Say what yo u want, but there most certainly is a place for him in the NHL and he is very effective in what he does. I would take him on the Rangers in a heartbeat.Guys like Tom Wilson have no place in this league. I don’t want anyone like him on my team.Hahahahaha
Team toughness
- Thread starter dumpin
- Start date
will1066
Your positivity is not welcomed
- Oct 12, 2008
- 44,462
- 60,974
I think there was an un-quantifiable benefit to the Caps when Wilson pummeled Coburn.
Toughness is not necessarily about the Wilsons of the game. I'd like to see us playing a heavy game, like the Jets. Honestly, the Caps pulled through over the Bolts because Tampa plays a very finesse game like we have been. We just need more grit and mental endurance among our players.
Toughness is not necessarily about the Wilsons of the game. I'd like to see us playing a heavy game, like the Jets. Honestly, the Caps pulled through over the Bolts because Tampa plays a very finesse game like we have been. We just need more grit and mental endurance among our players.
Thirty One
Safe is safe.
- Dec 28, 2003
- 28,981
- 24,354
I'd be careful how firm a conclusion we draw about what you need to succeed in the playoffs from this Washington team. It's pretty similar in makeup to all the other Washington teams of previous years that struggled in the playoffs, including against the soft Rangers.
I was being sarcastic. There’s many Rangers fans who claim they don’t want a player like him. I’d love two of them.
GeorgeKaplan
Registered User
I really think the difference with this Caps teams and ones of years past is that Holtby hasn’t fallen apart (yet)
YoSoyLalo
me reading HF
Bring back Glass. Play a bottom line of Glass - McLeod - Beleskey.
Go get McIlrath, and Bickel.
There, solved.
In case anyone needs it, /s.
edit: Re: Smith. For me he gets a look. I mean, not much other choice really. He's an "asset" costing a fair amount of cap who came into last season having slacked off and never caught up. Now, I don't have much hope. At best I think he becomes a serviceable 5-6 guy to ease in a rookie, playing limited minutes, who can also stand up for guys and clear the crease, with the occasional frustrating brain fart Detroit fans warned us about. I'd like at least that. I'm not hoping for more, nor an I even expecting this tbh. That said, not being physically prepared for an NHL/AHL season really messes guys up and they rarely come back from that mid-season. He's already clearly not great. Add that to his off-season and well, there you go.
But he's definitely getting a look unless we magically manage to move him and I don't see who wants him right now. Like it or not I'm pretty sure both Staal and Smith are on the team to start the season. If he's in shape and shows even a small amount of his Skjei chemistry, that's a pairing that will happen a bit. As it is it's hard to fathom pairings.
It's pretty awesome that we're rebuilding, yes, but we're also paying Girardi, Staal and Smith a combined $13M (well, $13,050,000) next year.
Go get McIlrath, and Bickel.
There, solved.
In case anyone needs it, /s.
edit: Re: Smith. For me he gets a look. I mean, not much other choice really. He's an "asset" costing a fair amount of cap who came into last season having slacked off and never caught up. Now, I don't have much hope. At best I think he becomes a serviceable 5-6 guy to ease in a rookie, playing limited minutes, who can also stand up for guys and clear the crease, with the occasional frustrating brain fart Detroit fans warned us about. I'd like at least that. I'm not hoping for more, nor an I even expecting this tbh. That said, not being physically prepared for an NHL/AHL season really messes guys up and they rarely come back from that mid-season. He's already clearly not great. Add that to his off-season and well, there you go.
But he's definitely getting a look unless we magically manage to move him and I don't see who wants him right now. Like it or not I'm pretty sure both Staal and Smith are on the team to start the season. If he's in shape and shows even a small amount of his Skjei chemistry, that's a pairing that will happen a bit. As it is it's hard to fathom pairings.
It's pretty awesome that we're rebuilding, yes, but we're also paying Girardi, Staal and Smith a combined $13M (well, $13,050,000) next year.
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So with Quinn mentioning grit and physicality and Gorton admitting getting these types of players are a priority let’s come up with some ideas of our next Tom Wilson.
I actually believe the Rangers are all in to do whatever it takes to draft Brady Tkachuk
I actually believe the Rangers are all in to do whatever it takes to draft Brady Tkachuk
GregSirico
KakkoSZN
When Quinn said tough, he literally said tough to play against ... getting Tom Wilson isn't going to solve the issues on this team. Stop it.
