Speculation: Caps General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2021 "Season" Pt. 1

[Langway]

Awwwwwww yisssssssssss

I am also excited about Trevor Van Riemsdyk.

 

[txpd]

Its true that the schedule is a double edged sword. But its still the beginning and as *bad* as we think we have played so far, the Caps are still #1 in the East. It just shows that as many flaws that this team has, everyone else has just as many flaws or even more so.

And no other team in the NHL has had a big of a handicap than the Caps this strange weird season, yet we are still one of the top teams in the league points-wise.

I think we are the only team in the league with a new head coach and a totally new system that we are still learning on the fly? With only a 10 day training camp and no preseason to boot to learn it?

Imagine if this team actually finally starts to come together at the end before the playoffs.

I think playing your best players and trying to sharpen the new system makes more sense than resting and coasting

 

[txpd]

I am also excited about Trevor Van Riemsdyk.

Excited?

 

[HecticGlow]

Excited?

I'd use 'intrigued'. I don't remember the last time the Caps had 8 bona fide NHLers on their backend all capable of playing at least regular top-6 minutes, as well as a ninth (Fehervary) who is close if not there already. It wasn't that long ago that our next guys up included Taylor Chorney, Aaron Ness, Tyler Lewington, Connor Carrick and Mike Weber. Even in the cup year, our #7 and #8 for most of the cup run were guys who are no longer in the league (Jerabek and Bowey).

 

[txpd]

I'd use 'intrigued'. I don't remember the last time the Caps had 8 bona fide NHLers on their backend all capable of playing at least regular top-6 minutes, as well as a ninth (Fehervary) who is close if not there already. It wasn't that long ago that our next guys up included Taylor Chorney, Aaron Ness, Tyler Lewington, Connor Carrick and Mike Weber. Even in the cup year, our #7 and #8 for most of the cup run were guys who are no longer in the league (Jerabek and Bowey).

Chara really changed the plan. Thats clear now. I felt bad for TVR that he apparantly found himself in a position where signing up for a healthy scratch job was the best he could do. As for marginal 7 and 8s its the salary cap. Getting Chara for what they are paying is what changed everything. That and spending $12.50 on a pair of goalies.

 

[filinski77]

Through 6 games the caps are -11 on net penalties (penalties drawn minus penalties taken), and are dead last in penalties drawn/gp. Not a good start at all.

For reference:
2019/2020 = -21
2018/2019 = -25
2017/2018 = -28

Things should ideally work themselves out fairly soon in this department.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Pinho is better than Eller and his suicide rushes and his selfish play any day

You are delusional! Fine you don't like Eller, but when you keep going on denying how important he contributes to the team is just ridiculous. Just enough with your negative posts towards him. Just say you don't like Eller and move on!

 

[AussieCapsFan]

Pinho is better than Eller and his suicide rushes and his selfish play any day

It's really sad that a person feels they have to make absurd statements simply to get some attention.

 

[txpd]

Any thoughts on Laviolette so far? I am just looking at the ice time leaders again today.

 

[Rayquaza64]

I think Chara needs a game of rest. He's looked cooked at times and could use a breather

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

I think Chara needs a game of rest. He's looked cooked at times and could use a breather

agree we need to manage his mintues but maybe wait until the Covid 4 and willy are back. We def need him now

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

I will say, these past 2 games have been the most I’ve seen the team play with heart in 2 years. Guys are giving up the body on shots, they’re throwing hits, it’s clear they’re not content to take L’s in a stretch where it’s be understandable.


My thoughts are two fold. First, Lavi has them bought in to whatever he’s selling. I sincerely doubt we see this commitment under TR.


Two, this magnified the COVID 4 all the more. If you come back flat and apathetic after watching your team claw it’s way through 4 games without you, 4 games that you seemingly missed due to selfishness, I’d jettison you to the moon.


I will barf if after this we get part time Kuzy back and he goes back to his “skate around the entire zone with the puck” bull shit

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Pinho is better than Eller and his suicide rushes and his selfish play any day

You also said that Boyd is better than Backstrom and I can’t help but notice that he hasn’t played a single game for Toronto yet.

 

[tenken00]

Any thoughts on Laviolette so far? I am just looking at the ice time leaders again today.

It's so hard to get a good read on ice time early this season due to this:

Through 6 games the caps are -11 on net penalties (penalties drawn minus penalties taken), and are dead last in penalties drawn/gp. Not a good start at all.

For reference:
2019/2020 = -21
2018/2019 = -25
2017/2018 = -28

Things should ideally work themselves out fairly soon in this department.

We are well on our way to becoming the most penalized team in the league again. I don't know if it's our guys or if the team has a reputation that is hard to shed with officials or what. But the disparity of us taking penalties and getting PPs is alarming. And it seems like we never draw the tickey-tackey penalties that are always so judiciously called on us.

