Kuzy expectations next season?

[Ajax1995]

I hope not. You can't do that with every prospect in your system.

Agreed but IMO it makes more sense to play a style that is going to get the most out of your star players, ie Ovechkin and Backstrom, and coincidence or not I also think that type of play will also get the most out of Kuznetsov and Johansson.

So no you aren't building a team for Johansson's skillset you are building one for Ovechkin's and Backstrom's, which I believe makes tons of sense. If Johansson benefits from that also then all the better.

If the idea is to play a style that is going to get the most out of the likes of Ward and Chimera then IMO Johansson is never going to thrive playing that way but to a lesser degree neither is Ovechkin or Backstrom.

 

[SashaSemin28]

Would be really happy with 50 points

 

[g00n]

Agreed but IMO it makes more sense to play a style that is going to get the most out of your star players, ie Ovechkin and Backstrom, and coincidence or not I also think that type of play will also get the most out of Kuznetsov and Johansson.

So no you aren't building a team for Johansson's skillset you are building one for Ovechkin's and Backstrom's, which I believe makes tons of sense. If Johansson benefits from that also then all the better.

If the idea is to play a style that is going to get the most out of the likes of Ward and Chimera then IMO Johansson is never going to thrive playing that way but to a lesser degree neither is Ovechkin or Backstrom.

Yeah but like I said mj90 hasn't been living in dump and chase hell every second of every game the last 4 seasons. He played for Swedish units over the years and from what I've seen was about a point every other game there just like in the NHL. What's to say that's not who he really is?

 

[Ajax1995]

Yeah but like I said mj90 hasn't been living in dump and chase hell every second of every game the last 4 seasons. He played for Swedish units over the years and from what I've seen was about a point every other game there just like in the NHL. What's to say that's not who he really is?

Actually Johansson's entire Caps' career has been either under trapping Boudreau, dump and chase Hunter, or dump and chase Oates. Sure he was around for a quarter of a season as a rookie before Boudreau threw the baby out with the bath water and went to the trap but that is about it.

His last year in the SEL he put up 20 points in 42 games as an 18/19 year old playing for a better than middle of the road team whose top scorer put up 36 points in 55 games so...

Regardless though half a point a game over a full season these days puts you right around 120th in the league amongst forwards, which is easily 2nd line production.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Actually Johansson's entire Caps' career has been either under trapping Boudreau, dump and chase Hunter, or dump and chase Oates. Sure he was around for a quarter of a season as a rookie before Boudreau threw the baby out with the bath water and went to the trap but that is about it.

His last year in the SEL he put up 20 points in 42 games as an 18/19 year old playing for a better than middle of the road team whose top scorer put up 36 points in 55 games so...

Regardless though half a point a game over a full season these days puts you right around 120th in the league amongst forwards, which is easily 2nd line production.

Shall we all re-hash the power play production has nothing to do with even strength lines argument? 17 ESP is good for 263rd in the league among forwards.

 

[Ajax1995]

Shall we all re-hash the power play production has nothing to do with even strength lines argument? 17 ESP is good for 263rd in the league among forwards.

He had 23 ESPs last season, which tied for 200th amongst forwards, but whatever.

And he tied for 21st in PPPs last season amongst the same group.

Last I checked PP goals count just as much as ESGs and someone has to play on the PP and they overwhelmingly usually come from the skilled forwards group. IMO you can't remove PP production from these discussions for that reason.

I'm not sure where these magical 4th line PP specialist who put up great PP numbers but get little ES ice time play but it certainly isn't in today's NHL no matter how much some want to pretend they do...

 

[Ajax1995]

And if we are only using ESPs to determine a player's value then based on last season anyway Backstrom barely clocks in as a 1st liner, tied for 85th.

This team has not played a style conducive to getting anywhere close to the most out of its best players for a while now and that shows in every skilled forward's numbers IMO, Ovechkin's, Backstrom's, and yes even Johansson's...

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

He had 23 ESPs last season, which tied for 200th amongst forwards, but whatever.

And he tied for 21st in PPPs last season amongst the same group.

Last I checked PP goals count just as much as ESGs and someone has to play on the PP and they overwhelmingly usually come from the skilled forwards group. IMO you can't remove PP production from these discussions for that reason.

I'm not sure where these magical 4th line PP specialist who put up great PP numbers but get little ES ice time play but it certainly isn't in today's NHL no matter how much some want to pretend they do...

My mistake about the 23 vs 17 points.

You miss the point. There aren't magic 4th liners scoring pp points. But there are players like Johansson who pad their stats on the powerplay and contribute next to nothing in an actual "top 6" situation.

 

[Ajax1995]

My mistake about the 23 vs 17 points.

You miss the point. There aren't magic 4th liners scoring pp points. But there are players like Johansson who pad their stats on the powerplay and contribute next to nothing in an actual "top 6" situation.

It was a tough year for every Caps skilled forward at ES last year. Ovechkin was tied for 55th and Backstrom 85th amongst forwards.

