Post-Game Talk: Capitals @ Maple leafs HNIC 7pm

[maacoshark]

There are plenty of reasons to suggest Trotz has been a poor playoff coach.

1. Benching Schmidt for the first few games of the Toronto series in favor of a gimpy Alzner
2. Not recognizing that Orlov and Niskanen was the team’s best defensive option against the Leafs until Game 4
3. Playing 7D in the playoffs which consisted of having Orpik and Alzner on the ice for periods of time (and giving up a backbreaking goal)
4. Failing to reach the third round not only in Washington, but in Nashville with completely different personnel including a few pretty good teams on paper
5. Choosing to play Mike Weber and Taylor Chorney in 2016 instead of Orlov or Schmidt
6. Not being able to successfully solve the Penguins’ counter-attacking style in 2017 until Game 3.

Probably a few other things I’m missing, including implementing the low-to-high which IMO isn’t nearly as effective in the postseason due to defenders being much more willing to block shots from the point in the playoffs.

It’s perfectly fair to be disappointed in the players as well but Trotz has been far from good in the playoffs.

Since you seem to think you have it all figured out maybe you should coach this team

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Most of those points are just your personal opinion. You have no clue if things would have been different if different decisions were made. I disagree with some of the decisions Trotz made too. But that doesn't mean I'm right. Have the Caps really been that bad in the playoffs the past couple seasons. We lost both years to the eventual Stanley cup champions. Neither series was a blowout. We just came up a bit short and I think if we got by the Pens that we would have hoisted the cup. I still feel we also added the wrong piece at the trade deadline. We didn't need an offense only defence man.

Yes the Caps have been bad in the playoffs. 2016 I can understand, the Penguins legitimately outplayed us. 2017 was a disaster. Lost against an injured Penguins team while dominating the series in game 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Losing 2-0 on home ice was icing on the cake. With all the pressure to win the Stanley Cup before the window closes, with everything on the line, we choked big time.

Who do you think the Caps should've traded for instead of Shattenkirk?

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

twabby again with the Alzner hate. sigh...

I do agree that the playoffs vs the Penguins should have gone differently.

Trotz should have brought Alzner back sooner, so as not to lose the first 2 games in a row. Hole dug.

Alzner returned in game 3 and they win.

Then playing him less and less.

Alzner was the glue

Possession #'s don't always tell the whole story.

Is this a troll post or are you being serious?

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Since you seem to think you have it all figured out maybe you should coach this team

George McPhee, what are you doing posting on these boards??

 

[maacoshark]

Yes the Caps have been bad in the playoffs. 2016 I can understand, the Penguins legitimately outplayed us. 2017 was a disaster. Lost against an injured Penguins team while dominating the series in game 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Losing 2-0 on home ice was icing on the cake. With all the pressure to win the Stanley Cup before the window closes, with everything on the line, we choked big time.

Who do you think the Caps should've traded for instead of Shattenkirk?

I think we needed a grittier player. Playoffs are more about physical and defensive play. If no one like that was available I would have left things alone. Shattenkirk was a bad pickup. He hurt our team more than he helped. He was the single worst player in the series with the Pens.

 

[twabby]

Most of those points are just your personal opinion. You have no clue if things would have been different if different decisions were made. I disagree with some of the decisions Trotz made too. But that doesn't mean I'm right. Have the Caps really been that bad in the playoffs the past couple seasons. We lost both years to the eventual Stanley cup champions. Neither series was a blowout. We just came up a bit short and I think if we got by the Pens that we would have hoisted the cup. I still feel we also added the wrong piece at the trade deadline. We didn't need an offense only defence man.

It's a message board, of course it's my opinion. We might as well not have any debate at all if we're going to resort to "well it's just your opinion" as a retort.

Since you seem to think you have it all figured out maybe you should coach this team

I'll coach if you take over for Matt Niskanen as the #1 D.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I think we needed a grittier player. Playoffs are more about physical and defensive play. If no one like that was available I would have left things alone. Shattenkirk was a bad pickup. He hurt our team more than he helped. He was the single worst player in the series with the Pens.

Easy to say in hindsight. Shattenkirk was great for the Blues based on the fact that he was playing on the 3rd pair behind Pietrangelo and Parayko. Everyone thought that he'd be great playing behind Niskanen and Carlson but obviously that wasn't the case.

Maybe Shattenkirk would've been better for us if we traded for him earlier in the season. Look at him now, he had a poor start to the season with the Rangers but since then he picked up his play and is now their best D. He was never going to be a strong shutdown D for us but I was expecting him to put a couple in the back of the net or to feed Ovi on the PP. He fed Ovi on the PP in the series against the Leafs and had an OT goal against the Pens, but I was expecting more.

I think the D let down the forwards last year for most of the series. In game 7, it was the forwards who let down the D.

