T.J. Oshie & Troy Brouwer

[Drake1588]

Oshie just fits in so nicely on what was already one outstanding PP. First game to see how everyone slots in, with Backstrom added to the mix up top.

 

[Midnight Judges]

IMO Oshie has been fantastic - a perfect fit for the top line. His chemistry with Kuznetsov and Ovechkin has been beyond what could be expected. He's been working hard around the boards to get them the puck, his outlet passes have been spot on, and once that happens it's off to the races. I have not noticed any bad skating from Oshie so far.

Oshie also helps the Caps depth-wise - the top line is producing so well with him there that it enables them to split the two best players and put Backstrom on the 2nd line, which in turn allows him to feast on lesser defensemen - which he can do with regularity.

If Brouwer is playing well in St. Louis then that's great. I never had anything against the guy. I think the Caps organization and Caps fans expected too much from him and that's the root of the problem. He's a very good third liner. We tried him as 1RW and that was a bust.

Maybe this is one of those rare win/wins although at the time it looked a bit lopsided IMO. Perhaps Tarasenko for Johansson? I keed I keed!

 

[Calicaps]

I have to think that once a guy gets over the whole "I have to get the puck to Alex all the time" thing, that playing with Ovie is a ton of fun. He's a force and is feared by D across the league. That means time and space for any other Caps on the ice with him. And then, when he does get the puck, he routinely does stuff that just makes your jaw drop. I bet it's pretty damn good to be T.J. right now.

 

[sycamore]

Eventually, the top line will be Ovechkin - Backstrom - Oshie or possibly Ovechkin - Kuznetsov - Oshie.

We always kind of assumed coming into this season that the top line would be OV-Backtrom-Oshie, but wow I really do like Backstrom on the second line, for SO many reasons. Creates two dangerous lines with two all star players on two seperate lines, Kuz and OV are two Russians who already appear to have great chemistry, Backstrom will mentor and groom Burakovsky when he eventually makes the jump up to the second line. The list just goes on and on.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I have to think that once a guy gets over the whole "I have to get the puck to Alex all the time" thing, that playing with Ovie is a ton of fun. He's a force and is feared by D across the league. That means time and space for any other Caps on the ice with him. And then, when he does get the puck, he routinely does stuff that just makes your jaw drop. I bet it's pretty damn good to be T.J. right now.

Oshie seems to agree with you - he certainly is playing as if he wants the gig on a more permanent basis.

 

[third man in]

We always kind of assumed coming into this season that the top line would be OV-Backtrom-Oshie, but wow I really do like Backstrom on the second line, for SO many reasons. Creates two dangerous lines with two all star players on two seperate lines, Kuz and OV are two Russians who already appear to have great chemistry, Backstrom will mentor and groom Burakovsky when he eventually makes the jump up to the second line. The list just goes on and on.

In Chicago Toews and Kane are split up. I agree, I am hoping eventually Bura can be a good sniper for Backstrom maybe as soon as later this season. Bura seems much better at wing.

 

[Hivemind]

In Chicago Toews and Kane are split up.

Sometimes.

 

[um]

Sometimes.

most of the time, Saad-Toews-Hossa has been there #1 line the past few years.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Sometimes.

They're almost always split up. They only hit the ice together on the PP or when coach Q shuffles his lines to get a goal. Toews plays with Hossa and a revolving door of LWs (TT, Garbutt, Bickell), while Kane plays with Anisimov and Panarin exclusively.

Splitting up Ovi and Nick isn't a bad idea. You don't need to put all your eggs in the same basket.
Semin didn't play a lot with Ovi and Nick at ES despite being by far the 3rd best forward on the team when he was here.

 

[artilector]

Oshie and Brouwer are basically a world apart in terms of what they have brought to the team.

Legit 1st line complementary presence, the holy grail that the Caps have been seeking for 10 years, instead of a run-of-the-mill 3rd liner. Yeah, I'll take that!

It's early, but at this point all signs point to this being the best trade the Caps have made in... the Ovechkin era? Who else comes close? Fedorov?

 

[RandyHolt]

I still cannot believe we got Oshie for TBills. Both are giving their all for their new team - lets see how this trade holds up 6 months from now, and then judge it.

