What Should The Caps Future Be?

[Sam Spade]

Sink or swim with the kids on D. Djoos, Bowey, next season maybe Johansan or Seigenthaler or Hobbs. They will be fine on the backend.

Up front it is thinner but not barren. Vrana and Gersich (if they can get him signed at the end of the college year) are talented offensive players. Barber is a 3rd liner, but one of the hardest workers you will find.

I am on the fence about Trotz, I think maybe someone with a different system might help play to the strengths more but who knows? However I don’t think a guy like Sutter is the answer.

People thinking the cupboard is bare are wrong, especially on defense and in net, which is an excellent place to start your “mini” rebuild.

 

[The Shovel Penguin]

No matter what they Caps do with their roster, they need to figure out how to get over those mental hurdles they've got going on. I don't think they would have beaten the Pens in 2016 but they easily could have done it last year. The way they faded in game 7 was just weird. All the talent at their disposal didn't help them and we've seen teams with less talent go deeper in the playoffs. It's not really fair to Trotz, but his term is running the course of the average shelf life for a coach no matter how good of a coach they are. It doesn't take a complete rebuild to bring a new identity to a team. Work with the new faces, get a new motivating messenger behind the bench and go from there. All this talk about curses and just losing "because we're DC" is B.S. and I say this as someone who grew up with Seattle sports before finally seeing the Seahawks win something. It's lightning in a bottle but it can happen no matter what your franchise or history (hello Cubs and Red Sox).

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

No matter what they Caps do with their roster, they need to figure out how to get over those mental hurdles they've got going on. I don't think they would have beaten the Pens in 2016 but they easily could have done it last year. The way they faded in game 7 was just weird. All the talent at their disposal didn't help them and we've seen teams with less talent go deeper in the playoffs. It's not really fair to Trotz, but his term is running the course of the average shelf life for a coach no matter how good of a coach they are. It doesn't take a complete rebuild to bring a new identity to a team. Work with the new faces, get a new motivating messenger behind the bench and go from there. All this talk about curses and just losing "because we're DC" is B.S. and I say this as someone who grew up with Seattle sports before finally seeing the Seahawks win something. It's lightning in a bottle but it can happen no matter what your franchise or history (hello Cubs and Red Sox).

We'll see about the mental hurdles, we need to make the playoffs first

 

[Dr John Carlson]

They suck.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Even if they somehow miraculously make it past round 2, they'd cave in the ECF due to the overwhelming pressure.

They'd be in over their heads.

 

[Sam Spade]

We'll see about the mental hurdles, we need to make the playoffs first

I hope they miss the playoffs by a lot and get one of those first two draft picks. Wouldn't bother me one bit.

You have to tank to get anywhere in this current version of the NHL.

Kadri, last season, was hilarious when he said "it was so nice to finally be allowed to win again".

 

[pucky]

Is it the GM's fault? Acquiring Orpik and signing him to that contract was a pretty bad move, yeah?

 

[GoJetsGo55]

They should make a move for Hjarm....Hjearm......that really good defensive defenseman that used to play for Chicago.

They have firepower. They have goaltending. Just shore up the D.

 

[Kamiccolo]

I hope they miss the playoffs by a lot and get one of those first two draft picks. Wouldn't bother me one bit.

You have to tank to get anywhere in this current version of the NHL.

Kadri, last season, was hilarious when he said "it was so nice to finally be allowed to win again".

Source on this? Because this sounds a hell of a lot like Libel against the Leafs.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Putrid defence. Watch them win the lottery and draft Dahlin.

 

[hockeykicker]

Caps have burakovsky, niskanen and graovac on Injured reserve, Brett Connolly has a concussion

Last game they were also without backstrom too. Tonight they have devante smith pelley on the ovechkin line cause of all the injuries

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Caps have burakovsky, niskanen and graovac on Injured reserve, Brett Connolly has a concussion

Last game they were also without backstrom too. Tonight they have devante smith pelley on the ovechkin line cause of all the injuries

Having 3 or 4 injuries shouldn't be an excuse if you're a good team. Penguins have been the walking wounded the past decade, yet they've had the depth to withstand the injuries.

I think last year's Caps' roster could have withstood injuries to 3 or 4 guys because they had that depth. The fact this year's team is hurt badly by losing 3 or 4 guys speaks volumes about their lack of depth.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Having 3 or 4 injuries shouldn't be an excuse if you're a good team. Penguins have been the walking wounded the past decade, yet they've had the depth to withstand the injuries.

I think last year's Caps' roster could have withstood injuries to 3 or 4 guys because they had that depth. The fact this year's team is hurt badly by losing 3 or 4 guys speaks volumes about their lack of depth.

The difference is that your young players stepped up and did the job of the older and injured players, making them expendable. The Caps' young guys aren't ready to step up. They need the NHL experience, but it's also coming at the cost of standing points. Bowey and Djoos are promising young D, but they make rookie mistakes and they get deked by experienced NHL stars.

We don't have the so-called "two headed monster" or "three headed monster" either.

 

[Dominance]

They're where the Pens were around 2011-14; top heavy, but not much depth and not much coming up through the system.

So they've essentially got to hope some of their youngsters on ELCs/cheap contracts can contribute, and somehow get rid of bad contracts (I'm looking at you, Orpik) to open up a bit of cap room.

Not really, their situation is a lot worse. Their core players are much older than Crosby, Malkin, and Co. were.