Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2021 "Season" Pt. 6

[Hivemind]

Who's excited about three more years of Brenden Dillon?

 

[Langway]

Ovechkin needs 165. Five relatively healthy seasons may do it. He's not exactly a stranger to post-season frustration so I doubt he just bails. Maybe if he didn't have a Cup but that still sort of drowns everything else out.

Whether MacLellan is capable of making the right conclusions, we'll see. The flat cap complicated things but he's going to need a great off-season to avoid this team fading into possibly not being playoff material at all.

 

[Misery74]

Who's excited about three more years of Brenden Dillon?

Or Schultz?

 

[Hivemind]

Or Schultz?

Only one more year on his deal

 

[Misery74]

Only one more year on his deal

Thank God

 

[Raikkonen]

Its dreadfully bad juju to be discussing offseason moves in the middle of a playoff series. Like putting on your glove in the dugout while your team is at bat, its just not supposed to be done. Delete this whole damn thread!

The only offseason activity we should be planning for is the parade route!

Well, I think it shouldnt be discussed much in GDT but here we can talk freely about clearly visible tendencies.

G4 showed nothing we didnt know.

You can believe in jinxes if you want but they dont change a team overnight.

 

[Scorlov]

This organization's obsession with feeding the league with young high risk-high reward players while raking in older steady mediocrity is infuriating

>>> Vrana, Stephenson, Burakovsky, Grubauer are all impact players for cup favorites (or soon to be) in their prime or about to be. But hey lets mainline Dillons, Schultz, 43 year old Charas, Shearys and Manthas of the league instead. And can't risk Sprong blowing an assignment defensively remember how bad it was last time when we went into the playoffs with 3 Sprong like players getting icetime in Vrana, Connolly, Burakovsky.

Can't imagine how morbidly plodding this team is gonna be when they ship out Kuznetsov and bring in Thornton or whatever "respected" mammoth they'll replace him with.

 

[Employee427]

One simple solution that is obvious to address our problems with cap and getting older is letting Raffl, Chara and whoever gets picked in expansion draft go and let Fehervary and McMichael get NHL time. Based on individual stats and how well Hershey was doing I would say they are both NHL ready or very close.

 

[aonb]

They are not hungry and not healthy. You have to be hungry and healthy to make a deep run. Go figure

 

[Blades of Steel]

This organization's obsession with feeding the league with young high risk-high reward players while raking in older steady mediocrity is infuriating

>>> Vrana, Stephenson, Burakovsky, Grubauer are all impact players for cup favorites (or soon to be) in their prime or about to be. But hey lets mainline Dillons, Schultz, 43 year old Charas, Shearys and Manthas of the league instead. And can't risk Sprong blowing an assignment defensively remember how bad it was last time when we went into the playoffs with 3 Sprong like players getting icetime in Vrana, Connolly, Burakovsky.

Can't imagine how morbidly plodding this team is gonna be when they ship out Kuznetsov and bring in Thornton or whatever "respected" mammoth they'll replace him with.

but muh locker room leadership sir

 

[txpd]

Who's excited about three more years of Brenden Dillon?

You can do better, buddy. Try harder. Nobody pays money for a ticket to see players like Brenden Dillon play on their best day.

 

[txpd]

This organization's obsession with feeding the league with young high risk-high reward players while raking in older steady mediocrity is infuriating

>>> Vrana, Stephenson, Burakovsky, Grubauer are all impact players for cup favorites (or soon to be) in their prime or about to be. But hey lets mainline Dillons, Schultz, 43 year old Charas, Shearys and Manthas of the league instead. And can't risk Sprong blowing an assignment defensively remember how bad it was last time when we went into the playoffs with 3 Sprong like players getting icetime in Vrana, Connolly, Burakovsky.

Can't imagine how morbidly plodding this team is gonna be when they ship out Kuznetsov and bring in Thornton or whatever "respected" mammoth they'll replace him with.

Anyone remember our pre playoffs conversation where we said now that they won a cup losing in the playoffs is easier to digest? The meltdown and revenge seeking in here seems to suggest otherwise

 

[895]

I'm of the opinion that there's nothing they can do to fix this team sort of a Kaprizov situation I.e. McMichael entering the league and immediately being a star.

Just too much money committed to old slow players. That includes Backstrom and whatever Ovechkin's new deal is. And there's no way to get out of those contracts. Just have to accept them. I probably won't watch much Caps hockey the next few years unless Ovechkin gets close to Gretzky.

 

[max21]

I'm of the opinion that there's nothing they can do to fix this team sort of a Kaprizov situation I.e. McMichael entering the league and immediately being a star.

