Do you think Grabovski's ONLY choice was the Caps? I thought there were like 5 or 10 teams in the mix? If so do you think he had no role in making that happen?
And you are so certain that he wasn't putting out feelers around the league or had contingency plans if Grabovski didn't pan out?
GMGM has put as tough and talented a roster together this year than we've had in a long while. 09-10 team was great but very soft and mushy.
This years team is the closest we've had to the 89-90 team in terms of a mix of grit and skill. 97-98 had grit but lacked in skill up and down the lineup.
Wilson and Carrick both look like they should have went higher in the draft than they did. We are starting to hit on later picks like Holtby, Grubauer, Carrick and others waiting in the wings.
Latta looks like an NHLer. Give credit where its due instead of just trying to adhere to your initial viewpoint which I think is what you are doing.
Its laughable that you think we are only "possiby" better than Florida/Buffalo and on par with Carolina/Tampa/Columbus. There is a point where you reach when you've gone too far....that point was easily crossed with your preview of this season.
Look, I get it, and have said it. You are gulping the McPhee kool-aid. In gallons. You are thrilled that he has constructed a team to your liking. It doesn't take an genius to see how happy you are. But none of it makes the team necessarily better. It just doesn't. It might, but we haven't played a single game yet.
The team that lost in the first round (again), swapped out Ribeiro for Grabovski (a player you hated and had massive disdain for before we signed him....you have pulled a massive John Kerry on him), and lost Hendricks and Perrault. It's added 2 kids (Wilson and Latta), and *maybe* a healthy Brooks Laich.
So those changes are supposed to equal glory? Wilson is 19....let that sink in. Your expectations of him are ridiculous. Freaking 19!!
Carolina was leading the division before they lost their entire defense, and their most invaluable player (Ward). Tampa has offense in spades, and a rebuilt Defense to go along with a new goalie. C-bus was the hottest team at the end if the year, and has the reigning Vezina winner. So we should just dismiss them all, off hand, because you like our roster?? Good Lord, Bob. Give it a rest.
Seriously, please.
And as far as Where Grabovski could have landed? There were like 3 teams that had a need, and had space. Caps were one of them. You can believe George's hyperbole all you want, as that's obviously the direction you have decided to go (and is YOUR narrative, as much as George's failures are mine....you are being a hypocrite here, sorry to say). But it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Grabovski was probably going to get a one year deal, as a means to reestablish himself as a viable offensive weapon. Carlyle took that from him, so what better place to get it back than in DC, with the reigning Hart winner? Ribs handed that to him, on a platter.
