Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2019-20 Season Pt. 2: Happy Hockey Days!

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txpd

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I don't hold MAF in the highest esteem (he cost Pittsburgh more Cups than he won them, and he folded against the Caps when he was with Vegas), so I do feel it's possible to get a back-up of his quality. But that's a secondary debate regarding our evaluations of MAF.

My broader point was that you often cite a whole bunch of stuff regarding what types of goaltending will and won't win a Stanley Cup (typically in favor of retaining Holtby), despite the fact that there's a whole bunch of recent Cup winners with goaltending stories that fly in the face of what you claim.

Well, buddy. That's true. Its also true that in almost every one of those cases, you cant staff(plan) for those scenarios to play out. St Louis last season was on their 5th goalie. Would you honestly have thought the team was better off sticking with Grubauer? Or Varly?

You have the best player that you will every have on your hockey team and a Stanley cup level team, you would plan to use a kid or a 2nd or 3rd tier veteran because it has worked in the past? I recognize that results have shown that anyone goalie can do it just like any forward can have a John Druce or DSP playoffs. I don't fall into the category of people that pick one player and then let everything ride on it being that player's year to do it. But you can.
 

SherVaughn30

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The Caps are still one of the best in generating NHL goalies. They had a somewhat unknown Copley to get them 16 wins as a rookie last season. If Holtby signs with another team after this season, Samsonov will be the projected #1 and the Caps will either choose Copley, Vanecek or a FA goalie to back him up. Goaltending will be the least of the Caps worries even if Holtby doesn't re-sign.
 

Raikkonen

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Holtby is in godlike form now. It should be considered to keep him somehow (especially if the price is just Jensen and Panik being gone - many here will help them get to the airport).
 

Raikkonen

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Samsonov has about 50 games to have some load. How many starts he will get from now on? 15? 20? He's nowhere near #1G tested guy at the end of the season. He will be still an unknown. Kid with potential.
 
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max21

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The Caps are still one of the best in generating NHL goalies. They had a somewhat unknown Copley to get them 16 wins as a rookie last season. If Holtby signs with another team after this season, Samsonov will be the projected #1 and the Caps will either choose Copley, Vanecek or a FA goalie to back him up. Goaltending will be the least of the Caps worries even if Holtby doesn't re-sign.
Wish I had warm fuzzy like you do but I don’t, Holtby has been an absolute Anchor for us and a huge reason we won the cup. Playing at a very high level this year and if we go into next season with Sammy and whoever else I’ll be a bit worried. Maybe if we got a guy like Markstrom or Lehner id feel better but the homerism in me wants Holtby
 

LesDiablesRouges

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Samsonov is a high-end prospect, with enormous talent and a top-tier ceiling. If the Caps did not see him as a starter going forward (post-Holtby), I think that they would have included him in a monster deal before this year. The fact that he was highly coveted and off-limits leads me to believe that they have seen enough glimpses of his talent and potential over the last few years to be comfortable with going forward with him in the future. Obviously, adapting, maturing, and growing at the NHL level is another step, but, I believe that they are comfortable with him being the starter in the near future.
 
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Corby78

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The Caps are still one of the best in generating NHL goalies. They had a somewhat unknown Copley to get them 16 wins as a rookie last season. If Holtby signs with another team after this season, Samsonov will be the projected #1 and the Caps will either choose Copley, Vanecek or a FA goalie to back him up. Goaltending will be the least of the Caps worries even if Holtby doesn't re-sign.
Copley wasn't a rookie, he has been flirting with a NHL job for about 4 years. Little different than a kid like Samsonov
 

Raikkonen

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Samsonov is a high-end prospect, with enormous talent and a top-tier ceiling. If the Caps did not see him as a starter going forward (post-Holtby), I think that they would have included him in a monster deal before this year. The fact that he was highly coveted and off-limits leads me to believe that they have seen enough glimpses of his talent and potential over the last few years to be comfortable with going forward with him in the future. Obviously, adapting, maturing, and growing at the NHL level is another step, but, I believe that they are comfortable with him being the starter in the near future.

So they should gift Sammy #1 status while he's still not ready for that?

