Post-Game Talk: Trade Deadline 2024 (buy low, sell high) - poll added (3/8/24)

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Poll added. How’d we do?

 

[usiel]

Poll added. How’d we do?

B for me. If they had been able to squeeze a 1st would have been an A.

 

[CapsSkins]

I gave him an A because I feel Mac ought to be graded against other teams in this year's deadline market, not against our fantasies around what he should have gotten for players.

Offloading Kuzy for a pick and avoiding a buyout is a great outcome, even with the retention next year. Mantha and Edmundson are solid returns. Patches wasn't going to return much anyway and he only wanted to go to Florida, which died after they got Tarasenko. And Dowd is a good player on a cheap cap hit who can help us next year if we re-tool and try to make a run.

This summer, we can go get two higher-priced scoring wingers and see what Year 2 of Carbery's system yields with the kids getting even more seasoning.

 

[Kalopsia]

I gave him an A. I don't think a 1st was really on the table for us. The only rentals that got 1st round picks this year were top 6 centers (Monahan, Lindholm, and Henrique), a top line winger (Guentzel), and a top pairing defensemen (Hanafin). MacLellan didn't have any of those to sell. The Mantha and Edmundson deals were fair value, and moving Kuznetsov was something most of us didn't think was possible.

 

[WanderingCapsFan]

Definitely an A. Getting something positive for Kuzy is amazing. Mantha & Edmundson gone is +++. Thought Dowd was gonna go, but I'm happy to keep him if there was not great value.

Why do I feel some optimism creeping in about reaching the playoffs?

This team has been much better with Kuzy gone. I really wish Kuemper would come around. Chucky has been awesome, but would really like some help from the highly-paid guy.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

As Dowd is a neighbor of mine I am selfishly ecstatic he did not get moved. Such a down to earth guy and so friendly.

Well you get another year of being able to name drop your “neighbor” lol…

 

[stephenball]

Yeah, this deadline seems like a win to me. Seems like it was clearly a buyers market, and given where we are it was felt like we didn’t have to take bad returns for a bunch of our players. Mantha was always the obvious person to be traded, Edmundson also. Seems like they weren’t actively trying to push trades, I’m sure we got calls offering a 3rd round pick in 2026 for Dowd or something and just decided this isn’t worth it.

Getting a pick for Kuzy was miraculous.

 

[Ridley Simon]

$60M in career earnings

cry me a river

True. That 60m should’ve have turned him into a f***ing robot (or indentured servant, whichever your fancy), to do whatever he is told.

Fak him for having the brains to have an NMC clause.

I blame Oshie, then I blame Mantha, then I blame Backstrom, then I obviously blame Kuznetsov…..I could on and on with the blame, BUT …..ultimately it’s YOUR FAULT @JayBeagleFanAccount — as you didn’t know enough about the game to become GM of the Capitals.

We’d be so much better off if YOU’D learned the game and been in it. So YOU could run the franchise.

You lazy bastard!!!!

 

[Block]

Low B High C. They desperately need a first line of the future and you're not getting that with the picks he's acquired unless they get insanely lucky. So sure, they got some trade assets but now it needs to be converted into impact players or assets that let you get them. Nobody on the team should be a first liner or first pairing D, and they have maybe two guys who might be if everything works out be one in the future in the pipeline.

 

[Holtbyisms]

The amount of As and Bs...The MacLellenites reign supreme... Solid C. Getting rid of kuzy for a pick was pretty good. Breaking pretty even on Eddy was OK. Trading away the second highest goal scorer to move at the deadline for a 2nd...not so good. Missing out on maximizing value for Dowd and Chucky who are likely not able to repeat their successful seasons next year on a worse team was not so good. "Straight shooter" lies about adding youth at the deadline then not following through, not so good. Some good, some OK, some not so good. Very average for a team in sellsellsell mode building for the future.

 

[Roshi]

True. That 60m should’ve have turned him into a f***ing robot (or indentured servant, whichever your fancy), to do whatever he is told.

