Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) -- 2018-19 We Are The Champions Edition - Pt. 2

[Roughing]

I appreciate the work Ovie but if he didn't train at all I would completely understand:

I'm just glad he lived through that month long bender.

 

[Devil Dancer]

My core hurts just watching that clip.

 

[Calicaps]

As Zubrus said way back in Ovie's rookie year, he's a beast... a freak of nature.

EDIT: Also.... BACK 2 BACK!

 

[kicksavedave]

I appreciate the work Ovie but if he didn't train at all I would completely understand:

I'm just glad he lived through that month long bender.

My core hurts just watching that clip.

What is not seen is the case of beer and the bottle of vodka at the end of the track

Seriously, its good to see him getting back to it... Back 2 Back ain't gonna be easy, but I know for a fact that they can do it.

 

[shtorm2005]

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Bura finally trying to add that muscle I wanted added 2 years ago.

Contract year incoming!

 

[Devil Dancer]

Bura looked like a blob in beach pics last summer, IIRC. So this is good. I wonder if he's motivated by Vrana's emergence.

 

[HTFN]

Bura looked like a blob in beach pics last summer, IIRC. So this is good. I wonder if he's motivated by Vrana's emergence.

Call me crazy but I thought the playoffs brought a little something extra out of him anyway, and I'm actually pretty pro-Burakovsky with regard to turning a corner this year. Been watching some of the games again, and in the Finals especially (but a little in the Tampa series as well) I found myself noticing him positively all over the place. Something about it being the playoffs, where you have no choice but to engage physically, seemed to make him realize that there are actually quite a few physical battles he can win if he engages in them. I don't remember which game it was, but he takes multiple players off their feet with hits along the boards through the course of one of the Finals games. It may just have been the series bleeding together, but still.

I think his limiter will always be that IQ, and if he can ever figure out what to do when the puck is on his stick he'll almost instantly be a menace. As it is... at some point he looked like he finally realized that he's one of the faster, if not just better, skaters on the ice at any given moment. If he simply brings what he learned in the playoffs to the regular season (even scaled down to regular season effort levels), I think you could see 50 points and a more complete Burakovsky. If he figures his brain out on top of that, 60-ish, and frankly I start to have a hard time seeing where the upper limit is. If he isn't just hockey-stupid and his toolbox issues can be fixed psychologically, I genuinely don't see why he couldn't become a 70+ point player just a few years from now. That would take the stars aligning, probably installing a brand new brain, but if they had the technology....

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I mean come on...Vrana is pushing him, it's a contract year. If there's any year to be bullish on Bura it's this one. I 've always felt he has the tools to score 30 someday.

 

[HTFN]

I mean come on...Vrana is pushing him, it's a contract year. If there's any year to be bullish on Bura it's this one. I 've always felt he has the tools to score 30 someday.

Well, if there's a year to demand it of him it's certainly this one, but I think it's a little different to actually expect him to put up. Like, I'd have a really hard time arguing my stance outside of glimpses and hopes if someone were to come by and say I was out to lunch, Burt is what he is, and he'll likely be off the team (or out of its plans) by this time next year.

It's not too far out there to suggest he has corners left to turn, but to feel ~70% sure that he will is another story.

 

[txpd]

Call me crazy but I thought the playoffs brought a little something extra out of him.

Not going to call you crazy but what was the something extra. He had 6pts in 13 games. Exact same output as the season before. He had 2 goals this playoffs. Both in the same game and an assist on the cup winning goal. The season before he had a big play or two. I just haven't seen more than that

 

[HTFN]

Not going to call you crazy but what was the something extra. He had 6pts in 13 games. Exact same output as the season before. He had 2 goals this playoffs. Both in the same game and an assist on the cup winning goal. The season before he had a big play or two. I just haven't seen more than that

He was bashing into people with his body and actually winning. I can't believe I'm about to sound like maacoshark (although I am talking about Burakovsky, so it's still stuff he'd never say) but where he seemed to pick it up was in all of the off-puck stuff that he was only marginally effective at before. Stayed engaged in plays longer, was better at closing defensive gaps, forechecking without flying by, creating turnovers for other players just by stealing time from the opposition, and above all actually bothering to hit people, to engage actively along the boards instead of accepting defeat.

There are lots of reasons why that may never show up again (playoff styles stay in the playoffs, coming off injury may have had him more convinced that he needed to change to stay effective), but some of it is also just keeping a level head and paying attention to the details. If he realizes that he was occasionally capable of bullying other players on the boards, I don't think he needs to get significantly smarter as a player to produce more.

even if the corner he turns is just realizing he's hockey-stupid and using every physical tool in his arsenal instead, it could possibly make him more effective.

