g00n
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Just a friendly reminder:
10 of the oldest 12 teams on that list are in a playoff spot today.
10 of the youngest 12 teams are not.
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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Just a friendly reminder:
10 of the oldest 12 teams on that list are in a playoff spot today.
10 of the youngest 12 teams are not.
trick9
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One does wonder that what time-line MacLellan had in mind when commenting that they did the Orlov & Hathaway -trade to '' acquire draft capital and infuse youth''. I for one read that as in more opportunities for young guys to get an better idea of where they are for next season. It's going to be an important summer with lots of holes to fill if they plan on making the Playoffs next season. Makes sense to give some time to the younger players and see if one or two of them can hang with the big club next season. Spots are going to be there, and it's going to be really tough to fill all of them with free agents. I don't think the plan for youth movement was to replace Orlov and Hathaway with McIlrath and Smith who will be 31 and 34 when next season begins.
That being said, patience is the key here. I think the line-up will look much different week or two from now.
And yet he is way ahead of anyone else on the team in terms of production. I guess scoring at a goal pace this year?
Ovi isn't the problem. It's more the other golden oldies and guys like Kuzy/Mantha not earning their pay.
Having veteran players is of course good. But the only team in that group that has a core of exclusively 30+ year old players besides us is the Pens, they are also in trouble.
So it's not how old the team is, but how old the core is. And, our core is obviously producing less than 5 years ago (Ovi maybe exempt). Either that is just a huge coincidence OR it is related to an incredibly well known and universally accepted theorem known as "the aging curve".
So getting a younger group of core players, and thus investing most of our money in sub 30 players is a good idea.
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On roster composition and coaching for next season- considering the changes that have begun and are likely to continue, and assuming Lavi gets canned, how long does BMac wait to bring in a new coaching staff? I'm guessing the brain trust will try to identify coaching candidates who can get the most out of the guys who are likely to be in the team's uni next season. So after the RS ends and if Lavi remains a lame duck, does BMac drag things out and wait to see whether any playoff coaches get the ax, or make a selection (with Ted's assent) out of who's available in the candidate pool (out of work former NHL coaches and minor league/college (?) coaches)? One complaint about Lavi is that he didn't seem to significantly adjust his on-ice strategy to the personnel he had available. imo it wouldn't make much sense to bring in a mostly AHL-experienced coach like Carberry or Nelson if the team is not expected to have a significant infusion of young blood next season. Whomever they hire as the next head coach may say alot about where mgmt sees the team headed.
trick9
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Dylan Strome was a guest on Spitting Chiclets. Lots of interesting things regarding this season, the team, Laviolette, Carlson, Ovechkin and Backstrom for example. Pretty cool stories of Ovechkin too.
CapitalsCupReality
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g00n
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Nobody is disputing the team needing to get younger overall. But just looking at the total average age of the team is misleading.
Other teams have 30+yr olds within their core and among their top scorers. The problem with the metric is Ovie is 37 but also our top producer. Removing him would drop our average age considerably but also devastate our production. Backstrom is 35 and has only played 19 games because of his surgery. Oshie is 36, also raising the average age quite a bit. Irwin at 35 and Eller at 33 also elevate our average without much core contribution.
The Canes are young at the top and TB are mixed, but the Bruins are definitely an older bunch when it comes to scoring load
So it's not just age alone. Or at least it doesn't have to be.
We have a lot of middling UFAs who are right around 30. They can probably be moved out without much negative impact and more possible upside in any kind of retool.
trick9
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I don't think these are the things people want to hear. I can give you a few ones.
- Wheels fell off when Carlson was injured. He isn't someone you can replace.
- Also says that it’s really tough for them to be constantly chasing the games. Need to start the games better.
- Pretty high praise for Laviolette. Apparently a great coach and a very good motivator. Pushes the right buttons with players.
- Lots of high praise on Ovechkin. Says he was so happy when Ovechkin got that goal to pass Howe. Guys apparently joke to him about passing someone called "Mr.Hockey".
- People who are hoping for Backstrom to LTIRetire, don't hold your breath.
- It was pretty interesting to hear him speak about his struggles and high expectations in Arizona. On the outside does look like some of that stuff applies to our own prospects who are close to NHL-ready.
- Players were shocked to find out Orlov and Hathaway were scratched and then traded. Still very motivated to make the Playoffs. This isn't surprising though.
895
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Can you elaborate on this part? He specifically said that or he just talked about how competitive, how much NB loves the game, etc, etc ?
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trick9
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I actually thought the Blues, Caps, and Bruins (along with the Pens) were prime candidates for taking steps back this year. Seem to have gotten 3 out of 4 right, but the one I missed, I really missed.
I did not figure that Bergeron was such a serious unicorn, and that there would continue to be no noticeable decline in his two-way play at 37. I do think Krejci and Marchand are due for some slippage soon, but apparently not this year
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TSN now showing four current Caps - Eller (#9), Jensen (#23), Gus (#33) and Sheary (#35) - among the top 35 on their "Trade Bait" board. Trade Bait 28 Feb
Them putting Eller at 9 and Gus at 33 says a lot about the quality of their analysis.
Eller has that Stanley Cup pedigree, Gustafsson has played for 6 teams in the last 4 years.
But I do agree the list order is whack, Jensen should be way higher.
twabby
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Eller's going to go for way more than he's worth. And I'm here for it!
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like…..as in handsome? Hmmm
I’d like to see @twabby give us a detailed look into all the advanced stats and see what it shows….my eye test….shows a guy treading water at best.
Does that mean I think he’s done? Heck no…..if his hip is indeed ”fixed”……he should recover and get stronger during the off-season. No playoffs will probably help him big time…..
I highly highly doubt we get a first for Gustafsson. He's got a long history of letting down teams and being a wasted pick up. There's a reason we got him dirt cheap.
I don't think it is a what have you done for me lately league. That's why both Orlov and ROR returned a first not playing as well as they could. There's always examples of teams overpaying for what guys used to be. Caps getting Shattenkirk was one.
But agreed on Eller, his ranking is quite high.
3.5x5 years wont be that bad
I would make it higher cap hit for less years even, or maybe not
sign him if there is no taker for very good price
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twabby
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Backstrom is holding his own defensively. He actually has the 24th best overall defensive impact as measured by GAR/60 this season.
But among forwards who have 300+ minutes of overall ice time, Backstrom has the second worst GAR/60 when it comes to offensive impact in the entire NHL. He's ahead of only Jake Leschyshyn. When combined with his good defensive impact his overall GAR/60 is still the 9th worst among 420 qualified forwards in the NHL.
It's not a tenable situation, and there's no way to sugarcoat it: Backstrom's return is a huge reason why the offense fell off a cliff IMO. There were other factors for sure, but his return is the top of the list in my estimation.
Even if you give Backstrom a full offseason to continue to strengthen his hip and even if there are no setbacks, what's the realistic best outcome next year? I don't think it's much more than an ok 3C and an adequate but not great PP QB. It'd be one thing if he was underperforming because he needs to get his timing back and his legs underneath him. But being at the bottom of the league is much lower than just underperforming, and it leads me to believe his time as an impact player in the NHL is over as sad as it is to conclude.
I was originally of the opinion that they keep Backstrom and Ovechkin no matter what, but now I'm just not sure they can keep Backstrom and return to being competitive in any way. $9.2 million for one of the worst forwards in the entire NHL just...can't happen.
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