Fak him for having the brains to have an NMC clause.

I blame Oshie, then I blame Mantha, then I blame Backstrom, then I obviously blame Kuznetsov…..I could on and on with the blame, BUT …..ultimately it’s YOUR FAULT @JayBeagleFanAccount — as you didn’t know enough about the game to become GM of the Capitals.

We’d be so much better off if YOU’D learned the game and been in it. So YOU could run the franchise.

You lazy bastard!!!!

I feel like he wasnt asked to do anything, it was all about working together and just looking out what else there is and respect Pac’s chance to go for a cup hunt.

And BM seemed to be happy, likely respects a lot Pacs decision to stay more than a random late round pick. He likes being here and he showed respect back for ” finishing why he was brought here” which is desperation battle for playoffs, and against Father Time.

Thats Samurai stuff.

Propably some mutual interest in signing back too.

I like how BM reasons his moves on the press, always get the feel how he respects the players as human beings.

 

[Langway]

I'll say B. As much of a shock it was to get rid of Kuznetsov that was really about Carolina stepping up and taking a chance. That they were able to get a pick back for a guy that just cleared waivers was unexpected but it was about the retention. So...fair. A bit light but fair. The Mantha/Edmundson deals were normal/average. I get not selling Dowd and Lindgren if offers weren't there. They could still move at the draft but I'm also not sure why their current level isn't sustainable. Or that next year's team is necessarily worse. It depends on what moves are made.

One thing I don't quite get is the sudden evident coveting of youth. It's got to be more about quality than youth per se. More than youth--and the upside it theoretically presents--they need poise, balance, efficiency and players that make those around them better. For instance, is it better to give up assets to trade for Chychrun when you can just sign Skjei? Skjei is four years older but is that really significant when it comes to the strategic retention of assets? It'll take term to add such players but they should be comfortable doing so for relatively younger UFAs so that they can stockpile futures. IMO any younger trade target needs to be significant to the point where the upside/value is substantially better than what UFA can offer. Otherwise stack assets, deploy the cap space and see where it takes them.

While it's going to be a challenge adding legit impact talent to some extent depth, culture and chemistry can compensate for it. They're a team that should have good depth going forward. Now it's more whether they can put together something cohesive, diligent and athletic in a way that forges a vigorous team identity. You can see some of the middle of the lineup developing building blocks in place gaining valuable experience. But there are many more ways to upgrade and compete than just getting younger.

 

[Random schmoe]

Graded a B. If they were selling I would've preferred higher upside picks or good-ish young players coming back, but looking across the league at deals that were done, the returns BMac got were decent to good relative to other sellers.

Post mortem on predictions I made:

When I look at who they will be battling in the Metro and for a wild card spot, I see a lot of teams that aren't going to be content missing the playoffs.
For the Lightning and Devils, it would be a massive letdown to miss. They'll buy.
The Wings might not feel ready yet to go "all in", but after missing the playoffs the last 7+ (i lost count) years, I'll bet that they feel this is a year worth pushing, and buy carefully.
Flyers, basically same as the Wings, but they have the "we were supposed to suck, but we're good instead, lets push to the finish life and make everyone look dumb" mentality.
The Penguins might buy, still trying to salvage hopes with Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Karlsson.
(Carolina and Rangers are effectively in already .. but would likely add some pieces too.)

Lightning as strong buyers: They bought, but not heavily. Duclair and Dumba are depth pieces.

Devils as buyers: whoops. Major fail here.

Wings as careful buyers: Nope, but they also didn't really sell, mostly standing pat. The Klostin deal was a minor one, underperforming depth player, doesn't really qualify as either selling or buying.

Flyers as careful buyers: Well, they both bought and sold around the edges, no major shakeups of their core roster outside the Walker deal. I guess they behaved more like a seller, taking on Johansen and being a cap broker, so I'll say I was wrong on this one.

Penguins maybe buying, nope, another fail. I award myself no points and may dog have mercy on my soul.

