Caps quarter-season report cards

[francaisvolantsparis]

You can find the grades we gave to our players and coach after 20 first games the last year here : Quarter season report cards

After 20 games last year the average result was as follows :

Player	grade	Player	grade	Player	grade
Alexander Ovechkin	A	Tom Wilson	B-	Nic Dowd	C
Nicklas Bäckström	A	Lars Eller	B-	Dmitri Orlov	C
T.J. Oshie	A	Dmitrij Jaskin	B-	Devante Smith-Pelly	D+
John Carlson	A-	Matt Niskanen	B-	Chandler Stephenson	D
Yevgeni Kuznetsov	B+	Brooks Orpik	B-	André Burakovsky	F
Brett Connolly	B+	Pheonix Copley	B-	Jonas Siegenthaler	n/a
Jakub Vrána	B	Travis Boyd	C+	Coach	-
Christian Djoos	B	Michal Kempný	C+	Todd Reirden	B
Madison Bowey	B	Braden Holtby	C+	-	-

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Fill free to share your opinion this time with the ~25% of the 2019/20 regular season done.

Alexander Ovechkin
Nicklas Bäckström
T.J. Oshie
John Carlson
Yevgeni Kuznetsov
Jakub Vrána
Tom Wilson
Lars Eller
Garnet Hathaway
Brendan Leipsic
Carl Hagelin
Radko Gudas
Nick Jensen
Tyler Lewington
Richard Pánik
Ilya Samsonov
Travis Boyd
Michal Kempný
Braden Holtby
Nic Dowd
Dmitri Orlov
Chandler Stephenson
Jonas Siegenthaler

Todd Reirden

Click to read more...

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

They didn’t win the Cup. All F’s!

 

[Corby78]

Odd seeing Djoos and Bowey’s grades are that point. Boy that has changed. Honestly the only bad grades for me would be;
Panik - Incomplete
Holtby - C

everyone else has been at or over my expectations

 

[maacoshark]

Odd seeing Djoos and Bowey’s grades are that point. Boy that has changed. Honestly the only bad grades for me would be;
Panik - Incomplete
Holtby - C

everyone else has been at or over my expectations

Holtby has had a couple rough games but other than that he is playing well. He is getting the tougher match ups. I wouldn't give him an A but maybe a B.
The only players that I am disappointed in are Panik and Jensen.
I'm disappointed in our defensive play but I think that's more about the system than individual players. It's not the same players getting beat repeatedly.

 

[DWGie26]

I wish we had some Right Dee depth. I have definitely been disappointed with Jensen. He just seems weak (not strong and gets pushed around). Up and down on Gudas and probably give him a B-. Good call on incomplete for Panik. I am still bullish across a long season, but was certainly expecting more. Fortunately everyone else’s game has been strong so we haven’t needed as much from him. The bottom 6 depth has been elevating everyone’s game. Wilson and Vrana continue to grow and I like Siegenthaler a lot so we have some good young players. Maybe most improved is Todd Reirden. Seems to be finding his way as a sophomore head coach.

 

[alko]

Tom Wilson

Only B- ? Common, for his status in this steam, it could be A.

 

[francaisvolantsparis]

Only B- ? Common, for his status in this steam, it could be A.

I do agree with you. But it is the averege grade all people gave him last year after 20 games. It was in majority due to his 14 games suspension I guess.

 

[txpd]

The team rolls on. They have been mentally tough in the RS since Trotz. They full expect to win these games. Its evident by their resilience. 20 games in they a lead 3rd period or later in all but 1 regulation game and one shootout L. Considering how compressed their schedule is and who they have played, I am impressed.