In previous seasons Johansson ranked 131st in ESPs, while missing 14 games, 73rd, and 198th in his rookie season. If you average the 4 seasons out that comes to 151st. Not bad IMO.

Last season was the first season he put up a significant number of points on the PP. IMO that is part of being a skilled forward both ES and PP production so I see the added PP production as a positive sign in his development.

 

[g00n]

It was a tough year for every Caps skilled forward at ES last year. Ovechkin was tied for 55th and Backstrom 85th amongst forwards.

In previous seasons Johansson ranked 131st in ESPs, while missing 14 games, 73rd, and 198th in his rookie season. If you average the 4 seasons out that comes to 151st. Not bad IMO.

Last season was the first season he put up a significant number of points on the PP. IMO that is part of being a skilled forward both ES and PP production so I see the added PP production as a positive sign in his development.

151st not bad? For a guy seeing pretty consistent top 6 minutes with some of the most prolific scorers in the game? That's near the bottom of the league if you expect your top 6 to be the best producers ES on every team. If 19 and 8 give half a **** they can drag a third dead guy to a point a game.

Like I said twice already, even with the coaches and systems there have been opportunities to make plays and score. He hasn't embraced those. Ovechkin hasn't been at his career highs but he's still been among the league's best. If mj90 can't hang with Ovechkin then why is he on the top line so much?

Basically you're asking to throw away mj90s entire junior and pro career because supposedly he hasn't had a chance to show what he can do in a perfect hypothetical situation that only existed for about a year under BB. And it looks like Trotz is going to be around for a while so whatever system is in place had better become mj90s favorite way to play, or he's not going to be a Cap much longer.

 

[Ajax1995]

151st not bad? For a guy seeing pretty consistent top 6 minutes with some of the most prolific scorers in the game?

Backstrom and Ovechkin haven't been some of the most prolific point producers in the league in quite a while IMO. As I already pointed out they were 55th and 85th in ESPs last season.

The year before they were in the mid to low 20's but Johansson missed 14 games, or 29% of the season. The year before that Backstrom missed half the season and Ovechkin finished 57th in ESPs.

 

[g00n]

Backstrom and Ovechkin haven't been some of the most prolific point producers in the league in quite a while IMO. As I already pointed out they were 55th and 85th in ESPs last season.

The year before they were in the mid to low 20's but Johansson missed 14 games, or 29% of the season. The year before that Backstrom missed half the season and Ovechkin finished 57th in ESPs.

Last year was **** for everyone, including mj90. But the difference here is mj90 hasn't had the big years the other guys have had. His ship has not been rising with their tides, nor they his. If you're not creating plays you should be finishing them. I don't see him doing either, unlike 8 and 19.

But, there's a lot that's new this year. That can be spun as positive (hope for change) or negative (another new coach/system excuse). Sooner or later the guy has to break through or be shipped out. Maybe he needs a change of scenery to light a fire under his ass...

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

30-40-70, lots of time with 8, both at ES and on the PP.

Everyone was extremely conservative with Ovie's rookie predictions. I'm being optimistic with Kuznetsov's.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Depends on if he's on PP1

Three months late in responding to this, but I foresee more of a 80/40 split between the PP units this season. I don't think Trotz will go with the 100+ second PP1 shifts on a regular basis.

 

[BobRouse]

30-40-70, lots of time with 8, both at ES and on the PP.

Everyone was extremely conservative with Ovie's rookie predictions. I'm being optimistic with Kuznetsov's.

I like this NBTW!

I think, to be honest, we'll need that level of production from him to be a top 3 team in the metro. At least 60pts and for him to stay healthy.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Anything north of 50 points and I think we're all going to be happy.

I'll say 23 g 34 assists in 74 games

 

[Burakovsky95*]

30-40-70, lots of time with 8, both at ES and on the PP.

Everyone was extremely conservative with Ovie's rookie predictions. I'm being optimistic with Kuznetsov's.

Oh please God let this happen. We desperately need another marquee forward to lean on and take pressure off 8-19.

 

[FloridaCap]

I could see him putting up 70-80 points if he were playing with 19/8, but as a 2nd liner with 20/21 or a 3rd liner, I see 50 points max.

 

[Orca Smash]

Not a caps fan so I figure you guys could answer this best, I am thinking of taking Kuznetsov as my dark horse in my pool, is he going to make the team? A risk he wont be on the team? Will he be playing with ovie and backstrom? Is this a bad choice?

Any input from you guys would be helpful.

 

[SDBondra]

100% chance Kuzy makes the team. Almost no chance he starts the season with Ovi or Backstrom but I'm sure he'll at least get some PP time with them.

 

[philip]

A 2nd line of Mojo / Kuzy / Burro is physically weak but full of scoring potential IMO. Swap Mojo out for a bigger guy if need be, but Kuzy will serve Burro up all day with smart passes and that lad has shown he can put them away

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

30-40-70, lots of time with 8, both at ES and on the PP.

Everyone was extremely conservative with Ovie's rookie predictions. I'm being optimistic with Kuznetsov's.

If Kuz has this statline, we finish no lower than 2nd in the Metro.