GregSirico
KakkoSZN
I love how the last 3 seasons a finesse team won, this season is the most finesse the league has been in a while, but because Washington made the SCF and they have Tom Wilson, they need to go back to #Toffness. The Caps have been a joke for a decade but one year they win a few extra games and we have to pattern our team by them?
GregSirico
KakkoSZN
You should see Ranger fan social media ... "we need Wilson"
Why so he can take dumb penalties?
GregSirico
KakkoSZN
Rangers fans on social media are the lowest of society. I remember the fit they threw when we traded Mike f***ing Rupp. They're a bunch of dudes overcompensating for their lack of something.
GregSirico
KakkoSZN
Inferno
Registered User
Toughness is a mindset. Jesper fasth is our toughest player and he's pretty small. Mza is tough.
Av neutered a lot of our toughness but we've got plenty of players who can play a heavy game. Ck was a tough sob to play against till AV took hitting out of his repertoire
Av neutered a lot of our toughness but we've got plenty of players who can play a heavy game. Ck was a tough sob to play against till AV took hitting out of his repertoire
eco's bones
Registered User
The thing with Wilson is--if you put him on the Rangers maybe he'd replicate the role he has with the Capitals but IMO that's a reach. One thing to keep in mind is that he's homegrown there and they developed him into that role....and these days he plays with Ovechkin and Backstrom all the time. The Rangers don't have equivalents of any of those players including Wilson---so how he'd fit in as a Ranger player IMO would be a big ? mark.
Bringing Brady Tkachuk into this---Tkachuk is a much more skilled player than Wilson is. He will be similar size. I've no idea if he's going to be a guy fighting all the time but he's a grade A asshole to play against and if he's even more ornery than his brother like his brother says---well he'll be really tough and a handful to deal with. Sometimes I look at Matthew Tkachuk as a 6'2 version of Brad Marchand and Matthew is pretty much a 50 point guy as a 20 year old. It's possible he'll produce like Marchand some day.
Bringing Brady Tkachuk into this---Tkachuk is a much more skilled player than Wilson is. He will be similar size. I've no idea if he's going to be a guy fighting all the time but he's a grade A asshole to play against and if he's even more ornery than his brother like his brother says---well he'll be really tough and a handful to deal with. Sometimes I look at Matthew Tkachuk as a 6'2 version of Brad Marchand and Matthew is pretty much a 50 point guy as a 20 year old. It's possible he'll produce like Marchand some day.
Inferno
Registered User
East Coast Bias
Registered User
Machinehead
GoAwayTrouba
I'll give it up to Wilson that he's made himself a serviceable player but he's going to get paid based on narratives and we don't need that.
Toughness isn't the problem, first of all, and Wilson's value comes from the fact that he's been effective in his role this year. It meant nothing when Wilson was one of the worst players in the league two years ago.
Toughness isn't the problem, first of all, and Wilson's value comes from the fact that he's been effective in his role this year. It meant nothing when Wilson was one of the worst players in the league two years ago.
eco's bones
Registered User
It ain't about the points all that much with Wilson. One of his main contributions has been to open up more space for his line mates Backstrom and Ovechkin. His hitting game has been very effective and he absolutely outclassed Coburn in their fight and it's arguable that before the series was out with Tampa it demoralized at least some of the Lightning's players. He's big--he skates well and he hits hard and a lot and he's on the border line with a lot of his hits. He's a piece of shit but an effective piece of shit. Vegas has Ryan Reaves but Reaves isn't nearly as good a player.
Machinehead
GoAwayTrouba
Ovechkin is the most dominant power forward of the last 40+ years. He's the one creating space on that line.
If anything, Wilson is pretty good in the neutral zone, but the idea that he opens up space is, at best, an assumption.
If anything, Wilson is pretty good in the neutral zone, but the idea that he opens up space is, at best, an assumption.
eco's bones
Registered User
Au contraire---Ovechkin is the one they want to find space for. On his own he draws checkers/coverage like a magnet. Another big body (Wilson) banging bodies on the forecheck and causing havoc along the boards, in the corners and the crease area creates openings for Ovechkin to exploit. That's why Trotz put him on the same line because just on skill Tom Wilson is not a first line player. It's really pretty much the same idea that Emile Francis had putting Hadfield on a line with Ratelle and Gilbert.
Machinehead
GoAwayTrouba
Ovechkin was around for ten years before Wilson. He always created his own space.
But even if that's a given, what do we have here? Not terribly skilled but a good even strength scorer, no PP, hits everything, great at tipping picks, solid defense.
Take the suspensions away and he's Jesper Fast. I love Fast, but is that something this team desperately needs?
