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

[Raikkonen]

they can trade Strome, Sheary, Eller, Mantha, Jensen (last but not the least) at deadline
is Mojo UFA too?

that's a lot of assets to get our way

loosing practically nothing for twilight

Jensen could be signed again in July if the price is right

 

[EroCaps]

Unfortunately most of their trade chips are low return types.

They should still do it, though.

Rizzo would and he’s the smartest GM that a Washington team has had since Beathard or Poile and probably ever tbh.

There are 3 players at the top of this draft class that have generational potential.

 

[Langway]

The only way out of this is fully emphasizing hockey sense and development. But that requires patience, something in very short supply. Organizationally there's just not enough substantive going on beyond giving it the ol' college try. Their points of emphasis have always been flimsy once you strip away sheer effort and focus on what's really being prioritized.

Their internal problems of their own making seem likely to take them to a crossroads of whether they want to sell somewhat low on some core pieces for the sake of changing it up. As much as the more secondary pieces could use a full turnover and maybe a bit more youth I don't know what you'd realistically manage to swap in that effective adds enough to the rest. Available parts are available parts...not really game-changers. A new second D pair, 3C, 2W, 4W, replacements for Johansson/Sheary/TVR aren't all going to immediately offer them the mix that's eluding them. It's going to take stepping way further back than they seem comfortable taking or else all they're likely to do this off-season is strive to remain mid. A new coach can help shape that agenda but at this point that sort of larger coherent vision seems beyond MacLellan's grasp. More mediocre sludge with injuries blamed still seems like the most likely outcome.

 

[EroCaps]

Trading Vrana, a 1st and 2nd for Mantha should be the official end of the good will reserve for GMBM.

Almost as bad as the Forsberg debacle that put McPhee on notice.

Sell these guys off and bring in fresh blood to manage the assets.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Fire the entire coaching staff, they've completely lost the team. It's not about injuries, it's about motivation.

 

[Jags]

This is a more than reasonable plan, and I appreciate this post.

I think the main philosophical difference we have is that I do not care at all about the post-Ovie Capitals right now. I’d rather they sellout for the most important athlete in DC history and not worry at all about laying the groundwork for the post-Ovie era.

He's 37 years old and costs $10 million. The absolute best chance he has at winning another Cup is if we give him the gift of eating half his salary and trade him to a top contender. And that's only realistic while he's still putting up numbers, so sooner rather than later. That means watching him break the record with another team.

To realistically have a legitimate chance of competing for a Cup with the Caps, a LOT of things would have to go 100% right...

1) Backstrom would have to either come back with most of his ability (unlikely), outright retire (unlikely), or LTIRetire. If we're to win with $10m tied up in Ovechkin, we really need top value out of the rest of our cap. This $9.2m is crucial.​

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2) $8m is also crucial, so Carlson would either need to get his D game back (unlikely) or be traded for assets that can help us immediately (also unlikely).​

​

3) Kuznetsov needs to find a way to keep his head out of his ass 100% of the time (unlikely).​

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4) In my opinion, we need an entirely new coaching staff capable of winning a Cup quickly with a team that will need coaching help, and the team will have to buy in completely almost immediately (wildly unlikely).​

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5) Oshie needs to stay healthy AND maintain his compete level and production (unlikely), or be traded (feels unlikely, but maybe).​

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6) Mantha probably has to go. And if he and/or Oshie go, their cap hits need to be invested in impact players that contribute immediately (doable).​

​

7) We either need another high-quality, top-6 center or Strome, McMichael, and/or Lapierre need to break out big (possible if we get Nick's cap hit back, but any of those 3 becoming top-flight Cs in short order seems farfetched).​

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8) We need to shore up the defense affordably (possible if another bunch of things go 100% right).​

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It's not impossible, but with Nick holding us hostage and the organization showing almost no signs of doing ANY of these things, it really FEELS impossible.

CCR is right that we have another chance this summer to dramatically reshape the roster, but we just had that same chance and hedged, so I wouldn't hold your breath. And let's be real, a transformation that profound in one offseason is very rare. I can't really think of one, at least not any that included so much cap tied up in declining players unlikely to leave town...

 

[Jags]

The only hope is we win the lottery and draft a superstar.

Say we draft a superstar. f*** it, say we get Bedard. McDavid is in year 5 and hasn't won a Cup, playing with an offense wildly more talented than anything we're likely to put together. You think a *rookie* superstar hits the ground running fast enough to win it all?

Hell, I'm game to try. Let the NHL know we'll take Bedard.

 

[SherVaughn30]

You know its hard to make trades right now because a lot of teams are close to the salary cap. So if any, it won't be till the trade TDL or offseason. This team might be on the verge of going on a lengthy losing streak. So the next best thing is firing coaches. Lavi/McCarthy and their system, have lost the team. It's not working. Either players are having a hard time grasping it or they don't like playing in this system. The PP % is dropping rapidly as Forsythe has lost the team as well. Scott Allen I think you hold onto as he has done some good coaching in Hershey and fairly good now with the PK. There are options to hire a new coach. Tocchet has been mentioned to be a good candidate and Trotz is close to wanting to coach again.

