Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2020 Offseason Pt. 2

[Corby78]

Not sure I like running back the same team next season if Dillion is our FA spend

A proven coach should improve the same roster

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Not sure I like running back the same team next season if Dillion is our FA spend

I feel like a hockey trade is gonna happen on top of that.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

shots across the bow fired....(not everyone was on board)....

 

[txpd]

shots across the bow fired....(not everyone was on board)....

hmm.....9......2 maybe?

 

[caps4cup]

I'm not looking to get rid of Panik any time soon. He started slow but he had 22 points in 59 games, all at 5v5 (tied with Nick Backstrom). Not fantastic but on a per 60 basis he was 4th on the team in scoring. The underlying numbers are solid too and it's not like his production should be expected to drop any time soon. Not guaranteeing he'll be the next Connolly but Connolly did follow a similar track during his first season before breaking out in his second season in DC.

Was a big fan of the Panik signing and wanted them to target him in the first place. His numbers look good and I’m a big fan of looking at analytics. For some reason, he just looked uncomfortable or something in my opinion, for most of the season. Similar to Jensen in a way. Both improved at the end of last year but I thought both just looked very unsure of themselves and not fully confident of what they were doing. I would like to keep Panik, but I don’t think it’s worth keeping him if they’re planning on him being a 4th liner. He’s too good and makes too much to be on the 4th line. Needs to play with more skilled players. Panik-Eller-Smith would be a dream 3rd line. I think Kuz would play well with those two also and then you move Eller up with Vrana and Oshie, who have played very well together before.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Ok.

“Tex is getting upset!!”

(Seinfeld reference, before anyone gets too “upset”)

 

[Ridley Simon]

Simmons has historically been one of my favorite non-Caps around the league but he just seems like a shell of his former self at this point. Not sure if that's because he's bounced around teams and hasn't found a fit but since 2015-16 these are his point totals: 60, 46, 30 (trade to NSH), 25 (signed with NJD, traded to BUF). His goal totals follow a similar pattern: 31, 24, 17, 8. Maybe his physical style of play has taken his tole and the speed of the league has passed him by.

It has. But he does for the “vet middle 6 winger” that Tarik says they want to fill.

If its cheap (like 3m under cheap), then sure.

But the 5m he made last year better not be his goal. Or stay away. Very far away.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Panik started out weak but has been steadily improving during his time with Caps and is 3 years younger than Hagelin, more likely to keep up his level of play than him.

My candidates to trade if we want to clear roster space/cap are Kempny and Hagelin. If we want to do some big shakeup trade I would at least look at what market for trading Kuznetsov is like.

I’d keep Hags for a variety of reasons.

I would deal Kempny and Hathaway. That’s 4m right there.

if Dillon comes back at 3.5 and they use McMichael in Hathaways place, the money is roughly the same.

Vanacek as the 2nd G and the team has like 6m it could spend on someone. Roughly.

 

[Ridley Simon]

so who is getting traded from the forwards? I think there is a lot of smoke around Kuz. I just do.

I’m not advocating dealing him, but his seat should be warmer than most.

 

[trick9]

hmm.....9......2 maybe?

Are you kidding? He was one of the only guys who showed up and averaged over 23 minutes per game. All while Backstrom was hurt and provided 0 points. Oshie had 2 PP goals in game 1 and 0 points with - 7 in last 4 games. Vrana pointless. You can go down the list of guys who didn't care and Kuznetsov isn't one of them. This is why most of the forwards were sitting when he was double-shifted.

That's an obvious shot at his line-mates. Zero points and minus 7 is a telling stat.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Panik started out weak but has been steadily improving during his time with Caps and is 3 years younger than Hagelin, more likely to keep up his level of play than him.

My candidates to trade if we want to clear roster space/cap are Kempny and Hagelin. If we want to do some big shakeup trade I would at least look at what market for trading Kuznetsov is like.

The “starts slow and builds as he goes” has been Pani’s MO for a while. Both Hawks and Yotes fans told us that’s how he played, so if you’re okay with the overall product, that’s fine, but don’t assume he’ll come in next year where he left off.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

so who is getting traded from the forwards? I think there is a lot of smoke around Kuz. I just do.

I’m not advocating dealing him, but his seat should be warmer than most.

Kuz is the most obvious choice, I don’t care what his stats from the bubble say, he didn’t care for 90% of those games.

Of the other top 6 players this year only Vrana looked as though he didn’t care and that will be written off as still being young.


Backstrom was hurt.
Ovi was great.
Wilson’s never been accused of not caring, if anything, he tries too hard sometimes.
Oshie clearly have a shit.


Gudas, Vrana, Kuzy all didn’t take it seriously. Gudas is gone, Kuz needs to be, try to reclaim the Vrana project.

 

[TheLegendOfPatPeake]

Not a fan of Panik myself. Jettison him if you can. He just didn’t seem to mesh with that third line and frankly he seems a bit expensive as a fourth line player.

 

[txpd]

“Tex is getting upset!!”

