I don't know what Mojo thinks/wants, but surely there are some arguments "for". There is always risk of injury... If he does sign a long term deal, odds are he won't be traded in a year (when have the Caps done that?)... Also, if he gets bypassed in top-6, then next year he might have unimpressive stats that will hurt his value...
I would guess he's the kind of player who could easily value possibility of long term security over trying to maximize every last dollar.
More interesting question is how valuable he is to the Caps... well, let's see what happens in playoffs...
HecticGlow
Registered User
I think it'll depend on what contract he wants, and gets, from the Caps. If they signed him for ~$4.25m, I can actually see him sticking around a while yet. He's not only important on the power play, but their go-to guy the moment a Center or winger goes down in the top six. His relative experience could also make him a great guy to pair with a strong young winger next season, like Vrana. A Chimera-Mojo-Vrana line could be fantastic from a points perspective (but wouldn't happen unless Richards leaves, which would be a stupid mistake to make).
All of that said, there are so many players with big contract renewals the year after next - including Kuzy, Alzner, Williams and Oshie - a salary much larger than $4m would make a 3C Mojo the most likely guy to move to clear cap space. Mojo and his agent must surely be aware of this, and the fact that the caps were reportedly receiving feelers for a Mojo trade around Christmas. If he gets a $5m contract for five years, the price could well be spending three or four of them at a team of management's choosing.
If I were him, and I wanted to stay, I'd try and get a $4m multi-year contract (less than he's probably worth) in return for a NMC. If it goes to arbitration again, and the arbiter orders a higher salary than the Caps can afford/are willing to pay, they'd lose him entirely and gain nothing in return. Given this is his last year as an RFA, therefore, I'd think this is the year his agent has to fight hard and carefully, because the puck's surely in their zone.
HecticGlow
Registered User
By the way, what do we think the chances are currently of:
Getting re-signed this off season? With Winnick here for another year (something that actually pleases me a lot) and assuming Wilson's re-signed, I don't see how there's room for both Richards and Latta. Chimera's slowed down a bit recently, but I'm not convinced there's a natural replacement for him within the team as it is.
I think the Caps would like to keep Richards if it can, and probably Chimera for another year or so, so assuming Mojo sticks with the team I think Latta's the odd one out. It would be crazy to keep him in the press box for another season...
- Richards
- Latta
- Chimera
Getting re-signed this off season? With Winnick here for another year (something that actually pleases me a lot) and assuming Wilson's re-signed, I don't see how there's room for both Richards and Latta. Chimera's slowed down a bit recently, but I'm not convinced there's a natural replacement for him within the team as it is.
I think the Caps would like to keep Richards if it can, and probably Chimera for another year or so, so assuming Mojo sticks with the team I think Latta's the odd one out. It would be crazy to keep him in the press box for another season...
artilector
Registered User
- Jan 11, 2006
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What works in Latta's favor is that he's really cheap, so if they have to squeeze somebody in and because of that need to run a dirt-cheap 4th line, maybe that's how he stays. Personally, I don't really care, I don't see any upside unless he can significantly improve his skating... on the other hand, as a serviceable cheap extra body, he's ok.
The others guys I can easily see leaving... there's probably a price point at which the Caps would want to keep both (unless, say, their wheels fall off in playoffs), but probably their fate will be a by-product of more important decisions, and also whether the other teams are willing to offer them multi-year deals...
Actually, seems pretty likely that both Chimera and Richards will leave. If they don't do well in playoffs, why keep them? If they do, it's likely some teams will give them multi-year deals, which I don't think the Caps can touch.
HecticGlow
Registered User
Trotz likes Richards. If you consider his role to be primarily a defensively-strong, checking and PKing player (who will still be getting nice checks from the Kings), I think he'll have to play entirely differently to this season so far to be considered a disaster.
Chimera likes the team and has made a home in Washington for him and his family - wouldn't be surprising if he wanted to stay over a larger payday. But I think there's a fair chance he leaves.
Latta is also, of course, close to Wilson and other players. But if he's not going to factor into your plans over the next two or three years, you'd probably trade him to clear space for an upcoming rookie.
Oh, and then there's Galiev... Does he spend next year in Hershey?
Roughing
Registered User
- Mar 26, 2007
- 3,778
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Crazy the turnaround when the management does some smart moves. Brouwer for Oshie was a huge success, Williams signing was brilliant, Laich got moved out for cap help next season, and the Caps still have a very highly rated goalie prospect in Samsonov and Vrana still waiting to get his shot.
Caps did well on the short turnaround, and Kuz at 3 million for next year is a steal.
Caps did well on the short turnaround, and Kuz at 3 million for next year is a steal.
hockeykicker
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- Dec 3, 2014
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NoMoreChoking
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- Sep 30, 2009
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Alexander the Gr8
Registered User
Interesting. If Trotz can forgive Radulov for what he did, he'd be a terrific addition. I fear we may not have enough cap space for him though.
The Instigator
Tom Wilson - NHL All Star
- Feb 6, 2010
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He'd be interesting to see with Kuzy. I don't think we have the dineros though. And I doubt Trotz is real high on him.
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