hockeykicker
Moderator
- Dec 3, 2014
- 35,207
- 12,809
They said yesterday (or was it Tuesday?) that Burt could potentially play against the Rangers.Huh. Guess I was wrong.
Beagle can't handle the puck to save his life.
I counted about 10 times in this game alone where he turned the puck over in the neutral zone alone. Few times it looked like a beer-league player were lost out there. His face-off abilities are a big asset but it's not worth nearly 2m cap hit in todays NHL. Especially on a team that's already going to have to think carefully on where they put their money.
IMO it's skating with Beagle. He's never been the most agile and as the game speeds up it becomes even more important that he takes better angles. A huge part of why he's not as effective a forechecker are those angles and it's also shown up in some of his defensive play. Sure, he's nails on faceoffs and PKs hard but there's a limit to how much that's worth alone. If forced to choose between 20/83, I keep 20 assuming the numbers are slightly team-friendly. Beagle at a slight discount is maybe tolerable but he's only likely to get worse so term could be an issue. If he's not dealing with a lower body injury then I think the drop-off may be here. He's currently got the worst raw Corsi & Fenwick among NHL regulars. Some of that's usage but it's not just linemates. Linemates can help but Stephenson and one of DSP/Chiasson or even both DSP/Chiasson are probably not going to change how infrequently that line attacks effectively. Maybe better structure and shift-to-shift engagement puts that line on better ground to do good things similar to the past two seasons but I think Beagle just may be on his way to becoming a chase-the-game type player. It's a fine line.
In general my concern remains whether 19/92 shoot enough/are reliable enough finishers and whether 65/13 can be playoff-style interior type presences. The defense is fine for the time being...they've tightened up as a group. They just need to keep hammering away at the dirty areas. They did a decent job of keeping Chicago to the perimeter and need to keep the lapses in those areas down.
Get rid of Eller, Beagle, Carlson, DSP, Chiasson, and Chorney for whatever picks we can get. Try to move Connolly and his $1.5M. Get Stephenson some reps at center, or is the plan to play him at wing then throw him into the 3c/4c spot next year? Makes no sense. BMac has to figure out what to do with Grubauer, he's Restricted, how much money needs to be tied up by a backup? Wilson is gonna get more $, too. You mention Backlund, he's solid, and could fit in well. Personally, I'd like Athanasiaou, who's still young (25?) and could be UFA this summer. Detroit has alot of salary tied up in guys with NMC/NTC, and maybe they won't be able to keep him. Either way, I like your thinking.Beagle for 1M would be nice. But if he thinks he's better than that... Trade him at deadline.
At least, there should be only one of them with Eller next year.
Releasing Eller is questionable also. I mean, is Stephenson that good? Doubtfully. Eller is big, strong and experienced. His bad side is that he's another europlayer.
So the decision is to sign UFA Backlund from Calgary obviously
PS: Having to play in post-season without Beagle can open some facts about defensive capabilities of other players. I believe they can trade Beagle and then sign him again in the summer, with some probability.
Sorry for the late response. I've watched plenty to know that he skates harder into the offensve zone, than he does skating back. I feel comfortable enough to say that as great as Ovechkin is offensvely, defensively, he's not that good. Last yrs game 7 is an example, both Penguin goals were scored with him on the ice, and him not being able to clear it. He's the Captain, the face of the franchise, and someone that is supposed to lead by example. He's lazy on the backcheck, and sometimes I honestly believe that hecould care less about defense. Mine is my own.I feel like you have never watched Alex Ovechkin play a game before, only checked out some negative highlights. But hey to each his own I guess.
Get rid of Eller, Beagle, Carlson, DSP, Chiasson, and Chorney for whatever picks we can get. Try to move Connolly and his $1.5M..
What makes no sense, is false hope. As the deadline approaches, BMac is going to need to decide if this team is actually good enough, and whether he should risk giving up assets. I don't think that this team has improved enough (tactically and mentally) to win the Cup this year, and to have the majority of those guys walk for free this summer while getting nothing back, does nothing for this team. And if the plan is to not keep them after this season, then I think it would make alot of sense to get something for them and start getting Stephenson the NHL experience at center now, that way he's better prepared and also knows what to work on this summer, just like any other Hershey kids.The team is 2pts off the division lead and climbing. The Caps are definitely going to trade off a third of its roster for picks at the deadline. Makes perfect sense
Boom! Shots fired for Rangers game!