So I'll give myself 2 complete fails, 2 kinda fails, and 1 kinda success. Clearly everyone should always listen to me in the future.

 

[g00n]

Grade: A

Lower grades are based solely on unreasonable expectations from people who are not in the room.

Moving on from Mantha and Kuzy AND getting reasonable returns for both are enough to earn the "A". The d-man moves/contracts were icing on the cake.

We were never going to get a 1st round pick for an injured 4C and thinking otherwise is homerism gone wild. Patches having a NMC limits what Gmbm can do. You can't force FLA to trade for someone they don't want.

We're not buyers, we're not total sellers, we're in a unique position of gradual youth-infusion while trying to remain competitive and respecting the old guard.

Gmbm gathered picks for stale resources right up to the maximum available.

 

[zappa4ever]

Grade = A

People expecting 5 or 6 moves are just plain unrealistic

I think only COL and NYR made 4 moves

If you compare the returns on other players at TDL, we did better than most on the picks we got

GMBM made smart deals, and Kuzy was the Chef's Kiss surprise

Now we're in a v good position w/plenty of picks as bargaining chips and Cap Space come summer

 

[hb12xchamps]

I went B but in reality I’d go B+. Would have liked to see a Sandin type move for a younger winger but that can be saved for the offseason with all the draft picks he accumulated. The face that he was able to move Kuz while gaining another 3rd rounder was a game changer for the deadline. I thought they would have to send something along with him.

Off the top of my head the only firsts moved were for Hertl, Hanifin and Edmonton moved theirs for Henrique and Carrick. The Guentzel pick is a conditional 1st, but most likely is a 2nd if Carolina doesn’t reach the SCF. Colorado sent a 1st to Philly to dump RyJo.

I don’t think any of the Caps players moved were on the level of Hertl and Hanifin. Edmonton only parted with their 1st because of taking on multiple players with 50% retention.

 

[HeyMattyB]

I'm very happy with GMBM's work at the trade deadline, particularly given the "they weren't full sellers or buyers, etc." position the team is in, as stated above. I also went B ("Very Good. I'm quite delighted." ) but consider it a B+ ("Very Good! I'm quite delighted!"). He got good value for Mantha and Edmundson, and pulled off a miracle in getting a 3rd for Kuzy (at the cost of 50% retention).

I would have given an A ("Excellent! I'm absolutely thrilled!") if GMBM had either moved some of the newly acquired draft picks for another Sandin-esque trade or moved a non-expiring contract (Dowd, Lindgren, Jensen, etc) for an overpay. But those were hopes, not expectations. I look at all the other trades that were made (and not made) and I'm comfortable assuming that those best-case-scenario trade options simply didn't materialize in the real world. And I don't expect GMBM to conjure those opportunities out of thin air.

 

[Kalopsia]

Low B High C. They desperately need a first line of the future and you're not getting that with the picks he's acquired unless they get insanely lucky. So sure, they got some trade assets but now it needs to be converted into impact players or assets that let you get them. Nobody on the team should be a first liner or first pairing D, and they have maybe two guys who might be if everything works out be one in the future in the pipeline.

Were you really expecting MacLellan to build the first line of the future at the deadline by trading away a handful of UFAs? It sounds like you’re grading MacLellan’s overall performance from the last couple years, not for specifically this deadline.

 

[DWGie26]

I gave a B (but easily could have been an A). Most people have said what i would say about value pieces, getting something for Kuzy, etc. But let me add this, since i like to scream about the culture and how great it in in Caps room. Not only did Mac succeed in moving a couple of UFA’s for value, he did right by the players.

He said he would work to find Kuzy a new home and he did. And he helped finance it by retaining where he probably could have forced Kuzy to do a mutual buyout because I believe he had leverage. Good move for everyone and shows he cares about the people as well as results.