Please note that as impressive as the Islanders have been, they have played 5 road games

 

[Silky mitts]

Alexander Ovechkin A
Nicklas Bäckström B-
T.J. Oshie A-
John Carlson A++++++
Yevgeni Kuznetsov A
Jakub Vrána A
Tom Wilson A
Lars Eller A
Garnet Hathaway A
Brendan Leipsic A
Carl Hagelin C
Radko Gudas B+
Nick Jensen C
Tyler Lewington C
Richard Pánik I
Ilya Samsonov A
Travis Boyd A
Michal Kempný A
Braden Holtby C
Nic Dowd B
Dmitri Orlov B
Chandler Stephenson B
Jonas Siegenthaler B-

Todd Reirden A

 

[um]

Ovechkin - A
Kuznetsov - A-
Backstrom - B-
Wilson - A
Oshie - B+
Vrana - A-
Eller - B+
Hagelin - C+
Panik - C-
Leipsic - A
Dowd - B-
Hathaway - B
Stephenson - B-
Boyd - A

Carlson - A+
Kempny - A
Orlov - B
Gudas - C+
Siegenthaler - B-
Jensen - C+
Lewington - C
Fehevary - B-

Holtby - C+
Samsonov - B-

 

[twabby]

Grades are relative to expectations, so Backstrom getting a C+ doesn't mean he's a worse player than Dowd who got a B+.

Alexander Ovechkin - A
Nicklas Bäckström - C+
T.J. Oshie - A-
John Carlson - A+
Yevgeni Kuznetsov - A-
Jakub Vrána - A-
Tom Wilson - A
Lars Eller - A-
Garnet Hathaway - B
Brendan Leipsic - B+
Carl Hagelin - C
Radko Gudas - B
Nick Jensen - C
Tyler Lewington - n/a
Richard Pánik - Incomplete
Ilya Samsonov - B+
Travis Boyd - A-
Michal Kempný - A-
Braden Holtby - B (though his past few weeks have been an A)
Nic Dowd - B+
Dmitri Orlov - B+
Chandler Stephenson - B
Jonas Siegenthaler - B+

Todd Reirden - A-


Not going to go through explanations for all of the players but I've been particularly impressed with the defense so far. They sometimes look a bit sloppy but in general their breakouts have been much cleaner and they are defending the front of the net much better than last year. Not sure how much of this is different personnel (Niskanen and Orpik -> Gudas and Jensen) vs. a coaching adjustment but either way they are playing some good hockey. They still need help on the PP, mainly with the zone entries but also Backstrom needs to play better. Less worried about Backstrom than the zone entries since he has a proven track record.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Grades are relative to expectations, so Backstrom getting a C+ doesn't mean he's a worse player than Dowd who got a B+.

Alexander Ovechkin - A
Nicklas Bäckström - C+
T.J. Oshie - A-
John Carlson - A+
Yevgeni Kuznetsov - A-
Jakub Vrána - A-
Tom Wilson - A
Lars Eller - A-
Garnet Hathaway - B
Brendan Leipsic - B+
Carl Hagelin - C
Radko Gudas - B
Nick Jensen - C
Tyler Lewington - n/a
Richard Pánik - Incomplete
Ilya Samsonov - B+
Travis Boyd - A-
Michal Kempný - A-
Braden Holtby - B (though his past few weeks have been an A)
Nic Dowd - B+
Dmitri Orlov - B+
Chandler Stephenson - B
Jonas Siegenthaler - B+

Todd Reirden - A-


Not going to go through explanations for all of the players but I've been particularly impressed with the defense so far. They sometimes look a bit sloppy but in general their breakouts have been much cleaner and they are defending the front of the net much better than last year. Not sure how much of this is different personnel (Niskanen and Orpik -> Gudas and Jensen) vs. a coaching adjustment but either way they are playing some good hockey. They still need help on the PP, mainly with the zone entries but also Backstrom needs to play better. Less worried about Backstrom than the zone entries since he has a proven track record.

Hard to disagree with that grade.

 

[txpd]

Reirden may just be to defensemen what Mitch Korn is to goalies. So far Jensen has been disappointing, but Siegenthaler and Kempny have been pleasant surprises. The new system is clearly pushing Carlson's skills further to the fore and the way he double shifts him around special teams action is using him even better.