Get rid of Eller, Beagle, Carlson, DSP, Chiasson, and Chorney for whatever picks we can get. Try to move Connolly and his $1.5M. Get Stephenson some reps at center, or is the plan to play him at wing then throw him into the 3c/4c spot next year? Makes no sense. BMac has to figure out what to do with Grubauer, he's Restricted, how much money needs to be tied up by a backup? Wilson is gonna get more $, too. You mention Backlund, he's solid, and could fit in well. Personally, I'd like Athanasiaou, who's still young (25?) and could be UFA this summer. Detroit has alot of salary tied up in guys with NMC/NTC, and maybe they won't be able to keep him. Either way, I like your thinking.
I thought he kind of had a foot out the door from the get-go, at least when adversity hit and he came across as just some bystander. It's tough to integrate a rental ideally without it being the perfect fit and he wasn't outside of the PP setup.I don't hate Shattenkirk, I think the guy tried his best to fit in but it just didn't work.
Bouncy screen. And for DSP, Chias.....whatever picks. Carlson will be highly sought at the deadline, and to clarify, no , not just picks for him. Eller obviously fetches less than Carlson,but more than Beagle, they should be all moved. If you still want to poop on this, by all means, be free to do so.I’d like to be the first, to poop on this. Triumph the insult comic dog style....
I thought he kind of had a foot out the door from the get-go, at least when adversity hit and he came across as just some bystander. It's tough to integrate a rental ideally without it being the perfect fit and he wasn't outside of the PP setup.
Thankfully it sounds like they don't plan on being big buyers like that again. It should be a rare occurrence unless, again, it's a perfect fit. Even then you never know in practice whether it lines up how you might have imagined. It's a lot more understandable, and reasonable IMO, to target younger players like Justin Schultz types that could stick around for a while, develop and be key contributors beyond one quick run. I'm not sure they'll have the cap space to be active at the deadline anyway and if it turns out they add nothing that's probably a better deadline than they've had a few years.
Get rid of Eller, Beagle, Carlson, DSP, Chiasson, and Chorney for whatever picks we can get. Try to move Connolly and his $1.5M. Get Stephenson some reps at center, or is the plan to play him at wing then throw him into the 3c/4c spot next year? Makes no sense. BMac has to figure out what to do with Grubauer, he's Restricted, how much money needs to be tied up by a backup? Wilson is gonna get more $, too. You mention Backlund, he's solid, and could fit in well. Personally, I'd like Athanasiaou, who's still young (25?) and could be UFA this summer. Detroit has alot of salary tied up in guys with NMC/NTC, and maybe they won't be able to keep him. Either way, I like your thinking.
Get rid of Eller, Beagle, Carlson, DSP, Chiasson, and Chorney for whatever picks we can get. Try to move Connolly and his $1.5M. Get Stephenson some reps at center, or is the plan to play him at wing then throw him into the 3c/4c spot next year? Makes no sense. BMac has to figure out what to do with Grubauer, he's Restricted, how much money needs to be tied up by a backup? Wilson is gonna get more $, too. You mention Backlund, he's solid, and could fit in well. Personally, I'd like Athanasiaou, who's still young (25?) and could be UFA this summer. Detroit has alot of salary tied up in guys with NMC/NTC, and maybe they won't be able to keep him. Either way, I like your thinking.
If this team is not a real cup contender at the deadline, then they should sell whoever isn't going to be here next season.Wow. No chance. Dismantle the team, when it could very easily be a top 3 in the Metro? Have you been blind to their last 7 games or so? They've beaten the top teams in the East (Tampa, Columbus, Toronto..as well as San Jose, Chicago and Ottawa) and done it convincingly. Even with the 5-2 loss to LA, they have scored 28 goals and given up 16. Almost 4-2 each game. The 6 wins were 26-11. 4.3G/game to 1.8GA/game.
Team is starting to find itself, and you want to jettison their #3 and #4 C's, and their top 4 D (could be argued best D).
Dont give me the fools gold crap either. Ovechkin and Backstrom are playing at a high level. Carlson maybe his best play ever. Wilson, Vrana, Stephenson, Djoos, and Bowey are new elements that give the team speed and skill and youthful energy.
If you cant root for this team, maybe you need to find another team. I am completely serious, and I hate that type of comment. But for you....it seems warranted
What makes no sense, is false hope. As the deadline approaches, BMac is going to need to decide if this team is actually good enough, and whether he should risk giving up assets. I don't think that this team has improved enough (tactically and mentally) to win the Cup this year, and to have the majority of those guys walk for free this summer while getting nothing back, does nothing for this team. And if the plan is to not keep them after this season, then I think it would make alot of sense to get something for them and start getting Stephenson the NHL experience at center now, that way he's better prepared and also knows what to work on this summer, just like any other Hershey kids.