Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) -- 2018-19 We Are The Champions Edition - Pt. 1

[Hivemind]

GMBM aggressively shedding every member of the PK last year.

 

[txpd]

That is a bit odd since his QO would be so small, hardly any risk.


The QO is so small there is no risk even if he did sign it, which he wouldnt. I guess arbitration is the fear.

My read is that if they qual him, they are obligated to him and that is what they are trying to avoid. They want the flexibility. DSP may also have made it clear that he wants far more than the Caps are willing to go. No QO allows him to see what the market has. If what he wants isn't there, he can come back to the Caps.

My view is that Beagle stays and Orpik returns. DSP and Kempny will leave. We will see

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[txpd]

GMBM aggressively shedding every member of the PK last year.

What members of the PK have been shed?

 

[HunterSThompson]

Let be careful here. They aren't a dime a dozen. Beagle is better than most of those guys you mentioned. Find a player that consistently is among the leaders in face offs is rare. Gordon might qualify but Beagle is bigger and stronger and holds up better. No comparison with Steckel beyond just the face offs.

I used to think you could change that player out for a new one on a 1 year cheap contract every year and I find I am wrong.

Somewhat as in the Caps always seem to have someone to PK and win faceoffs and the largest subsection of UFAs are usually bottom six PK types. Whether they do it as well as Beagle is not up for debate. He is one of the best at it.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[hockeykicker]

oh jesus wysh shut up

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

That actually might be an elegant way to avoid the White House thing. He's not technically a member of the team, so won't go. Then they sign him after it happens. Everyone saves face.

 

[Hivemind]

What members of the PK have been shed?

Orpik. DSP. No movement on extensions for Beagle or Chiasson.

 

[Bieronymus Trotz]

That actually might be an elegant way to avoid the White House thing. He's not technically a member of the team, so won't go. Then they sign him after it happens. Everyone saves face.

If the White House stuff is even 1 percent of the actual reason, I don't even know what to say.

 

[Hivemind]

That actually might be an elegant way to avoid the White House thing. He's not technically a member of the team, so won't go. Then they sign him after it happens. Everyone saves face.

You think he's gonna sit out of hockey for months despite being an unrestricted free agent? You think other teams aren't going to pounce at an opportunity to get some fabled clutch playoff scoring?

 

[HunterSThompson]

Perplexed that they wouldn't just take DSP to salary arbitration.

Gotta be afraid of it for some reason. But maybe Mac is up to something cheeky.

My read is that if they qual him, they are obligated to him and that is what they are trying to avoid. They want the flexibility. DSP may also have made it clear that he wants far more than the Caps are willing to go. No QO allows him to see what the market has. If what he wants isn't there, he can come back to the Caps.

My view is that Beagle stays and Orpik returns. DSP and Kempny will leave. We will see

This is plausible. But no QO him only benefits him in this scenario. Thats pretty selfless to give up an asset for free basically, though maybe if they expect the salary to be under 1.4 and they wouldn't match, maybe it is not losing an asset.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

You think he's gonna sit out of hockey for months despite being an unrestricted free agent? You think other teams aren't going to pounce at an opportunity to get some fabled clutch playoff scoring?

If he's got an agreement in principle with the Caps? Sure.

I don't think that's the likely reason, but not implausible.

 

[Hivemind]

My read is that if they qual him, they are obligated to him and that is what they are trying to avoid. They want the flexibility. DSP may also have made it clear that he wants far more than the Caps are willing to go. No QO allows him to see what the market has. If what he wants isn't there, he can come back to the Caps.

My view is that Beagle stays and Orpik returns. DSP and Kempny will leave. We will see

It doesn't matter what DSP wants. Barring an offer sheet from another team (in which the Capitals would have been compensated with draft picks), the Capitals can ultimately just take him to salary arbitration. I wouldn't expect that arb value to be incredibly high.

 

[Bieronymus Trotz]

You think he's gonna sit out of hockey for months despite being an unrestricted free agent? You think other teams aren't going to pounce at an opportunity to get some fabled clutch playoff scoring?

Never mind that by agreeing to that, he would be accepting the premise that he's creating a problem by not wanting to go.

 

[stanleycaps18]

I am hard pressed to think that the White House is playing any role whatsoever with DSP.

 

[HunterSThompson]

Maybe Rierden loves the young guys and doesn't want anyone standing in their way. But DSP is only 2 years older than Chandler Stephenson.
Maybe Caps management thinks the 7 playoff goals is a one-off and his arbitration number will push into the 2 million range. But that should still fit under the salary cap.
Maybe Tom Wilson's number is going to be big or their eyes are on someone else. But DSP would still fit under the cap.
Maybe GMBM doesn't think DSP is that good.

Here is my Occam's Razor exercise.

 

[Hivemind]

I'm also now starting to be afraid that they're going to give a botload of money to Tom Wilson.

 

[Sam Spade]

Oh come on now!! Do you think that GMBM even gave that a milli-second of thought?

IT IS A BUSINESS DECISION.

 

[Calicaps]

I'm also now starting to be afraid that they're going to give a botload of money to Tom Wilson.

Of course they are.

 

[HunterSThompson]

I'm also now starting to be afraid that they're going to give a botload of money to Tom Wilson.

Reportedly expecting to sign a long term deal. I have to assume we aren't talking a bridge. 4 or 5 or more years might require 5 million, if he sees himself as a first line forward that could be leaving money on the table if he doesn't sign for that much.

 

[Sam Spade]

I am hard pressed to think that the White House is playing any role whatsoever with DSP.

I forgot about it until the post just now.

You know what happens if he is still with the team, he simply doesn't go.

 

[hockeykicker]

Reportedly expecting to sign a long term deal. I have to assume we aren't talking a bridge. 4 or 5 or more years might require 5 million, if he sees himself as a first line forward that could be leaving money on the table if he doesn't sign for that much.

they already did the bridge deal

 

[artilector]

Puzzling.

Losing DSP for nothing seems to indicate that the Caps expect to be really tight with cap space -- even though they seem to have quite enough of it now. So either they intend to overpay their own players, heh, or maybe they want to sign a relatively significant UFA, e.g. a better vet D for the bottom pair? Or what?

 

[txpd]

Somewhat as in the Caps always seem to have someone to PK and win faceoffs and the largest subsection of UFAs are usually bottom six PK types. Whether they do it as well as Beagle is not up for debate. He is one of the best at it.

They have always had that player. That's because they had Gordon and Beagle for a long time.