Washington Capitals possess a lot of high end talent in their 2014 Fall Top 20

[HF Article]

Photo: Prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov is an early favorite to contend for the 2015 Calder trophy. Kuznetsov is an immensely skilled forward who was selected in the 2010 NHL Draft. (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


 

While the Washington Capitals are in a transition period in many ways, with a new coach, a new general manager, and a new-look defense, they have a wealth of extremely talented players to pass the torch to in coming years.



When former GM George McPhee was relieved of duty after the completion of the 2013-14 season, he left behind a talent pool that is brimming with offensive talent.… read more

The post Washington Capitals possess a lot of high end talent in their 2014 Fall Top 20 appeared first on Hockey's Future.



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[Holtbyisms]

1. Vitek Vanecek Europe 8.0 D
2. Philipp Grubauer Pro 7.0 D

I loled

 

[um]

1. Vitek Vanecek Europe 8.0 D
2. Philipp Grubauer Pro 7.0 D

I loled

yeah those are the two that really jumped out at me. i think both should be more around 7.5D

also this one was a lot more generous/accurate than usual. even after kuznetsov's poor year his ratings actually jump up, interesting. its almost as if someone else did these ratings.

 

[ryan519*]

is kuznetsov still considered a rookie for this upcoming year
i see him as a darkhorse for the calder, but he'd have to outplay drouin who is a complete monster

 

[Brian23]

is kuznetsov still considered a rookie for this upcoming year
i see him as a darkhorse for the calder, but he'd have to outplay drouin who is a complete monster

As good as he is, no telling if he'll make the jump and continue his play. I mean who's been the best rookie year the last few years? Mackinnon? I think Kuzya is able to hit 50 or 60 this year, which should put him in the running if he's still considered a Rookie.

 

[HOLDITHERE*]

even after kuznetsov's poor year

...did I miss a year or something?

 

[SimplySensational]

is kuznetsov still considered a rookie for this upcoming year
i see him as a darkhorse for the calder, but he'd have to outplay drouin who is a complete monster

Drouin is a beast. Except against the best U20 players in the world on what should be the best U20 team in the world by far.

He had a 43 point pace last year playing a 4th line role with an lead anchor like Jay Beagle.

 

[Capathetic]

Kuznetsov likely needs to be clearly above the rest to win the Calder because he is older. I think he does just that. Drouin has awesome hands and can skate but I don't think his transition to the very physical NHL will be an easy one.

Gibson in Ana looks good for Calder votes as well.

 

[Hivemind]

...did I miss a year or something?

His KHL play was viewed as stagnation at best last season.

 

[BobRouse]

His KHL play was viewed as stagnation at best last season.

He looked awfully good in his 17 games with a dysfunctional Oates led team tho. 9pts isn't too shabby with Oates chucking you on the 4th line and generally bringing down the team with his "intelligence".

 

[trick9]

Kuznetsov is a dark horse for the Calder? I have yet to see list that doesn't have him in the top-3 candidates, and most of the list only have Drouin ahead of him as the early favourite.

I think the limit is ~20-25 games so he's still eligible.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Kuznetsov is a dark horse for the Calder? I have yet to see list that doesn't have him in the top-3 candidates, and most of the list only have Drouin ahead of him as the early favourite.

I think the limit is ~20-25 games so he's still eligible.

That's what I've seen, too. He's no dark horse.

 

[um]

...did I miss a year or something?

injury filled. plus his khl season wasnt as good, probably because of injuries.

 

[noptov]

1. Vitek Vanecek Europe 8.0 D
2. Philipp Grubauer Pro 7.0 D

I loled

For the most part, I thought the rankings were decent, but that one is a head scratcher. Grubauer exhibited the ability to play well at the NHL level and had a solid AHL season, which translates into lowering his rating (from 7.5 C)?

 

[usiel]

For the most part, I thought the rankings were decent, but that one is a head scratcher. Grubauer exhibited the ability to play well at the NHL level and had a solid AHL season, which translates into lowering his rating (from 7.5 C)?

Shiny new toy alert most likely.

 

[hb12xchamps]

For the most part, I thought the rankings were decent, but that one is a head scratcher. Grubauer exhibited the ability to play well at the NHL level and had a solid AHL season, which translates into lowering his rating (from 7.5 C)?

Not to mention he dropped from 4th overall prospect in the system to 10 and he had one of the best years out of all the prospects listed

 

[ryan519*]

what about bura?

 

[ryan519*]

for calder i mean. is he slated to be in the lineup opening day?

 

[Sam Spade]

for calder i mean. is he slated to be in the lineup opening day?

Slated to be in the lineup, heck he will probably be the opening night 2C.

 

[ryan519*]

damnnn cant wait to see this

 

[Holtbyisms]

Shiny new toy alert most likely.

My thoughts exactly. I mean come on Grubauer played in 17 NHL games and looked fantastic for a good portion of them.

VV was a head scratcher pick who likely should have been selected in the 4th to 6th rounds.

And even more important Grubauers chin is worth at least a 7.5 alone.

 

[usiel]

I'm sort of surprised to see some 8s. Historically Caps prospects rating were pretty bullish here compared to other teams.

 

[Jason Lewis]

Sorry about the late response in here.

I see the biggest head scratcher is on Grubauer and VV. The staff and myself consulted at length on Grubauer and where he laid on the list and felt that he was too high before. That kind of set the stage for what seemed like a huge dropoff this year when in reality he was probably a little too highly rated in the past. Perhaps we are making a similar error in judgement with VV right now. But here was the reasoning:

Grubs (whom I am a fan of) is definitely a solid tender but the general consensus was that he is a split starter or back up at best and really doesn't have the staying power in his game to be a No 1. Vanacek has a huge amount of upside simply due to his athleticism and competitiveness. A lot of the scouts and people here on our staff boards were fairly high on him. He's a project goalie but he has a lot of tools to work with which could potentially make him a No. 1 some day. Think Jonathan Quick 2.0.

Goalie ratings are 100% the most difficult thing to give since it's a really volatile position. It's equally as hard to compare them to other position players since they have to deal with scenarios unique to their position alone. You have to look at staying power at a No. 1 if you really want to properly analyze their potential. That was the major difference in Grubs and VV. People felt that VV has the tools to be a No. 1 while Grubs has the skills to be a split start No. 1 or a backup. These ratings on goalies are never easy and we try our best with em.

Sorry if the ratings on VV and Grubauer are inaccurate to some of you guys. It is definitely noted moving forward. I appreciate the positive feed back from some of you. Caps have a fantastic group of players coming their way and I'm excited to see where they go.