Just too much money committed to old slow players. That includes Backstrom and whatever Ovechkin's new deal is. And there's no way to get out of those contracts. Just have to accept them. I probably won't watch Caps hockey the next few years unless Ovechkin gets close to Gretzky.

You really actually believe you won’t watch the Caps the next few years? Always thought that was an interesting take. I could personally never do that, but almost admire people that can. Sports man smh

 

[895]

You really actually believe you won’t watch the Caps the next few years? Always thought that was an interesting take. I could personally never do that, but almost admire people that can. Sports man smh

Yeah if I was still a bachelor I would probably keep watching lol. But I'll be married soon and hopefully with a kid as well. So seems like a good time to focus on other things.

 

[txpd]

They are not hungry and not healthy. You have to be hungry and healthy to make a deep run. Go figure

Who says they are not hungry. Playing as hard as they are with injuries as bad and wide spread as they might be would indicate the opposite. Its been my opinion that they look like they are treading water with all they have to keep their heads above water.

Oshie is hurt and has pushed all his chips in. Carlson suddenly cant pass the puck into Ov's wheelhouse at all?? They are into his skates? Its like he can feel on of his hands. Remember the legit knee to knee Wilson got right before the end of the regular. I bet his hurt too. I think part of the problem here is they hide it and we think they dont care when it could be the opposite is true.

 

[Raikkonen]

Only top-6 players we can change: Kuzy and Oshie. Kuzy has some value, Oshie is questionable (more value for Caps but playoffs werent his best games this year).

I mean hard to see Kuzy stay even if there was no rift in the locker room.

He was obvious candidate for a change. Everything points to him.

 

[Raikkonen]

Defense, you dont get to change Carlson. Need to draft another one somehow.

Jensen is offensively incapable, TVR isnt much better if at all. Maaaaybe AA comes in and shows something while outplaying one of the guys we have.

 

[maacoshark]

This organization's obsession with feeding the league with young high risk-high reward players while raking in older steady mediocrity is infuriating

>>> Vrana, Stephenson, Burakovsky, Grubauer are all impact players for cup favorites (or soon to be) in their prime or about to be. But hey lets mainline Dillons, Schultz, 43 year old Charas, Shearys and Manthas of the league instead. And can't risk Sprong blowing an assignment defensively remember how bad it was last time when we went into the playoffs with 3 Sprong like players getting icetime in Vrana, Connolly, Burakovsky.

Can't imagine how morbidly plodding this team is gonna be when they ship out Kuznetsov and bring in Thornton or whatever "respected" mammoth they'll replace him with.

Why would you mention Vrana as an impact players on a cup contender. First Vrana hasn't played enouh games for Detroit to be considered an impact player and 2nd Detroit isn't close to being a contender.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Why would you mention Vrana as an impact players on a cup contender. First Vrana hasn't played enouh games for Detroit to be considered an impact player and 2nd Detroit isn't close to being a contender.

It's an absurd argument that shows a clear narrative they wish to paint when in reality Vrana had every opportunity to be an impact player on this Stanley Cup contender and he was a complete dud.

 

[Hivemind]

It's an absurd argument that shows a clear narrative they wish to paint when in reality Vrana had every opportunity to be an impact player on this Stanley Cup contender and he was a complete dud.

Trading Vrana was emblematic of the larger trend over the past several years on the Capitals - shedding all traces of youth, speed, and explosiveness from the roster. Now the team is left with hardly anyone who's a threat in transition. The only player who can gain the zone is coming off of his second case of COVID. They're old, they're slow, and they neither counter-attack nor consistently transition from the neutral zone to the offensive. They're a one-note team that relies solely on dump and chase and hoping to create turnovers with their forecheck. When that doesn't work, they have no other options.

 

[amjay13]

Timing was right in 2018. Timing is not right this season. COVID and injuries stripped this team of any chance they had to succeed. It was a pretty damn good team playing at a high level a month ago. Even with all that has gone on, they lost 2 OT games to a top 5 team to fall into a 3-1 hole. To say this team isn't trying or that they aren't going to watch the Caps anymore because of this series is silly. They are hurt and are getting beat by a very good team. That's it. The Caps will be back in the playoffs next year and with a tweak and some timing they'll be a contender once again.