 

[um]

Say we draft a superstar. f*** it, say we get Bedard. McDavid is in year 5 and hasn't won a Cup, playing with an offense wildly more talented than anything we're likely to put together. You think a *rookie* superstar hits the ground running fast enough to win it all?

Hell, I'm game to try. Let the NHL know we'll take Bedard.

Of course we're not likely to ever win a cup again with Ovie. That's the reality for any team in a 32 team league with a salary cap. Hell, there's a good chance Colorado never wins again with their current core.

But just being competitive and having a chance to win it, Caps can do that again.

 

[Capsman]

How much revenue is there to be made from 5-6 playoff games every year, though? Having said that, I get the part about wanting to sell tickets and fill seats during the regular season. (a question about this: doesn't the NHL participate in revenue sharing, so the least popular teams in terms of attendance still get a share of the entire ticket sales across the league?).

The problem with the $30M coming off the books next summer is this: 13 UFA's and 3 RFA's. So that's an average of $2M per player. Raising the cap will help a little, but we're not talking about freeing up a large amount of cap space to spend on 4-5 players. Most of the $30M is going to be spent replacing those 13-16 guys. And I'm guessing 5M of it - or a little more - will be spent on Orlov alone.

I think that’s where you fill with the young Hershey guys and maybe get a skilled guy or two in FA.

 

[YippieKaey]

I say sell anyone not named Ovi. Take only first rounders and young prospects. We suck and will continue to suck unless large scale changes are made.

 

[Corby78]

One way or another I think this is going to be a year that takes all doubt away that change needs to happen. No more well we were close..

 

[Misery74]

We are dreadful. 17 points in 20 games. Why hasn’t Laviolette been fired?

We have 3 first round picks that should all ge playing and getting better. He’d rather play vets that aren’t any good. We are getting worse under him.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

We are dreadful. 17 points in 20 games. Why hasn’t Laviolette been fired?

We have 3 first round picks that should all ge playing and getting better. He’d rather play vets that aren’t any good. We are getting worse under him.

Because they’re icing a lineup similar to what the second game of the preseason would look like. They are below the salary cap floor with this lineup. It’s a mess.

Lavi hasn’t really helped matters but the blame for him is over the top. There are maybe 3-4 coaches in the league who would do better in this situation.

 

[Langway]

I don't think Lavi is close to a top 10 coach fundamentally speaking. Their inability to bring the PP back around again is probably curtains. So be it. It's for the best. They have two things still well under their control when short-handed if they want it and that's the PP and 5v5 team defense. It takes fortitude to keep snatching points in desperation mode but their level of complacency with slower starts and uneven efforts says it all. They just want to show up and play like they used to when healthy and they're not that team. They're not that good to merely engage when they want to.

It's the lack of adjustments recently from a very experienced staff and core group that suggests it's probably not going to fall back in place for them. More often than not they're out of their groove than on it. That lack of fundamental cohesion much of the time doesn't have all that much to do with talent. It has to do with a fully understood, focused and executed game plan. They have needed to up the discipline to compensate and don't appear to have the capacity to do so collectively.

They'll get some pieces back soon but ultimately it's hard to believe their desperation and execeution levels will be adequate.

 

[tycoonheart]

I know Lavi is handicapped, we're missing a lot of players. But the players we currently have, Lavi is getting NOTHING out of them. Kuzy looks lost. Ovi barely gets any opportunities to score (Lavi's shitty ass system in play). Carlson is a defensive liability. Dowd + Hathaway used to be one of the best 4th lines in the league, and they look lost right now. And Mantha has never looked comfortable in this system. A good coach, IMO, gets something out of the players we currently have.

 

[EroCaps]

Blaming the coach is silly, guys.

The team is flat out not good.

 

[Misery74]

Because they’re icing a lineup similar to what the second game of the preseason would look like. They are below the salary cap floor with this lineup. It’s a mess.

Lavi hasn’t really helped matters but the blame for him is over the top. There are maybe 3-4 coaches in the league who would do better in this situation.

Laviolette does not have a contract for next year, and I think we all agree, a shakeup is needed. Blame Laviolette, or don’t, it doesn’t really matter. He needs to be fired because it’s the only way to try and inject life into this team right now.

Either that, or play the kids, which Laviolette refuses to do

 

[pman25]

I’m fine if they wait until after thanksgiving but they really need to see what they have with the kids. Can Snively replace Sheary? Can McMichael replace Eller? Does Alexeyev have any shot as a bottom pair D? They need to find out. Hell they should even sub in Lapierre for Johansson. Bring up Iorio too, it’s not like Irwin/Gus or even TVR are here long term either.