I still think they will be better off with Gudas on the 3rd pair playing this minutes, but Jensen needs to be either better or upgraded.

 

[DWGie26]

here is another way to look at it:
Team: A: we lead the Divsion, Conference, and league in points
Coaching Staff: A-: like the adjustments and line juggles and the new system. Special teams are better.
First Line (as is - 8-19-77): B+ (doing what they need to do but not everything falls on them)
Second line: A+: Love the mix and all players getting it done - our best line
Third Line: C+: Hags is solid on penalty kill; Eller is best on line; Panik has struggled (Stevenson has looked good last couple of games)
Fourth Line: B+: Really like what this line has done with moving parts. We wanted to upgrade this line and mission successful
First Pair: A+ (JC74 killing it and great to have Kempny back)
Second Pair: B: Need to get this tight
Third Pair: B-: Jensen terrible. Really Like Siegenthaler who pulls this grade up
Goaltending: B: Really has solidified and trending towards a B+. Like to see Sammy play a little more.

 

[maacoshark]

Grades are relative to expectations, so Backstrom getting a C+ doesn't mean he's a worse player than Dowd who got a B+.

Alexander Ovechkin - A
Nicklas Bäckström - C+
T.J. Oshie - A-
John Carlson - A+
Yevgeni Kuznetsov - A-
Jakub Vrána - A-
Tom Wilson - A
Lars Eller - A-
Garnet Hathaway - B
Brendan Leipsic - B+
Carl Hagelin - C
Radko Gudas - B
Nick Jensen - C
Tyler Lewington - n/a
Richard Pánik - Incomplete
Ilya Samsonov - B+
Travis Boyd - A-
Michal Kempný - A-
Braden Holtby - B (though his past few weeks have been an A)
Nic Dowd - B+
Dmitri Orlov - B+
Chandler Stephenson - B
Jonas Siegenthaler - B+

Todd Reirden - A-


Not going to go through explanations for all of the players but I've been particularly impressed with the defense so far. They sometimes look a bit sloppy but in general their breakouts have been much cleaner and they are defending the front of the net much better than last year. Not sure how much of this is different personnel (Niskanen and Orpik -> Gudas and Jensen) vs. a coaching adjustment but either way they are playing some good hockey. They still need help on the PP, mainly with the zone entries but also Backstrom needs to play better. Less worried about Backstrom than the zone entries since he has a proven track record.

Those are some very high grades. I think I would grade everyone a little tougher but I not disagreeing.

 

[peterthegreat12]

Ovechkin - A
Kuznetsov - A
Backstrom - C+
Wilson - A
Oshie - A
Vrana - A
Eller - B+
Hagelin - C
Panik - Incomplete
Leipsic - A
Dowd - B
Hathaway - B+
Stephenson - B
Boyd - A

Carlson - A+++
Kempny - A
Orlov - B
Gudas - B
Siegenthaler - C
Jensen - B
Lewington - B
Fehevary - Incomplete

Holtby - C-
Samsonov - B

 

[Dr John Carlson]

Ovechkin - A-
Backstrom - C
Oshie - B-
Vrana - A-
Kuznetsov - B+
Wilson - A-
Hagelin - C+
Eller - B
Leipsic - B+
Hathaway - B+
Dowd - B

Carlson - A+
Kempny - A
Orlov - A-
Gudas - B
Jensen - B-
Siegenthaler - C+

Holtby - B-
Samsonov - B-

All relative to expectations.

