Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2021 Regular Season Part 2

[895]

One post on this subject. Hagelin is the best defensive forward and best penalty killer they have. These are hard to find skills at his level. McMichael had a shift with Hags and Hathaway where they totally pinned Buffalo in their end. A fair share of that was Hagelin chasing pucks and getting to space faster and then moving the puck to the right place. I didnt miss Dowd there at all.

Hate on Hagelin if it makes you feel better but MacLellan and Laviolette want him.

Reirden...the flak I am going to take for bringing him up...said several times that they had to game plan for Hagelin with Trotz. That he was so glad to have him on his team. Same Hagelin as now.

If you were to rank all our forwards by how good they are overall relative to their cap hit, where does Hagelin rank?

 

[amjay13]

Pull a Tampa and let Backstrom rest up until the playoffs. Use that cap freedom to trade for a stud goalie and to replace Backstrom with a good C.

MAF would be interesting. Seems like a great guy but I just can't get behind rooting for him after those battles in Pittsburgh. I'd rather Holtby return and be the #1 than MAF.

 

[SpinningEdge]

Pull a Tampa and let Backstrom rest up until the playoffs. Use that cap freedom to trade for a stud goalie and to replace Backstrom with a good C.

MAF would be interesting. Seems like a great guy but I just can't get behind rooting for him after those battles in Pittsburgh. I'd rather Holtby return and be the #1 than MAF.

No. Holtby sucks now.

 

[hb13xchamps]

$2.75 million per year to penalty kill isn’t worth it. Half of Hershey’s roster is full of grinders who win board battles, retrieve pucks and PK. Pick one of them and guys like Hagelin and Hathaway become expendable.

What’s the point of keeping all of these forward prospects in Hershey year after year if they aren’t given an opportunity to replace some of the more expensive bottom 6 forwards. The top 6 is set for the foreseeable future but the bottom 6 should slowly be integrating the kids IMO.

 

[Misery74]

One post on this subject. Hagelin is the best defensive forward and best penalty killer they have. These are hard to find skills at his level. McMichael had a shift with Hags and Hathaway where they totally pinned Buffalo in their end. A fair share of that was Hagelin chasing pucks and getting to space faster and then moving the puck to the right place. I didnt miss Dowd there at all.

Hate on Hagelin if it makes you feel better but MacLellan and Laviolette want him.

Reirden...the flak I am going to take for bringing him up...said several times that they had to game plan for Hagelin with Trotz. That he was so glad to have him on his team. Same Hagelin as now.

Being stuck with Hagelin and his contract might not be the same as wanting him. They don’t have a choice.

At the TDL, BMac will have had enough. Hagelin, plus a second round pick, will be headed elsewhere.

 

[tenken00]

Pull a Tampa and let Backstrom rest up until the playoffs. Use that cap freedom to trade for a stud goalie and to replace Backstrom with a good C.

MAF would be interesting. Seems like a great guy but I just can't get behind rooting for him after those battles in Pittsburgh. I'd rather Holtby return and be the #1 than MAF.

At this point, it might be more feasible to put Mantha out on LTIR for the rest of the season until playoffs than Backstrom. Less money to spend temporarily taking off Mantha's cap hit compared to Backstrom, but Mantha is still recovering from surgery while Backstrom is starting to skate.

 

[895]

I don't see us engaging in any cap hijinx. We never did the backloaded contract loophole that Chicago, Detroit, and Pittsburgh exploited.

 

[Holtbyisms]

No. Holtby sucks now.

.924 sv% this year. I'd kill for that from either one of our goalies as this point lol...

 

[txpd]

.924 sv% this year. I'd kill for that from either one of our goalies as this point lol...

I think its important to have some context with Vanecek. His numbers look different if you look closer. His 3 on 3 OT goals against are stat killers just like that garbage time goal last night. His sv% at 5 on 5 and in regulation is very strong. The Caps pk is going thru some primary personel changes with players not experienced in pk. Its suffering growing pains. Vanecek's pk sv% reflects that.

 

[txpd]

At this point, it might be more feasible to put Mantha out on LTIR for the rest of the season until playoffs than Backstrom. Less money to spend temporarily taking off Mantha's cap hit compared to Backstrom, but Mantha is still recovering from surgery while Backstrom is starting to skate.

I think that its possible that Mantha is back first. I think more specifically that any suggestion of Backstrom's returning is a complete crap shoot. We dont know anything about Backstrom's skating. Is he skating hard and working himself into playing shape? Is he taking it slow and easy as to rehab his injury back to health? We dont knew if he is a week or a month or more from starting to practice. My read is that he is not close.

 

[pman25]

I think that its possible that Mantha is back first. I think more specifically that any suggestion of Backstrom's returning is a complete crap shoot. We dont know anything about Backstrom's skating. Is he skating hard and working himself into playing shape? Is he taking it slow and easy as to rehab his injury back to health? We dont knew if he is a week or a month or more from starting to practice. My read is that he is not close.

do we know the extent of Mantha's surgery to his shoulder? Aren't those typically 4-6 months long, recovery wise?

No idea when Backstrom returns but it sounds like they just have a rehab plan and they're strict about sticking to it. Is it one month from now or three? No idea. But I imagine Backstrom wants to be ready for the Olympics at the very least

 

[kicksavedave]

Being stuck with Hagelin and his contract might not be the same as wanting him. They don’t have a choice.

At the TDL, BMac will have had enough. Hagelin, plus a second round pick, will be headed elsewhere.

The first line is true, no one is taking Hags from us at par.

