Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2022-23 Season Part 3: Drop the puck!

[Devil Dancer]

I assume the only reason we got news on the Orlov negotiations was to prep the fan base for a trade.

And I'm good with it, if his value is as high as it seems to be. This may be their best chance to turn a player into significant future assets of the current roster, given the combo of age/rep/position/current contract.

 

[Drakon]

Did anyone really think this team could have drafted its way out of being very suck for a spell after Ovie hangs 'em up?

They did. They gave those players away in an effort to chase another cup with the core rather than realizing most of these guys were like right at the end of their primes. You could have Vrana(although I'm fine with this particular trade),Burt, Stephenson,Schmidt and Siegenthaler on the team right now instead of Oshie, Backtrom, Carlson, etc. and you could've gotten huge returns for the latter group in trades that would've made the team even more competitive.

I know it's hindsight, but I think it was pretty obvious at the time, that when they won the cup that they were at the very end of their window and needed to get younger.

 

[Misery74]

If the plan is to sell, what is the benefit of keeping Laviolette?

 

[Cappy76]

If the plan is to sell, what is the benefit of keeping Laviolette?

Not paying another coaches salary

 

[twabby]

That was a wild callup. Not that it really mattered too much, but it was easily their most important game of the season and they just threw McIlrath in there because he's big I guess! And he and Fehervary were predictably eaten alive!

Not a bad stealth tank move though.

 

[hb13xchamps]

No Lapierre for Hershey and he’s not listed as “unavailable”

 

[twabby]

No Lapierre for Hershey and he’s not listed as “unavailable”

Would there be any performance-related reason for scratching him? Or do you think this is asset protection?

 

[Brian23]

That was a wild callup. Not that it really mattered too much, but it was easily their most important game of the season and they just threw McIlrath in there because he's big I guess! And he and Fehervary were predictably eaten alive!

Not a bad stealth tank move though.

Felt like just out right arrogance to do that. Teams comfortably in the playoff race, or teams so far out of it that they have nothing to fight for, can do things like reward guys with some play time. When you're fighting tooth and nail for every W, you don't have the time to be "rewarding" guys like that.

Absolute joke.

Would there be any performance-related reason for scratching him? Or do you think this is asset protection?

I had heard Lapierre had been struggling since the new year, might just be a wake up call thing.

 

[hb13xchamps]

Would there be any performance-related reason for scratching him? Or do you think this is asset protection?

Don’t think it would be performance based. His production has tailed off a bit, but an AHL guy like Strome shouldn’t be in the lineup over him. There was a bug going around the locker room but you’d think they would indicate they are unavailable due to illness.

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[hb13xchamps]

Interesting. Could be true, but they also just had the all start break to use as a “reset.” Timing seems odd for that

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Interesting. Could be true, but they also just had the all start break to use as a “reset.” Timing seems odd for that

I don’t see anything going on here. He has been struggling.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

They would be moronic to trade Jimi before CMM.

 

[um]

They would be moronic to trade Jimi before CMM.

Well it depends what the other team wants.

 

[pman25]

They would be moronic to trade Jimi before CMM.

CMM seems better than Lapierre so I’m cool with it

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I assume the only reason we got news on the Orlov negotiations was to prep the fan base for a trade.

And I'm good with it, if his value is as high as it seems to be. This may be their best chance to turn a player into significant future assets of the current roster, given the combo of age/rep/position/current contract.

I’ve been low-key pumping a potential Orlov trade around this time for 2 years……but I’ll still be shocked if GMBM has the stones….

 

[Misery74]

Bring in Nelson and sell.

 

[Brian23]

But...they haven't been stinking.

Starting in 2014, GMBM took over in May and the draft was in June, his top picks by year have been as followed.

2014
1: Vrana <-Dynamic NHL Winger. Traded for Mantha with a bunch of additions.
2: Vanecek <- At worst, a great backup goal tender but is playing great as a starter for the Devils right now. Let walk for Keumper/Lindgren.
3: Nathan Walker <- awful pick.

2015.
1: Samsonov <- An engimatic goalie, who I think got a raw deal here, and is doing well in Toronto right now. Let walk for Keumper/Lindgren.
2: Siegenthaler <- Started hotter then the sun, has fallen back to earth. Seen it's assumed he injured himself in November and hasn't been the same, but at worst a cost controlled 4, 5, or 6 defender. Let walk for Chara.
3. Traded - For a 2nd for Siegenthaler.

2016.
1. Lucas Johansen <- often injured defender, hasn't been able to graduate due to the log jam of veterans at defense. Probably a bust.
2. Traded - Brooks Laich cap dump
3. Garret Pilon. Could probably fill in as a bottom pairing Center, but hasn't graduated due to a logjam of veterans.

2017.
1. Traded - Shattenkirk Trade
2. Traded - Lars Eller
3. Traded - Mike Weber. Yuck.

2018.
1. Alexander Alexeyev - Lavi plays Irwin over AA.
2a. Fehervary - Good top 4 D that's being played on the bottom pairing due to handedness issues. Still think he's got a lot more to show.
2b. Kody Clark -
3. Riley Sutter - Probably a bust, saw him as the 4C in Hershey. Much like Clark, our Bears fans can say more.

