Speculation: Acq./Rost. Bldg./Cap/Lines etc. Part LXXXIV -- The Doggiest Days (Woof!) 2017

[Alexander the Gr8]

Moving Holtby to wing to bolster forward depth and making Grubauer the new #1 goalie is exactly the kind of outside-the-box thinking the Capitals need.

He has almost all the tools but his shot is a muffin

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Weird seeing him skate like a regular position player without the goalie pads or the mask

Looks like an average beer leaguer!

 

[RandyHolt]

Great. I was just starting to get over seeing Kolzig playing LD at the alumni game 2 months ago...

 

[Coldplay619]

whose this? better be someone worthy?

Nathan Walker.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Looks like an average beer leaguer!

. Complete with the heel kick right before he "shoots" a duck of a shot right to the goalie.

 

[txpd]

I'm sure top pairs will be more effective than second pairs against Kuznetsov, but that would be true against any player. It's a matter of how much less effective Kuznetsov would be against these top pairs .

Yes. Its an open question. Kuznetsov has never skating regularly against the opposing team's best defensive players and against a game plan. He skates against the 2nd tier.

We are looking for Kuznetsov to put forward his first full seasons without a giant chunk of it in the freezer. That is a step I would like to see him make before I replace Backstrom as the go to guy at center.

I have no problem with Kuzy getting tours of duty with Ovechkin but I would not do that as the main plan.

For instance. Ovechkin is looking to bounce back and prove he is still an elite player. That will carry a measure of pressure for Backstrom. But at the same time Backstrom is a fully established elite player who had another great season last season. No holes in his game. Kuzy is still trying to prove himself. His confidence has proven to be thin in the past. If Ov starts cold with 92 at center, there will be big pressure. If Ov starts well and 20 games in Kuzy goes cold, do you let Kuzy drag Ov off his revival or boot him down a peg to keep 8 going?

I do not think that Kuznetsov is a better player than Backstrom and maybe that is where the disconnect is with me on this

 

[twabby]

Yes. Its an open question. Kuznetsov has never skating regularly against the opposing team's best defensive players and against a game plan. He skates against the 2nd tier.

We are looking for Kuznetsov to put forward his first full seasons without a giant chunk of it in the freezer. That is a step I would like to see him make before I replace Backstrom as the go to guy at center.

I have no problem with Kuzy getting tours of duty with Ovechkin but I would not do that as the main plan.

For instance. Ovechkin is looking to bounce back and prove he is still an elite player. That will carry a measure of pressure for Backstrom. But at the same time Backstrom is a fully established elite player who had another great season last season. No holes in his game. Kuzy is still trying to prove himself. His confidence has proven to be thin in the past. If Ov starts cold with 92 at center, there will be big pressure. If Ov starts well and 20 games in Kuzy goes cold, do you let Kuzy drag Ov off his revival or boot him down a peg to keep 8 going?

I do not think that Kuznetsov is a better player than Backstrom and maybe that is where the disconnect is with me on this

I agree that Backstrom is their best center. Probably their best skater overall. But the numbers don't really support 8 being better with 19 vs. 92 in recent years.

A similar situation played out with Kessel in Pittsburgh. He was brought in largely to play alongside Crosby but they never clicked. Instead of forcing that duo together Mike Sullivan moved Kessel around the lineup despite Kessel being their best winger individually. He has rarely played alongside Crosby compared to other centers on the roster.

If you're worried about Kuznetsov's fragile confidence then who is the best option at LW for him? Right now the depth chart at LW is Ovechkin, Burakovsky, Vrana, and then other Hershey options. As high as I am on Burakovsky he is streaky himself and I'm sure you'd agree Vrana and others likely aren't ready for that role either. Johansson seemed like a good fit but obviously that is no longer an option. As disappointing as his season was last year Ovechkin is still their best option at LW individually and over the past two years he's looked better alongside Kuznetsov.

