Speculation: The Power Play's Missing Mojo

[Revelation]

For all the irreplaceable roles people here invented for him, especially that hilarious notion about how he's key to PP1, I don't miss him one bit. He was a soggy Brooks Laich esque middle 6 placeholder with a little more speed and skill who was a jack of all trades precisely because he was the master of none. Vrana is already being more effective on the ice for us.

Wish they'd have somehow miraculously got Jesper Bratt for him by pure luck before he broke out, that would have made it an amazing trade.

edit: mod-created thread from another thread

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[AlexBrovechkin8]

For all the irreplaceable roles people here invented for him, especially that hilarious notion about how he's key to PP1, I don't miss him one bit. He was a soggy Brooks Laich esque middle 6 placeholder with a little more speed and skill who was a jack of all trades precisely because he was the master of none. Vrana is already being more effective on the ice for us.

Wish they'd have somehow miraculously got Jesper Bratt for him by pure luck before he broke out, that would have made it an amazing trade.

Johansson was the best player on the team at zone entries on the PP and no one has replaced him. With him gone the entries haven't been as smooth, and also with MoJo gone Kuz has had to move to PP1 which makes PP2 almost entirely ineffective. I believe PP2 has one PP goal the entire season. So, perhaps tone down your chest thumping a bit here.

 

[Revelation]

Johansson was the best player on the team at zone entries on the PP and no one has replaced him. With him gone the entries haven't been as smooth, and also with MoJo gone Kuz has had to move to PP1 which makes PP2 almost entirely ineffective. I believe PP2 has one PP goal the entire season. So, perhaps tone down your chest thumping a bit here.

Clearly Kuz replaced him, as he's actually able to do something with the puck other than Johansson's Scott Gomez skate it in really fast and lose it imitation. Vrana is ready for the role as well with the way he's been carrying the puck and actually creating with it

The Johansson rose colored glasses are as hilarious to behold as the Laich ones.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Clearly Kuz replaced him, as he's actually able to do something with the puck other than Johansson's Scott Gomez skate it in really fast and lose it imitation. Vrana is ready for the role as well with the way he's been carrying the puck and actually creating with it

The Johansson rose colored glasses are as hilarious to behold as the Laich ones.

Clearly you don't read what people write.

 

[Revelation]

Clearly you don't read what people write.

No I read your mindless regurgitation of muh zone entries just fine

 

[Sam Spade]

Johansson was the best player on the team at zone entries on the PP and no one has replaced him. With him gone the entries haven't been as smooth, and also with MoJo gone Kuz has had to move to PP1 which makes PP2 almost entirely ineffective. I believe PP2 has one PP goal the entire season. So, perhaps tone down your chest thumping a bit here.

Caps PP rank last season #4, Caps PP rank this season #7.

 

[Revelation]

Caps PP rank last season #4, Caps PP rank this season #7.

1 spot drop for each of Johansson, Williams and Shattenkirk

 

[twabby]

Yeah I think Mojo -> Kuzy is a marginal downgrade on PP1, but Kuzy -> Vrana/Burt is a huge downgrade on PP2.

Mojo’s loss is still big IMO, but the emergence of Vrana as a speedster and a net-front presence at ES has dampened the loss a little bit. Similarly, Wilson has stepped up and nicely filled a top 6 role that Williams previously occupied.

The problem now is the depth, both at forward and defense.

 

[Raikkonen]

Yeah I think Mojo -> Kuzy is a marginal downgrade on PP1, but Kuzy -> Vrana/Burt is a huge downgrade on PP2.

So now Mojo is better than Kuzy? OK.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

No I read your mindless regurgitation of muh zone entries just fine

What's a muh zone entry? Did you read the rest of what I wrote? How's PP2 looking this year, bud?

 

[twabby]

So now Mojo is better than Kuzy? OK.

Specifically on the PP in the below-the-line/net-front role, yes. Not by a ton but yes.