What can go wrong...
 

txpd

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The Caps are still one of the best in generating NHL goalies. They had a somewhat unknown Copley to get them 16 wins as a rookie last season. If Holtby signs with another team after this season, Samsonov will be the projected #1 and the Caps will either choose Copley, Vanecek or a FA goalie to back him up. Goaltending will be the least of the Caps worries even if Holtby doesn't re-sign.

Really? I would say that "the least of their worries" is overstating it seriously.
 

txpd

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Samsonov is a high-end prospect, with enormous talent and a top-tier ceiling. If the Caps did not see him as a starter going forward (post-Holtby), I think that they would have included him in a monster deal before this year.

You are ignoring a reality. All of that can be true. All of what you said about Samsanov above applied to Varlamov as well. The Caps ended up going into the playoffs two seasons in a row, one with the best record in the league, with a 2nd tier goalie and a hot shot prospect.
 

895

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You are ignoring a reality. All of that can be true. All of what you said about Samsanov above applied to Varlamov as well. The Caps ended up going into the playoffs two seasons in a row, one with the best record in the league, with a 2nd tier goalie and a hot shot prospect.

It kinda sounds like you are in the retaining Holtby camp?

How do you propose we do that though?

Everyone is for retaining Holtby if we had the cap space. But we don't.

You are saying Samsonov + backup isn't good enough but that's just the reality of the salary cap.
 
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txpd

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It kinda sounds like you are in the retaining Holtby camp?.

No. I cant see how it gets done. I am pushing back against the "Least of their worries" BS. This, they wont miss a beat stuff is crap. There's a chance that Samsanov is the best goalie in the league next season, but I would say that its more likely that he struggles with the transition. Its more likely than that he will be erratic and take two or three seasons to be his best.

On these boards too often many see a young player at Hershey and think he can step in and immediately be a fully developed player. Which is horse shit. Its happening with Fever right now.

If the Caps lose Holtby, they will go with Samsanov and there is a reasonable chance that situation writes off the season. That's what I am saying. I don't think keeping Holtby is an option
 
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895

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Its more likely than that he will be erratic and take two or three seasons to be his best.

So why are you against signing a quality veteran backup then? That's precisely why I want Halak or someone of his ilk.
 

Blitzkrieg365

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I love Holtby but unless he takes a massive pay cut there is no chance he sticks around. Even then it would be hard to keep him and still sign Nicky.
 
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txpd

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So why are you against signing a quality veteran backup then? That's precisely why I want Halak or someone of his ilk.

I am not against signing a veteran goalie they can afford. I am saying that anybody they get doesn't fix their problem. If Halak is good enough to give them a shot at the cup, he will sign somewhere else for more than one year with a team he will be that starting goalie. They guy they get wont be what they need should they need that.
 

Ovechkins Wodka

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Wish I had warm fuzzy like you do but I don’t, Holtby has been an absolute Anchor for us and a huge reason we won the cup. Playing at a very high level this year and if we go into next season with Sammy and whoever else I’ll be a bit worried. Maybe if we got a guy like Markstrom or Lehner id feel better but the homerism in me wants Holtby
Holtby has also shit the bed in elimination games with very soft goals
 
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895

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I am not against signing a veteran goalie they can afford. I am saying that anybody they get doesn't fix their problem. If Halak is good enough to give them a shot at the cup, he will sign somewhere else for more than one year with a team he will be that starting goalie. They guy they get wont be what they need should they need that.

How do you know that?

The nature of goaltending is that on any given night or in any given 20 game stretch, any goalie can outperform any other goalie. The difference between great Vezina winning goalies and backups is consistency.

The last ten years have been rife with backup or not so great goalies getting hot for 20 games and leading their team to the Cup or the Finals. By signing a quality backup, the Caps get that extra out. It may or may not come into play, but having it is certainly better than not having it.

Because otherwise what are you even advocating for? The season is lost, so might as well not have a good backup?
 
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Ovechkins Wodka

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Hoping Holtby is our goalie next season is like me hoping the Nats keep Rendon. Let’s just hope both Rendon and Holtby leave with a championship
 

Blitzkrieg365

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Samsonov has about 50 games to have some load. How many starts he will get from now on? 15? 20? He's nowhere near #1G tested guy at the end of the season. He will be still an unknown. Kid with potential.
He needed another year after this one before taking the starter role but unfortunately I don't think it's going to happen.
 
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