2019.
1. Connor McMichael - Great first year for a rookie, wouldn't get played by Lavi. Lighting up the AHL.
2. Brett Leason - Lost to waivers. Wish we had him on our bottom lines right now, but Lavi didn't want to play him. Probably still a bust though.
3. Protas - Big Boss Protas. Nuff Said.

2020.
1. Hendrix Lapierre - Exciting prospect, struggling a bit right now in the AHL but still putting up good numbers.
2. Traded. - Brendan Dillon Trade.
3. Traded. - Traded with our first for Lapierre.

2021
1. Traded - Traded for Anthony Mantha
2. Vincent Iorio - Looks like a future top 4 guy in the NHL, has all the tools just hoping he can put it all together.
3. Brent Johnson -

The drafting has been fine. They've just refused to graduate players for most of the last decades if they weren't immediately ready for the NHL.

Made this post in an old GDT, thinking it was here. I actually still think they're pretty damn good at drafting but they just refuse to gradate them, but with some time to chew on it I begin to wonder; do we think this team would have graduated Orlov?

Like, I don't know how many remember how hectic Orlov's entrance into the NHL was but I just cannot imagine the modern day team dealing with his transition from RD to LD, let alone his injury and warm up year. Would have been traded and we would have lost our arguable best defender for the last decade.

 

[HTFN]

Made this post in an old GDT, thinking it was here. I actually still think they're pretty damn good at drafting but they just refuse to gradate them, but with some time to chew on it I begin to wonder; do we think this team would have graduated Orlov?

Like, I don't know how many remember how hectic Orlov's entrance into the NHL was but I just cannot imagine the modern day team dealing with his transition from RD to LD, let alone his injury and warm up year. Would have been traded and we would have lost our arguable best defender for the last decade.

This team almost didn't graduate Orlov. If I'm not mistaken his camp formally requested a trade because he was getting jerked around up and down on waivers for salary reasons and hardly playing, and it took that for them to stop f***ing around with the guy.

 

[Brian23]

This team almost didn't graduate Orlov. If I'm not mistaken his camp formally requested a trade because he was getting jerked around up and down on waivers for salary reasons and hardly playing, and it took that for them to stop f***ing around with the guy.

If I remember right, he intially broke in on the right side. Was injured the entirety of his second year and then struggled his third year when they moved him to the left side. I don't remember the jerking around, but it sounds familiar and feels right.

This team would have 100% unloaded him during that third year while he was getting comfortable. If they aren't ready right away they just have no patience for them.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

It’s going to be a weird feeling when the final game of the regular season is over and we know the season is over at that moment too. Only one other time in the last 15 years have we not been guaranteed at least four more games to watch after the regular season ended.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Gus maybe a must trade. I forget who posted it, but someone shared a stat that he is worth almost $7 million in contract value playing on league min.

I think chances are very very low. He’s on the team next season if he has that type of contract value. You have to move him
If he can net us a second round pick or better it’s just time to move on.

 

[trick9]

Other teams blowing their chances make it unlikely they end up selling even if they should.

I can see them extending that life-line for next week and beating Red Wings and Ducks to stay in that spot (technically, in reality there are lots of teams with games in hand), only to miss out on that spot in the end.

 

[Langway]

What mainly still makes me skeptical that they'll sell is that I have a hard time envisioning them making the playoffs next year without Orlov & Jensen. Granted, they could still miss with them as well. The forwards on the books are that overpaid and low impact. But if you subtract not just Orlov & Jensen but quite a few of the other less heralded complementary pieces the task doesn't get any easier. I don't doubt it gets a lot worse before it gets better...mostly because they're past the stage of convenient tweaks.

Big picture they're going to have to start shifting gears and I don't doubt they'll continue to largely resist it. So much of their failure is lack of imagination, foresight and planning. If you have trouble scoring, take pride in your defense. Lavi and everyone else seems to be phoning it in. For that they really should blow it the hell up and not look back. They're so far from being a relevant team. Yet Ted doesn't seem like the type that will allow for them to restructure properly and patiently. I'd wager it's bound to be a lot of half-measures that ultimately still miss the mark toward immediate competitiveness either way.

 

[trick9]

What mainly still makes me skeptical that they'll sell is that I have a hard time envisioning them making the playoffs next year without Orlov & Jensen. Granted, they could still miss with them as well. The forwards on the books are that overpaid and low impact. But if you subtract not just Orlov & Jensen but quite a few of the other less heralded complementary pieces the task doesn't get any easier. I don't doubt it gets a lot worse before it gets better...mostly because they're past the stage of convenient tweaks.

Big picture they're going to have to start shifting gears and I don't doubt they'll continue to largely resist it. So much of their failure is lack of imagination, foresight and planning. If you have trouble scoring, take pride in your defense. Lavi and everyone else seems to be phoning it in. For that they really should blow it the hell up and not look back. They're so far from being a relevant team. Yet Ted doesn't seem like the type that will allow for them to restructure properly and patiently. I'd wager it's bound to be a lot of half-measures that ultimately still miss the mark toward immediate competitiveness either way.

It could come down to really small things. For example i think with Orlov and Jensen they are guys that you either keep because you are confident that they can be re-signed. Preference is likely to keep both but they must have limits on how much term they are willing to do. I feel like Jensen will be a tough one. Orlov has made a ton of money already but Jensen could triple his career earnings on the next contract. I can see him going for the highest bidder and pricing him out.

If one of those guys price themselves out, that will make the decision to sell even more obvious.