Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2022-23 Season Part 3: Drop the puck!
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g00n
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HandsomeTom43
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I was in the building for the game last night at PPG. Had some friendly banter with many Pens fans. Both fan bases know the teams are on the decline. That place got deathly silent for about a minute after Strome tied it up, it was magical.
I wanted share some observations from the game.
-TJ Oshie was the worst player on the ice, in my opinion. I know Mantha was atrocious and cost them that last goal but TJ was awful. Slow, couldn't handle pucks, made bonehead decisions (with the rest of the team), took a penalty to compensate for his poor play. He can still carve out a role on this team for the remainder of his contract but he needs to be deployed more like a 4th liner who can get some PP time.
-I didn't like some of the goals Darcy let in, but they were pretty much all because of poor passes that lead to transition opportunities. He made many fantastic saves too. Game could have easily been 5-0 at the end of the 2nd. Aside from the poor passing all night, we were SLOW. As a team, the Pens are slow too, they have a few guys who can break out, but we made them look like Olympic sprinters.
-Backstrom had some good passes but his lack of mobility lead to him being out of place defensively much of the night. Like Oshie, he can have a successful role, but not in any major capacity. That being said, both guys NEED to be surrounded by some speedy, scrappy guys to cover their deficiencies and those guys aren't currently on the roster.
-I thought John Carlson looked pretty good. If he and Tom are healthy all season I believe we're a playoff team this year, inspite of all the warts this team has.
-Loved that I got to see an Ovi goal. He literally stood still for about a minute on the PP. Can't wait for a coaching staff overhaul. He looked engaged most of the night, even made a few defensive plays.
-Sandin looked good with the puck. His skating is fine. He's a bit slow but he can pivot pretty good. He's got balls too. He got a few good shots in on that fight, but him getting slung down looked bad.
I could go on, but it was a great game (3rd period). I feel like this game was a giant microcosm (oxymoron?) of the entire season. Lack of speed, inconsistent goaltending, carried by a 37 year old freak of nature, Mantha being Mantha, poor passing, etc. I do believe missing the playoffs is the best thing for this team to compete next year. It sucked to lose but most of the Pens fans were gracious and they gave Ovi a good ovation. Fun game, Ovi goal, plus a loss to aim towards the tank. Overall great experience.
Last time I was at PPG arena was Game 6 in 2018. Ahhhh the memories!
I wanted share some observations from the game.
-TJ Oshie was the worst player on the ice, in my opinion. I know Mantha was atrocious and cost them that last goal but TJ was awful. Slow, couldn't handle pucks, made bonehead decisions (with the rest of the team), took a penalty to compensate for his poor play. He can still carve out a role on this team for the remainder of his contract but he needs to be deployed more like a 4th liner who can get some PP time.
-I didn't like some of the goals Darcy let in, but they were pretty much all because of poor passes that lead to transition opportunities. He made many fantastic saves too. Game could have easily been 5-0 at the end of the 2nd. Aside from the poor passing all night, we were SLOW. As a team, the Pens are slow too, they have a few guys who can break out, but we made them look like Olympic sprinters.
-Backstrom had some good passes but his lack of mobility lead to him being out of place defensively much of the night. Like Oshie, he can have a successful role, but not in any major capacity. That being said, both guys NEED to be surrounded by some speedy, scrappy guys to cover their deficiencies and those guys aren't currently on the roster.
-I thought John Carlson looked pretty good. If he and Tom are healthy all season I believe we're a playoff team this year, inspite of all the warts this team has.
-Loved that I got to see an Ovi goal. He literally stood still for about a minute on the PP. Can't wait for a coaching staff overhaul. He looked engaged most of the night, even made a few defensive plays.
-Sandin looked good with the puck. His skating is fine. He's a bit slow but he can pivot pretty good. He's got balls too. He got a few good shots in on that fight, but him getting slung down looked bad.
I could go on, but it was a great game (3rd period). I feel like this game was a giant microcosm (oxymoron?) of the entire season. Lack of speed, inconsistent goaltending, carried by a 37 year old freak of nature, Mantha being Mantha, poor passing, etc. I do believe missing the playoffs is the best thing for this team to compete next year. It sucked to lose but most of the Pens fans were gracious and they gave Ovi a good ovation. Fun game, Ovi goal, plus a loss to aim towards the tank. Overall great experience.
Last time I was at PPG arena was Game 6 in 2018. Ahhhh the memories!
