Injury Report: Burakovsky hand injury, out til mid March

[txpd]

I am really more interested in disrupting what Eller and Connolly have been doing. If they can unplug Burakovsky from that line and keep the line producing at 2/3 of its previous scoring rate, I will be content. Whether the replacement does well or not.

I worry that the line will not lose its momentum between the injury and the break.

 

[Fallschirmyager]

I am really more interested in disrupting what Eller and Connolly have been doing. If they can unplug Burakovsky from that line and keep the line producing at 2/3 of its previous scoring rate, I will be content. Whether the replacement does well or not.

I worry that the line will not lose its momentum between the injury and the break.

If he's back on the Ides he'll have 3 weeks and a bakers dozen games to get back into game shape and the flow of things with that line before the playoffs. That "should" be enough time.

In the mean time we won't have any real issue unless the rest of the team folds while he's gone.

 

[txpd]

If he's back on the Ides he'll have 3 weeks and a bakers dozen games to get back into game shape and the flow of things with that line before the playoffs. That "should" be enough time.

In the mean time we won't have any real issue unless the rest of the team folds while he's gone.

enough time for what? my fear is that taking 65 off that line will unplug the line. After a month struggling in the wilderness, putting 65 back with them may or may not get them going again. I would imagine Connolly's confidence is pretty fragile still and same could be said of Eller. They finally settled into a routine and they have suddenly lost it.

If they can keep progressing with a spare winger in place, I think they will be fine. If they go cold, Burt returning wont necessarily spark them back.

edit: It could go the other way, Vrana could light it up and make that line even better. The pitfall is that this change could derail a good line

 

[AtNightWeFly]

As good as Bura has been on that line, what if Vrana is even better?

#positivethinking
#endlesspossibilities
#wewantthecup

 

[ovikovy817]

Vrana (if it's him who will replace Bura) will have only 6 games before the trade deadline (I don't count the game against Ducks). I don't know if it's enough to decide if Vrana will be ok or if we need to go for a vet 3RW.

I will follow with attention the game of the 3rd line for the next month.

 

[Fallschirmyager]

enough time for what? my fear is that taking 65 off that line will unplug the line. After a month struggling in the wilderness, putting 65 back with them may or may not get them going again. I would imagine Connolly's confidence is pretty fragile still and same could be said of Eller. They finally settled into a routine and they have suddenly lost it.

If they can keep progressing with a spare winger in place, I think they will be fine. If they go cold, Burt returning wont necessarily spark them back.

edit: It could go the other way, Vrana could light it up and make that line even better. The pitfall is that this change could derail a good line

I share your concern and admit that I'm counting on being able to reestablish that lines chemistry won't take as long as it did to form. I don't think Eller will suffer as much as Connolly might as he's been a regular player for more than a couple years while Connolly is playing for his career. That's up to the coaches and the leaders on the team to remind him he's playing this well because he's relaxed and not just because of the line

I agree that Vrana has a big opportunity right now. Hopefully he takes advantage of it.

 

[sycamore]

As good as Bura has been on that line, what if Vrana is even better?

#positivethinking
#endlesspossibilities
#wewantthecup

Thats what I'm thinking. I mean if Vrana gets hot on that line as the playoffs approach, do you even go back to Burt?

 

[CapsSkins]

Awww, Bura got injured on his birthday.

 

[Hivemind]

Can someone explain why we're not getting any cap relief by sending him to LTIR?

They can get cap relief via LTIR, but you cannot bank LTIR space. LTIR doesn't make his cap hit disappear, but it allows the team to go above the salary cap limit by the amount of the LTIR'd contract. You only bank space while beneath the cap limit. They still have to be cap compliant for the remainder of the regular season, so if Burakovsky comes back before the start of the playoffs, his injury won't grant them any more cap space to add additional pieces at the deadline (as they need to save space for him to return to the line-up).

I'll lay out an example. Let's say the Caps are currently spending to 95% of the salary cap. That current 5% opening they have they can bank towards having more space at the deadline. If a player with a 7% contract goes on LTIR, they are allowed to spend up to 107% of the salary cap only while that player is on LTIR. However, any cap space beyond the normal 100% is not banked. So if they call up a 3% player from the AHL, they'd effectively have a 98% salary cap team, and can only bank 2% of the space during the days that AHL player is in the line-up (rather than the 5% they were baking earlier). They can still spend up to 107%, but once that 7% player is back in the line-up, they have to be beneath the normal 100% barrier.

I hope that made sense.

 

[txpd]

ok...watching nhln and their crawl is showing burakovsky out til mid to late march.
that sounds like a typical 4 to 6 weeks but I had not seen that mentioned here.

on the banking of cap space on LTIR. Another thing that is important to know. If the Caps
use Burakovsky's cap hit to replace him, he is then trapped on LTIR until either the Caps move cap space
or the season ends which eliminates the salary cap.

