Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2021-22 Regular Season Part 6
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To be fair there have been a lot of injuries and Covid forcing a lot of Hershey peeps into the lineup. That part has been good. But get McMichael back in there and sit Mojo!
SherVaughn30
Registered User
I'm just so baffled right now. Why are so many teams that will miss the playoffs, are playing better than the Caps right now? Hell, Coyotes, Kraken and the Habs are playing better than the Caps right now!
twabby
Registered User
- Mar 9, 2010
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It really does pain me to say it, but I think Backstrom might be washed. There’s no way he can enter the season next year in the top 6 and them be competitive. Everything just kind of grinds to a halt offensively when he’s on the ice. He’s closer to current-day Joe Thornton than a top 6 center.
I don’t know, I guess McMichael could maybe take over 2C next year. He’s shown flashes and the underlying numbers are there. But he’s still raw, will not have had any playoff experience, and he’s not getting the opportunity with Laviolette around. I’d at least prefer to see what he can do now playing with guys like Ovechkin or Mantha consistently this season before making that call going into next season, but that’s not going to happen either.
At the same time, they can’t just go and acquire a center either because they would likely need to trade one of their core players to do so, and they need to keep all of their core players because [DATA CORRUPTED].
Kind of just seems like they are pissing away Ovie’s final years. That makes me a little sad.
I don’t know, I guess McMichael could maybe take over 2C next year. He’s shown flashes and the underlying numbers are there. But he’s still raw, will not have had any playoff experience, and he’s not getting the opportunity with Laviolette around. I’d at least prefer to see what he can do now playing with guys like Ovechkin or Mantha consistently this season before making that call going into next season, but that’s not going to happen either.
At the same time, they can’t just go and acquire a center either because they would likely need to trade one of their core players to do so, and they need to keep all of their core players because [DATA CORRUPTED].
Kind of just seems like they are pissing away Ovie’s final years. That makes me a little sad.
SherVaughn30
Registered User
So after 2 shit games from VV, does Sammy start against the Bolts? I sure wonder what it's like having a vet goalie on your team that you can rely on?
Langway
In den Wolken
- Jul 7, 2006
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Yeah, it's more likely they pay up for a goaltender I'd say. It's a losing battle they're waging at this point...just trying to stay afloat and minimally competitive. I'd can Laviolette in the off-season, though, and get an earlier start on the next chapter unless they find a pulse and collectively start playing much better fundamentally. It maybe lets the players off the hook but then who is really playing at a consistently high level these days? When there's a collective drag and also bad goaltending it's usually the coach that hits the skids. Not fair but that's the way it goes. I do think they need to refocus in a big way but then it's also hard to overlook how the front office seemingly just allowed this to fester.
Again, no easy solutions here. It's probably going to be a constant battle from here on out of trying to fight fires rather than putting something special together. The attention to detail and discipline are just not close. Their timing will improve with more regular games but their game on a fundamental level is very limited.
Again, no easy solutions here. It's probably going to be a constant battle from here on out of trying to fight fires rather than putting something special together. The attention to detail and discipline are just not close. Their timing will improve with more regular games but their game on a fundamental level is very limited.
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