As an overall player? No, not even close. Kuzy is a much more dynamic player.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I don't get why it's so hard for people to admit that players you may not like still have value or still are better than players you may like at certain things.

 

[txpd]

Specifically on the PP in the below-the-line/net-front role, yes. Not by a ton but yes.

As an overall player? No, not even close. Kuzy is a much more dynamic player.

there was a reason that Johansson was on pp1 and Kuzy wasn't. 90 was a complimentary player. Backstrom controls the puck. He holds it. He decides where it goes. Johansson doesn't hold the puck. When he gets it he passes it to Oshie if its open or passes back to 19. Kuzy is a primary player. He wants to control the puck as much as Backstrom. There is a real dynamic change there that hasn't worked itself all the way thru yet. That spot Johansson stood in is a pretty limited location and I doubt Kuznetsov likes that at all.

If pp2 got reasonable ice time, I would try Vrana in the 90 hole and give Kuzy is own unit, but that wont happen ever.

 

[Revelation]

What's a muh zone entry? Did you read the rest of what I wrote? How's PP2 looking this year, bud?

Well since their overall PP ranking is just about the same as last year whatever dropoff you have on PP2 has been replaced by PP1 becoming more effective with Gomezhansson replaced by someone who can actually make plays after skating the puck in.

Also if you really think Kuz getting 40 seconds of PP icetime after the big guns are off is somehow better for the overall PP than having him be out there creating with them I don't know what to tell you. If Johansson was still here he'd belong on PP2 and we all know how that would turn out. And if you really insist that Kuz should be on PP2 then Vrana could replace him and do what Johansson did while putting more pucks in the net.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Well since their overall PP ranking is just about the same as last year whatever dropoff you have on PP2 has been replaced by PP1 becoming more effective with Gomezhansson replaced by someone who can actually make plays after skating the puck in.

Also if you really think Kuz getting 40 seconds of PP icetime after the big guns are off is somehow better for the overall PP than having him be out there creating with them I don't know what to tell you. If Johansson was still here he'd belong on PP2 and we all know how that would turn out. And if you really insist that Kuz should be on PP2 then Vrana could replace him and do what Johansson did while putting more pucks in the net.

So you're not going to answer my question on what a muh zone entry is. Got it. Clearly you're not interested in having an exchange here, you're just interested in "Johansson bad herp derp LOLz."

 

[maacoshark]

there was a reason that Johansson was on pp1 and Kuzy wasn't. 90 was a complimentary player. Backstrom controls the puck. He holds it. He decides where it goes. Johansson doesn't hold the puck. When he gets it he passes it to Oshie if its open or passes back to 19. Kuzy is a primary player. He wants to control the puck as much as Backstrom. There is a real dynamic change there that hasn't worked itself all the way thru yet. That spot Johansson stood in is a pretty limited location and I doubt Kuznetsov likes that at all.

If pp2 got reasonable ice time, I would try Vrana in the 90 hole and give Kuzy is own unit, but that wont happen ever.

The pp has been interesting. At times I like Kuzy on the first unit and other times I don't. I still Backstrom running the pp from the right side. Kuzy makes some great plays but he does try to force some plays.

 

[txpd]

Well since their overall PP ranking is just about the same as last year whatever dropoff you have on PP2 has been replaced by PP1 becoming more effective with Gomezhansson replaced by someone who can actually make plays after skating the puck in.

Also if you really think Kuz getting 40 seconds of PP icetime after the big guns are off is somehow better for the overall PP than having him be out there creating with them I don't know what to tell you. If Johansson was still here he'd belong on PP2 and we all know how that would turn out. And if you really insist that Kuz should be on PP2 then Vrana could replace him and do what Johansson did while putting more pucks in the net.

Kuzy plays Backstrom's position on the pp. Only one can do that at a time and its Backstrom. What Johansson did was different. What he did, he did better than Kuzy. Were this not obvious Kuzy would have been on pp1 and Johansson on 2. Were Johansson still here he would still be on pp1 because that would have been in part why they kept him.

