Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2019-20 Season Pt. 6: 2020

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Just bought the Wizards shirt.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

Just bought the Wizards shirt.

Yeah I prefer that one.

 

[Bananas]

The Caps won the Stanley Cup.

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I also think there's no chance the Capitals re-sign him.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

I also think there's no chance the Capitals re-sign him.

There was no chance even when we thought the salary cap was going up

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

There was no chance even when we thought the salary cap was going up

Nope. He's probably my pick for most disappointing player this year.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Interesting about how candid Gudas is/can be. I am surprised that he came out and said it right out front, but, he's realistic. And, it wasn't in anyway to take a shot at the team. Thoughts?

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

So if the NHL does do a 24 team playoffs who would the Caps get

 

[hockeykicker]

So if the NHL does do a 24 team playoffs who would the Caps get

Flyers first

 

[hockeykicker]

From what i have been able to find on internet (obviously nothing is confirmed)

Here's what that would potentially entail, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector:

• Four league cities (presumably spread across the United States and Canada) would host division-based playoff "tournaments"
• Each of the league's four divisions would be assigned a city (or hub), with the top six teams from each division qualifying for the postseason and reporting to their respective hub
• Each division's No. 1 and No. 2 seeds would play each other (best-of-three series) to decide a division winner
• Each division's No. 3 seed would play the No. 6 seed, while the No. 4 would face No. 5 in a best-of-three for the right to keep playing
• That would leave four remaining playoff qualifiers from each division (16 total playoff teams) and a seeding structure to play a more traditional Stanley Cup playoff tournament

So it would be

Best-of-three matchups:

• Capitals vs. Flyers (division title)
  
• Penguins vs. Blue Jackets (elimination series)
• Hurricanes vs. Islanders (elimination series)

At the conclusion of this format, there would be four teams remaining in each division (including a division champion) and a clean eight teams per conference.

So it looks like capitals and flyers don't get eliminated in round 1 and both advance regardless

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

So we could play the flyers in a 3 games series and then face them again in the division finals. That won’t end in a blood bath

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

So we could play the flyers in a 3 games series and then face them again in the division finals. That won’t end in a blood bath

Wooooo that would be fun against anyone, but yeah!

 

[Ridley Simon]

Flyers first

? How?

No way 1 & 2 in the Metro would play first.

edit — ok. I see what you are referring to

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

? How?

No way 1 & 2 in the Metro would play first.

I think it makes perfect sense. Two play in series and 2 teams battle for the division title and top seed.

rematches are likely and potentially Epic.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I don't really get all of the people complaining about this format. It should be a ton of fun and we get hockey back. Who cares if it's not the normal format of 16 teams... nothing about 2020 is at all normal. Plus, more fans are invested since more teams are relevant. I'm also not familiar with the TV deal structure but could a few extra games bring in more revenue which could increase the cap next year?

 

[Langway]

It seems unlikely next year's cap could be driven toward an increased based on anything but the NHLPA's inflator and a continued reliance on escrow. They're going to have to reach some sort of agreement so that teams aren't crushed under any decline scenario.

Whether it's a play-in round or round robin or whatever it's going to be a bit odd to have immediate high stakes games. It adds to the intrigue but the sloppiness will be significant barring at least some tune-up exhibitions or something.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[Devil Dancer]

As long as the Caps are guaranteed a trip to the round of 16 I don't care much about the format at all.

 

[StrikingDistance]

The longer this pause in the season lasts, the more I agree with Gudas. I miss the hockey, but I think the NHL is trying to bail out the Titanic with a coffee mug. Once someone or multiple people test positive after playing a game....yeah stick a cork in it. Also, any contrived playoff scenario will leave an asterisk on the cup. Not worth it.

And yes:

 

[tenken00]

The longer this pause in the season lasts, the more I agree with Gudas. I miss the hockey, but I think the NHL is trying to bail out the Titanic with a coffee mug. Once someone or multiple people test positive after playing a game....yeah stick a cork in it. Also, any contrived playoff scenario will leave an asterisk on the cup. Not worth it.

And yes:

I agree, and have been thinking the same for awhile now.

The 24 team tournament, while probably fun to watch, is nothing more than a glorified exhibition for a Cup* that will never be held to the standards of other Cups. That's not worth the potential harms to health and body from both Covid-19 and injuries from not playing hockey in months.

I think they should treat this season like a lost one unfortunately, like a strike-shortened one.

Baseball, soccer, football and other leagues might be able to get away with playing, but that's because they just or will start to begin a fresh new season. Not take a multiple month hiatus near the end of it.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

No quit in this fan.....the show must go on!

 

[Marshall]

I understand Gudas' sentiment, but I don't think it's an apples-to-apples comparison - is he okay with not getting paid to not play? (I don't know, not being snarky.)

And the NHLPA has to agree to play, no?

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I agree, and have been thinking the same for awhile now.

The 24 team tournament, while probably fun to watch, is nothing more than a glorified exhibition for a Cup* that will never be held to the standards of other Cups. That's not worth the potential harms to health and body from both Covid-19 and injuries from not playing hockey in months.

I think they should treat this season like a lost one unfortunately, like a strike-shortened one.

Baseball, soccer, football and other leagues might be able to get away with playing, but that's because they just or will start to begin a fresh new season. Not take a multiple month hiatus near the end of it.

I just don't buy this. Do you value Cups won during lockout years any less than ones won during a normal season? Are the 1994-95 New Jersey Devils or the 2012-13 Blackhawks thought of as less deserving champions because those regular seasons only lasted ~40 regular season games? This year, the teams played almost an entire season's worth of games so I don't think it's at all like a strike-shortened season and I think it makes more sense to crown a champion this year than to scrap it and hope we can play a full season next year.

 

[g00n]

I just don't buy this. Do you value Cups won during lockout years any less than ones won during a normal season? Are the 1994-95 New Jersey Devils or the 2012-13 Blackhawks thought of as less deserving champions because those regular seasons only lasted ~40 regular season games? This year, the teams played almost an entire season's worth of games so I don't think it's at all like a strike-shortened season and I think it makes more sense to crown a champion this year than to scrap it and hope we can play a full season next year.

Was going to bring up those two years. I don't get the asterisk arguments unless there's some real hijinx that leaves out the top teams or excludes a team that should have made it. We have about 85% of the season played and plenty of time to establish who's good enough for a playoff. Maybe a Rona Cup is a bit different from years past but it's still going to be the same teams competing on a presumably level sheet of ice.