 

[txpd]

Trading Vrana was emblematic of the larger trend over the past several years on the Capitals - shedding all traces of youth, speed, and explosiveness from the roster. Now the team is left with hardly anyone who's a threat in transition. The only player who can gain the zone is coming off of his second case of COVID. They're old, they're slow, and they neither counter-attack nor consistently transition from the neutral zone to the offensive. They're a one-note team that relies solely on dump and chase and hoping to create turnovers with their forecheck. When that doesn't work, they have no other options.

Yes. They are a heavy hockey team, but a one note team is hilarious. Which of Eller, Backstrom or Kuzy would you have moved to give Stephenson top 9 center ice time? You would have kept Burt and what? Kept Vrana down or moved Wilson or Oshie to make room?

 

[Langway]

Timing was right in 2018. Timing is not right this season. COVID and injuries stripped this team of any chance they had to succeed. It was a pretty damn good team playing at a high level a month ago. Even with all that has gone on, they lost 2 OT games to a top 5 team to fall into a 3-1 hole. To say this team isn't trying or that they aren't going to watch the Caps anymore because of this series is silly. They are hurt and are getting beat by a very good team. That's it. The Caps will be back in the playoffs next year and with a tweak and some timing they'll be a contender once again.

Not sure which of COL, TBL, VGK, PIT or CAR you'd take BOS over. To me BOS & WSH are in the next tier behind the very top group, which is IMO significantly more fluid and likely to win, along with Toronto, maybe Florida and NYI with Lee or at their collective best. Boston has discipline and their top line going for them but I'm not sure their checking credentials against a faster, more vigorous team will still check out. Washington also has a lower floor given how often they seem to beat themselves so I could see a case for them being largely alongside the field as a relatively awkward group that just doesn't seem to find ways to maximize what they've got regardless of injury.

Injuries don't help but it's hard to expect them to get better with time. They've flatlined at points each of the past three post-seasons. There are lulls and then there are lulls. Theirs have been too pronounced and sustained to cut them any slack. I probably won't watch the regular season nearly as frequently. It'll depend on match-ups and whether they clue into trying to do much of anything differently. If it's just the same sort of indulgent get-along regular season approach with some minor personnel tweaks the only draw is Ovechkin's continued quest for 895, perhaps McMichael and whatever new talent is swapped in. MacLellan will need to make some very crafty moves to make this a compelling storyline to follow closely.

 

[HecticGlow]

I think the biggest issue with this current Caps organisation and younger players is they don’t really know how to work with flawed or incomplete players. We won a Cup dressing Connolly, Djoos, DSP, Burakovsky and Vrana. All flawed players who struggled (to varying degrees) to get ice time in previous years because the Caps favoured more complete (or rather defensively minded) veteran players like Williams, Mojo, Alzner and Mike Richards. Vrana, Stephenson and Djoos only broke free from the AHL because the Caps had no cap room to replace those other guys through FA. But Trotz figured out how to utilise players in the right roles, deployed lines and pairings fluidly (replacing Djoos with Orlov or Orpik situationally in-game, moving Stephenson up and Burky down etc.). They turned Kempny from nothing into something. They figured out how to rely on inexperienced and flawed players, and all were important contributors to our Cup win.

But GMBM replaced guys like Connolly and Burky with Panik and Hagelin - and while there’s no doubt Hags has value, he specifically went for guys who played a less explosive, less creative, more rounded game. Guys Reirden could throw out without fear of them screwing up, but also without much promise of offensive success.

The issue is that Stephenson rarely got to play his natural Center position, and never spent more than 3 games in a row in the top-9. Vrana was expected to play a game that required a ‘heavy’ body doing dirty work along the boards, because the Caps use a one-size-fits-all approach. But look at how flawed - defensively questionable or undersized - some of Tampa’s players are, or Colorado’s. Burky in Colorado isn’t being asked to play a game he isn’t suited to.

And maybe Vrana and Burky were doomed in Washington, but if you want this core to win then you need to replace them with guys who have that level of exceptional play when Burky and Vrana are at their best. Dangerous shots. Speed. Puck skills. Coaches - and some here - have a tendency to rave about experience and physical play in the playoffs, and that’s certainly a key ingredient. But guys like Ross Colton are scoring big goals. Florida has won as many first round games in 2021 as the Caps, but with Carter Verhaghe and Anthony Duclair as first line wingers.

It’s not that the organisation doesn’t know what it’s got until it’s gone. It’s that it doesn’t know how to use what it has, or how to replace it effectively. Play Sprong, and give him shifts with Backstrom and Kuzy. Tell Mantha to fire at the net every single time he gets the puck. Put TVR or Fehevary out there if Carlson or Schultz is too broken to play properly right now. Learn to take risks - it payed off for us in 2018.