Speculation: Acq/ Rost. Bldg./ Cap Part XXV

[Halpysback*]

You are in love with garbage. Phoenix fans trip over themselves to tell you they will take your stupid offers and you love him anyways.

Nope, Phoenix fans don't want to trade him. Ask them.

You sure you ever got around to watching him? Maybe you watched the draft and mistook it for a hockey game again.

 

[Hivemind]

Erat hasn't played poorly, but he hasn't been particularly astounding either. His play isn't substantially better than, say, Marco Sturm. The difference was that Sturm was a waiver pick-up and was allowed to walk after the season. I'm not going to be heartbroken if he leaves, it just didn't work out. I'm just hoping we can get a useful roster piece for him, either a 2LW or 2LD.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

"Wait.....Erat said what?!?!!?" This trainwreck is more entertaining off ice than on.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Erat hasn't played poorly, but he hasn't been particularly astounding either. His play isn't substantially better than, say, Marco Sturm. The difference was that Sturm was a waiver pick-up and was allowed to walk after the season. I'm not going to be heartbroken if he leaves, it just didn't work out. I'm just hoping we can get a useful roster piece for him, either a 2LW or 2LD.

Oh I think he was better than Sturm by a mile. Maybe not production wise, but to the eye test, Erat's game looks much better than Sturm ever did here in DC.

 

[troyerlaw]

I don't think Erat was the reason we made the playoffs last year

 

[Halpysback*]

Erat hasn't played poorly, but he hasn't been particularly astounding either. His play isn't substantially better than, say, Marco Sturm. The difference was that Sturm was a waiver pick-up and was allowed to walk after the season. I'm not going to be heartbroken if he leaves, it just didn't work out. I'm just hoping we can get a useful roster piece for him, either a 2LW or 2LD.

Erat wasn't given a real chance to establish himself. Oates never bothered to put him in a position to succeed, aside from the short stretch with Ovechkin and Backstrom. He's a lot better than Sturm who flat out sucked.

Not trying him with Grabo when his game was tailor made for Grabo was just absolutely idiotic. If Oates put a quarter as much of an effort into Erat as he did into the leaderp twins this team would be much better than it is now.

 

[troyerlaw]

I love this Oates quote: 'Marty had been fighting it a little bit.' If he has been fighting it, what have 20 and 21 been doing? What's the phrase for their play?

 

[Halpysback*]

I love this Oates quote: 'Marty had been fighting it a little bit.' If he has been fighting it, what have 20 and 21 been doing? What's the phrase for their play?

Leading

 

[g00n]

Do we know any of the details about the Oates system other than the handedness thing? If this has been covered in another thread just link me please

 

[Liberati0n*]

I love this Oates quote: 'Marty had been fighting it a little bit.' If he has been fighting it, what have 20 and 21 been doing? What's the phrase for their play?

If only the second part of your post were a quote too. From a competent reporter maybe.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

@kcarrera
"FWIW, McPhee said “no regrets†on making the trade to acquire Erat from Nashville last year."


This guy is a work of art

Never let em see you sweat....


#GM4life

 

[Liberati0n*]

McPhee said in the press conference today that Ovechkin wasn't part of the top 2 lines for a couple of weeks last season. Everyone who thought Beagle was 1C and Ovechkin wasn't 3LW: Owned.

 

[Halpysback*]

Do we know any of the details about the Oates system other than the handedness thing? If this has been covered in another thread just link me please

touches brah. zone entries brah.

 

[SDBondra]

I still have no problem with the trade. It was going to be a long time before Forsberg would have had a chance to even sniff the top 6 on this team. We got Latta who is an upgrade over Beagle and we're going to get something back for Erat. If anything, I think the failure here is not giving Erat more of an opportunity on the top line with Ovie and Backstrom. He's a top line player. He never got a chance to develop any chemistry and Johansson is a just a really fast human turnover machine.

 

[artilector]

I'm not sure what's been worse -- McPhee's trade for Erat, or Oates' (mis)handling of him.

The consistent drain of skill is really depressing. And what's even more depressing is that while Caps are getting worse at creativity, they're not really getting better at anything else.

Another bad thing about this is that unless we get a roster forward back for Erat, there will be less incentive to trade Leaders of Meh, who can continue playing together on our reverse-Midas line that turns everything it touches to ****. Can you imagine -- Kuz comes over and Oates sticks him with Laich & Brouwer?

"It's a joke. It's all a f-ing joke."

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

well now ted is tweeting about Erat

 

[RandyHolt]

If GM coaxed Gretzky out of retirement, rest assured Oatesie would make him play right handed.

Then when he fails, refuse to let him use his natural handedness.

Then George would say things didn't work out. That he was "fighting things a bit"; a bad fit.

In hindsight it was the huge red flag in the trade, moving a RW for a.... RW! and assuming he would transition seamlessly to LW. We are not talking a kid here, we are talking a old established vet that made his living at RW. Probably superstitious to end about being a RW.

If he cannot play LW effectively, while learning a new system in low TOI, I for one think George is an idiot for targeting a RW, and Oates for not trying him at RW.

