News Article: Carrera: Washington Capitals’ problems began long before their playoff streak ended

[Langway]

gmgm is on an expiring contract. I cant imagine how not announcing that he is not returning slows McPhee's process. As of now he is free to explore any new job he wants.

It's still active until the league season is over, not just his team's. Technically other teams still need to get Patrick/ownership permission to talk with him while he remains under contract. They can even negotiate that he can't join other teams until that contract officially runs out. That stands regardless of whether he's officially fired or not. Not firing him doesn't stop him entirely from moving on but it seems needless to let him run out the clock if the decision has already been made. Day-to-day operations can be handled by the person he's already delegated a lot of it to already. If anything I'd understand having his replacement lined up before making the move official. Setting him up for his next gig does nothing to address what their forward is.

Leonsis doesn't owe it to fans to serve up someone's head for missing the playoffs but he shouldn't need to start a complete examination on Monday and then devise some exhaustive fourteen step process all by himself. He ought to have associates that can help with that process and, unfortunately, I'm not sure he has that network in place. A delay then could be about finding a new President that will help him with that process. Shrug. Who knows with this ****ing franchise.

 

[g00n]

And I certainly will nitpick, because there's a massive difference between the two. The result isn't the same. Ryan Suter is a puck mover, he's not an offensvie defensman. Ryan McDonagh is a puck mover, he's not an offensive defenseman. Alex Pietrangelo is a puck mover, not an offensive defenseman. Shea Weber and Zdeno Chara are both puck movers. John Carlson is a puck mover, not an offensive defenseman. Roman Josi, Mark Girodano, Christian Ehrhoff, Niklas Kronwall, Kimmo Timonen, Jay Bouwmeester. These guys are puck movers, but no one would ever reasonably describe them as offensive defensmen.

There's also the direct quote right in front of you:

"It's Jamie's mobility and ability to move the puck," Capitals General Manager George McPhee said. "The days of having defensemen who just defend may be waning. With today's game, and the pace and tempo, and the requirement that a defenseman has to be able to make plays, makes Jamie as attractive as ever."

You are making a distinction here that is meaningless.

Whether or not you call them "offensive defensemen" or puckmovers does not change the fact that GMGM has focused on both of these types of defensemen, with emphasis on mobility and stick ability more than anything else, well above or to the exclusion other traits of defenders.

That's the point. The rest is further classification and labeling.

 

[Langway]

Feinstein: Caps shouldn't fire GMGM/Oates, should have traded for Rick Nash. Uh huh. Sure.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Feinstein: Caps shouldn't fire GMGM/Oates, should have traded for Rick Nash. Uh huh. Sure.

Worth scrolling through for the first comment.

I think Troy Brouwer is overpaid and useless. And he had a better season than Rick Nash.

 

[g00n]

Feinstein: Caps shouldn't fire GMGM/Oates, should have traded for Rick Nash. Uh huh. Sure.

It's like... he had to write something whether he understood it or not, and this was the result. Almost everything he says is wrong or incomplete.

I mean, he actually suggested "Casual Mike" Green would've been a great locker room leader a few years ago, and better than Ovechkin.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Feinstein: Caps shouldn't fire GMGM/Oates, should have traded for Rick Nash. Uh huh. Sure.

Isn't he a golf and college basketball writer? Who would the Post's sports editor want him to write a hockey piece?

He's rightfully getting flayed in the comments.

 

[Capitlols]

John Feinstein is ****ing awful. His columns should be banned on this forum.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

It's been 78 minutes since that idiot hit publish. How much longer until they close the comments?

 

[g00n]

Isn't he a golf and college basketball writer? Who would the Post's sports editor want him to write a hockey piece?

He's rightfully getting flayed in the comments.

Here's a nightmare scenario for you!

Tony Kornholio was among the voices that was lobbying for a Jagr type player, if not Jagr himself, right? And Feinstein is one of TK's regulars who has more clout on that show than just about any of the usual contributors or chuckling sycophants.

What if JF goes on the show and starts blathering all this nonsense he's written about, and Ted listens?

 

[Chokingdogs]

Feinstein: Caps shouldn't fire GMGM/Oates, should have traded for Rick Nash. Uh huh. Sure.

Rick Nash 26G 13A 39P

Dubinsky 16G 33A 49P
Anisimov 22G 17A 39P

 

[txpd]

well...he did say that McPhee should have been fired on Monday and I thought that was what everyone here wanted.

 

[g00n]

Added my own comment. Couldn't resist. Worst article I've ever read on the Post, bar none.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

well...he did say that McPhee should have been fired on Monday and I thought that was what everyone here wanted.

No need to fire him. His contract expired. He's just hanging around Kettler helping out the maintenance staff because he's a good guy.

 

[BobRouse]

No need to fire him. His contract expired. He's just hanging around Kettler helping out the maintenance staff because he's a good guy.

The writing was on the wall for McPhee since he didn't get extended last offseason.

At the TDL he made moves that were FORWARD thinking.

Clearly he and Ted have a great deal of respect for each other and GMGM is not the Mike Shanahan type that would scuttle the ship before jumping on a life raft and giving the middle finger.

It sure seems he's just helping the transition. Say what you want about his series of questionable moves but GMGMs character is beyond reproach.