Backstrom is the most likely to be able to carry a line at this point and I'd like to see him do so. Even if that means he's nominally on the second line he'll still get time on the PP and there's no reason he can't double shift with the third or fourth lines, especially given how much shallower the team will be this season.

 

[capsfan3]

Butcher would be a nice add..... i will keep dreaming......

 

[John Price]

Full CSN Story on Holtby skating

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/washington-capitals/braden-holtby-skater-sight-behold



The thing is as Kuznetsov says in the twitter quotes, maybe a shake up was necessary. "When you look at the champs they have 2 or 3 young guys and we don't". Barry Trotz has been accused of not playing youth enough. Guys from Hershey barely saw time in Washington. Meanwhile the Penguins constantly raid WBS and call up their kids.

MoJo and Williams leaving sucks. But the positive is that this team is now going in a younger direction, and that's what the players wanted. Now new kids could potentially get called up and see time. I know its' difficult to get excited about a team that lets you down, but honestly if you want to get excited, get excited about the young talent coming up in the organization that will finally get a chance to shine.

 

[OV Rocks]

Yeah, that's another combo I'd be fine with.

8-92-43 showed some chemistry in the two games they played together last season, and 65-19-77 were great in the playoffs last year.

Will probably need to pick up a top-six winger at the deadline though.

How about a little more out of the box and something I have been calling for:

Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Burakovsky
Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie


That mixes youth and experience, maximizes speed, and creates two very good lines.

Something else I would be interested in seeing would be:

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie
Burakovsky-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Vrana-Eller-Connolly

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

There was a morning skate at Kettler. The following players took part in it: Philipp Grubauer, Braden Holtby, Nathan Walker, Jonas Siegenthaler, John Carlson, Vitek Vanecek and... Marcus Johansson, dressed in a Capitals jersey but wearing NJ Devils gloves.

He practiced as if he was still part of the team. I find it incredibly sad that he has a tough time moving on from us. I'm really going to miss him.

 

[Sam Spade]

Full CSN Story on Holtby skating

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/washington-capitals/braden-holtby-skater-sight-behold



The thing is as Kuznetsov says in the twitter quotes, maybe a shake up was necessary. "When you look at the champs they have 2 or 3 young guys and we don't". Barry Trotz has been accused of not playing youth enough. Guys from Hershey barely saw time in Washington. Meanwhile the Penguins constantly raid WBS and call up their kids.

MoJo and Williams leaving sucks. But the positive is that this team is now going in a younger direction, and that's what the players wanted. Now new kids could potentially get called up and see time. I know its' difficult to get excited about a team that lets you down, but honestly if you want to get excited, get excited about the young talent coming up in the organization that will finally get a chance to shine.

Perfectly sums up why I'm excited. And I said it before Kuzy.

 

[RandyHolt]

MJ may have a harder time moving, not moving on. Like selling his condo. I bet he has a condo nearby, and Kettler is his local rink until he sells.

Never feel sorry for someone making 4.5M to do something they love.

 

[g00n]

I would assume he was invited by a current Caps player

 

[txpd]

A similar situation played out with Kessel in Pittsburgh. He was brought in largely to play alongside Crosby but they never clicked. Instead of forcing that duo together Mike Sullivan moved Kessel around the lineup despite Kessel being their best winger individually. He has rarely played alongside Crosby compared to other centers on the roster..

it has almost no similarity to Kessel. Yes, Kessel was brought in the play with Crosby. Crosby is notoriously hard to play with. He cant find good chemistry with Team Canada. Kessel failed with Malkin. He was pushed to the 3rd line.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

MJ may have a harder time moving, not moving on. Like selling his condo. I bet he has a condo nearby, and Kettler is his local rink until he sells.

Never feel sorry for someone making 4.5M to do something they love.

He could be practicing with his new NJ Devils teammates but he isn't. I bet he is already renting a condo near his new practice facility in NJ already. It's not a matter of where he lives. Hell, he could even be in Sweden right now if he wanted to.

