Devil Dancer
Registered User
- Jan 21, 2006
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Sadly I voted no, but the core can be changed or supplemented quickly. Figure out a way to add a playoff warrior or a difference maker on D or G and things might be very different.
The spirit of the question leads me to say no, though it's hockey and hockey is random as hell. As I have mentioned in other threads I think the team as it stands is a bubble playoff team next year. It wouldn't shock me if they missed the playoffs next year especially with Gallant coaching the Rangers and them being linked to Eichel. I also imagine Pittsburgh and Carolina will also be looking to add, and the Islanders under Trotz are still a better overall team.
The Capitals need to add a significant player to their core, preferably a center, and if they do I think they can be competitive. But as it stands, tweaking here and there and simply hoping for better injury luck isn't going to cut it IMO.
And they are there because they came out of the northIs it really that random, though? Of the 4 teams left in the playoffs is anybody genuinely surprised that 3 of them are there? Montreal is the only one that is random and completely unexpected (imho).
Agree with you about the rest, though.
Is it really that random, though? Of the 4 teams left in the playoffs is anybody genuinely surprised that 3 of them are there? Montreal is the only one that is random and completely unexpected (imho).
Agree with you about the rest, though.
In 1956, Mao Zedong created the "Hundred Flowers" campaign, where the Chinese communist party encouraged the citizens of the country to criticize the party and the government, under the theory of improving the country. Whether it was his original intent, or just a reaction to the massive waves of criticism the party received, shortly after the campaign ended, the government rounded up critics and brutally punished them, sending many to re-education camps and "disappearing" countless others.
It is my secret hope that this thread is exactly the same thing, only directed at the constant nattering nabobs of negativity that infest these boards. A sort of verbal trap for those who I would swear, based on their posts, seem to enjoy a Capitals loss more than a Capitals victory. Perhaps the mods are just cleverly recording all of the "fans" who constantly seem to denigrate the Caps at every turn. Bǎihuā qífàng, bǎijiā zhēngmíng. Let the purge commence!
This is where I am too. Nobody would have called Montreal's Cup window "open" but here we are, and every year some shortsighted hockey fans (not here, just in general) look at a contender and say "oh is this the new way to win" but in reality the way to win is to get to the dance and cross your fingers, more or less. Years of being favorites and predicting the window as "open but closing" led to nothing, and then they were basically dead in the water until they were suddenly winning it all.There’s more randomness to hockey than many other sports, but of course better teams still usually win. Point being that even if the Capitals aren’t in the contender tier they’ll still have an outside shot. This is why I took the “spirit” of the question into consideration when answering no to the poll, otherwise I think the answer is trivially yes and it’s not really a meaningful question.
Sadly I voted no, but the core can be changed or supplemented quickly. Figure out a way to add a playoff warrior or a difference maker on D or G and things might be very different.
The trouble here is "the core" itself. The assumption here is that OV and Nicky (paritcularly Nicky) are still operating at prime levels. But maybe they're not.