Russo: Caps had no interest in being in the playoffs

[Merrrlin]

Call him back when the Rangers won something that isn’t the draft lottery.

I laughed but let's be real here, I am pretty sure Tampa has more top 5 picks than NYR in recent history.

Stamkos, Hedman, Drouin vs Kakko, Laf unless I am missing someone.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

I laughed but let's be real here, I am pretty sure Tampa has more top 5 picks than NYR in recent history.

Stamkos, Hedman, Drouin vs Kakko, Laf unless I am missing someone.

Sure, but we also won the regular season. That’s TWO things. Checkmate.

 

[A Pointed Stick]

I am ashamed for the maker of this thread. Oh look who it is. Grow up already.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Have to wonder. Was 2018 the outlier in an otherwise history of playoff dissapointments? A fluke?

 

[Chips]

The Caps sucked. They sucked last playoffs too, way worse than the 7 game, 1-goal series would suggest. It wasn’t tight all series but rather a wildly (no exaggeration) inconsistent series by the Caps.

Basically how completely and utterly dejected and lost the Caps looked this this series, they looked for half of the previous.

Want to see what I mean? You can probably find the game 7 online, maybe YouTube. Skip to the third period and overtime, compared to the first couple periods.

The caps weren’t just losing puck battles, it looked like they weren’t even trying to get to the puck, being beaten to it by 1-5 seconds every time.
Also, Holtby individually is super shot as well. He makes hugely boneheaded mistakes and or allows weak shots routinely.

They sucked much of this regular season too, and were only slightly better the previous. In the regular season they can get by purely from having potent talent scoring, not in the playoffs.

This team doesn’t “not care”, and they are certainly not devoid of talent based on the cup run, and their good stretches being as good as there awful stretches are awful.


Yes, a lot of it is the players... but who’s job is it to motivate and make confident their players? Who holds them accountable?
I always felt Reirden couldn’t spark a lighter, and it wasn’t surprising to me at all that he went immediately to a assistant job again.

 

[KingsFan7824]

They were starting to lose more games by the end of January anyway. Holtby wasn't good. Carlson led the team in scoring. If the vets have the feeling like the team doesn't have enough talent to really challenge for anything, already having won once, I can see how that combined with the weird situation itself can sink a team.

Have to wonder. Was 2018 the outlier in an otherwise history of playoff dissapointments? A fluke?

Yes? Before the 17-18 season, didn't the Caps GM pretty much say they would have to take a step back due to a bit of a cap crunch? Now the last 2 years have gone by quickly, they're an older team, a more expensive team, it'll just get more difficult to do anything. They lucked out with Holtby though. Had he had a good UFA year, being the Cup winning goalie, the Caps would've had to make a very difficult decision. But since Holtby sucked this year, and will be 31 in a few days, they can easily let him walk, and nobody will blink an eye. They can use the space that would've gone to Holtby to maybe take one last shot at it next year, before Ovechkin is a 36 year old to start a season. Assuming he keeps playing, and keeps playing in Washington.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

How did they get all the bikini babes to the pool party?! I thought the players were in a bubble to prevent the spread of the corona virus.

The players on ELC wore the bikinis

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Have to wonder. Was 2018 the outlier in an otherwise history of playoff dissapointments? A fluke?

You don't fluke your way to the Cup.

Who knows if the Caps mentally weren't in it, but instagram posts of guys hanging out in their extensive down hours is hardly proof.

 

[albator71]

None of the recent Cup winners had a good showing. Having won a "real Cup" in a "real year", they all knew that this Cup isn't a real one.

Dude just stop, this year winner will be even more impressive then your any other past champs believe me, you're still sour??? When this year champ raise the cup over their heads it will be an amazing accomplishment to their dedication and sacrifice, this year champs are real champions in every sense of the word.

 

[albator71]

No duh

These guys knew this wasn't going to be a legit tournament. You could tell by the level of play for multiple teams.

This was an attempt to grab as much money as possible to not set the league back. The real play will continue next season

Losers always fall back on finding excuses for not winning.

 

[tenken00]

Dude just stop, this year winner will be even more impressive then your any other past champs believe me, you're still sour??? When this year champ raise the cup over their heads it will be an amazing accomplishment to their dedication and sacrifice, this year champs are real champions in every sense of the word.

Whoosh right over your head. Relax. Thats what the smiley is for. Don't have a heart attack. That whole comment was tongue in cheek

And who cares if its harder? Strapping a monkey on every player's back can make the game harder. Doesn't really mean anything.

 

[albator71]

Whoosh right over your head. Relax. Thats what the smiley is for. Don't have a heart attack. That whole comment was tongue in cheek

And who cares if its harder? Strapping a monkey on every player's back can make the game harder. Doesn't really mean anything.

You should have used this smiley.... sarcasm. Alright its all good

 

[notDatsyuk]

Anyone who has played any sport at a reasonably high level knows that it is just about impossible for a pro athlete to not play hard in a game.

A more reasonable explanation, especially considering how they played against Florida and Philadelphia, and now against Tampa, is that the islanders just played better.

 

[The Beyonder]

GTFO with this nonesense. They lost because they sucked. Don't use them using the facilities like everyone else as an excuse for their play.