Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2021 Off-Season Pt. 3

[TheLegendOfPatPeake]

I know. That's just my opinion. I just don't think that what we have right now is enough to go all the way anymore.

Not without Kuzy becoming super Kuzy again or Sammy becoming super Sammy for the first time.

And I'm willing to risk more for a chance to get back to that point.

But the moment the Caps re-sign Chara, I'll be rooting for the old guy again. What else can I do? It's our team.

Fair enough but by the time you build up those young players, all of the older core has declined. I firmly believe they should leverage any and all assets to ice the best team possible now and not worry about two years from now.

 

[Kalopsia]

I agree and I’m flabbergasted why people wouldn’t agree given the current state of things.

I'm flabbergasted by how many people want to go into next year's playoffs counting on a 45 year old Chara coming off a compressed 82 game schedule. He was skating in mud by the end of this last shortened season, I don't want to see how bad things get by next April. I think MacLellan probably doesn't want to either, cause if he thought Chara was a better option than Alexeyev/Kempny there's no reason he wouldn't be signed by now. There's no UFAs for him to be waiting on anymore. It's Alexeyev, Kempny, or a trade IMO.

 

[TheLegendOfPatPeake]

I'm flabbergasted by how many people want to go into next year's playoffs counting on a 45 year old Chara coming off a compressed 82 game schedule. He was skating in mud by the end of this last shortened season, I don't want to see how bad things get by next April. I think MacLellan probably doesn't want to either, cause if he thought Chara was a better option than Alexeyev/Kempny there's no reason he wouldn't be signed by now. There's no UFAs for him to be waiting on anymore. It's Alexeyev, Kempny, or a trade IMO.

Chara hasn’t decided he wants to play yet.

 

[txpd]

I'm flabbergasted by how many people want to go into next year's playoffs counting on a 45 year old Chara coming off a compressed 82 game schedule. He was skating in mud by the end of this last shortened season, I don't want to see how bad things get by next April. I think MacLellan probably doesn't want to either, cause if he thought Chara was a better option than Alexeyev/Kempny there's no reason he wouldn't be signed by now. There's no UFAs for him to be waiting on anymore. It's Alexeyev, Kempny, or a trade IMO.

If your alternative is a second rookie or a player coming off achilles surgery after playing himself out of the lineup, I dont see the 45 year as a problem

 

[txpd]

Chara wasn't even on the free agent market for more than a few hours last time around.

That's not the case this time around.

Did not the free agent signing period start October 9th 2020 and Chara signed December 30th? Didnt they sign Lundqvist on the opening day? Am I remembering this all wrong?

 

[txpd]

If he is expecting to play large minutes on a contender, doesn't mean that he has to be an answer to a contending team's blue line?

Whats large minutes? Did he play large mins last season?

 

[twabby]

I think the thing that bothered me about Chara’s usage last year was that it basically caused Jonas Siegenthaler to be traded despite being a very useful player.

Siegenthaler likely isn’t going to become a fantastic player, but he had a pretty nice start to his career especially defensively. And he has a little room to grow still.

Supposing Siegenthaler had played last year:

(a) Would the team have actually been worse compared to having Chara in the ice?

(b) Would the team be in a better position now?

I think (a) is debatable. The numbers suggest they are pretty comparable players, but it’s close either way. (b) is less debatable IMO. Siegenthaler having another season under his belt and already showing competence in prior seasons leads me to believe he could have potentially elevated himself to being a second pairing LD this season. That’d be quite useful right about now!

As others have said I don’t really see a need to add any more low-ceiling veterans. The fact is this team needs better players higher up in the lineup, both at defense and forward. Are Fehervary and/or Alexeyev those guys? Probably not? But I’d take “probably not” over “no” as would be the case with Chara.

 

[tenken00]

Did not the free agent signing period start October 9th 2020 and Chara signed December 30th? Didnt they sign Lundqvist on the opening day? Am I remembering this all wrong?

