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

[twabby]

Ehlers has defensive flaws but he’s one of the top ES drivers of offense in the league and is no slouch on the power play. With 2 years left at $6 million he could be a good buy-low option to bolster the top 6.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Ehlers has defensive flaws but he’s one of the top ES drivers of offense in the league and is no slouch on the power play. With 2 years left at $6 million he could be a good buy-low option.

Mantha and we add the pillsbury dough boy.

I mean, no one dislikes the PDB

 

[twabby]

Mantha and we add the pillsbury dough boy.

I mean, no one dislikes the PDB

Can’t teach size!

Mantha is also pretty big.

 

[Calicaps]

It's a good night for the tank! Back in contention!

 

[Pigskin]

2 points for buffalo at home would have been better

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Sammi recently resigned at her old position at Washington Hockey Now, and I saw some comments speculating she was going to be the new Post beat writer. No idea if it’s true, but if it is she’d be great at it. She loves the game and unlike a lot of others she likely wouldn’t be using it as a stepping stone to another gig.

Whatever it is we’ll find out soon.

I met her at MedStar in the pro shop once this past fall. I was f***ing around while waiting for my skates to get sharpened and she was taking a quick break while work on a Sunday. Have engaged with her a few times on Twitter as well. She’s great and we’d be lucky to have her as the beat writer.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Just realized Todd Nelson is coaching Hershey. IIRC Yakupov rebounded nicely under him when he took over for Eakins in 2015. Seems like a Don Granato type coach. Wouldn't mind him taking over. Always wondered why he never got more shots as a HC and Rick Dudley never got more shots as a GM after bringing Ladd, Byfuglien etc to Atlanta.

Not sure Todd Nelson would be a good candidate. Just looking at the stats, Hershey this season looks like a defense first team. They are 2nd in GA/GAA, while their offense is challenged a bit. Think of them as the NY Islanders of the AHL.

Caps still have some good offensive talent. They need a coach who can mix vets while developing the younger players, have a d-zone system that isn't so complicated and fits the roster at hand, while also having the forwards be creative and finish in a more up tempo style. The current coaching staff(minus Scott Allen) seem to be too much forcing the players to adopt a system, when the system in place should be adjusted to the type of players on the roster. This coaching staff does not do much in having the players play to their strengths. It's one of reasons why the team plays so inconsistent from game to game.

 

[Hivemind]

Nelson is someone worth considering for the job, but if he was the guy they were most interested in they should have already fired Lavi and promoted him with an interim tag to give him a trial run.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Nelson is someone worth considering for the job, but if he was the guy they were most interested in they should have already fired Lavi and promoted him with an interim tag to give him a trial run.

Call me crazy but I wouldn’t be thrilled with trusting Ovi’s last years with the team with Nelson.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Call me crazy but I wouldn’t be thrilled with trusting Ovi’s last years with the team with Nelson.

Read the Hershey thread. He does not sound like our guy.

 

[Corby78]

Moved to 11th, and the way Van is playing 10th isn’t too far off.

 

[WanderingCapsFan]

Moved to 11th, and the way Van is playing 10th isn’t too far off.

Tanky McTankerston.

 

[YippieKaey]

Ehlers has defensive flaws but he’s one of the top ES drivers of offense in the league and is no slouch on the power play. With 2 years left at $6 million he could be a good buy-low option to bolster the top 6.

He also has good speed and skating, something this teams forwards desperately need.

 

[John Price]

 

[OV Rocks]

Didn't see Halpern anywhere on that list which is surprising because he is the ideal candidate for the Caps. Working with Cooper now for 5 years is a perfect amount of experience. Cooper is a master at adjusting his strategy to fit the team unlike what we have dealt with.

NHL vet who played with Ovi and will do everything to get him that record but hold him accountable.

 

[crazy8888]

Didn't see Halpern anywhere on that list which is surprising because he is the ideal candidate for the Caps. Working with Cooper now for 5 years is a perfect amount of experience. Cooper is a master at adjusting his strategy to fit the team unlike what we have dealt with.

NHL vet who played with Ovi and will do everything to get him that record but hold him accountable.

