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

[Blackhawkswincup]

Still think Mantha might be dumpable to a floor team like Anaheim or Arizona with just one year left. The buyout option also isn’t that bad either.

I’m not sure you need to attach anything to get rid of him. I’d probably give him away for free to whoever wants him for a year. Chicago, Anaheim, Arizona, whoever. But don’t really care to attach a pick to get rid of him.

Problem there (At least for Arizona) is that Mantha's cap hit will be lower then his actual cost which is reverse of what is appealing to teams looking to reach cap floor

$6.5M in salary for Mantha next year while carrying a $5.7M cap hit as it was heavily backloaded over last 2 years cost wise

 

[Misery74]

Nobody said he’s flawless. But his flaws are not the reason the team is in the shitter. It’s a weird hill for people to die on.

Last night, he scored a goal, and was minus three.

Just to be clear, OV has been a blessing. But he needs to be better on the defensive end of the ice. He was a reason they lost last night.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

This one bugs me. Happy for those guys to move on and get success. And I won’t let Sammy completely off the hook for his time here.. but I was always in the boat the last couple years that goaltending wasn’t the problem. I woulda picked one of them and got an experienced backup to come in. GMBM and PL scapegoated the goalies to cover up for a poorly constructed and poorly coached team.

Dom’s model at The Athletic grades Vitek as a C, Sammy as a C+, and Copley as a C-. They’re playing for better teams so their records are better but their individual numbers are average to poor and they’re still the weakest link on their respective teams.

This does bring up an interesting point though… goaltending seems to be questionable this season for many teams. What contenders feel good about their goaltending? In the East you have Boston, NYI, Tampa, and…? Shesterkin is terrific but he’s very average this year. Carolina has three goalies they’re trying to work through. Toronto, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Buffalo, Ottawa, and Florida all have shaky and inconsistent goaltending. In the West you have Dallas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg with solid goaltending. Georgiev is having a good season with Colorado but he’s far from a sure thing. Vegas, Seattle, LA, Edmonton, and Calgary all have average to weak goaltending.

Can’t remember a time when goaltending seemed like such a toss-up for this many playoff teams.

 

[AZ Caps Fan]

Nobody said he’s flawless. But his flaws are not the reason the team is in the shitter. It’s a weird hill for people to die on.

I disagree. He's certainly not the biggest reason but he's part of a team on the decline. You don't think this team would be better with a 27 year old Ovi? Of course ten years ago he wasn't the leader he is now but this team sure could use an mvp caliber player right about now.

 

[HeyMattyB]

Or perhaps we could expect the other guys on the team to do their jobs and not wait around for Ovechkin to do everything for them all the time in his 18th season? You honestly think Ovechkin being a little more physical at times or hustling a bit more here and there is going to make up for the deficiencies of all the other veterans severely underplaying their paychecks?

No, I honestly think Ovechkin being a little more physical at times or hustling a bit more here and there is going to partially make up for his own deficiencies. Is that too much to ask of the team's captain?

Nobody said he’s flawless. But his flaws are not the reason the team is in the shitter. It’s a weird hill for people to die on.

You said so yourself: he's not flawless. There's room for him to adapt as he gets older. But who here has straight-up blamed Ovechkin for the team being in the shitter? Nobody. By my count, one person said Ovi can contribute more than firing shots while being fed passes. Another person said Ovi can be lazy at times, but that he isn't even in the Top 5 reasons why the team sucks now.

These are not controversial statements. So why do they upset you so much? Why do they make you so defensive and argumentative? Seems like you're the one on the hill. So chill out, man.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Last night, he scored a goal, and was minus three.

Just to be clear, OV has been a blessing. But he needs to be better on the defensive end of the ice. He was a reason they lost last night.

Sure, he can be better defensively. No arguments here. But who was his center? This guy. He was also a -3, as was Wilson.

 

[Calicaps]

Just a reminder that 8 lost his father a few weeks ago. Then his BFF was traded to the probable Cup champ. He's not 100%. Cut the man some slack, people.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Just a reminder that 8 lost his father a few weeks ago. Then his BFF was traded to the probable Cup champ. He's not 100%. Cut the man some slack, people.

I love the fact that he's f***ing pissed off. Idk. Good for him. He still has that edge.

 

[Misery74]

Sure, he can be better defensively. No arguments here. But who was his center? This guy. He was also a -3, as was Wilson.

View attachment 664724

You won’t get any argument from me on this one.

 

[YippieKaey]

Yes, he is flawless. Happy now?

I was never unhappy, just in disagreement with you. Lazy is a derogatory term. And he works harder than anyone on this forum. What matters though is he is producing at an elite level. That's his job as an offensive winger. It's what he's always done. Im sure he could backcheck more but why should he when is the only scoring threat we have?

 

[Corby78]

View attachment 664641
first try!

Caps and blues? I would approve of that

 

[Corby78]

If we were a well built team Ovie wouldn’t need to be a defensive stud to win. That’s never been his best part of his game anyway. He would be a second line guy or the top two lines would be splitting time.

Guys like Mantha/Kuzy/Wilson/Carlson should be carrying this team, while 8/TJ/19 are the lockeroom leadership and playing secondary roles. I think expecting 35+ age dudes to carry a playoff bound team is asking for issues.

 

[usiel]

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

Jake Livingstone looks intriguing.

