Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2019 Offseason Pt. 2: The BMac Attack

[hockeykicker]

Who is going to take a failing Bura at 3.25 at the deadline?

Except he isnt 3.25 at deadline

 

[Ridley Simon]

I do. Just trying to lighten the mood in this joint. It's seems to be a congregation of angry, bitter old men.

Calling @calicapsfan — who isn’t angry, bitter, old or a man.

 

[Calicaps]

Well....They didn't get a good offer because the player has questionable value and the team has no leverage.

I actually think this is a savvy move precisely BECAUSE they're willing to keep him, at least in the short term. We know BMac got calls from teams that were interested, but it seems they wanted to low-ball on the assumption that the Caps couldn't afford the QO. GMBM called their bluff. If they truly want the player, they have to pay to get him, otherwise he keeps Burk until he either earns his money or a better offer materializes. It's smart and creates leverage where maybe there wasn't any before. Any team with some cap room isn't gonna care about $3.25 for a year. Either Andre performs and they're happy with his hit or he fails and they let him go or low ball him next year.

 

[txpd]

Who is going to take a failing Bura at 3.25 at the deadline?

A desperate team that needs players that give them a chance at some offense. By game 20 plans start to fall apart or hit the rocks with some teams.
Burt being owned $2.2m or something and available for cheap, somebody that would snag him off waivers would do it. No way he clears waivers

 

[Corby78]

Except he isnt 3.25 at deadline

Compared to a guy making 2.0 at the deadline he is. All the salaries are weighted, and unless he picks it up, his value will be low. Its a gamble, I get that, and some want to roll the dice. I'm ready to move on and use the money now on something more sound.

 

[Kalopsia]

Well....They didn't get a good offer because the player has questionable value and the team has no leverage.

Or they didn't get a good offer because teams thought they'd get a shot at signing Bura for free after the Caps let him walk. They may have anticipated the Caps being in a greater cap crunch than they turned out to be in thanks to the Niskanen trade (Cali beat me to the punch again here!). Now that he's been given a QO, the Caps have leverage again. Teams that want Bura either pay a price MacLellan finds reasonable, or they don't get him. That sounds like leverage to me.

 

[txpd]

I actually think this is a savvy move precisely BECAUSE they're willing to keep him, at least in the short term. We know BMac got calls from teams that were interested, but it seems they wanted to low-ball on the assumption that the Caps couldn't afford the QO. GMBMHe called their bluff. If they truly want the player, they have to pay to get him, otherwise he keeps Burk until he either earns his money or a better offer materializes. It's smart and creates leverage where maybe there wasn't any before. Any team with some cap room isn't gonna care about $3.25 for a year. Either Andre performs and they're happy with his hit or he fails and they let him go or low ball him next year.

I think lots of teams were interested if he was a bargain dumpster dive player. Far less interested having to pay real assets and real money.

 

[Corby78]

A desperate team that needs players that give them a chance at some offense. By game 20 plans start to fall apart or hit the rocks with some teams.
Burt being owned $2.2m or something and available for cheap, somebody that would snag him off waivers would do it. No way he clears waivers

So now we have gone from trading him because he is an "asset" and has "value" to comparing him to somebody on waivers? If bura is on his 6th year of not turning a corner, weren't not getting anything worth while for him. The only way I see this working is if GMBM works a steal, or we use the 3.25 elsewhere. My faith that Bura proves me wrong is gone.

 

[txpd]

So now we have gone from trading him because he is an "asset" and has "value" to comparing him to somebody on waivers?.

If he is in one of his 20+ game goalless streaks, then yea

 

[Silky mitts]

I hate being wrong about keeping Bura more than I hate them having done it.

 

[Calicaps]

Calling @calicapsfan — who isn’t angry, bitter, old or a man.

You're sweet. I'm definitely old but I'm no longer bitter because

 

[Sam Spade]

A desperate team that needs players that give them a chance at some offense. By game 20 plans start to fall apart or hit the rocks with some teams.
Burt being owned $2.2m or something and available for cheap, somebody that would snag him off waivers would do it. No way he clears waivers

Well then why would they want Burakovsky?

 

[Ridley Simon]

I never would have thought their plan was to just return the same team minus Niskanen and Connolly.

That's not what "go for it" means to me.

I hope there's a major move coming but I don't see it.

Well, they did add Gudas....so there is that. But your overall point isn’t wrong.

However.....there is a lot of time left in the off-season. So let’s see what happens.

 

[Calicaps]

I think lots of teams were interested if he was a bargain dumpster dive player. Far less interested having to pay real assets and real money.

