GDT: Free Agent Frenzy: 2022-23 Season

[LesDiablesRouges]

All the GMBM haters seem to be eerily silent after he took his time and was smart about FA so far......

So far we have added two top-nine forwards at a combined cap hit of $7.1 million, signed a #1 goalie on a solid contract (much better than anticipated), and filled in depth for the bottom pair and bottom-six, if needed (MoJo and EG).

 

[Hivemind]

All the GMBM haters seem to be eerily silent after he took his time and was smart about FA so far......

I guess I'm on his ignore list

 

[Calicaps]

And since we've got a moment of relative calm here, can we all just pause to point and laugh at the dumpster fire that is Vegas... Never change GMGM (yes I know he's not technically the GM there now.)

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

I guess I'm on his ignore list

Have you been a hater?!

Some have been critical the last couple of years begging for his canning after every move - that's different than being honest about everything.

And, I would never use the ignore list!

You are one of the most well thought out posters on here, too.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

And since we've got a moment of relative calm here, can we all just pause to point and laugh at the dumpster fire that is Vegas... Never change GMGM (yes I know he's not technically the GM there now.)

I feel bad for GMGM to some degree. He built a decent core here but could never get them over the hump.

Got to Vegas though and doesn’t learn from any of his previous mistakes. His asset management has been terrible. Last two summers he has pretty much given good players away for free because of poor cap management.

 

[Hivemind]

Have you been a hater?!

Some have been critical the last couple of years begging for his canning after every move - that's different than being honest about everything.

And, I would never use the ignore list!

You are one of the most well thought out posters on here, too.

Fair enough!

I personally wouldn't call myself a GMBM hater, but with my frequent disagreements with some of his most ardent defenders I figured others had probably given me that tag

 

[crazy8888]

Agree that up to this point, there's no major youth movement here. Still time for a few additions & subtractions. I am concerned that youth won't get the experience they need with the team resigning so many vets.


One could argue that they are a better team w/o the nearly lame Nick Backstrom who played 47 games. The Caps got an average of 1.11 standing points per game with Nick in the lineup; 1.37 points per game when he was out. I don't think there's necessarily a direct correlation, but it's certainly something the hockey minds have a deeper insight about.


Yeah, the Metro is gonna be much tougher.

Stay tuned, I hope BMac has more than a dumpster-dive up his sleeve.

The whole team slowed down during the second half of the season. Im not sure if Backstrom coming back was the main cause but i do recall a lot of chatter about the team playing better with kids in the lineup. Let the kids play was the common quote i observed on these boards. Now we are looking at at least more than half a season with a glaring hole in the center that we can only hope and pray CMM can fill. Also last year the older vets had to play A LOT more minutes than what you would expect. Especially during the first half of the season to make up for the holes in the lineup. At this point in time the glaring holes in the lineup were not addressed. So yes unless more moves are made im very pessimistic about this season. Although old and kinda slow, i would have more faith in this team with full healthy roster. My concern is getting to the point when everyone is healthy and still being in playoff race.

 

[Holtbyisms]

So we're 4.3M over the cap with Snively and AJF in the lineup and Irwin as 7D... I'd say an Eller move is coming for draft pick(s). Feels like he's the odd man out unless we're planning to use McMichael in a trade for a non center.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Fair enough!

I personally wouldn't call myself a GMBM hater, but with my frequent disagreements with some of his most ardent defenders I figured others had probably given me that tag

Absolutley not.

He has not been perfect. But, I think he has been better more often than bad, by some margin.

I should have been more specific - there's an odd few that attribute our Cup win solely to GMGM's drafting, when GMBM was the one that signed the coach, brought the staff together (with the help of Trotz, obviously), put the finishing pieces of the team together, and infused all of the young talent.

His stamp is on this team and Cup win - that's more so the naysayers I was alluding too, haha.

When he makes a bad move he does warrant criticism.

I don't think that he has been particularly incredible in FA and/or some of the extensions - Panik, Hagelin, etc.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

my stab at new forward lines:

Ovie - Kuz - Oshie
Mantha - Strome -
CMM - Eller -
AJF - Dowd - Hathaway

So we have 2 open wing spots in training camp. CMM also could not make the lineup

 

[Hivemind]

And since we've got a moment of relative calm here, can we all just pause to point and laugh at the dumpster fire that is Vegas... Never change GMGM (yes I know he's not technically the GM there now.)

I think there's a pretty clear delineation between VGK under GMGM and Vegas under Kelly McCrimmon. GMGM made a bunch of crafty moves with foresight that were hated on at the time during their first season, but built them into an instant contender and helped jump start their prospect system (or at least as much as could be done with a single prospect draft). GMBM also brings Dave Prior with him, who revitalizes MAF's career. Then McCrimmon takes over around the end of their 2nd season, and the constant churn begins and he tries to get them over the hump. Most of their most puzzling trades have happened under McCrimmon, and McCrimmon fires Gallant, demotes and then lets Prior go, burns bridges with MAF (concurrent with the Prior firing), brings in DeBoer, and let's DeBoer ruin the relationship with their new starting goalie (Lehner).


Also let this serve as a periodic reminder that the Capitals should fire Scott Murray and hire Dave Prior.

