Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2022-23 Season Part 2: Regular Season

[SecretaryofDefense5]

I think you have to look at it from the bigger picture. We lost AJF and Leason, but we already gained better players in off-season in Brown and Strome. I didn't realize Leason was a 2nd round pick, so in a way his development did not progress like it should have. I still feel AJF can be a Hagelin replacement, so I'm disappointed in that regard. The reason MarJo is on the team, because he's a very light version of Backstrom. You can spot him on the first 3 forward lines if there are injuries in the top 6 and use him on the PP/PK. And we know from experience he's a 2-way forward.

Mojo sucks and he is not anything like Backstrom. The only only thing they have in common is they are both Swedish. That’s it.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Beat me to it. So glad we lost Leason for fuc*ing Mojo.


No. This was bad asset management.

You really think Leason was going to be more valuable to the Caps over MarJo?

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

 

[SherVaughn30]

Mojo sucks and he is not anything like Backstrom. The only only thing they have in common is they are both Swedish. That’s it.

Just quit this nonsense and just say you don't like MarJo. And you are wrong. In actuality, they both play a similar game, but Backstrom is obviously more highly skilled with a better hockey IQ. MarJo does have one quality better than Backstrom, which is speed and that is something this team can always use since they are an older team.

 

[Langway]

Yeah, I don't care. Malenstyn, Borgstrom, Pilon...all just as fringe as the two players they lost. It just means Hershey is thinner.

 

[pman25]

These two were still behind Snively and Protas anyway, and even those two are likely healthy scratches anyways unless they push Johansson out. Waivers are there for a reason for guys like this who get squeezed and hopefully gain an opportunity elsewhere.

They had long auditions last year and both were mostly lineup filler

 

[RedRocking]

You guys remember when Leason filled in after Wilson got hurt in the FLA series - and he looked great, like a future solid NHLer?

Yea, me neither.

 

[marcel snapshot]

I thought our prospect pool sucked. But there's obvious interest in our cast-offs deemed not good enough.

I can't get too exercised about losing those guys, but I wish them luck. Leason's skating never took the kind of turn that Protas' is taking this year. Last year, I thought Protas and Leason were semi-indistinguishable guys that were big, sluggish with the foot-speed, good at protecting the puck, but maybe not up to snuff skill wise for an NHL top 9. Protas offered some evidence this camp that there's more to him than that - not sure Leason did. AJF is mostly a replacement-level puck-hounding 4th liner with elite hair. He was pushed out by some combo of Brown, Johansson, and Snively. I understand there's a lot of MoJo hate here, but AJF's tool box is a lot more limited than Johansson's.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Other than a big body, Leason never did much for me. I’m hoping we can steal them both back.

 

[traparatus]

I think you have to look at it from the bigger picture. We lost AJF and Leason, but we already gained better players in off-season in Brown and Strome. I didn't realize Leason was a 2nd round pick, so in a way his development did not progress like it should have. I still feel AJF can be a Hagelin replacement, so I'm disappointed in that regard. The reason MarJo is on the team, because he's a very light version of Backstrom. You can spot him on the first 3 forward lines if there are injuries in the top 6 and use him on the PP/PK. And we know from experience he's a 2-way forward.

Johansson sucks. He sucks on PK and sucks on PP.

If he were put on waivers yesterday, not one team out there would give him a single thought.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Just quit this nonsense and just say you don't like MarJo. And you are wrong. In actuality, they both play a similar game, but Backstrom is obviously more highly skilled with a better hockey IQ. MarJo does have one quality better than Backstrom, which is speed and that is something this team can always use since they are an older team.

With all due respect Mojo is nothing like Backstrom and correct, I don’t like the player. He was great when he was younger but he has bounced around for a few years now and for good reason.

Mojo’s game is predicated on his skating/speed, nothing like Backstrom in that sense. Honestly, to put the two in the same breadth is insulting to Backstrom.

It is what it is. They lost two low cost young players who still had potential but it isn’t the end of the world. That being said I would have preferred they give players like AJf opportunities over journeymen like Mojo who don’t have any more potential in terms of ceiling. To each their own I guess.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Hand wringing. Lots of it.

Leason I would’ve been happy to keep (he won’t stick for the season in Ana, I’d doubt, so it’s probably akin to the AJF/Sabres rental they did last year), which bring me to…..

AJF. Pretty dude. Fast. Lots to like. But …..

 

[Hivemind]

Just quit this nonsense and just say you don't like MarJo. And you are wrong. In actuality, they both play a similar game, but Backstrom is obviously more highly skilled with a better hockey IQ. MarJo does have one quality better than Backstrom, which is speed and that is something this team can always use since they are an older team.

I was Johansson's biggest defender during his initial stint in Washington. I think he was quite a useful player in his initial stay, but he was never a particularly similar player to Backstrom. Both Johansson and Backstrom are skilled at passing, but that's about where the similarities end. Johansson was much faster, and (despite what his detractors would have you believe) much better at driving the net. 90 scored most of his goals and had most of his shots in the area around the crease. He was also a better player off the rush, given his speed. Backstrom is a player who's gifted at "slowing the play down," creating opportunities for teammates, and dishing perfect saucer passes thru areas that other players wouldn't be able to hit. He also has an underrated snapshot, and is quite good at shielding the puck (something Johansson struggled at). This is also not even touching on the fact that Johansson is best as a winger, while Backstrom is a full-time center.

That being said, Johansson in 2022 is not nearly as effective of a player as he was in 2017.

 

[HecticGlow]

This could be fun.

 

[tycoonheart]

Sammy shutout incoming!

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Sammy is either going to let in 5 and sport a .790 save percentage or he’s going to stop 44 out of 45 shots, many of them from point blank, and look like Hasek reincarnate. There will be no middle ground.

 

[traparatus]

This could be fun.

I love this. Really hope he s***ts the bed.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

This could be fun.

Let’s go, Ovi is gonna tear this guy apart. Hat trick coming up for sure

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[Langway]

Gotta put up that Samsonov quote about who has the harder shot between Ovi/Matthews on the bulletin board.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

$2M means we’re going to accrue cap space hat we can use at the deadline, right? Maybe make a huge deal for Kane as a rental?

 

[notDkristich]

This could be fun.

I need to open a betting account, and go ALL-IN against MTL and Samsonov

 

[IafrateOvie34]

It sucks to lose two younger players, however I will get to see AJF get more playtime with Winnipeg since I follow the Jets. Leason did well given the time he had last year. I wish them both healthy and successful careers and possibly another chance with the Caps.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Let’s go, Ovi is gonna tear this guy apart. Hat trick coming up for sure

I hope Ovy breaks the single game goal record on Sammie. Yes, I'm bitter. I don't like watching 1st rounders failing for the Caps and then expect them to do well on another team.

 

[g00n]

I'm not going to pretend to be devastated by the loss of a couple of JAGs who could never dent the lineup and did jack shit in the AHL.