 

[twabby]

Burakovsky had 12 points in 26 playoff games over the past two seasons, all at even strength. No one's going to confuse that for an all-star pace but it's certainly solid second line level production.

His 2016 playoff run was disappointing (PDO is a hell of a drug) but Burakovsky was part of the Capitals' best line in the 2017 postseason (65-19-77) and contributed in big moments on the third line in 2018 after getting injured early in the first round. Two goals in Game 7 against Tampa he had 4 assists in 5 games against Vegas (all at ES).

He also led the team in possession in the 2018 postseason and was a +2 in goal differential with pretty neutral deployments.

Vrana seems to project to be a more dynamic player but Burakovsky has value and I'd like to see an injury-free season to see what he really has. The fortunate thing is that his injuries aren't really of the chronic type: groin, concussion, shoulder, etc. He just needs to stop blocking shots with his hand.

 

[twabby]

Actually I just looked it up: Burakovsky's points/60 this postseason at 5v5 was nearly identical to Ovechkin's: 2.41 to 2.43. (Kuznetsov led the team at 2.84)

He really did have a pretty effective postseason and I'm excited to see him and Vrana battle it out for that final top 6 winger position, assuming Ovechkin, Wilson, and Oshie have 3 of those spots on lockdown.

 

[Silky mitts]

I like Burakovsky and it’s like everything I’d look for in a breakout player: incredible Corsi for a few years and made some of the biggest plays of the season, but if the money is tight I don’t know if his upside is any more than Mojo with like 3-5 more goals a year. And he wasn’t missed because there’s only so many top 6 minutes. Vrana is much more explosive.

 

[txpd]

He also led the team in possession in the 2018 postseason and was a +2 in goal differential with pretty neutral deployments.
.

goal differential? you quoted that stat? Just curious. How does +2 compare to +17?

 

[twabby]

goal differential? you quoted that stat? Just curious. How does +2 compare to +17?

Yeah I quoted it in case people declared the possession numbers meaningless as a backup to say his results were also good.

+17 is better and I thought Orpik had a hell of a postseason, if that’s what you’re asking me to say.

 

[Ridley Simon]

goal differential? you quoted that stat? Just curious. How does +2 compare to +17?

twabby has been very pro Orpik since we won the . Very.

And he’s shelved the fancy stats too......if you hadn’t noticed (save this page of this thread).

Not a lot of nits to pick for most of us (save the Wilson detractors).....as we all see the forest thru the trees.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

Caps ranked dead last...

 

[Ridley Simon]

Caps ranked dead last...

Hockey News had them like 29th (Pittsburgh was same thing).

Shrug.

We have a LOT of young players that played key roles. Players that are 26 (as of start of 2018 season) and under are, in descending age:
Kuznetsov
Smith-Pelly
Connolly
Copley
Boyd
Wilson
Walker
Stephenson
Djoos
Burakovsky
Bowey
Vrana
Gersich

Thats 13 players. Add in that Eller (29), Holtby (29) Carlson (28), Kempny (28), and Orlov (27) are all still under 30....I'm not at all worried about an aging team.

The farm has some very top end talent, and some extremely good defensemen and bottom 6 forwards. That's the place of need for us (bottom 6) and of the league (defensemen).

We are in very good shape. Oh yeah...AND we won the Cup?!?!?

 

[Silky mitts]

Caps ranked dead last...

4 rookies played 50+ games last year and the Caps consensus #2 prospect was the 31st pick, not unreasonable

 

[third man in]

Caps ranked dead last...

Tampa was ranked 30 by Pronman and I thought they had a decent system. And like Ridley noted we have a fairly young team and we draft well. Not worried at all.

 

[twabby]

It’s hard to worry about their prospect system when the Capitals have been the best regular season team since 2008 and they finally have a Cup to their name. At some point not having early first round picks is going to hurt, even if they hit on a disproportionately high number of later picks.

 

[Calicaps]

Folks, do not discuss mod actions publicly as it violates board rules. If you have questions or comments please PM one or more of us.

Regarding the now-locked thread, that was the post-game thread for game 5 vs Vegas, and I think we can all agree that is no longer the topic. Feel free to create a new thread for rejoicing if you cannot find an acceptable place to do so in the several open Cup-related thread we already have.

That is all.