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

[CapitalsCupReality]

4 years of first round exits coupled with a sell off has the glass almost empty. The glass half full folks want us to lose out and basically seem fine with Ovi never in the playoffs ever again.

Nahh…we all want Ovy in the playoffs….

 

[Calicaps]

4 years of first round exits coupled with a sell off has the glass almost empty. The glass half full folks want us to lose out and basically seem happy with Ovi never in the playoffs ever again.

Nobody wants that. Some of us view this as an aggressive but strategic retool to get Ovi back into the playoffs ASAP and keep him on track for 895. Drafting and developing should have been better, yes. But they weren't. So rather than starting with teenagers now, they're going after mid-to-late 20s guys who are NHL proven. They need guys on a 4 lines and all 3 D pairs. So far they've added Strome. Milano. NAK. Sandin. Protas looks ready. Frank will get a shot. But at the draft and offseason I expect we'll see a lot of assets going out for more young guys. Plus there's UFAs, and yeah, it's a weak class, but still.

He's basically the new Brett Connolly give or take

That would be outstanding if it worked out.

 

[Pigskin]

To be fair, we haven't had a pick in the top 20 since 2014. I think our drafting is fine. Graduating less talented and ready players is not that easy. We have made a mess of a few also. We have been contending for a long time, using picks, and the prospect pool has been ranked low for many years.

On a separate note, I see Strome as the teams new 3C (Eller). He would be a top end 3C. Good Kuzy can be a top end 2C. Dowd is a good 4C. Just need a 1C ... sorry Backy.

 

[DWGie26]

I just can't shake the notion that GMBM should have been drafting/graduating players of his ilk yet he just keeps bringing in forwards from other teams for 4 years now and its not working. Less than 2M isn't going to break the bank sure its most just another admission of failure on his part.

There were a couple of good articles based on pressers and interview GMBM has done today. NOVACaps and RMDB. He basically said all coaches who are completing for a championship favor veterans. And winning a championship has been the goal since Lavi got here. Execution wasn’t there but that was the mission. Good reads.

 

[Corby78]

Plenty to be pissy about, why we are dumping on Milano I don’t know. Nice suprise and worth his salary. Good grief

 

[Ovi895]

That would be outstanding if it worked out.

they're basically the same story. Highly skilled junior players whose game didn't translate to the pros and become seen as a liability. Each gets chewed through by a hard ass defensive vet loving coach (Torts for Milano, Cassidy for Connolly) eventually they make it to the caps as a last stop on the way out of the NHL where they find a role. Only difference is that Milano's skilled at forming a duo with other more skilled players whereas Conno was the guy floating around behind the fray and sniping any lose pucks that came his way. He might have had the best shot I've seen in a bottom 6 guy, release, accuracy, not needing to get it in stride, everything was top notch, but he always came off like he just wandered onto a pickup game knowing how to capitalize and not be a liability but playing with his teammates for the first time. Which is why he was so good for 3rd line offense but never a candidate for a top 6 role on any team including Florida who I guess saw his numbers and TOI but didn't realize how he got them. Milano on the other hand fuses with his center be it Zegras, Strome, Kuzy, hobbled Backstrom to a lesser extent and kills it on give and go and timing plays against lower quality competition. So he might stick on the 2nd line instead of being strictly made for 3rd like Conno was.

This was Milano his draft year. Thought he could be the 2nd coming of Kane if he put it all together.

 

[YippieKaey]

In terms of upcoming FAs the only top 6 wingers that seem available and attractive would be Jesper Bratt, Tyler Bertuzzi and Sean Monahan. And i guess if not Bratt then Meier.

Would love Meier on a second line with Strome and maybe Protas if he keeps developing. Goalscorer, playmaker and defensive conscience. All pretty big boys too. Bratt might be even better though given his playdriving and speed.

 

[Roshi]

I dont understand why someone would be mad over the fact we didnt "develope" a bottom liner from our own prospects, but instead got one from the free agency for the same money for free.

Whats the difference. Why is it important that "Sonny Milano" or "Aube-Kubel" would be our own draft pick.

Good 3rd, 4th liners will always be avaivable, you just have to find the right ones. It has zero meaning if its developed from within the system or from another system. Some 3rd or 4th round picks or whatever are ridiculously over valued in hfboards.

Theres just no point complaining about that.

 

[g00n]

I'd rather see how Kuzy and Mantha play under the next coach than buy anyone out. Assuming Lavi is gone.

This is probably the correct answer, but they should both be on a very short leash.

I'd be more optimistic about Kuzy responding to a new coach than Mantha because we've seen Kuzy deliver at the highest level after a coach brought him into formation.

