Post-Game Talk: Devils @ Caps 11/14/14 7PM Caps lose 1-0

[Ajax1995]

What are the expected goal totals this year? My guess:

Ovie 40
Backstrom 21
Mojo 23
Brouwer 17
Fehr 10 (with 2 hat tricks)
Burakovsky 18
Green 12
Carlson 8
Kuzy 12


That's a weak crop of goal scorers any way you slice it. Ovie needs help.

And Ward, the guy currently 1 off the team lead?

Bottom line IMO though is that currently this team is tied for 6th in the league for goals scored per game.

 

[Ajax1995]

what's the difference between hunter hockey and trotz hockey?

Was there any stretch of 16 games under Hunter where the Caps averaged 3 goals a game...?

 

[Ridley Simon]

Really, you rattle off a list of young goalie studs and don't mention Patrick Roy?

Those were young goalies studs that fizzled. Roy never fizzled.

 

[txpd]

Right, backstrom isn't flashy that's why he's a under rated 1C. He is leaps and bounds above mojo, that's silly to think otherwise.

Honestly tx , you're the biggest defender of Green and that's fine. At what point do you not stand pat any longer on this stale core? Haven't we had a large enough sample size to know its not working and still the same issues year after year?
I'm not sure what to think, I just feel like we aren't gaining traction.

I am fine with trading core if it needs changed. Mike Green offense from the defense is harder to get than what many of the other core players bring. Carlson provides solid offense and Niskanen is respectable. Mike Green is a game breaker. He makes plays that can turn a game. When are behind one Green is more capable of creating that goal than Ovechkin. If Ovechkin is out of the lineup Green is morely likely to help create offense than Carlson.

I am considered the biggest defender of Green because I don't see the logic in ditching a defenseman that is capable of leading the league in scoring and or goals from defense. Those players are rare.

 

[Raikkonen]

I am fine with trading core if it needs changed. Mike Green offense from the defense is harder to get than what many of the other core players bring. Carlson provides solid offense and Niskanen is respectable. Mike Green is a game breaker. He makes plays that can turn a game. When are behind one Green is more capable of creating that goal than Ovechkin. If Ovechkin is out of the lineup Green is morely likely to help create offense than Carlson.

I am considered the biggest defender of Green because I don't see the logic in ditching a defenseman that is capable of leading the league in scoring and or goals from defense. Those players are rare.

To have Green you need some very reliable Alzner-type player behind him as another RD. And not overly expensive.

When they signed Niskanen they ****ed up such a plan.

Green could be the game breaker... could be the one who helps when 1 goal behind. But he is also the one who helps getting behind in the first place, right?

I mean suspicious defense, injury risk, big cap hit - that's all about Green.

There is your logic in ditching the defenseman blablabla. It's too late.

 

[FloridaCap]

To have Green you need some very reliable Alzner-type player behind him as another RD. And not overly expensive.

When they signed Niskanen they ****ed up such a plan.

Green could be the game breaker... could be the one who helps when 1 goal behind. But he is also the one who helps getting behind in the first place, right?

I mean suspicious defense, injury risk, big cap hit - that's all about Green.

There is your logic in ditching the defenseman blablabla. It's too late.

I really haven't seen any suspicious defense from Green this year. The only thing that comes to mind is when he slid to stop a 2-on-1 and didn't manage to stop the pass nor the shot.

Is he worth $7M, if that's what he demands? Probably not. But he's our best defenseman right now. Carlson has been pretty bad this year, Alzner has no offense, Niskanen is hit or miss, Orpik has been meh...

 

[Langway]

The problem is that Green isn't an all-around impact defender. It's not just about being down a goal, he needs to make the right plays when tied or up a goal and have that sort of all-situations steadiness to be worth what he'll fetch on the market. That's the main thing about this core...they don't really approach the game that way. They don't respect situations or manage the game to make it easier on themselves. Just because Niskanen and Carlson aren't as dynamic doesn't mean they have to throw money at Green to compensate for it. It's poor structuring leading to even worse structuring.

Post-peak Ovechkin is kind of the elephant in the room. His own well-roundedness issues leaves this franchise with some real questions to ponder, particularly if they fall behind playoff pace as the season progresses. I have no idea if ownership has any inclination to seriously think about them but they're there anyway waiting to be tackled if things don't improve. Backstrom isn't not an issue, just as Carlson really isn't not an issue from a fundamentals standpoint. There's an across the board looseness that stubbornly persists. I had some hope Trotz could purge it and there's time but I wonder if it's really possible for this group of players.

 

[Chukcha]

Could he fall down on the puck and stop the game instead of this?