Did he personally tell you that? Not trying to attack or anything just trying to figure out how you obtained this in depth knowlege of his perosnal thoughts?

 

[Brian23]

Kids might actually be ready, whoda thunk the Coaching staff was wrong.

 

[Silky mitts]

I believe this is the first time Micah has had Caps picking in top 11

 

[OV Rocks]

Did he personally tell you that? Not trying to attack or anything just trying to figure out how you obtained this in depth knowlege of his perosnal thoughts?

Na but he did tell me how to use spellcheck.

 

[Calicaps]

Love seeing all the women on that list. Very promising.

As far as the Caps go, I confess that Colliton is interesting to me. Tried and failed (as so many do) in his first NHL head coaching gig. Went off to learn the job better and seems to have taken that work seriously. Been coaching in the A. I mentioned previously that I guy on a second go-round was my preference, over a rookie head coach, and he fits the bill in that regard. Don't know much about his AHL success level though.

 

[OV Rocks]

I'm not ready to give up on Kuzy with the Caps. I think his current form is a byproduct of the Laviolette system and how he has deployed Kuzy, 3rd line center between two piss poor wingers, PP2, and PK2. Last year we were all praising Kuzy, he never left the top6 and was on the ice for 88% of the time that OV was on the PP.

I want to keep Kuzy, I want to keep Kuzy with a new coach who lets him play his game, but more so I want to keep Kuzy as a winger. There is a glut of center in the organization and there needs to be a turnover, right now you have tons of guys who (can) play center:
Kuzy
Strome
Backstrom
Dowd
Protas
Lapierre
McMichael
Malenstyn
Frank
Sgarbossa

I think Kuzy can transition to wing, and a line of Ovechkin-Strome-Kuznetsov will drive offense - they might be the worst line in the NHL on D but man will they be dynamic.

Transition Backstrom to wing and put one of Lapierre/McMichael at center with Oshie on the other side. Amazing leadership on the wings of a new center.

This does mean we need a 2C for Milano and Wilson - Mark Scheifele, Schmaltz, O'Reilly, Monahan, there are options out there.

Ovechkin-Strome-Kuznetsov
Milano-Scheifele-Wilson
Backstrom-Lapierre-Oshie
Protas-Dowd-NAK

Fehevary-Carlson
Sandin-Jensen
Alexyev-TVR

Also Scheifele and Schmidt would be a nice combo to get returned from WPG if possible

 

[crazy8888]

Na but he did tell me how to use spellcheck.

Awwww good for you

 

[OV Rocks]

Awwww good for you

Play stupid games win stupid prizes

 

[pman25]

Lapierre has struggled a bit down the stretch for Hershey while McMichael has been the better player. Don't see how Lapierre jumps him on the depth chart for 3c (If a 3c spot is even open)

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Bad news: Jonas Siegenthaler is on the list. Good news: Nick Jensen is on the list.

Nick Jensen, Washington Capitals​

Nick Jensen exudes so many qualities you love to see in a modern second-pair defenseman.

He’s played the most minutes matched up against elite players of any Caps defender over the last couple of seasons according to PuckIQ. Jensen’s performed well in that arduous workload, helping the Capitals gain a modest edge in shot attempts and expected goals. Since last season, the Capitals have scored 25 goals more than they’ve allowed with Jensen deployed at five-on-five.

It’s a huge advantage for your team if you have a second-pair defender that can not only absorb the toughest matchups but decisively win them. It’s especially rare to find that type of second-pair impact from an affordable right-shot defenseman, which Jensen is.

Jensen drives these quality results because of his excellent skating ability. He and former partner Dmitry Orlov both had strong puck-moving numbers, but Corey Sznajder’s tracking this season indicates Jensen was the real workhorse at being the first man back to cleanly retrieve the puck in the defensive zone. That ability to transition the puck is why he’s consistently driven excellent defensive results — whether it be in terms of his shots, scoring chances or actual goals-against rates.

Who are the most underrated defensemen in the NHL?

The Athletic's Harman Dayal shines a spotlight on 10 high-end NHL players who fly under the radar.

theathletic.com