Everyone expected him to go back to the Bruins. They were in sole negotiations the whole time. We were shocked that the negotiations fell apart and he signed with the Caps. Were you not shocked? Don't tell me you were not shocked

 

[tenken00]

Whats large minutes? Did he play large mins last season?

Yes. He did play a lot of mins last season. Are you saying he didnt?

His average TOI last season was 18:19 minutes a night.

 

[txpd]

Yes. He did play a lot of mins last season. Are you saying he didnt?

He played 3rd pair minutes. I dont consider that big minutes or a lot of minutes.

 

[tenken00]

He played 3rd pair minutes. I dont consider that big minutes or a lot of minutes.

18:19 mins average a night for a 44 year old guy with no games off is a pretty damn good amount lol. Now he's 45 this season.

 

[tenken00]

Hell. Brenden Dillon averaged 18:57 TOI for us last season. Not too much more than Chara's 18:19

 

[txpd]

18:19 mins average a night for a 44 year old guy with no games off is a pretty damn good amount lol. Now he's 45 this season.

He played the 5th minutes on defense and at even strenth. Didnt he play what TvR played? If 5th is large, then he played large.

 

[tenken00]

He played the 5th minutes on defense and at even strenth. Didnt he play what TvR played? If 5th is large, then he played large.

Total minutes. He played about one minute less a night than Orlov. That includes your beloved PK minutes. Aren't you the one harping on who is going to play the PK?

He's an old dude. He's playing a lot of minutes a night. Doesn't matter if it's on even strength, PK, PP, whatever. His body doesn't say "oh these are empty minutes on the ice because they are this or that".

Now I feel like you are arguing just because you feel like being ornery.

 

[tenken00]

TvR played in 20 games for the Caps last year.

TvR - 20 GP 342 TOI 17:05 ATOI

Chara - 55 GP 1008 TOI 18:19 ATOI

I dont understand how you can say Chara played what TvR played..

 

[Kalopsia]

Chara hasn’t decided he wants to play yet.

So Chara himself isn’t sure if he can make it through another season? Hm, maybe it’s a valid concern then?

 

[txpd]

Total minutes. He played about one minute less a night than Orlov. That includes your beloved PK minutes. Aren't you the one harping on who is going to play the PK?

He's an old dude. He's playing a lot of minutes a night. Doesn't matter if it's on even strength, PK, PP, whatever. His body doesn't say "oh these are empty minutes on the ice because they are this or that".

Now I feel like you are arguing just because you feel like being ornery.

Choose it how you want. I wont change your mind. Chara's role was a role in a healthy line up. He didn't play Orlov/Carlson minutes when Orlov was able to play. Yes, the PK is valuable, you think its not(?), and Chara played #5 toi/g even strenth and overall. Everybody plays more when someone is out of the lineup.

 

[txpd]

So Chara himself isn’t sure if he can make it through another season? Hm, maybe it’s a valid concern then?

I haven't seen any comments from Chara questioning if he is physically able to play. If there is, I would love to see it. What I read was immediately after the season where he made the usual "I want to think about it a little while stuff." Specifically in his case its being seperated from his family his kids are in school and dont want to change for the short term. So, he was in Washington alone and commuting on the shuttle for as many days off trips to Boston as he could do.

Chara noted: “This season didn’t end the way we wanted, but that’s life. We have to move on, As far as myself and my future, I’m going to probably take a few days to talk to my family and make decisions after.” He added:

“I think it’s not always a decision I can make myself. Sometimes there are things in life you have to realize, and I have to have a conversation with my wife and children and see where we want to be in the next few days or weeks. After those conversations, I’m going to probably let the emotions settle in and see where I’m at.”

MacLellan for his part said the choice was based on the salary cap and other roster decisions. Dillon is gone. If you assume they wont go with 2 rookies, its between Kempny and Chara, unless someone entirely new comes in.​

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Trying waaaaay to hard to shit on a guy for his age……

Dude is a warrior and brought a net positive last year to the team IMO.