 

[maacoshark]

Kuzy plays Backstrom's position on the pp. Only one can do that at a time and its Backstrom. What Johansson did was different. What he did, he did better than Kuzy. Were this not obvious Kuzy would have been on pp1 and Johansson on 2. Were Johansson still here he would still be on pp1 because that would have been in part why they kept him.

Backstrom and Kuzy both play on the wall. Kuzy does sometimes lineup in the same spot Johansson played and we have had success

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Backstrom and Kuzy both play on the wall. Kuzy does sometimes lineup in the same spot Johansson played and we have had success

Our PP was definitely better with Johansson in that spot. It's not a big concern to me though, because Kuzy can't do much with the second wave of the PP, he isn't surrounded with the proper guys to score there. Kuzy is a very smart and skilled player, I'm sure he'll pick up Johansson's tricks on the PP soon enough.

 

[txpd]

Backstrom and Kuzy both play on the wall. Kuzy does sometimes lineup in the same spot Johansson played and we have had success

The point is that Backstrom and Kuznetsov are both primary puck controlling centers. You only have one point guard. You only have one quarterback. Johansson played a limited role well that fit the group. Kuzy is more than Johansson and wants to be more in that role. What is best is for Backstrom to run that power play without question and for Kuzy to take a backseat and play the limited role.

Again this is why Johansson played that role and Kuzy was on pp2

The last 3 seasons with Johansson the Caps pp ranked 1st, 5th, 4th with a lot of time all three seasons at 1. This year they are at 7. They haven't been in the top 5 to my knowledge. Its not a collapse but its a slip.

 

[AtNightWeFly]

The point is that Backstrom and Kuznetsov are both primary puck controlling centers. You only have one point guard. You only have one quarterback. Johansson played a limited role well that fit the group. Kuzy is more than Johansson and wants to be more in that role. What is best is for Backstrom to run that power play without question and for Kuzy to take a backseat and play the limited role.

Again this is why Johansson played that role and Kuzy was on pp2

The last 3 seasons with Johansson the Caps pp ranked 1st, 5th, 4th with a lot of time all three seasons at 1. This year they are at 7. They haven't been in the top 5 to my knowledge. Its not a collapse but its a slip.

Why not put Backstrom on PP2? Why does Kuzy have to be bumped down? Its almost 2018

 

[txpd]

in the Trotz era Nicklas Backstrom leads the NHL in power play points. 1st last season, tied for 2nd the year before and 3rd Trotz first season. I don't know. Maybe that's why.

 

[maacoshark]

The point is that Backstrom and Kuznetsov are both primary puck controlling centers. You only have one point guard. You only have one quarterback. Johansson played a limited role well that fit the group. Kuzy is more than Johansson and wants to be more in that role. What is best is for Backstrom to run that power play without question and for Kuzy to take a backseat and play the limited role.

Again this is why Johansson played that role and Kuzy was on pp2

The last 3 seasons with Johansson the Caps pp ranked 1st, 5th, 4th with a lot of time all three seasons at 1. This year they are at 7. They haven't been in the top 5 to my knowledge. Its not a collapse but its a slip.

I understand what you are saying and I think Backstrom should be running the pp and put Kuzy where Johansson played.

 

[AtNightWeFly]

in the Trotz era Nicklas Backstrom leads the NHL in power play points. 1st last season, tied for 2nd the year before and 3rd Trotz first season. I don't know. Maybe that's why.

Well obviously since he always got PP1 minutes passing it to that guy called Ovechkin.
And no I don't believe Barry would ever "diss" a long time vet by putting him on PP2. He should though.

 

[txpd]

I understand what you are saying and I think Backstrom should be running the pp and put Kuzy where Johansson played.

That's what they have done. Kuzy just isn't as good at it as Johansson was