Monsterrain
Registered User
Where are all the mantha people? The thing that pisses me off the most is that hunk of shit didn’t even try to skate after him. Just stood there and watched!!
The torches and pitchforks are out in full bore. LOL.
Maybe Kuzy requested a trade publicly to get rid of Laviolette and co. New coach motivates Kuzy back to his dominate self, ahhhh I want to believe but I just can’t lol
Capsman
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What possible issue could Kuzy have with Laviolette? Despite his regularly poor effort and poor decision making he got tons of ice time. Schematically I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Laviolette’s system. He’s a good coach. My issue is with his personnel decisions.
StrikingDistance
Buford T. Justice
People here are funny. Kuzy not worth anything in trade market. We will have to pay for someone to take Mantha. these same people said we wouldn’t get anything for Eller or Johanson either.
I’d like to see both Mantha and Kuzy gone. And there are definitely assets to be had for both of them. Remember the UFA market is very weak this year. Draft talent is good. So I suspect we will see a couple of hockey trades.
I’d like to see both Mantha and Kuzy gone. And there are definitely assets to be had for both of them. Remember the UFA market is very weak this year. Draft talent is good. So I suspect we will see a couple of hockey trades.
Ovechkins Wodka
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A PPG center who has lead the playoffs in points will have value. Mantha Value much be a bit lower but I dont think either has minus value.
John Mandalorian
2022 Avs: The First Dance
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I saw your proposal on the main board. It piqued my curiosity. What about something with Girard + Newhook for Ferhervary + 2023 2nd or CMM?
Also lots of smart comments in replies to this.
I’ve seen some of you link Kusnetsov with the Avs. On the surface it may seem like a fit. However, the Avs are big on character and locker room guys so the cocaine thing might be a red flag for them (although I’m not really to sure how they view this issue specifically). Also, he makes 7.8. That’s a lot for a team who let both ROR and Kadri walk when on the verge of making this kind of money. Talent and stylistic fit is there otherwise.
Girard could be interesting but if Kuznetsov is still on the roster in DC then where does Newhook fit? Washington would still have Kuznetsov, Strome, Backstrom, and Dowd down the center which is the issue we’re trying to solve.
I also wonder if Girard and Sandin aren’t too similar in play style? Both guys a bit undersized better known for their prowess in the offensive end. And Girard’s $5M cap hit could prove to be prohibitive when it comes to their stated goal of improving their top six.
There could be something there between the two teams but I’m not sure yet what it is.
I’m right here, still disappointed that the organization has managed to turn this player into a shell of what he used to be. Mantha scored or paced to score 20 + 20 for five seasons before we got him and he was terrific defensively and this coaching staff has managed to turn him into a guy who looks like he’s never played organized hockey before.
This was his chart for the season before we traded for him.
Don't like the Girard fit, bit of a steep cap hit for a player like him. Newhook does play wing often for the Avs FYI. Avs need to move Girard most likely to accommodate Kuz, so if they find a 3rd team to take Girard that might work.
There are other teams that fit as well. St. Louis could trade for him and move Buchnevich back to wing. Detroit, Carolina, Columbus, Nashville, Chicago all likely need a center too. His value might be higher than we think as well given the meh UFA market.
I don’t love it either, which is why I mentioned in another thread or post that I’d want the swap to be centered around Devon Toews who I think would be a perfect compliment to the guys already on the roster.
twabby
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I find it hard to believe Colorado would part with Devon Toews. He’s their #2D on a sweetheart deal for one more season and they are a Stanley Cup contender this year and next. I don’t think there’s a deal Washington could make to pry Toews out of Colorado.
But I do think Kuznetsov to Colorado could work and that’s one location I could see getting him playing good hockey again. Plenty of good two-way wingers to hide his defensive flaws, no expectation for him to be the 1C, and a coach who knows what he’s doing. I’d certainly be interested in getting something of value in return for Kuznetsov and Colorado might be the team most willing to pay for him given their need at 2C. I imagine it’d have to be futures though.
But I do think Kuznetsov to Colorado could work and that’s one location I could see getting him playing good hockey again. Plenty of good two-way wingers to hide his defensive flaws, no expectation for him to be the 1C, and a coach who knows what he’s doing. I’d certainly be interested in getting something of value in return for Kuznetsov and Colorado might be the team most willing to pay for him given their need at 2C. I imagine it’d have to be futures though.