 

[RandyHolt]

Do we know that devils players are already practicing? I think we can agree, this is not even practice - training camp hasn't started for any team.

This is 100% recreational, and he likely wants to be with friends or near his girlfriend. I'd bet if he had close friends on NJ skating in NJ next to his new house, he would be there. He probably doesn't know anyone taking part in informal stuff right now. It's early.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Do we know that devils players are already practicing? I think we can agree, this is not even practice - training camp hasn't started for any team.

This is 100% recreational, and he likely wants to be with friends or near his girlfriend. I'd bet if he had close friends on NJ skating in NJ next to his new house, he would be there. He probably doesn't know anyone taking part in informal stuff right now. It's early.

Seriously, this is like some buddies renting the ice. The Caps jersey is amusing. Maybe he plays out his year sentence in NJ and comes back reasonably priced? I would love to see some people lose their ****!

 

[John Price]

Bit odd to see him skate at Kettler but whatever, when the real practices start he'll be in NJ. Very sad to see him go

Video footage

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Seriously, this is like some buddies renting the ice. The Caps jersey is amusing. Maybe he plays out his year sentence in NJ and comes back reasonably priced? I would love to see some people lose their ****!

I could see a Mojo part 2 when his current deal expires. He didn't ask to leave and he knows the Caps tried everything to keep him in the fold. I hope he enjoys NJ less than he enjoyed DC

 

[um]

It's amazing how Mojo went from whipping boy to being so liked. I mean I know why he did he definitely improved his game, it's just funny to see.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

It's amazing how Mojo went from whipping boy to being so liked. I mean I know why he did he definitely improved his game, it's just funny to see.

The Mojo we had last year is 3 times better than the Mojo we had under Adam Oates. His progression as a player is remarkable.

 

[Hivemind]

The Mojo we had last year is 3 times better than the Mojo we had under Adam Oates. His progression as a player is remarkable.

Oates forced Johansson to change his stick, which likely was the direct culprit behind his many shanked open net opportunities. He also miscast Johansson's role on the forecheck. Outside of the two Oates years, Johansson has been a consistently useful forward. Unfortunately for him, the Oates years where what stuck with many Caps fans. That's the period in which he shifted from the "promising young player" portion of his career to when Caps fans soured on him. Despite his good play before and after Oates, it took a 58 point season combined with a series winning performance in game 6 against the Maple Leafs to undo the Oates years reputation.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Oates forced Johansson to change his stick, which likely was the direct culprit behind his many shanked open net opportunities. He also miscast Johansson's role on the forecheck. Outside of the two Oates years, Johansson has been a consistently useful forward. Unfortunately for him, the Oates years where what stuck with many Caps fans. That's the period in which he shifted from the "promising young player" portion of his career to when Caps fans soured on him. Despite his good play before and after Oates, it took a 58 point season combined with a series winning performance in game 6 against the Maple Leafs to undo the Oates years reputation.

This isn't just about point production. His game grew overall. I saw a more mature player, improved on the forecheck, improved defensively, started hitting a little bit and surprised everybody by scoring on powerful shots.

The series OT goal was just icing on the cake.

 

[hockeykicker]

Earlier this month, Capitals defenseman John Carlson said he hopes the “fresh faces†who’ll join the team this season can bring new “energy†to the lineup.

On Wednesday, Braden Holtby echoed those sentiments.

The all-star goalie, who turns 28 next month, hopes the prospects will create a more competitive environment around Kettler Capitals Iceplex as they battle to earn—and keep—NHL jobs.

“It’ll be nice, especially in training camp, to have some spots open, to create a little more intensity,†Holtby said.

“The last few years we’ve basically had our roster, and everyone knew that. Guys were fighting for call-ups. This year, with so many roster spots open, it should really prepare us for Game 1.â€

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/washi...y-hopes-camp-competition-creates-more-intense