 

[txpd]

I think we needed a grittier player. Playoffs are more about physical and defensive play. If no one like that was available I would have left things alone. Shattenkirk was a bad pickup. He hurt our team more than he helped. He was the single worst player in the series with the Pens.

Shattenkirk sucked in Washington from the get go. My view is that he choked. He had it easy. Skating 3rd pair with a solid partner, Orpik, that had his back. Schmidt, Carlson, Niskanen all did more Shattenkirk than Shattenkirk did. That doesn't mean that some other player was a better choice. The grittier player part? They were eliminated in a 2-0 loss. They needed that offense. They needed a better Holtby which a grittier player doesn't fix

 

[txpd]

Why ask Justin Williams he isn't here. And I don't think Williams is the leader everyone made him out to be.

Well, you are saying that the Caps need to get players with Cups. Williams not only has multi cups but he was a primary player in each of those teams wiing their cup. For the Caps in the playoffs when they were in trouble he was the guy that repeatedly stepped up. I am not sure what more you want buddy

 

[trick9]

Remember when Craig Button said during the 2014 draft that skating is a weakness for Jakub Vrana and he would be a risky pick because of that. It was mind-boggling then and even more so now.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Who do you think the Caps should've traded for instead of Shattenkirk?

No one. Rentals are a waste of assests. We would not be as nearly as F'ed this season.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

Remember when Craig Button said during the 2014 draft that skating is a weakness for Jakub Vrana and he would be a risky pick because of that. It was mind-boggling then and even more so now.

Kind of like in 2013 when TSN gave Burakovsky's shot a 2/5 at the draft. I know he loves to go high and wide, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't very accurate.

 

[ovikovy817]

Remember when Craig Button said during the 2014 draft that skating is a weakness for Jakub Vrana and he would be a risky pick because of that. It was mind-boggling then and even more so now.

Craig Button, the same guy who didn't include Braden Holtby in the top 3 Team Canada for a potential OG2018

 

[g00n]

Remember when Forsberg was traded because "experts" decided he couldn't skate. lol

 

[twabby]

I'm pretty sure if you just sorted forward prospects by points you'd do a better job than these supposed "experts" in evaluating talent.

 

[brachyrynchos]

Remember when Forsberg was traded because "experts" decided he couldn't skate. lol

They said the same thing about Andrew Brunette and Jason Allison, too.

 

[maacoshark]

It's a message board, of course it's my opinion. We might as well not have any debate at all if we're going to resort to "well it's just your opinion" as a retort.



I'll coach if you take over for Matt Niskanen as the #1 D.

Lol OK if we get their salaries

 

[maacoshark]

Well, you are saying that the Caps need to get players with Cups. Williams not only has multi cups but he was a primary player in each of those teams wiing their cup. For the Caps in the playoffs when they were in trouble he was the guy that repeatedly stepped up. I am not sure what more you want buddy

I never mentioned that the Caps need players with cups. BTW Williams didn't step up for us. He started the last playoffs well but tailed off later on.

 

[maacoshark]

No one. Rentals are a waste of assests. We would not be as nearly as F'ed this season.

I don't like rental players either. It messes with the chemistry of the team

 

[maacoshark]

Shattenkirk sucked in Washington from the get go. My view is that he choked. He had it easy. Skating 3rd pair with a solid partner, Orpik, that had his back. Schmidt, Carlson, Niskanen all did more Shattenkirk than Shattenkirk did. That doesn't mean that some other player was a better choice. The grittier player part? They were eliminated in a 2-0 loss. They needed that offense. They needed a better Holtby which a grittier player doesn't fix

You are talking about one game. We were terrible defensively in that series and Shattenkirk was a big part of that. He cost us a couple of games. That series never should have gone 7 games.

 

[txpd]

You are talking about one game. We were terrible defensively in that series and Shattenkirk was a big part of that. He cost us a couple of games. That series never should have gone 7 games.

The series doesn't go 7 with a standard playoff Holtby.

 

[txpd]

I never mentioned that the Caps need players with cups. BTW Williams didn't step up for us. He started the last playoffs well but tailed off later on.

He was 4th on the team in playoff scoring last season. I'd say that he earned his check

 

[txpd]

No one. Rentals are a waste of assests. We would not be as nearly as F'ed this season.

What am I missing? The Caps traded Zach Sanford and a pick. How do either of those things reduce the Fd factor for this season?

 

[twabby]

The series doesn't go 7 with a standard playoff Holtby.

Yeah that's a tough pill to swallow because despite the mistakes made by everyone else, the Capitals are almost surely through to round 3 if Holtby is average or better. It was a brutal time to have his worst stretch of playoff games in his career.

 

[Portable Mink]

Talking bout last years playoffs breaks my heart