(Seinfeld reference, before anyone gets too “upset”)

umm....huh?

 

[txpd]

Are you kidding? He was one of the only guys who showed up and averaged over 23 minutes per game. All while Backstrom was hurt and provided 0 points. Oshie had 2 PP goals in game 1 and 0 points with - 7 in last 4 games. Vrana pointless. You can go down the list of guys who didn't care and Kuznetsov isn't one of them. This is why most of the forwards were sitting when he was double-shifted.

That's an obvious shot at his line-mates. Zero points and minus 7 is a telling stat.

There's nothing obvious there. Vrana didnt show up but was he really trashing Eller? As for Kuzy? Am I kidding? Ask other folks about Kuzy. Ask MacLellan

 

[txpd]

so who is getting traded from the forwards? I think there is a lot of smoke around Kuz. I just do.

I’m not advocating dealing him, but his seat should be warmer than most.

Nobody of value. I doubt they give up on Vrana or are able to trade him for a equal piece. They just lose if they trade Kuzy. He is the difference maker, win or lose. I think any threats to trade guys in the top half of the lineup is just bluster

 

[Corby78]

It has. But he does for the “vet middle 6 winger” that Tarik says they want to fill.

If its cheap (like 3m under cheap), then sure.

But the 5m he made last year better not be his goal. Or stay away. Very far away.

i don’t want Simmons, I think his game has fallen off a cliff and can’t keep up with the game as it speeds up. This will only get worse IMO, and I don’t think he is worth 3mil. Only way I buy off is if we get him for like 1mil.

 

[895]

I dont think there's a need to ascribe too much meaning to what Oshie said. Its very generic PR talk.

I thought as an expert at reading between the lines you would see that, tex.

 

[Corby78]

I think people are looking to deep into TJs comment. I think it was more of a team deal, the vibe was different in the room, they just weren’t meshing. If anything I see this as a sho at TR and looking forward to a new voice. 28 would probably be taking individual shots, but not 77.

 

[hb12xchamps]

i don’t want Simmons, I think his game has fallen off a cliff and can’t keep up with the game as it speeds up. This will only get worse IMO, and I don’t think he is worth 3mil. Only way I buy off is if we get him for like 1mil.

This. Why bury or reduce ice time for a young guy by signing the corpse of Wayne Simmonds? A guy like Malenstyn could play a very similar role, albeit without the scoring touch, but his skating is 100x better than Simmonds at this point.

 

[txpd]

i don’t want Simmons, I think his game has fallen off a cliff and can’t keep up with the game as it speeds up. This will only get worse IMO, and I don’t think he is worth 3mil. Only way I buy off is if we get him for like 1mil.

The old Simmonds. Yes. The one that got 3pts in 17 games in Nashville? Nah. Next?

 

[Brian23]

Everyone clamoring for trading Kuznetsov, who or what on earth are you trading him or that's an improvement to the team? No one's giving you a better center then him, and if you lose him you lose your vaunted Center depth. I don't want to imagine how bad we'd be if Backstrom and Eller are our top 2 centers. He was 5th on the team in regular scoring and 3rd in the playoffs. He literally doubled Backsome and Eller combined in point production during the playoffs.

There isn't a world where trading Kuznetsov makes this a better team next year. At his best he's one of the best centers in the world and at his worst, for us, he's a 1B center for us with a questionable 2-way game. No team is gonna part with anyone of equal ability without similar question marks or warts, only I doubt they have the potential to dominate anything like Kuznetsov.

 

[txpd]

I dont think there's a need to ascribe too much meaning to what Oshie said. Its very generic PR talk.

I thought as an expert at reading between the lines you would see that, tex.

I think I said that it was bluster. I also think, though, that MacLellan's comments about the culture going bad/soft speaks directly to what Oshie said. MacLellan called them out for lack of work ethic. Sounds like what Oshie said. Now maybe, Oshie is parroting the boss or the boss got those comments directly from players like Oshie in exit interviews.

What do you think?

 

[txpd]

Everyone clamoring for trading Kuznetsov, who or what on earth are you trading him or that's an improvement to the team? No one's giving you a better center then him, and if you lose him you lose your vaunted Center depth. I don't want to imagine how bad we'd be if Backstrom and Eller are our top 2 centers. He was 5th on the team in regular scoring and 3rd in the playoffs. He literally doubled Backsome and Eller combined in point production during the playoffs.

There isn't a world where trading Kuznetsov makes this a better team next year. At his best he's one of the best centers in the world and at his worst, for us, he's a 1B center for us with a questionable 2-way game. No team is gonna part with anyone of equal ability without similar question marks or warts, only I doubt they have the potential to dominate anything like Kuznetsov.

I dont advocate for trading 92. I do recognize that there is a point where his issues can do more damage than trading him would. I think that point comes way down the line because the team keeping the window open past peak Backstrom is on Kuzy and the difference between winning a cup and a 2nd round exit is usually Kuzy. Move him out for even a good 2c and the team just isnt good enough anymore