 

[RedRocking]

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.

Then he should convince Nick to retire so we have the money to bring Orlov back.

 

[McVechkin]

Dom’s model at The Athletic grades Vitek as a C, Sammy as a C+, and Copley as a C-. They’re playing for better teams so their records are better but their individual numbers are average to poor and they’re still the weakest link on their respective teams.

This does bring up an interesting point though… goaltending seems to be questionable this season for many teams. What contenders feel good about their goaltending? In the East you have Boston, NYI, Tampa, and…? Shesterkin is terrific but he’s very average this year. Carolina has three goalies they’re trying to work through. Toronto, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Buffalo, Ottawa, and Florida all have shaky and inconsistent goaltending. In the West you have Dallas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg with solid goaltending. Georgiev is having a good season with Colorado but he’s far from a sure thing. Vegas, Seattle, LA, Edmonton, and Calgary all have average to weak goaltending.

Can’t remember a time when goaltending seemed like such a toss-up for this many playoff teams.

Ya. I think that is just another way to look at it and get to the same spot. Average goaltending is all you really need in this league with the right system and players in front of them.

 

[RedRocking]

I really like the way AA is playing. I hope they finally have some faith in him moving forward (and that he’s past his injury issues). You picked him in the 1st for a reason, so give him some runway next year. Lots of upside there.

However, a left side of Sandin-Fever-AA is pretty young and kinda suspect. Not sure how that will shake out. The FO really seems to think highly of Fever, so maybe they put him back with Carlson (Sandin and Carlson don’t make sense together imo), and then can slot AA with TvR. So every kid would be paired with a solid vet on the right side.

It’s far from ideal, but I’d rather they spend cap space/assets on the forwards and let these youngsters on the blueline develop.

 

[pman25]

Problem there (At least for Arizona) is that Mantha's cap hit will be lower then his actual cost which is reverse of what is appealing to teams looking to reach cap floor

$6.5M in salary for Mantha next year while carrying a $5.7M cap hit as it was heavily backloaded over last 2 years cost wise

Yes which is why a trade may only work with Arizona is if they move out Schmaltz who has a $5.8 cap hit but owed something like $7.5 million next year (and the years after). Move out Schmaltz, add Mantha and that’s a net $1 million in savings next year. I’ve been proposing a Mantha+ type trade with the Yotes.

Otherwise, I don’t think the caps attach a 2nd or 3rd to move Mantha. More likely to buy him out or find a hockey trade. Hawks could probably add him for free if they need bodies and see him as a potential asset to sell at the 2024 deadline

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

The issue with OV is he is by FAR our best offensive weapon. Anytime a 37 year old is your best weapon that’s a slight on the way the roster is built. I get that OV is an exception and still top 10 in goals at his age. But they are playing him too many minutes because nobody else can score. He really should be playing top PP time and then fewer ES minutes. He has never been a hound on the puck or F1 in a forecheck. His job is to have someone else get him the puck and score.

 

[CapsGr8]

The issue with OV is he is by FAR our best offensive weapon. Anytime a 37 year old is your best weapon that’s a slight on the way the roster is built. I get that OV is an exception and still top 10 in goals at his age. But they are playing him too many minutes because nobody else can score. He really should be playing top PP time and then fewer ES minutes. He has never been a hound on the puck or F1 in a forecheck. His job is to have someone else get him the puck and score.

He's not just any 37-year-old...

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

He's not just any 37-year-old...

I said he was exceptional. But at the end of the day he is still 37. You should not be relying on any player that age to be leading your team in goals or points. We do not even have another 20 goal scorer.

 

[Cappy76]

I said he was exceptional. But at the end of the day he is still 37. You should not be relying on any player that age to be leading your team in goals or points. We do not even have another 20 goal scorer.

That's a little misleading this season. Wilson and Oshie probably are 20 goal guys in a full season.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

I said he was exceptional. But at the end of the day he is still 37. You should not be relying on any player that age to be leading your team in goals or points. We do not even have another 20 goal scorer.

This. They need to stop relying on a bunch of 36+ year olds to be their offense. Hence why I keep saying a core piece needs to be jettisoned to clear cap space for a younger option or two.

 

[Hivemind]

That's a little misleading this season. Wilson and Oshie probably are 20 goal guys in a full season.

That would be fine if we could count on them for full seasons. But, especially with Oshie, we cannot.

Moreover, this is the highest scoring season in a long while. 76 players have already hit the 20G mark. There could be 50 more who reach that mark by season's end. Our second leading goal scorer this season, the aforementioned TJ Oshie, is tied for 115th in the NHL in goals scored. Having three 20G guys in a season where they're impervious to injury would still be far below average this season. For context, Arizona already has two 20G scorers, and Nick Schmaltz is at 19. We're in the same boat as teams like the Coyotes, Ducks, Blue Jackets, Canadiens, and Red Wings when it comes to scoring depth this season. It's not good company to be in.

To put it another way, the Capitals have Alexander Ovechkin and are still tied for 14th in the league in goals scored.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

This. They need to stop relying on a bunch of 36+ year olds to be their offense. Hence why I keep saying a core piece needs to be jettisoned to clear cap space for a younger option or two.

Find me younger options then jettison lol….

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Find me younger options then jettison lol….

Totally. I guess my point is that they should be open to moving popular players if need be.