Speculation: Acq./Rost. Bldg./Cap Part LXI ‎(FA sorta-Frenzy 2015) (Ward to SJ)

[CapitalsCupReality]

Love the forward balance in the top six now. Burakovsky and Kuznetsov will have to take that next step....but they are in a great position now with 2 established top six wingers to play on the other side. The bottom six has plenty of questions...but enough decent players to figure it out between now and camp.

Orlov is my biggest question mark for the team at this point. If he's 100% and can play like he did before his injury....the defense will be as good if not better than last season.

Will he reach Green's 45 points and +15? It wouldnt surprise me if he did.

THIS season?!?! It would shock the hell out of me given what his role will be.

 

[Blades of Steel]

don't forget Orlov was skating and practicing quite a bit, his legs should be fine. Wrist? No idea, but it has to be better. According to some at the end of last season he was getting close then.

 

[Stewie G]

Love the forward balance in the top six now. Burakovsky and Kuznetsov will have to take that next step....but they are in a great position now with 2 established top six wingers to play on the other side. The bottom six has plenty of questions...but enough decent players to figure it out between now and camp.

Orlov is my biggest question mark for the team at this point. If he's 100% and can play like he did before his injury....the defense will be as good if not better than last season.

Will he reach Green's 45 points and +15? It wouldnt surprise me if he did.

45 points tied for 16th in the entire league for defensemen. It wouldn't surprise you to see a guy who hasn't play in the NHL in a year to produce top 20 numbers?

How much ice time do you think he'll get? How much PP time? I don't see him getting a ton of prime PP time, and the league leader in ESP had 39. I think you're being just a tad optimistic on Orlov.

 

[strungout]

45 points tied for 16th in the entire league for defensemen. It wouldn't surprise you to see a guy who hasn't play in the NHL in a year to produce top 20 numbers?

How much ice time do you think he'll get? How much PP time? I don't see him getting a ton of prime PP time, and the league leader in ESP had 39. I think you're being just a tad optimistic on Orlov.

Yeah, I suppose I am. I've just always liked his game.

I don't think he'll get there...it just wouldn't blow me out of the water if he ended up doing it (especially if Carlson or Niskanen go down for any stretch of time)

 

[strungout]

THIS season?!?! It would shock the hell out of me given what his role will be.

Oh I have no doubt he's going to play some in the top 4 when needed. The Caps dodged the injury bug last year for those 4...no way that happens again. Right? (Im fine if he doesnt play up there at all...believe me)

 

[ChibiPooky]

I find it pretty astonishing how much better their player targeting has become the past two offseasons. I wonder if it's Tim Barnes, or maybe MacLellan actually didn't suck and was overruled by GMGM all the time, or whatever else. On its face you'd think the former head of pro scouting would bring similar quality pro player targeting.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

What's the deal with Ehrhoff? Is he gonna get a deal?

Also, what on earth is LA doing with their D? They cleared themselves of the Richards contract but they didn't replace Voynov. What gives?

 

[ChibiPooky]

Maybe the two are related.

 

[GoCaps2004]

Does it concern anyone that Tarasenko was reportedly offered more than 11 million USD to go back to the KHL? Although Kuznetsov just re-signed is it a possibility that after these 2 years he'll take the money and go back to Russia?

 

[Hivemind]

I find it pretty astonishing how much better their player targeting has become the past two offseasons. I wonder if it's Tim Barnes, or maybe MacLellan actually didn't suck and was overruled by GMGM all the time, or whatever else. On its face you'd think the former head of pro scouting would bring similar quality pro player targeting.

I wonder if it's the targeting that's better, or if it's simply that GMBM is willing to pay more to get "his guys" than GMGM was. Granted, with the low prices they paid this off-season, I'm not sure if even McPhee would have balked at the prices for Williams or Oshie.

 

[Zoidberg Jesus]

What's the deal with Ehrhoff? Is he gonna get a deal?

Also, what on earth is LA doing with their D? They cleared themselves of the Richards contract but they didn't replace Voynov. What gives?

What's going on with Voynov anyway? Is he going to count against the cap for them? If he doesn't, then it's weird that they haven't found a new top 4 D to replace Sekera. If he does, then they're kinda screwed. Only 3.4M left with 11 forwards signed, so that doesn't leave much room to add anyone significant.

 

[Hivemind]

Now that Voynov has plead "no contest," I'm kinda surprised that Lombardi hasn't moved to void that contract as well. I wonder if no contest vs. guilty would impact whether or not it counts as a material breach.

