Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2022-23 Season Part 3: Drop the puck!
- Thread starter AlexModvechkin8
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- Feb 6, 2010
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Ovechkins Wodka
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SherVaughn30
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Nope. I forget the year, but after the Caps had another playoff exit Boudreau was fired the following season a quarter + into the season, where the Caps were something like 3 games above .500.
trick9
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- Jun 2, 2013
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The fact that there are Luke Schenn -sweepstakes going right now tells you everything about what we should do with our UFA D's that we don't intend to keep.
trick9
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- Jun 2, 2013
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That would be certainly something.
Would make up for one interesting summer. Lots of free agents. Lots of cap space. (Likely) lots of draft picks gained from those trades. Likely new head coach. Could be big shake-up trade coming (Kuznetsov) too?
We'll see what happens though. It could also be us keeping all our free agents beyond the deadline and losing another pick to acquire someone for Playoff push. While keeping Laviolette beyond this season. Same old, same old.
It's hard to tell which direction they'll go. On one hand, it's hard to imagine Ted approving the unloading of a bunch of free agents and essentially punting on the season especially with some of the other teams in contention for the wild card puttering around. I can hear him saying, "If we can just hold on and get back on track and then get Carlson back for the playoffs who knows what could happen?" On the other hand, there's a lot of smoke around GMBM being willing to be a seller if the team doesn't perform -- and they decidedly have not performed. They couldn't have failed his litmus test after the ASG any more spectacularly and they've been mostly awful since the calendar turned to 2023. BMac has never been one not to follow through when he sees moves he thinks could improve the team so I don't doubt that he'd have the stomach to make tough decisions.
Still, it'll be tough saying goodbye to guys like Orlov, Hathaway, Jensen, Sheary, Eller, etc. Orlov and Eller are two of the few remaining members from the Cup team and I think only Ovi, Oshie, Wilson, Backstrom, Kuznetsov, and Carlson would remain if and when Orlov and Eller walk or are traded. As much as I want to see them sell so they can reload and have a chance to contend in Ovi's final years, there's definitely a layer of sadness that goes along with that process and the understanding that we really are approaching the end of the greatest era in Caps history.
shtorm2005
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The whole year healthy Caps are easily Playoffs team. They shouldn't scrap everything because of fluke season.
g00n
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IMO they don't do anything that drastic unless Ovie is on board.
People may say "no player should have that much control" but he made this franchise what it's been for nearly 20 years. They're not going to dump all his pals at once unless he's nominally in agreement regarding the necessity. And HOW it's done (sending guys to contenders, with respect) will be requisite.
My concern is Ovie will break Gretzky's record and then just retire to be with his mother in Russia. This isn't something anyone can control and maybe it's off-base, but a shitty rebuild and unceremonious cap dump like the last firesale will make that kind of thing more likely.
Either way, I think if Ted wants to keep him around for his effective playing career then care must be taken.
People may say "no player should have that much control" but he made this franchise what it's been for nearly 20 years. They're not going to dump all his pals at once unless he's nominally in agreement regarding the necessity. And HOW it's done (sending guys to contenders, with respect) will be requisite.
My concern is Ovie will break Gretzky's record and then just retire to be with his mother in Russia. This isn't something anyone can control and maybe it's off-base, but a shitty rebuild and unceremonious cap dump like the last firesale will make that kind of thing more likely.
Either way, I think if Ted wants to keep him around for his effective playing career then care must be taken.
Misery74
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It's what BB changed the team system over to start using the 1-2-2 trap prior to the 2011 Winter Classic.
shtorm2005
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Nope, Caps were/are most injured team this year. There is no similar year in recent memory to compare, therefore, they are playoffs team when healthy full year.
Misery74
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When you have the oldest team in the league, you should not be surprised they are the most injured team.
We badly need a youth movement, no one on this team can score.
The gasoline has been poured, we just need to light the match.
It’s not just making the playoffs though. This group has lost in the first round four straight years and they weren’t competitive in two of those years. Expecting them to have better results as they age and as teams around them get better is not realistic.
Also, half the team are pending free agents. This team was always going to look different next season regardless of how this year went. The season is flushing down the toilet so they should get what they can.
Jacoby4HOF66
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- Feb 13, 2010
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As other posters have observed, shedding salary and acquiring assets (picks/prospects) puts the Caps in a position to sign free agents and do deals at the draft. Especially if some of the outgoing players were not in the plans for next season, they get capital instead of nothing in return. Free agents are often somewhat overpaid, but the team that signs isn't giving up players in exchange, so the net result isn't significantly better or worse than a trade. BMac's Gently Used Hockey Players, open for business.
shtorm2005
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Yes, Caps should retool every year to stay competitive, but most of you asking for a rebuild, which goes against what Ovy asked from the team before signing his contract.
Caps most probably are not winning Cup next years, so I enjoy watching Ovy getting record and some playoffs games. Trading this core means rebuilding with years of tanking.
This reminds me a situation where Caps traded many their champions because of incompetent Reirden who ruined the team. Healthy Caps will play much better than this, don't make same mistake.
bacchist
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- Feb 7, 2013
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I think maybe you’re misunderstanding what a lot of people are advocating for. We’re not advocating to tear it down and suck. We are advocating to make bold moves to acquire players or assets that can be used to make the team better next season and the season after that.
You’re also assuming guys who are 35, 36, 37 etc will be fully healthy in another year when they’re a year older which I don’t think is super realistic. Oshie is going to always be playing with some kind of ailment. Backstrom would be the first person in NHL history come back stronger after hip surgery. The aging curve is real and it’s something they need to acknowledge and account for when looking at the roster.
I think they can trade Orlov to contender and then sign him as UFA later. Lets just see what they have to end the season:
Fehervary-Carlson
Alexeyev-TVR
Irwin-McIlrath
Can you tank better than that? I doubt it
Fehervary-Carlson
Alexeyev-TVR
Irwin-McIlrath
Can you tank better than that? I doubt it
Brian23
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I would just bring Lucas up and sub him for Irwin for the rest of the season. See what he can do.
twabby
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- Mar 9, 2010
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This is exactly what I'm advocating for. The true rebuild will come after Ovechkin retires.
With their pending UFAs and a relatively full stock of upcoming draft picks including what should be a top 10 pick this year (and with very good luck, a top 2 pick) Washington has enough ammo to really go all-in the next few seasons. Maybe they have to take a step back next year to really strengthen their odds the subsequent two years, but very few people are calling for selling off everyone and tanking for the next three years like they did in 2004-2007.
It's not happening this year. Moneypuck has them at 11% to make the playoffs and 0.2% to win the Cup. And it's not happening next year with things largely unchanged. They've gotten steadily worse every year since 2018. More of the scoring burden is on Ovechkin now than ever before. If they really want to get him to 895 they need more talent. We've seen how teams can key in on him and take away his power play effectiveness. It's only a matter of time before that happens to the rest of his game if players like Kuznetsov, Oshie, and Backstrom and continually get big minutes.
There's the old Einstein quote: "you are insane if you do not make drastic changes to your hockey team when they are getting old and worse." We should listen to Albert Einstein.
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Jacoby4HOF66
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