The second line is likely not true. What we see as value and how we see Hags place on this team is just, as Tx points out, not the same as how the coaches and GM see him. I doubt he's moved, and I would bet anything he's not "dumped" in a "Take Hags plus some stuff" just to get him off our books move. What we want and what will happen are not the same.

 

[amjay13]

do we know the extent of Mantha's surgery to his shoulder? Aren't those typically 4-6 months long, recovery wise?

No idea when Backstrom returns but it sounds like they just have a rehab plan and they're strict about sticking to it. Is it one month from now or three? No idea. But I imagine Backstrom wants to be ready for the Olympics at the very least

If the NHL is going to embrace gambling, they have to change their injury reporting. Timelines and injury descriptions need to be given like the other major sports.

 

[txpd]

do we know the extent of Mantha's surgery to his shoulder? Aren't those typically 4-6 months long, recovery wise?

No idea when Backstrom returns but it sounds like they just have a rehab plan and they're strict about sticking to it. Is it one month from now or three? No idea. But I imagine Backstrom wants to be ready for the Olympics at the very least

Well...I think thats the point. We dont know anything. I wouldnt be surprised by anything and am counting on nothing

 

[tenken00]

I think that its possible that Mantha is back first. I think more specifically that any suggestion of Backstrom's returning is a complete crap shoot. We dont know anything about Backstrom's skating. Is he skating hard and working himself into playing shape? Is he taking it slow and easy as to rehab his injury back to health? We dont knew if he is a week or a month or more from starting to practice. My read is that he is not close.

Yeah, I meant the scenario where we try to "knowingly" exploit that loophole like Tampa Bay did with Kucherov. Hold a player out of play until the playoffs just for the sake of cap space and not because that player is still unable to return.

If we tried to do that with Backstrom now, there may be some eyebrows raised down the line asking why is he still not off LTIR and not playing if he is skating already?

 

[txpd]

Yeah, I meant the scenario where we try to "knowingly" exploit that loophole like Tampa Bay did with Kucherov. Hold a player out of play until the playoffs just for the sake of cap space and not because that player is still unable to return.

If we tried to do that with Backstrom now, there may be some eyebrows raised down the line asking why is he still not off LTIR and not playing if he is skating already?

I think that would backfire on the Caps. Expecting Backstrom to be sharp out of the box. His game depends on that. Being in the neighborhood would be ugly. I think

 

[tenken00]

I think that would backfire on the Caps. Expecting Backstrom to be sharp out of the box. His game depends on that. Being in the neighborhood would be ugly. I think

That's why Mantha is the better player to Kucherov

 

[txpd]

That's why Mantha is the better player to Kucherov

Mantha would be the better choice

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

If we long term injury Mantha and trade Sammy for MAF the salary works
5.7+2 out 7 mill in

 

[Ridley Simon]

The first line is true, no one is taking Hags from us at par.

The second line is likely not true. What we see as value and how we see Hags place on this team is just, as Tx points out, not the same as how the coaches and GM see him. I doubt he's moved, and I would bet anything he's not "dumped" in a "Take Hags plus some stuff" just to get him off our books move. What we want and what will happen are not the same.

I don’t want him dumped. Personally.

If we weren’t missing half of our top 6, most wouldn’t care about Hags offense. Not like we could have been fully prepared for that.

 

[Ridley Simon]

If we long term injury Mantha and trade Sammy for MAF the salary works
5.7+2 out 7 mill in

No thanks. I’d be shocked if MAF wasn’t hard to move due to Cap. Good teams won’t have the money. Bad teams won’t want him

 

[SherVaughn30]

If we long term injury Mantha and trade Sammy for MAF the salary works
5.7+2 out 7 mill in

Hawks are already using something like $4 million LTIR over the $81.5 cap limit. I would trade Schultz+Sammy for Fleury(but $1 million retained by the Hawks). Hawks would then have to bury a $1 million contract(maybe Ryan Carpenter) to balance it out.

 

[twabby]

At this point I'm 100% on board with getting a cheap goalie with intangibles. There is zero consistency with goaltending aside from like one or two guys that would be unavailable in any reasonable trade offer.

Using the data from last season and this season, the r^2 between save percentage above expected for this year compared to last year is a miniscule 0.0145. In order words, essentially random.

Spoiler: 2020-21 dFSV% vs. 2021-22 dFSV%

Data from Evolving-Hockey.com | Standard Goalie Stats

I'm just not seeing anyone being a clear better option from an on-ice standpoint. Is Fleury really better than what Washington has now? The same Fleury that Vegas couldn't give away 2 seasons ago who then came back and won the Vezina and is now among the league's worst again? Is John Gibson's $6.4 million AAV contract worth it for 6 more years when his performance will be like throwing darts randomly at a dartboard?

 

[SherVaughn30]

Caps are one of the best teams right now in terms of lowest amount shots allowed per game. MAF would benefit playing with our team. He could also mentor Vitek a good deal and be good in the locker room. Plus Sheary/Hags know him well as they were teammates at one time.

 

[twabby]

Caps are one of the best teams right now in terms of lowest amount shots allowed per game. MAF would benefit playing with our team. He could also mentor Vitek a good deal and be good in the locker room. Plus Sheary/Hags know him well as they were teammates at one time.

I'm all for the good-locker room presence being the rationale for acquiring MAF. If he is judged to have good intangible qualities as you mentioned and they can make the money work without a big acquisition cost or opportunity cost, then I'm all for it.

But I don't really think we can claim with any level of certainty that he will be good on the ice.