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twabby
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Also I find it difficult to believe that hiring a retread coach would be less risky than hiring a rookie coach.
Retreads might have a higher floor but they also are out of a job for a reason. Everyone thinks of Adam Oates as their rookie coach example but Jared Bednar and Jon Cooper were rookies when they were hired too. They need that level of coach to get Washington back to a high level again, not the next Peter Laviolette.
Retreads might have a higher floor but they also are out of a job for a reason. Everyone thinks of Adam Oates as their rookie coach example but Jared Bednar and Jon Cooper were rookies when they were hired too. They need that level of coach to get Washington back to a high level again, not the next Peter Laviolette.
CapitalsCupReality
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Weak backbones wilt under the strain of expectations. A new coach and a contract year next year will have him right back at the mediocre player level he’s been his whole disappointing career.
Retreads or rookies…..who cares? Hire the best candidate you can get. I don’t care if he last coached the Tallahassee Warthogs or a Cup Champion.
Or, hear me out, different coaches and systems ask different things of players and it’s not always a good fit so a player can go from being very good in one situation to not being good in another and vice versa.
If you were traded from your job and the new job had a different boss that did things differently and your work responsibilities were changed and you didn’t do as well in the new environment, does that make you a weak person? Or does it make you like everyone else who may find that situations aren’t working when circumstances change? It happens all day every day in all aspects of life and it doesn’t mean someone is weak.
g00n
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After like 10 games I said Mantha needs to be the primary scoring threat on his line so he doesn't slack or defer, and probably needs to be on the right side.
I don't think either of those things have happened for more than a one game stint, and almost certainly never both at the same time.
But eventually you get tired of trying to coax performance out of professionals, like you're trying to convince zoo pandas to mate. Maybe it's time to pack a bamboo lunch and wander into the forest.
I don't think either of those things have happened for more than a one game stint, and almost certainly never both at the same time.
But eventually you get tired of trying to coax performance out of professionals, like you're trying to convince zoo pandas to mate. Maybe it's time to pack a bamboo lunch and wander into the forest.
You make a good point though in my opinion this is not right choice from the right now. I dont think many people associate Oates with every rookie coach. That was an epic failure that would not be easy to reproduce. Though at least Ovi seemed to do good under him so not all was lost.
As far as rookie coaches go, other than Sullivan and Bylsma who else can you recall having major success in their first few seasons? Even the coaches that you named did not win anything the first few years. Plus both were given reigns of some pretty stacked young teams who were on the cusp of making it deep in the PO's.
Unfortunately Caps do not have the luxury of waiting few years for success to come. They need to win now and hiring a rookie coach would be too risky especially with this current core who are all over 30. They need someone they will respect. Not someone who is going to be learning on the job.
This team definitely needs a new coach. I like Lavi and i understand that he dealt with many roadblcoks during his time here. But his refusal or inability to develop young players stands out and has been detrimental for the organization as a whole. His decisions to constantly play vets who are not even earning a sweater over young players who need ice time are baffling at times.
Its time for a change. I want Bruce back.
John Mandalorian
2022 Avs: The First Dance
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The Avs need at 2C has been dicussed a lot but it's also worth considering that the Avs might have a limit to what they want to spend on a 2C. They traded ROR because he wanted too much money. They let Kadri walk because he became too expensive for them. They went into the season with an ELC, Compher (3.5), and or Rantanen as their main options. But they prioritized keeping the defense together. It's logical to look at the Avs and assume they'll be ok paying 7.8 for Kuznetzov but it's hardly a sure thing.
Maybe a third team like Winnipeg would make sense?
twabby
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For sure. There's no guarantee Colorado will have any interest in Kuznetsov. I think a lot of Colorado's offseason will depend on how the postseason shakes out. If they make a deep run and their top 6 looks good I imagine they won't feel the need to upgrade. If they are healthy enough I see no reason they won't make it deep again given the relative weakness of the West (minus a healthy Colorado, of course, who should be the favorites).
I don't know that Winnipeg would make sense for Kuznetsov, especially since Kuznetsov has a limited NTC and you have to figure Winnipeg is on his 10 team no trade list. Even though he reportedly requested a trade I have to imagine he has no interest in moving to Winnipeg.
Langway
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Who are the top candidates for NHL coach, GM jobs?
Hiring season will be upon us before you know it. Here are the people that could be line for the opportunities, including Cammi Granato, Spencer Carbery and Joel Ward.
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