 

[CapsSkins]

They can get cap relief via LTIR, but you cannot bank LTIR space. LTIR doesn't make his cap hit disappear, but it allows the team to go above the salary cap limit by the amount of the LTIR'd contract. You only bank space while beneath the cap limit. They still have to be cap compliant for the remainder of the regular season, so if Burakovsky comes back before the start of the playoffs, his injury won't grant them any more cap space to add additional pieces at the deadline (as they need to save space for him to return to the line-up).

I'll lay out an example. Let's say the Caps are currently spending to 95% of the salary cap. That current 5% opening they have they can bank towards having more space at the deadline. If a player with a 7% contract goes on LTIR, they are allowed to spend up to 107% of the salary cap only while that player is on LTIR. However, any cap space beyond the normal 100% is not banked. So if they call up a 3% player from the AHL, they'd effectively have a 98% salary cap team, and can only bank 2% of the space during the days that AHL player is in the line-up (rather than the 5% they were baking earlier). They can still spend up to 107%, but once that 7% player is back in the line-up, they have to be beneath the normal 100% barrier.

I hope that made sense.

Thanks, it does. That being said, wasn't there a fairly explicit case recently of a team stashing a player on IR until the end of the regular season when they magically got better in time for Game 1 of the quarterfinals? Was it Kane in CHI? We could do that with Bura. Wouldn't be missing much more time than he already is and the extra cap space could be the difference in making a deal for someone without needing to send a roster player the other way.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Burt has a small cap hit, it doesn't matter much if we shut him down or not.

 

[Hivemind]

Thanks, it does. That being said, wasn't there a fairly explicit case recently of a team stashing a player on IR until the end of the regular season when they magically got better in time for Game 1 of the quarterfinals? Was it Kane in CHI? We could do that with Bura. Wouldn't be missing much more time than he already is and the extra cap space could be the difference in making a deal for someone without needing to send a roster player the other way.

Yes, Chicago did that with Kane. There is no salary cap in the playoffs, so if you keep a guy on LTIR until the playoffs start, you can essentially ice a line-up above the salary cap.

 

[ovikovy817]

And what if his injury is worst than what it is?
Because if Trotz says right now, "Burakovsky is out for 2-3 months", every other GMs will now that the Caps will want a replacement on 3RW, and they automatically will ask for an overpayment by the Caps.

I know it's a weirdo theory, but right now I'm in "the end of the world" mood

 

[CapsSkins]

Yes, Chicago did that with Kane. There is no salary cap in the playoffs, so if you keep a guy on LTIR until the playoffs start, you can essentially ice a line-up above the salary cap.

Right. I say we keep Andre on LTIR till the end of the reg season for the cap relief + he has time to get back to 100%, not 90 or 95.

 

[Demandedace]

Did you go to the same Internet medical college as TXPD?

No, I just have played hockey my whole life and have broken my hand while doing so and did the recovery. Granted, I'm certainly no NHL player by any stretch of the imagination, but a bone is a bone.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

No, I just have played hockey my whole life and have broken my hand while doing so and did the recovery. Granted, I'm certainly no NHL player by any stretch of the imagination, but a bone is a bone.

Heh, I was hoping you had some real medical background to make the joke compLete.

 

[Demandedace]

Heh, I was hoping you had some real medical background to make the joke compLete.

Haha, sadly no. I contemplated trying to play it off like I did but there is no way I could back that up and be convincing lol

 

[Fallschirmyager]

And what if his injury is worst than what it is?
Because if Trotz says right now, "Burakovsky is out for 2-3 months", every other GMs will now that the Caps will want a replacement on 3RW, and they automatically will ask for an overpayment by the Caps.

I know it's a weirdo theory, but right now I'm in "the end of the world" mood

Not to worry, unless the low life jerk of a PA who is 8 days away from the end of his tour in Korea who doesn't actually care fails to set the broken hand so you have to spend 4 weeks with your hand in a cast during the hottest part Korean summer and then the next PA has to recast it for an additional 4 weeks, it should only take 4 weeks to heal. Barring surgery that is.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Please, there is only room for one internet doctor in this forum and TXMD is the official HF Caps internet doctor.

 

[txpd]

Right. I say we keep Andre on LTIR till the end of the reg season for the cap relief + he has time to get back to 100%, not 90 or 95.

and if the Caps need him to be playoff ready and he hasn't played a game since Valentine's Day?

I would much rather have Burt in game shape and ready for the real games then having to hope he can catch up.

 

[CapsSkins]

and if the Caps need him to be playoff ready and he hasn't played a game since Valentine's Day?

I would much rather have Burt in game shape and ready for the real games then having to hope he can catch up.

Worked out for the Hawks and Kane. /shrug

 

[txpd]

Worked out for the Hawks and Kane. /shrug

you are comparing Patrick Kane, an allstar and a cup winner, to Burakovsky who is still trying to establish an NHL game and who disappearted last playoffs?

 

[Chokingdogs]

its for sure a broken hand, the quick replay of him on the bench holding up his mitt showed that.

dr noisewater here states it's one, or all, of the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th metacarpals.

 

[Holtbyisms]

They showed it on cam just above/right on his middle knuckle/ring finger looked blue and purple with swelling like right away. Definitely broken.