But we’re at 25% of the season and they need to make some decision. Any decision. We’re all waiting!

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Laviolette does not have a contract for next year, and I think we all agree, a shakeup is needed. Blame Laviolette, or don’t, it doesn’t really matter. He needs to be fired because it’s the only way to try and inject life into this team right now.

Either that, or play the kids, which Laviolette refuses to do

Injecting life into this team is not the reason I would fire Lavi. If you’re firing Lavi if it’s because, as you said, they need to play the young kids and Lavi is not a development coach.

I don’t think this team is as bad as their record shows and I think they’ve had some rotten luck but I think it’s probably time for them to push the reset button. Get rid of guys like Eller, Johansson, Irwin, and Sheary for starter’s and then see what kind of shakeup you can make during the off-season.

 

[Devil Dancer]

He's 37 years old and costs $10 million. The absolute best chance he has at winning another Cup is if we give him the gift of eating half his salary and trade him to a top contender. And that's only realistic while he's still putting up numbers, so sooner rather than later. That means watching him break the record with another team.

To realistically have a legitimate chance of competing for a Cup with the Caps, a LOT of things would have to go 100% right...

1) Backstrom would have to either come back with most of his ability (unlikely), outright retire (unlikely), or LTIRetire. If we're to win with $10m tied up in Ovechkin, we really need top value out of the rest of our cap. This $9.2m is crucial.​

​

2) $8m is also crucial, so Carlson would either need to get his D game back (unlikely) or be traded for assets that can help us immediately (also unlikely).​

​

3) Kuznetsov needs to find a way to keep his head out of his ass 100% of the time (unlikely).​

​

4) In my opinion, we need an entirely new coaching staff capable of winning a Cup quickly with a team that will need coaching help, and the team will have to buy in completely almost immediately (wildly unlikely).​

​

5) Oshie needs to stay healthy AND maintain his compete level and production (unlikely), or be traded (feels unlikely, but maybe).​

​

6) Mantha probably has to go. And if he and/or Oshie go, their cap hits need to be invested in impact players that contribute immediately (doable).​

​

7) We either need another high-quality, top-6 center or Strome, McMichael, and/or Lapierre need to break out big (possible if we get Nick's cap hit back, but any of those 3 becoming top-flight Cs in short order seems farfetched).​

​

8) We need to shore up the defense affordably (possible if another bunch of things go 100% right).​

​

It's not impossible, but with Nick holding us hostage and the organization showing almost no signs of doing ANY of these things, it really FEELS impossible.

CCR is right that we have another chance this summer to dramatically reshape the roster, but we just had that same chance and hedged, so I wouldn't hold your breath. And let's be real, a transformation that profound in one offseason is very rare. I can't really think of one, at least not any that included so much cap tied up in declining players unlikely to leave town...

The Panthers made the playoffs years ago by signing a boatload of decent UFAs, including Fleischman IIRC.

It wasn't a great long term move for them, but that's the closest analogy I can think of.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

In order to successfully reset they first need to accept that this group is finished. Once you accept that then you start tearing down the non-vital pieces. Eller can net you a 2nd or 3rd given his position, versatility, and low cap hit. Sheary and Johansson will get you mid round picks. Carlson would be the big fish and he’d probably get you a 1st + A prospect if not more at the deadline since teams will be enamored with his stats and the fact that he’s a 1RD.

Finish out the year with a younger group playing important roles in their correct positions to see what you’ve got. See how they play down the stretch so you know what you’ve got to focus on during the summer and hope for some lottery ball luck.

Ovi-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Milano-Strome-Protas
Mantha-CMM-Oshie
Malenstyn-Dowd-Hathaway

Orlov-Jensen
Johansen-TvR
Fehervary-Alexeyev

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

 

[Capsman]

Injecting life into this team is not the reason I would fire Lavi. If you’re firing Lavi if it’s because, as you said, they need to play the young kids and Lavi is not a development coach.

I don’t think this team is as bad as their record shows and I think they’ve had some rotten luck but I think it’s probably time for them to push the reset button. Get rid of guys like Eller, Johansson, Irwin, and Sheary for starter’s and then see what kind of shakeup you can make during the off-season.

I have liked Johansson’s play for the most part. 8 points in 20 games, and I think those numbers are deflated by poor finishing from everyone. You need a guy like him around; good teammate, still has some speed and puck carrying ability. Same with Sheary, he just shouldn’t be playing consistently on a top line.

Eller and Irwin, I’m with you. I’d like to see CMM get consistent minutes. While I don’t think his ceiling is as high as some of us hoped, I think consistent playing time will elevate his game some. There’s definitely a psychological side to his meh play lately. I liked what I saw from LuJo and Iorio (preseason), but do you want them losing Hershey time to be the #7 here (which is what’s so frustrating about the CMM situation).

 

[Brian23]

Thank God. Took them long enough.