Patches wanted a NMC for a reason. Said he was open to a move. ultimately, it sounds like he had options and decided to stay here. I am sure in part because he likes this culture and feels a sense of value to help develop young players and we’ll have a lot of them playing in the stretch run. GMBM was happy to do that and we need him. Wouldn’t be surprised to see us resign him.

Great job GMBM! Now lets go steal a playoff spot and develop the future!

 

[Todos a la Calle]

I'd say a B for now but kinda too early to tell? More picks are great! If they turn a couple of the picks into good players, then it'll turn into an A? Getting a 3rd for Kuzy was definitely a pleasant surprise.

 

[Empty Goal Net]

Re. Max Power: Let's see if he re-signs here and what the amount and term are. Sure his current deal has a NMC and had to approve any prospective trade, but if he plays out the season and demonstrates that he belongs here in a specific role, then maybe he gets something like a 2x$3m contract. His performance so far doesn't merit another $4m outlay, but that contract was on a "prove it" basis with bonuses if he could show he had recovered from injury. And while his performance this season hasn't generated any oohs and aahs, the team has been crap for large chunks of time so between that and him getting back into game shape it's at least partly excusable. If he's liked in the room and ratchets his output up a bit over the next month with Mantha gone, he could be back next year on a reasonable deal.

 

[twabby]

I went with a B because I had unreasonable expectations and I wasn't in the room.

For my error, I am now going off to be re-Neducated.

 

[StrikingDistance]

I'd say a B for now but kinda too early to tell? More picks are great! If they turn a couple of the picks into good players, then it'll turn into an A? Getting a 3rd for Kuzy was definitely a pleasant surprise.

Grade AAAAAAAAAAAAA:

This is about past performance, not future performance.

We got rid of 2 ppl we never thought we could for picks, and a D-man who was highly criticized here.

Glad Patches and Dowd are staying.

Sucks Keumper is still here.

jfc - I hope some of you don't do performance appraisals at work.

 

[DWGie26]

Grade AAAAAAAAAAAAA:

This is about past performance, not future performance.

We got rid of 2 ppl we never thought we could for picks, and a D-man who was highly criticized here.

Glad Patches and Dowd are staying.

Sucks Keumper is still here.

jfc - I hope some of you don't do performance appraisals at work.

haha! I do a ton of them. And i am tough. Hence by B and not A. I’m not sure we could have done much better to balance getting value for UFA’s and still being able to compete for playoffs this year.

Re. Max Power: Let's see if he re-signs here and what the amount and term are. Sure his current deal has a NMC and had to approve any prospective trade, but if he plays out the season and demonstrates that he belongs here in a specific role, then maybe he gets something like a 2x$3m contract. His performance so far doesn't merit another $4m outlay, but that contract was on a "prove it" basis with bonuses if he could show he had recovered from injury. And while his performance this season hasn't generated any oohs and aahs, the team has been crap for large chunks of time so between that and him getting back into game shape it's at least partly excusable. If he's liked in the room and ratchets his output up a bit over the next month with Mantha gone, he could be back next year on a reasonable deal.

Exactly what i was thinking. He wants to win a cup, but he has five kids and is 37 so that changes somones desires as well to being a mentor as your value. I’d do 2x3M and still give him the NMC.

 

[Capitals40]

Re. Max Power: Let's see if he re-signs here and what the amount and term are. Sure his current deal has a NMC and had to approve any prospective trade, but if he plays out the season and demonstrates that he belongs here in a specific role, then maybe he gets something like a 2x$3m contract. His performance so far doesn't merit another $4m outlay, but that contract was on a "prove it" basis with bonuses if he could show he had recovered from injury. And while his performance this season hasn't generated any oohs and aahs, the team has been crap for large chunks of time so between that and him getting back into game shape it's at least partly excusable. If he's liked in the room and ratchets his output up a bit over the next month with Mantha gone, he could be back next year on a reasonable deal.

This makes sense. Unfortunately, BMac is likely to re-sign him for 2 x 4.5m. I would like Patches to return, but somewhere in the range you are speaking.