Mantha strikes me more and more as a paycheck guy who happened to have a lot of natural talent. No coach is going to change players like that for more than a few games.

 

[Langway]

They are well short of one top six winger slotting them back into place. Too clunky and declining by far.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Ovechkin Kuznetsov Wilson
Milano Strome Oshie
X-Backstrom-X
X-Dowd-Kubel

Other than Kuznetsov all those players are pretty much set in stone for one reason or another and I doubt Kuznetsov is leaving as replacing him with McMichael is a huge downgrade at this point and won't help the 99 chase or playoff contention. And who else is there? Domi? Broken down Backstrom version of ROR? Even more broken down version of Toews? Those Xs could easily be Mantha, Protas and Lapierre/McMichael /Snively/Malentsyn to start the season and they probably wouldn't sink.

Would be cool if they somehow swung a trade for Karlsson and ran all the offense with him without him falling off. Only situation I'd be fine with replacing Kuznetsov since with Karlsson the dynamic would be Karlsson>Ovechkin>3 plugs to screen the goalie, tip pucks and cover on defense.

Ovechkin-xx-xx
xx-Strome-Wilson
Milano-Backstrom-Oshie
Protas-Dowd-NAK

xx-Carlson
Sandin-Jensen
Fehervary-TvR

In my estimation they’re missing a 1C, a top 6 winger (or two, Protas would be great as 4LW), and a top four LHD. I’d also want to replace Backstrom with McMike and use that money elsewhere but Nick isn’t going anywhere so hoping he can become an overpaid but solid 3C and special teams guy is probably our best hope.

They have to get faster and infuse skill into the top six and find a top four defenseman. I don’t know what you do with Kuznetsov. He’s legitimately one of the worst players in the NHL in his own zone and the Kuzy Magic has dried up for the most part. He looks disinterested and disengaged for long stretches. He makes young Ovi look like Patrice Bergeron in the defensive zone. Just a maddening season from him but I don’t know if you cut bait and look to use his money elsewhere or if you hope a new coach gives us back the old Kuzy, or at least a slightly watered down version of it. 1Cs don’t grow on trees and when you find one you don’t let them go, so prying one away will be tough.

BMac has a tough road ahead of him this summer. Adding one big piece is tough let alone two or three. He needs the players he paid to live up to their contracts because the supporting cast has been good enough to give them another bite at the apple. And he’s going to need to hire a new coach.

 

[twabby]

Ovechkin-xx-xx
xx-Strome-Wilson
Milano-Backstrom-Oshie
Protas-Dowd-NAK

xx-Carlson
Sandin-Jensen
Fehervary-TvR

In my estimation they’re missing a 1C, a top 6 winger (or two, Protas would be great as 4LW), and a top four LHD. I’d also want to replace Backstrom with McMike and use that money elsewhere but Nick isn’t going anywhere so hoping he can become an overpaid but solid 3C and special teams guy is probably our best hope.

They have to get faster and infuse skill into the top six and find a top four defenseman. I don’t know what you do with Kuznetsov. He’s legitimately one of the worst players in the NHL in his own zone and the Kuzy Magic has dried up for the most part. He looks disinterested and disengaged for long stretches. He makes young Ovi look like Patrice Bergeron in the defensive zone. Just a maddening season from him but I don’t know if you cut bait and look to use his money elsewhere or if you hope a new coach gives us back the old Kuzy, or at least a slightly watered down version of it. 1Cs don’t grow on trees and when you find one you don’t let them go, so prying one away will be tough.

BMac has a tough road ahead of him this summer. Adding one big piece is tough let alone two or three. He needs the players he paid to live up to their contract because the supporting cast has been good enough to give them another bite at the apple. And he’s going to need to hire a new coach.

Barring a draft lottery miracle I think the #11 or so draft pick needs to be traded and will be a highly attractive asset. Maybe not enough to get a 1C on its own but enough to get a top-end winger I would imagine. And maybe packaged with another asset they could get a 1C. If the decision is a quick retool then what good is drafting and developing a #11 overall pick when that player will take years to have an NHL impact?

I agree that Sandin probably shouldn’t be paired with Carlson to start. I think their skillsets with the puck overlap a bit too much and that Sandin would be a good match with Jensen. Hopefully Jensen can return soon and we can see that pair in action.