How much of his salary are we going to have to eat? I think at least 2M for any trade done anytime soon. Later in the year, not so likely.

 

[Hivemind]

I still have no problem with the trade. It was going to be a long time before Forsberg would have had a chance to even sniff the top 6 on this team. We got Latta who is an upgrade over Beagle and we're going to get something back for Erat. If anything, I think the failure here is not giving Erat more of an opportunity on the top line with Ovie and Backstrom. He's a top line player. He never got a chance to develop any chemistry and Johansson is a just a really fast human turnover machine.

He was given six games with Ovechkin and Backstrom. That line combined for a grand total of ZERO goals. As soon as the "really fast human turnover machine" was put back at 1LW, Ovechkin started scoring again at even strength.

 

[Halpysback*]

I'm not sure what's been worse -- McPhee's trade for Erat, or Oates' (mis)handling of him.

The consistent drain of skill is really depressing. And what's even more depressing is that while Caps are getting worse at creativity, they're not really getting better at anything else.

Another bad thing about this is that unless we get a roster forward back for Erat, there will be less incentive to trade Leaders of Meh, who can continue playing together on our reverse-Midas line that turns everything it touches to ****. Can you imagine -- Kuz comes over and Oates sticks him with Laich & Brouwer?

"It's a joke. It's all a f-ing joke."

Neither is worse, they're inseparably interwoven with one another, ebbing and flowing along and culminating in a hypnotizingly awe-inspiring kind of glorious train crash of a turdfest

 

[Halpysback*]

He was given six games with Ovechkin and Backstrom. That line combined for a grand total of ZERO goals. As soon as the "really fast human turnover machine" was put back at 1LW, Ovechkin started scoring again at even strength.

Oh wow six games!

 

[SDBondra]

He was given six games with Ovechkin and Backstrom. That line combined for a grand total of ZERO goals. As soon as the "really fast human turnover machine" was put back at 1LW, Ovechkin started scoring again at even strength.

These are good points, however I still believe that in the long term Erat/Backstrom/Ovechkin would be much better than Johansson/Backstrom/Ovechkin.

 

[Monsterrain]

I dont blame erat. I would want a trade too if i spent most the season on the 4th line. He never got enough chances here. It was a bad trade last year and now it looks worse.

 

[KevinM]

Erat hasn't played poorly, but he hasn't been particularly astounding either. His play isn't substantially better than, say, Marco Sturm. The difference was that Sturm was a waiver pick-up and was allowed to walk after the season. I'm not going to be heartbroken if he leaves, it just didn't work out. I'm just hoping we can get a useful roster piece for him, either a 2LW or 2LD.

I'd be surprised if we could turn him for a 2LW or 2LD given the situation he's put us in going public asking for a trade and his lack of production recently (even though we didn't put him in any position to succeed). Especially considering he has a NMC and won't waive it to go to a ****** team. What playoff caliber team would swap a 2LW or 2LD for Erat at this point? 2LW is pretty much what he brings a team under ideal circumstances and his cap hit is relatively high.

 

[BobRouse]

I'm not sure what's been worse -- McPhee's trade for Erat, or Oates' (mis)handling of him.

The consistent drain of skill is really depressing. And what's even more depressing is that while Caps are getting worse at creativity, they're not really getting better at anything else.

Another bad thing about this is that unless we get a roster forward back for Erat, there will be less incentive to trade Leaders of Meh, who can continue playing together on our reverse-Midas line that turns everything it touches to ****. Can you imagine -- Kuz comes over and Oates sticks him with Laich & Brouwer?

"It's a joke. It's all a f-ing joke."

While I'd argue they are getting better at some things you are spot on about the drain of skill.

It started with Flash and it hasn't stopped since.

I believe it was an over reaction to two things...1) Montreal series and 2) the losing streak that suddenly saw us trapping.

We had a team and an identity. Many didn't agree with it...many Caps fans hated BB for it ("No structure" "Too many gambles" etc). I for one wish we stuck with it and said as much then.

Due to the organizational shift to move away from our Blitzkrieg full court press system it required a change in the types of players we had. Needed more North South guys (Brouwer, Ward in lieu of Semin, Flash and others)

We went from all out attack, to a trap, to Hunter hockey, and now something in between.

I for one wish we would stick to something and just go with it. If Oates wants certain kinds of players on his team to fit his vision let him do it. No more GMGM whispering in a coaches ear like he has in the past.

 

[Hivemind]

I'd be surprised if we could turn him for a 2LW or 2LD given the situation he's put us in going public asking for a trade and his lack of production recently (even though we didn't put him in any position to succeed). Especially considering he has a NMC and won't waive it to go to a ****** team. What playoff caliber team would swap a 2LW or 2LD for Erat at this point? 2LW is pretty much what he brings a team under ideal circumstances and his cap hit is relatively high.

Most likely, it would have to be for another underachieving player on a relatively expensive contract. There are plenty of them around the league. And then we hope the "change of scenery" works out.

Martin Havlat would be a guy that intrigues me.