 

[Ridley Simon]

I think playing your best players and trying to sharpen the new system makes more sense than resting and coasting

Eventually. But you also need to ensure ALL your players are ready and flush w the system. So the first 12-15 games will be needed to do that, IMO (not the typical first 20).

TVR didn’t seem any worse than Jensen.

Siegs has looked pretty good, too

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

We are well on our way to becoming the most penalized team in the league again. I don't know if it's our guys or if the team has a reputation that is hard to shed with officials or what. But the disparity of us taking penalties and getting PPs is alarming. And it seems like we never draw the tickey-tackey penalties that are always so judiciously called on us.

It’s hard to not think it’s a reputation thing since the majority of our top offenders right now are relatively new. Of the players with more than 2 PIMs (6 players) 3 of them weren’t on the team before the TDL last year. Further more we have 14 unique offenders through 6 games, and of our top PIM leaders from 2020 have seen some overturn.


It’s suspect to me that year to year our PIM leaders (Wilson and Kuz aside) is pretty much a random drawing. Undisciplined players transcend season to season, it makes no sense for a guy to be top 3 one year and then like 8th the next when we really didn’t see much roster turnover until recently.


I think we have a reputation of a team that hits a lot and also takes lazy stick penalties and that has hurt us

 

[tenken00]

It’s hard to not think it’s a reputation thing since the majority of our top offenders right now are relatively new. Of the players with more than 2 PIMs (6 players) 3 of them weren’t on the team before the TDL last year. Further more we have 14 unique offenders through 6 games, and of our top PIM leaders from 2020 have seen some overturn.


It’s suspect to me that year to year our PIM leaders (Wilson and Kuz aside) is pretty much a random drawing. Undisciplined players transcend season to season, it makes no sense for a guy to be top 3 one year and then like 8th the next when we really didn’t see much roster turnover until recently.


I think we have a reputation of a team that hits a lot and also takes lazy stick penalties and that has hurt us

It's kind of crazy because having a net -11 PP to PK ratio in just only 6 games is so bizarre. It's like we are all taking crazy pills.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

It's kind of crazy because having a net -11 PP to PK ratio in just only 6 games is so bizarre. It's like we are all taking crazy pills.

Garnet Hathaway for my money gives Wilson a run for his money in the unfair penalty area. He was 12th in the league last year and I would wager the majority of his calls weren’t stick penalties. I am exceptionally weary of players who don’t take a lot of stick penalties but tack up a lot of PIMs. Undisciplined players are undisciplined, if you’re a fourth line player and you get a lot of PIMs it makes no sense if you’re not getting caught for tripping and hooking. You’re telling me that Hathaway is breaking the rules but never is beat to the point that he’d resort to stick penalties?


I understand that the fighting majors skew the results, but still you look at the top 10 on PIMs and there’s a pretty clear division between reputation guys and guys who do often play sloppy

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

We are 11% done with the season.

Good news: Through six games the Caps are in first place and have 0 regulation losses. 9th in GF/G. They've gotten three of four points while missing many of their key players. 8th in PP%.

Bad news: Through six games the Caps have only two ROW. They are 25th in xGF% and HDCF%. 20th in shot share. 2nd highest PDO. Killing penalties at a 73% rate. 21st in GAA. 22nd in PK%.

Obviously it's a small sample size and it's a weird season but I think they have a ton of work to do if they're going to compete. They're getting cratered at evens in shots and scoring attempts against, they're taking too many penalties and they suck at killing them, and they're conceding way too many quality scoring chances which is why they're giving up 3+ goals/game. They show flashes of dominance but have far too many stretches where they can't control the puck and look lost defensively. These numbers are very Oates-like -- terrible ES numbers buoyed by a strong PP -- which is... concerning. It's great that they're getting points while they (hopefully) figure it out because the division is really competitive but they need to actually figure it out.

 

[txpd]

Eventually. But you also need to ensure ALL your players are ready and flush w the system. So the first 12-15 games will be needed to do that, IMO (not the typical first 20).

TVR didn’t seem any worse than Jensen.

Siegs has looked pretty good, too

Are you valuing the first 12-15 games this season with the same weight as a normal season?

 

[filinski77]

New third jerseys

 

[txpd]

It's so hard to get a good read on ice time early this season due to this:




We are well on our way to becoming the most penalized team in the league again. I don't know if it's our guys or if the team has a reputation that is hard to shed with officials or what. But the disparity of us taking penalties and getting PPs is alarming. And it seems like we never draw the tickey-tackey penalties that are always so judiciously called on us.

referees get scouting reports and are given pregame direction by the league. They are told what to look for and what to do with it. They prep just like the players do.

The Caps clearly have a rep for being physical and the refers are told not to let Caps players stray over the line. The Caps also have a rep for lazy stick penalties of the kind Kuzy gets so many of. Add the two together and you get a lot of penalties.

Consider that with this current mess that Tom Wilson and Ovechkin have 1 minor penalty between them

 

[John Price]

The new third jerseys look better than reverse retro IMO

I would gladly get one of those.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

New third jerseys