Prospect Info: Caps Prospects General Discussion Thread - 2024-25

usiel

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Mateiko talk on The Athletic Hockey Show's "Emergency Pod" after last night's lovely result. Worth a listen.
Don't make me google this...
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qc14

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Hutson has largely been solid from a fancy stats perspective except when he has been strapped to Savard, and he's still very young. He's smart enough to become elite, and I believe his brother has the same mental makeup.
Yea I largely agree -- should've been clearer that I think he's struggled as a #1 defenseman rather than just in general as a rookie. While Cole's certainly on the right path I just don't think we should get out too far ahead of our skis. Cole still has a ways to go to be Lane, and Lane himself (IMO) still has a ways to go before being a legit 1D in the NHL.

The larger point is I still think the biggest "holes" in the pool is are at offensive defenseman and two-way center. Obviously those are the two hardest slots to fill but all other things equal (BPA, draft position, etc.) those are the two archetypes I'd look to fill rather than another scoring winger or toolsy wing/center combo or complimentary 2-way defenseman.
 
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Ridley Simon

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Yea I largely agree -- should've been clearer that I think he's struggled as a #1 defenseman rather than just in general as a rookie. While Cole's certainly on the right path I just don't think we should get out too far ahead of our skis. Cole still has a ways to go to be Lane, and Lane himself (IMO) still has a ways to go before being a legit 1D in the NHL.

The larger point is I still think the biggest "holes" in the pool is are at offensive defenseman and two-way center. Obviously those are the two hardest slots to fill but all other things equal (BPA, draft position, etc.) those are the two archetypes I'd look to fill rather than another scoring winger or toolsy wing/center combo or complimentary 2-way defenseman.
I don’t disagree with you here, in as much that the Caps have a lot of wingers in the system. They do.

That said — my dude — they have to always go BPA. Tunnel vision on any one (or even two) position leads to forcing things.

Caps have been excellent at filling their holes. All while seemingly going off their own BPA list. And it’s working superfluously at this juncture.

Stay that course. If a W is the BPA at their pick, you take the W (I personally didn’t want another W in Parascak, but he’s doing great so far)
 
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qc14

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I don’t disagree with you here, in as much that the Caps have a lot of wingers in the system. They do.

That said — my dude — they have to always go BPA. Tunnel vision on any one (or even two) position leads to forcing things.

Caps have been excellent at filling their holes. All while seemingly going off their own BPA list. And it’s working superfluously at this juncture.

Stay that course. If a W is the BPA at their pick, you take the W (I personally didn’t want another W in Parascak, but he’s doing great so far)
Totally agree, just think it's an interesting exercise
 
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Kalopsia

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I don’t disagree with you here, in as much that the Caps have a lot of wingers in the system. They do.

That said — my dude — they have to always go BPA. Tunnel vision on any one (or even two) position leads to forcing things.

Caps have been excellent at filling their holes. All while seemingly going off their own BPA list. And it’s working superfluously at this juncture.

Stay that course. If a W is the BPA at their pick, you take the W (I personally didn’t want another W in Parascak, but he’s doing great so far)
I'm usually an advocate for BPA, but the Caps depth at wing is so insane at this point with guys breaking out and excelling in the minors that I wouldn't want a wing with an early pick next year. Wilson, Protas the elder, and McMichael are already locked in at the NHL level, Leonard and Cristall look like sure things, Paraschek and Protas the younger are looking fantastic, Miro's still only 20, Mateiko looks promising... Aside from Wilson every guy I listed is 23 or younger. Unless a winger is BPA by a mile I don't see why you'd throw another high draft pick into that log jam.
 

CapitalsCupReality

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Yea I largely agree -- should've been clearer that I think he's struggled as a #1 defenseman rather than just in general as a rookie. While Cole's certainly on the right path I just don't think we should get out too far ahead of our skis. Cole still has a ways to go to be Lane, and Lane himself (IMO) still has a ways to go before being a legit 1D in the NHL.

The larger point is I still think the biggest "holes" in the pool is are at offensive defenseman and two-way center. Obviously those are the two hardest slots to fill but all other things equal (BPA, draft position, etc.) those are the two archetypes I'd look to fill rather than another scoring winger or toolsy wing/center combo or complimentary 2-way defenseman.
The takeaway is we DO appear to have a top pair-type talent in the system…
 
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Silky mitts

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HTFN

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The takeaway is we DO appear to have a top pair-type talent in the system…
Ehhhhh... I'm coming in later on this but since it started around calling someone a 1D:

We could get into semantics territory here but that's not quite how I see it. Maybe it's an outdated understanding of an undefined role but I would expect a defenseman labeled as a true 1D to be a little more well-rounded than either Hutson.

There are kind of exceptions to that among some real elite-caliber players you might think of in recent years, like prime Karlsson, Q. Hughes, Makar when he's on fire, guys who move the needle in some of the same ways but with different methodology... but a lot of the other guys cut from that same cloth still need competent roster building, pairings, and deployment to engage with the best of what they have to offer.

First pairing no doubt but to me a 1D can't be game-planned like a Mike Green was, they need to be competent enough in all phases that you essentially can't mitigate their impact. For better or worse I don't think a lot of the smaller creative D can access that level without basically spontaneously becoming somebody like Spurgeon on top of everything else.
 

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