 

[SDBondra]

Alexander Ovechkin A
Nicklas Bäckström B
T.J. Oshie A
John Carlson. A+
Yevgeni Kuznetsov. B+
Jakub Vrána B+
Tom Wilson A
Lars Eller B+
Garnet Hathaway B
Brendan Leipsic B
Carl Hagelin B+
Radko Gudas B
Nick Jensen C
Tyler Lewington C
Richard Pánik C
Ilya Samsonov B+
Travis Boyd B
Michal Kempný A
Braden Holtby C+
Nic Dowd B
Dmitri Orlov C+
Chandler Stephenson B
Jonas Siegenthaler A

Too Reirden A

Siegenthaler has been the most pleasant surprise this year. I’m also higher on Hagelin than most. I wish he had more finish but he’s been brilliant on the PK and has been a really nice fit with Stephenson and Leipsic.

 

[txpd]

The Caps traded for and then extended Jensen to be the replacement for Niskanen. That he has lost his spot with Orlov is a clear failure. The only positive to his first quarter has been his contribution to the improved penalty kill. D

 

[francaisvolantsparis]

Alexander Ovechkin A
Nicklas Bäckström B-
T.J. Oshie B
John Carlson A+
Yevgeni Kuznetsov A-
Jakub Vrána A
Tom Wilson A
Lars Eller B+
Garnet Hathaway B
Brendan Leipsic B-
Carl Hagelin C
Radko Gudas B-
Nick Jensen D
Tyler Lewington C
Richard Pánik D
Ilya Samsonov A-
Travis Boyd A-
Michal Kempný A
Braden Holtby C
Nic Dowd B-
Dmitri Orlov B+
Chandler Stephenson C
Jonas Siegenthaler C-

Todd Reirden A

 

[895]

The Caps traded for and then extended Jensen to be the replacement for Niskanen. That he has lost his spot with Orlov is a clear failure. The only positive to his first quarter has been his contribution to the improved penalty kill. D

That was an unrealistic expectation then.

Just look at the salary he commanded. It was not meant to be a 1 for 1 replacement.

 

[txpd]

That was an unrealistic expectation then.

Just look at the salary he commanded. It was not meant to be a 1 for 1 replacement.

Then he is overpaid to be a 3rd pair player. My view on their moves was that they got Jensen and locked him in. Described him as the prototype modern defenseman. They traded Niskanen and got Gudas on an expiring contract in return. Meaning he was a place holder for one of the kids. Gudas was going after one season and Jensen was staying. To provide the 200 games Reirden says he is looking for before a rookie is ready to be a top 4 defenseman on a cup contender, Jensen was there to pick up those minutes.

Jensen clearly started next to Orlov. Reirden clearly is trying to keep the minutes off Gudas. Jensen being unable to carry that role is going to be an issue

 

[895]

Then he is overpaid to be a 3rd pair player.

If he is overpaid it's by less than 500k. Jensen is a number 5 and that's what number 5 defensemen around the league get paid.

You also claim Kempny is not underpaid so I feel like your assessment of fair contracts has not scaled with cap increases.

There is very little fat on our roster. That's why we're in first. Other than Panik and maybe Stephenson, no one on the Caps is overpaid.

 

[StrikingDistance]

Needs improvement:
Jensen
Hairboy
Stevie

Incomplete:
No need to Panik

HFboard:

 

[um]

Then he is overpaid to be a 3rd pair player. My view on their moves was that they got Jensen and locked him in. Described him as the prototype modern defenseman. They traded Niskanen and got Gudas on an expiring contract in return. Meaning he was a place holder for one of the kids. Gudas was going after one season and Jensen was staying. To provide the 200 games Reirden says he is looking for before a rookie is ready to be a top 4 defenseman on a cup contender, Jensen was there to pick up those minutes.

Jensen clearly started next to Orlov. Reirden clearly is trying to keep the minutes off Gudas. Jensen being unable to carry that role is going to be an issue

having a 1B on the second pairing like Niskanen was is a luxury... don't expect every Defensemen after him to take his spot. If anyone needs to step up into Niskanens role its not someone who has little track record, its clearly Orlov.

And a coach saying nice things about a player doesn't mean anything.