 

[ChibiPooky]

I wonder if it's the targeting that's better, or if it's simply that GMBM is willing to pay more to get "his guys" than GMGM was. Granted, with the low prices they paid this off-season, I'm not sure if even McPhee would have balked at the prices for Williams or Oshie.

"Market value and not a penny more." - who knows. It's also a pretty small number of moves - but they mostly look pretty good. One thing's for sure, Grape Ape goes hard after the guys he wants.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Now that Voynov has plead "no contest," I'm kinda surprised that Lombardi hasn't moved to void that contract as well. I wonder if no contest vs. guilty would impact whether or not it counts as a material breach.

Just read up on this. I guess if he serves his 90 day jail term then the legal process played out and he should be free to continue his career in whatever capacity he is able to. 90 days takes him to October.

 

[PucksInDeep]

What's the deal with Ehrhoff? Is he gonna get a deal?

With all the injury problems Ehrhoff had last season I wouldn't be surprised if someone waits until the preseason so they can invite him to camp and get a look at how he's doing before he gets a contract.

 

[Hivemind]

Just read up on this. I guess if he serves his 90 day jail term then the legal process played out and he should be free to continue his career in whatever capacity he is able to. 90 days takes him to October.

It just seems hypocritical to take the outlandish move of terminating a guaranteed contract over an athlete with pain meds while you permit his teammate to remain on the roster after physically assaulting his wife. Not to mention, after all the flak lobbed at the NFL in the Ray Rice aftermath, where's the NHL suspension?

 

[hockeykicker]

Kuznetsov on his deal length: 'It’s always motivation for you when you have 1 or 2 years."

 

[hockeykicker]

Kuznetsov and his wife named their daughter Ecenia. "We looking for a couple names, and I tell my wife whatever you want, just tell me."

 

[hockeykicker]

Evgeny Kuznetsov's first child was born in late May. On being a father: 'You wake up at night. It’s always good when you help your wife."

Haha smart man

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

It just seems hypocritical to take the outlandish move of terminating a guaranteed contract over an athlete with pain meds while you permit his teammate to remain on the roster after physically assaulting his wife. Not to mention, after all the flak lobbed at the NFL in the Ray Rice aftermath, where's the NHL suspension?

I would normally be extremely sympathetic to this viewpoint but after the smoke has cleared a bit I think the most important part of the Richards termination was that Lombardi was actively trying to trade him to Calgary and Edmonton. He was trying to unload him and possibly quite close to doing so. In that light, Richards' conduct really was detrimental to the team and I think Lombard had a right to do what he did.

edit: And the NHL suspension was pretty much all of last season. It was late and not well thought out but it was a suspension, right?

 

[artilector]

Does it concern anyone that Tarasenko was reportedly offered more than 11 million USD to go back to the KHL? Although Kuznetsov just re-signed is it a possibility that after these 2 years he'll take the money and go back to Russia?

I don't think so.

I think Russian players get more motivated to go back when they get older / cannot secure a top-6 spot / end up on non-contender clubs / run into some other problems.

If Caps have a decent chance to win and Kuz is 1/2C, I would be extremely surprised if he bolted.

 

[Hivemind]

I would normally be extremely sympathetic to this viewpoint but after the smoke has cleared a bit I think the most important part of the Richards termination was that Lombardi was actively trying to trade him to Calgary and Edmonton. He was trying to unload him and possibly quite close to doing so. In that light, Richards' conduct really was detrimental to the team and I think Lombard had a right to do what he did.

I think that's really stretching the material breach clause incredibly thin.
To me, it certainly appears like they're much more willing to put up with off-ice behavior issues from players who are still capable of being key contributors. I'd tend to think Occam's Razor points that way as well.

 

[usiel]

Oh I have no doubt he's going to play some in the top 4 when needed. The Caps dodged the injury bug last year for those 4...no way that happens again. Right? (Im fine if he doesnt play up there at all...believe me)

For whatever reason the injury bug tends to alternate in severity so I fully expect one of the top 4 to go down for a good period of the season, heh.

And I agree that Orlov is definitely the wild card going into next season. Just a lot of uncertainty.

 

[PB12]

Like I asked in the other thread, does TJ stay more than 2 years if he does good or not with the contracts we got to re-sign

 

[Holtbyisms]

Like I asked in the other thread, does TJ stay more than 2 years if he does good with the contracts we got to re-sign

I think with some of our other contracts off the books at that point it shouldn't be a problem as the cap should continue to rise as well. It just depends on how happy he is here, and if he's having success and the team is as well I don't see why he couldn't or wouldn't stay.