Added my own comment. Couldn't resist. Worst article I've ever read on the Post, bar none.

No chance I'm reading that. It will get me angry and in a bad mood from the looks of it!

 

[ReggietheSavage15]

All you need to know about Feinstein:

“I even had this thought last night,” Feinstein said recently, while talking about the NBA draft with 106.7 The Fan’s Sports Junkies. “You guys have probably heard me say this before: I think Kendall Marshall’s gonna be a terrific NBA guard. I really do. He reminds me a lot of Jason Kidd. He’s not a great shooter, but he’ll become a better shooter as time goes along. He knows how to run a team, he’s smart, he plays defense.

“If I was the Wizards, I swear if I could pull off a deal, I would trade down. I would take John Wall, trade down, get a player or two, and use the first pick on Kendall Marshall. I swear to God I would do that, I think that highly of Kendall Marshall.

“They’re not gonna do that,” he continued, “because that’s thinking out of the box. And they’ve made such a big deal out of John Wall they can’t afford to trade him. But I think that would be a good move. I think Kendall Marshall, in terms of running a team, potentially is a lot better than John Wall.”

Link

Feinstein and Jason Reid are two of the worst columnists at the WaPo. Can't stand reading any of their drivel.

 

[RandyHolt]

Worth scrolling through for the first comment.

That second comment is a nice summary of this past year

 

[Blades of Steel]

That second comment is a nice summary of this past year

agreed, there's a lot of good comments, worth the entertainment. just wish i didn't have to give his page a view to read them.

 

[RandyHolt]

What the hell is Ted doing?

So we are just going to let George mill around for an extra 2 months to avoid having to fire him? Out of respect for him, ignore the nose dive that the team has taken in the past 4 years?

And Oates, he is just a pawn in all this but he probably can't believe he still has a job.

 

[Blades of Steel]

What the hell is Ted doing?

So we are just going to let George mill around for an extra 2 months to avoid having to fire him? Out of respect for him, ignore the nose dive that the team has taken in the past 4 years?

And Oates, he is just a pawn in all this but he probably can't believe he still has a job.

Mcphee is so secretive even his firing is hush hush

 

[RandyHolt]

Mcphee is so secretive even his firing is hush hush

Would it really surprise anyone if Ted wasn't intimidated by the former Hobey Baker Award winner?

I am coming to grips with McPhee only leaving before 6/26 if he finds another job.

And even that is looking less promising after hearing Benning to Vancouver chatter.

 

[BobRouse]

What the hell is Ted doing?

So we are just going to let George mill around for an extra 2 months to avoid having to fire him? Out of respect for him, ignore the nose dive that the team has taken in the past 4 years?

And Oates, he is just a pawn in all this but he probably can't believe he still has a job.

He'll be fired by the end of the week when he gives his media talk. Thats my guess anyhow.

Oates may take longer. I'd let the new GM and management drop the axe on him.

Again its only been a couple days. Lets settle down a bit here.

Would it really surprise anyone if Ted wasn't intimidated by the former Hobey Baker Award winner?

I am coming to grips with McPhee only leaving before 6/26 if he finds another job.

And even that is looking less promising after hearing Benning to Vancouver chatter.

If I were to guess its not Vancouver where McPhee would be landing. It would be with Calgary and Brian Burke.

And in reality that is an excellent fit for both George and the Flames. He will turn them in the right direction for sure.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

I don't see Uncle Teddy waiting until GMGM's contract expires to hire GMGM's replacement. And I doubt Uncle Teddy would have to "fire" GMGM before his contract expires either to hire a new GM. GMGM is reassigned to another position in the organization and goes out looking for a new job, or twiddles his thumbs, until his contract is up while his replacement gets to work putting the mess back together.

And someone like GMGM not having his contract renewed is the same as being fired, IMO. Just a nice, respectful, way of doing things for a guy like GMGM who's given a lot of years to an organization.

 

[BobRouse]

And someone like GMGM not having his contract renewed is the same as being fired, IMO. Just a nice, respectful, way of doing things for a guy like GMGM who's given a lot of years to an organization.

No doubt.

And despite all the bad GMGM has done lets not forget the good too. It wasn't all Ovechkin that turned DCs hockey market around. GMGM had a lot to do with that as well.

He simply couldn't put the icing on the cake when all was said and done but he left us with a pretty solid foundation and alot of youth/young assets to build from.

When he took over we had NO farm system to speak of. It was barren. And our team was an old veteran team with nothing in the pipeline.

It took him a few years but he did restock the system.

 

[Liberati0n*]

Feinstein: Caps shouldn't fire GMGM/Oates, should have traded for Rick Nash. Uh huh. Sure.

What a ****ing moron.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

No doubt.

And despite all the bad GMGM has done lets not forget the good too. It wasn't all Ovechkin that turned DCs hockey market around. GMGM had a lot to do with that as well.

He simply couldn't put the icing on the cake when all was said and done but he left us with a pretty solid foundation and alot of youth/young assets to build from.

When he took over we had NO farm system to speak of. It was barren. And our team was an old veteran team with nothing in the pipeline.

It took him a few years but he did restock the system.

Weren't you crapping all over his lockout/postlockout work just a couple of weeks ago?