If we have a better option, sign me up, but I’d take him back instead of throwing 2 rooks to the wolves like some sucker move that helps you miss the playoffs.

 

[tenken00]

Trying waaaaay to hard to shit on a guy for his age……

Dude is a warrior and brought a net positive last year to the team IMO.

If we have a better option, sign me up, but I’d take him back instead of throwing 2 rooks to the wolves like some sucker move that helps you miss the playoffs.

True. The guy is a warrior. Age is a non-factor.

Maybe it was because it was against his old team and family in the playoffs, the Boston Bruins, that he didn't bring that warrior game. Or any game. He was definitely too huggable with them.

If it was against any other team, he definitely would have brought some snarl!

 

[BiPolar Caps]

Wait wait wait.

I will walk it back. Just one “Suspect”?

can I get on double secret probation?? Pretty please?

Lucky for you I don't know how to do polls on this board, otherwise I'd put it up for a vote with your fellow board members and there's no telling how that will go for you.

 

[Hivemind]

If your alternative is a second rookie or a player coming off achilles surgery after playing himself out of the lineup, I dont see the 45 year as a problem

Rookies scares me less than a 45 year old who we already know couldn't keep up with the playoff pace.

You're also ignoring that there's the fallback option of simply having TvR play the left side, given that he has some experience with it in the past and is clearly one of our 6 best defensemen overall.

But ask yourself this. Why do you think Boston let their longtime Captain and face of the franchise walk away? Don't you think if Chara could still keep up and maintain through-out the course of a season that Boston would have preferred to keep Chara? Why did they only offer him a limited role? Do you think Boston's management is simply bad at its job? Or, maybe, it's because Boston's management saw the same thing that plenty of us Caps fans saw last year and Boston fans had seen in the past couple. Chara's age has caught up with him. He simply can't play at a high enough level for a long enough period of time to be trusted down the stretch and into the playoffs. Even during the early portions regular season he was playing a deferential style, opting to direct traffic rather than sealing off rushing wingers.

If we accept the truth that Chara isn't going to be able to play at a high level in the playoffs, I'd much rather give a rookie time to develop and find their place in the NHL over the course of the season have them thrown to the wolves when it matters most. We have fallback options in the form of TvR playing LD or a TDL acquisition if things really sour.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

There’s a weird revisionist history regarding Siegs and his long term position here. He was going to need to be moved this year regardless of Chara. Also Siegs has pretty much hit his ceiling, it’s not like once he hit NJD he exploded into a top 4 guy. Much a do about a run of the mill bottom pairing guy who is replaceable.


Siegs isn’t Fever or Alexeyev. We didn’t lose some sort of prospect at the expense of a veteran. We lost a more expensive guy who wasn’t as physical or reliable as that vet

 

[Ridley Simon]

See. Now you are asking for my opinion. And we all know my answer to that is no. Chara is not going to put us over the top. Like I said, it's either a trade for another Dman or being patient with Alexeyev. But that's just my opinion. I could be right or wrong about that, it really doesn't matter.

I dont have some burning need to be right about it. Hell, I'll be happy if I am wrong and we win a Cup with Chara.

I think everyone feels like there are knives in the shadows here for whatever reason and that everyone has agendas. There are no knives. And there are no agendas.

Come on man. I’m not accusing you of anything. So hope all of that wasn’t directed at me.

I just think your wrong here is all. Which is totally A OK, as I usually agree with you.

PS - it doesn’t help you that the board pariah is buttering your bread on this topic. But that is absolutely not your fault.

 

[Ridley Simon]

My prediction is that this will be the d core to start the season and boy it will be open season for other teams against this d core and goaltending:

Fever - Carlson

Orlov - Schultz

Irwin - Jensen

Can’t and won’t. Or we’d be dead. As you stated