I do agree they are missing a top 4 LHD right now. I think they need to make a decision on Fehervary this offseason. If they aren’t going to pencil him in as a top 4 D next year (as they shouldn’t IMO) then I think they need to consider cashing in on his value that I suspect he might carry across the league in order to help upgrade the roster elsewhere. I know it would go against the “younger and faster” edict to trade him but at some point he needs to provide more than a bottom pair impact if he wants to secure a spot on the roster. I am very curious to see what his next contract is going to come in at if/when they do decide to keep him. It should be a cheap bridge but I could see them going long term which I think would be a mistake.

I think they need to get rid of Kuznetsov even if they have to settle for a lower-ceiling guy. He’s had his shots and I think there is too much risk entering next season with him on the roster and passing up potential center options in the offseason. I wish I knew who they could target though. I’ve gone through the list of centers I see as potential good fits and the only one I can see that might potentially be available if things break exactly right and negotiations break down would be Elias Pettersson. Though Washington might have a better chance of winning the draft lottery than this happening!

 

[Langway]

The curious thing for me in MacLellan's thinking is that on the one hand he seems to grasp there's a need to add a clear impact talent up front. And then on the other he has kept the door open to extending Sheary. Where's the spot for him? 4LW? Really? Time to move on. Time to move on from a lot of players who the game has passed by. But much of that seems unlikely to happen any time soon.

Even if they get out of Mantha's final year, add a Schmaltz type and have enough left over to upgrade various depth spots on the cheap it's not enough. This core doesn't have it in them to control the middle of the ice. You're not making the playoffs with this center group and good luck in the near-term navigating out of that. To neither have the ability to win races nor battles makes for an extremely limited group. If you're not fast at least make it a scramble and a brawl. But, no, they don't even have the center personnel for that. They don't have the horses and mere tweakery is likely to result in the same uphill dynamic. Adding a scoring piece would help but on some level it's not even worth bothering, particularly if it's either a fading player or a contract that doesn't project to age well.

MacLellan has signaled the plan with Fehervary is 2LD and likely going value/cheap on D overall you'd think. Things can change so we'll see. I'm fine with them just slowly bleeding out and adding top ten picks until ownership finally faces facts. (And I do think MacLellan at least does realize these glaringly thorny issues. It's just a lot easier said than done going about solving them.)

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

first try!

 

[Misery74]

There were a couple of good articles based on pressers and interview GMBM has done today. NOVACaps and RMDB. He basically said all coaches who are completing for a championship favor veterans. And winning a championship has been the goal since Lavi got here. Execution wasn’t there but that was the mission. Good reads.

This was always going to be the problem. GM and HC going in opposite directions. One of the dumbest ways to run a team I can remember.

 

[Langway]

Top College Free Agents Eligible To Sign With NHL Teams in 2023 - FloHockey

Jake Livingstone and Hunter McKown are among the top NCAA free agents that NHL teams will be after this spring.

www.flohockey.tv

 

[Rayquaza64]

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

BMac was on EITM and mentioned how Ovi was still not happy about Orlov being moved out. Added that he wants to be competitive and wants to win. Interesting.

 

[g00n]

View attachment 664641
first try!

Too much of a coincidence that several of us have had this happen on first or 2nd try.

I wonder if they're using IP address location to weight their "random" results.

If anyone has any friends in Philly for some unfathomable reason, maybe they could give it a try and see if the Flyers win on 1st or 2nd throw.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Too much of a coincidence that several of us have had this happen on first or 2nd try.

I wonder if they're using IP address location to weight their "random" results.

If anyone has any friends in Philly for some unfathomable reason, maybe they could give it a try and see if the Flyers win on 1st or 2nd throw.

The other day I did 20 tries and only got #2 a few times…

 

[bacchist]

The other day I did 20 tries and only got #2 a few times…

That's way above expectation.

 

[HeyMattyB]

Too much of a coincidence that several of us have had this happen on first or 2nd try.

I wonder if they're using IP address location to weight their "random" results.

If anyone has any friends in Philly for some unfathomable reason, maybe they could give it a try and see if the Flyers win on 1st or 2nd throw.

I live in Philly. Just did it 20 times. Got the Caps at #1 once. The Flyers at #1 once. Every other time, it was Flyers at #8-#9 and Caps at #11-#12 (with a minor variation once or twice).

 

[bacchist]

BMac was on EITM and mentioned how Ovi was still not happy about Orlov being moved out. Added that he wants to be competitive and wants to win. Interesting.

Ovie needs to focus on his own play and not management decisions.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

That's way above expectation.

Maybe I should head to the draft lottery?

I think Fantilli would insert nicely into the lineup!

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Ovie needs to focus on his own play and not management decisions.

Ovi has 36 goals this season and is above PPG. I would argue his play is fine, he is not the problem, and as the best goal scorer ever, has a right to be irked about the state of this team.