 

[Carlzner]

my stab at new forward lines:

Ovie - Kuz - Oshie
Mantha - Strome -
CMM - Eller -
AJF - Dowd - Hathaway

So we have 2 open wing spots in training camp. CMM also could not make the lineup

Brown & Sheary

 

[Holtbyisms]

my stab at new forward lines:

Ovie - Kuz - Oshie
Mantha - Strome -
CMM - Eller -
AJF - Dowd - Hathaway

So we have 2 open wing spots in training camp. CMM also could not make the lineup

You forgot Sheary and Brown and Mojo

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

I think there's a pretty clear delineation between VGK under GMGM and Vegas under Kelly McCrimmon. GMGM made a bunch of crafty moves with foresight that were hated on at the time during their first season, but built them into an instant contender and helped jump start their prospect system (or at least as much as could be done with a single prospect draft). GMBM also brings Dave Prior with him, who revitalizes MAF's career. Then McCrimmon takes over around the end of their 2nd season, and the constant churn begins and he tries to get them over the hump. Most of their most puzzling trades have happened under McCrimmon, and McCrimmon fires Gallant, demotes and then lets Prior go, burns bridges with MAF (concurrent with the Prior firing), brings in DeBoer, and let's DeBoer ruin the relationship with their new starting goalie (Lehner).


Also let this serve as a periodic reminder that the Capitals should fire Scott Murray and hire Dave Prior.

What a whirlwind for Vegas.

And yes, jettison Murray to the moon, PLEASE!

He's so bad he could find a way to make Kuemper regress, much like he did with Holtby.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Ovie - Kuz - Oshie
Mantha - Strome - Brown
Mojo - Eller - Sheary
AJF - Dowd - Hathaway

extra CMM... ouch for the young guys

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

You forgot Sheary and Brown and Mojo

And we haven't even touched Snively, as well as potentially solid camps for Protas and Lapierre.....
This forward group is going to be a headache, but, it's a good problem to have and trade(s) should clear it a bit moving forward.

Edit: Err, Leason is also on a one-way and impressed last year too.

 

[caps4cup]

You forgot Sheary and Brown and Mojo

And then Wilson when healthy. That’s 11 top 9 forwards. Someone has to be on the move.

Ovie - Kuz - Oshie
Mantha - Strome - Brown
Mojo - Eller - Sheary
AJF - Dowd - Hathaway

extra CMM... ouch for the young guys

I find it extremely unlikely that CMM is the odd man out after Lavi and GMGM both saying he was going to take on a bigger role this year. He’s either in the lineup or he’s getting traded for an upgrade IMO.

 

[Calicaps]

I think there's a pretty clear delineation between VGK under GMGM and Vegas under Kelly McCrimmon. GMGM made a bunch of crafty moves with foresight that were hated on at the time during their first season, but built them into an instant contender and helped jump start their prospect system (or at least as much as could be done with a single prospect draft). GMBM also brings Dave Prior with him, who revitalizes MAF's career. Then McCrimmon takes over around the end of their 2nd season, and the constant churn begins and he tries to get them over the hump. Most of their most puzzling trades have happened under McCrimmon, and McCrimmon fires Gallant, demotes and then lets Prior go, burns bridges with MAF (concurrent with the Prior firing), brings in DeBoer, and let's DeBoer ruin the relationship with their new starting goalie (Lehner).


Also let this serve as a periodic reminder that the Capitals should fire Scott Murray and hire Dave Prior.

You're probably right, but it's still funny--and I assume McCrimmon is GMGM's pick.

 

[ClevelandCapsfan]

And since we've got a moment of relative calm here, can we all just pause to point and laugh at the dumpster fire that is Vegas... Never change GMGM (yes I know he's not technically the GM there now.)

Worse fire than Philly?

 

[Mestaruus]

I guess no one noticed this yet. Blackhawks did a buyout on his contract and eliteprospects has him going to Capitals now.

Henrik Borgström at eliteprospects.com

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Henrik Borgström, 1997-08-06 Helsinki, FIN Finland. Most recently in the SHL with HV71. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[Calicaps]

Worse fire than Philly?

No. Both are delightful.

 

[Holtbyisms]

I wonder if the plan could be to re-evaluate Backstrom at the trade deadline and then dump guys to get cap compliant for draft capital if he's trending the right direction?

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Worse fire than Philly?

Chuck Fletcher is in a league of his own.

I wonder if the plan could be to re-evaluate Backstrom at the trade deadline and then dump guys to get cap compliant for draft capital if he's trending the right direction?

Probably they'd just LTIR him until he playoffs when the cap is unlimited. Then worry about it in the off-season.

I genuinely think that Philly has tanked Provorov's value so badly that we could grab him for a bargain. Fletcher is an idiot and IP has been paired with Braun quite a lot, who is awful.

 

[Hivemind]

Worse fire than Philly?

No, nothing is worse than the Chuck Fletcher/Paul Holmgren monstrosity that is the Flyers front office.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

No, nothing is worse than the Chuck Fletcher/Paul Holmgren monstrosity that is the Flyers front office.

"Don't worry, boys, you are doing GREAT!"