Probably somewhat, although he's still young and he plays on a team that's trying to win now where he doesn't get PP time or extended opportunities with skill players. Obviously he hasn't exactly earned either, but he hasn't had much chance to grow in those roles either. A building team might have some patience on the assumption that the possible upside is worth it. Hell, BMac even said they think his upside is too valuable to sell him low and he's apparently following that statement up with commensurate action.

Well then why would they want Burakovsky?

 

[Calicaps]

Well, they did add Gudas....so there is that. But your overall point isn’t wrong.

However.....there is a lot of time left in the off-season. So let’s see what happens.

Nope, this is it. Didn't you know that from now until the TDL nothing can change?

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Bura was good the last half of the year, I don’t mind keeping him. Some people are so entrenched in their Bura trade/hate that they never re-evaluate him, he was a fine asset from January onward.

 

[g00n]

I don't fully buy into the trade option unless Bura is part of a bigger "all in" deal at the TDL. Very hard to make a standalone hockey move prior to that when he isn't playing well because his value is low. A TDL move involving same player who's pending UFA doesn't seem like it helps anyone else so he becomes a trade chip for a bigger pot. And if he's playing well by that time, raising his value enough for a trade, you probably want to hold on to him for the playoffs (whether you think that way now or not, it will change by March or so).

This is the same thing we went through with Semin and Green for years.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Wouldn't you rather have the 3.25 in cap space though?

I’m not sure. Depends what is done with it. If it turns into say, 5yrs of Jack Johnson....then I’d far rather Burakovsky at 1yr. See what I mean?

And frankly...you may still get that 3.25 slot opened up if they trade him, AND get some asset back for him in return.

I think you are assuming he’s on the opening night roster, which while certainly is far more feasible now than had they not QO’d him, if far from a certainty overall.

 

[tenken00]

Edit: No point in this

 

[Charles Calvert]

I don't fully buy into the trade option unless Bura is part of a bigger "all in" deal at the TDL. Very hard to make a standalone hockey move prior to that when he isn't playing well because his value is low. A TDL move involving same player who's pending UFA doesn't seem like it helps anyone else so he becomes a trade chip for a bigger pot. And if he's playing well by that time, raising his value enough for a trade, you probably want to hold on to him for the playoffs (whether you think that way now or not, it will change by March or so).

This is the same thing we went through with Semin and Green for years.

Except Semin and Green occupied much more vital parts of the team than Burakovsky does. Both were more expensive.

The Caps are in an infinitely better place. We're all hand wringing and jabbering about a 3RW. We had much bigger problems in those days.

 

[g00n]

Except Semin and Green occupied much more vital parts of the team than Burakovsky does. Both were more expensive.

The Caps are in an infinitely better place. We're all hand wringing and jabbering about a 3RW. We had much bigger problems in those days.

Yes, I know by orders of magnitude it's not the same, but it's comparable and the trade options are similar.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Bura gives more flexibility than Mojo for example. He's younger and better shooter. With less cap to work with it's maybe even better option.

Now if they could snatch Poolparty guy and sign him for about 1M...

3,25 is more than I expected but he's still a Capital. Trying to sign Bura without QO was a risk, 3,25M is almost 100% certain option.

62-20-65 is capable 3rd line in theory. Not the end of the world.

Oilers qualified Pool Party...

 

[Hivemind]

I can’t recall. Can a player start the season on LTIR, ie kempny, or do they have to start the new season below the cap first, then place on LTIR right after?

They can start the season with a player on LTIR. See the Nathan Horton and David Clarkson contracts.
However, they can never go more than 10% above the salary cap during the off-season (where no LTIR exemption exists). ​

 

[Sam Spade]

Bura was good the last half of the year, I don’t mind keeping him. Some people are so entrenched in their Bura trade/hate that they never re-evaluate him, he was a fine asset from January onward.

He had 5 points from March 1st on, he was the suck. For perspective, in that same time span Boyd (800k) had 4 points, Dowd (65ok) had 6 points, Connolly (1.5) had 11 points. All three, with 450k to spare better than Burakovsky.

He was a fine player if he made a million per, or even two million per, at 3.25 he is a horrible waste of cap space.

 

[hockeykicker]

Per CapFriendly, the Caps' RFA's:

Burakovsky
Vrana
Jaskin
Stephenson
Mitchell
Gustafsson
Djoos
Williams
Vanacek

I could see Mitchell, Gustafsson, and Williams not getting QA's. I think the rest probably will, even if it's just to trade them later.