But I think it certainly has the potential to rival getting Feds.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Oshie and Brouwer are basically a world apart in terms of what they have brought to the team.

Legit 1st line complementary presence, the holy grail that the Caps have been seeking for 10 years, instead of a run-of-the-mill 3rd liner. Yeah, I'll take that!

It's early, but at this point all signs point to this being the best trade the Caps have made in... the Ovechkin era? Who else comes close? Fedorov?

The Carlson trade was the best value-for-value trade that I can think of, but at the time of the trade no one knew how good he would become.

 

[Roughing]

We'll revisit this when TBrow has a 23-game goalless streak.

 

[PucksInDeep]

We always kind of assumed coming into this season that the top line would be OV-Backtrom-Oshie, but wow I really do like Backstrom on the second line, for SO many reasons. Creates two dangerous lines with two all star players on two seperate lines, Kuz and OV are two Russians who already appear to have great chemistry, Backstrom will mentor and groom Burakovsky when he eventually makes the jump up to the second line. The list just goes on and on.

Having Backstrom anchor his own line will also help a lot with his recognition around the league. It would be awesome to see him finally go to an All Star game and bring home a Selke too.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Trades for futures are whatever. So McPhee held his breath until someone got desperate/injured and we got a 1st for a UFA and then Mahoney went to work and then we wait five years. Who cares.

Oshie for Brouwer has the potential to be the best hockey trade this team has made in as long as I can remember.

 

[Hivemind]

The Mike Ribeiro trade also should be in the discussion. It was essentially a victim of its own success, as Ribeiro priced himself out of DC with his PPG season.

 

[Backstrom #19]

The Mike Ribeiro trade also should be in the discussion. It was essentially a victim of its own success, as Ribeiro priced himself out of DC with his PPG season.

Trading Eakin, who would be the perfect 3rd line center on this team for the next 10 years, for half a season of Ribeiro? No thanks.

 

[Acallabeth]

Ribeiro was had a negative moral effect and a habit of getting idiotic unsportsmanlike penalties late in the game, so I agree with Nick#19 here. The trade was much worse in reality than on paper.

 

[HTFN]

I'd personally rather take back the Eakin trade and let the Forsberg one stay in history, for whatever that's worth. That trade was a mistake.

Both Columbus trades were good (Fedorov's, and Chimera for Clark).

 

[Ajax1995]

Trading Eakin, who would be the perfect 3rd line center on this team for the next 10 years, for half a season of Ribeiro? No thanks.

20/20 hindsight is awesome isn't it...?

The idea that it was obvious how Eakin would develop AND that Ribeiro was going to have such a fine season that they wouldn't be able to resign him at the time is absurd IMO.

Would the Fedorov deal be looked at nearly as kindly if Teddy Ruth was currently a very good NHL player?

 

[Calicaps]

20/20 hindsight is awesome isn't it...?

The idea that it was obvious how Eakin would develop AND that Ribeiro was going to have such a fine season that they wouldn't be able to resign him at the time is absurd IMO.

Would the Fedorov deal be looked at nearly as kindly if Teddy Ruth was currently a very good NHL player?

Actually, gotta disagree here, at lest in part. If you are trading away a promising prospect for an established player it is--or should be--in part because you know what the player you are getting brings to the table and because you expect that player will be a valued contributor to the team. The Caps needed a 2C for years.

McPhee identified a guy got fill the role, finally, and his choice was... A good one, at least on the ice. So then he was somehow unprepared to pay for the success he supposedly anticipated? That's abysmal planning and terrific arrogance/disrespect for the very player he thought good enough to get in the first place.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I don't think McPhee thought of Eakins as having a ton of upside. 3rd liners...guys he shuffled in and out with regularity. Was a decent trade made bad by not resigning a bad apple teammate. Never felt like McPhee did much due diligence with Ribs.

 

[Calicaps]

Folks, this thread was going off the rails a bit with the Nicky to the All-Star game stuff. I've moved that discussion to the Backstrom thread. Let's get back to Oshie-Brouwer.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I'm so glad we went after Oshie and did not settle for Patrick Sharp. Better, younger, cheaper.

The Hawks would've never accepted Brouwer for Sharp anyway.

 

[Calicaps]

Lol. Blues put Brouwer in the middle of their PP, because Caps, and he whiffs right on cue.