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

[Raikkonen]

Is property tax a big thing?

Ive paid mine for this year literally yesterday, and it was less than 100$.

4 items with a total amount of 270 m2 or smth.

 

[Raikkonen]

I honestly don't know if the team should go fire sale re-build, half-measures re-build, or attempt to "re-tool" (whatever that means in reality). But what's obvious to me is that the next couple steps remains the same regardless. Fire Laviolette, play the kids, and move out the UFAs that aren't sticking around (starting with Eller and Johansson, possibly followed by Sheary, Hathaway, and whatever D they aren't going to sign).

I agree with things you said here mostly.

I think it should be evident that this current Caps team cant dictate its will game in and game out and wont win the cup any time soon.

I dont see any trade fixing that this season. Especially for P. Kane or like that. Doesnt change the team, doesnt change the outcome.

Does GMBM consider them being damaged goods entirely? Even if they are only partially it doesnt look like you can fix it quick enough to contend before Ovi retires. What looks like higher odds is that they can contend later if they prepare themselves NOW better.

So they need to lose those who arent helping much now and wont be contending in that distant future too, this is for sure. A prime example is Mantha. Maybe Lavi uses him wrong, but it isnt looking like Anthony will win us a series in playoffs by himself. I dont believe in it, he's kind of not that type of player. Id believe in Brown more honestly.

Then there are guys that arent for the future and losing effectiveness right now like Eller. 3,5 is the writing on the wall, and I think we will see GMBM trading him at deadline, so no reason to panic.

Guys like Sheary and Mojo are useful no matter if you like them or not. Cheap, effective to degree, versatile. If you trade some others, you can still play 73/90 in the middle-12
To help 1) team win 2) Ovi score.

If there is a good offer at deadline, trade them. If not, extending for the right price is ok. Doubtful they will go into the next season with 6 youngsters or smth. Cheap vets are required (especially if there are all of 17-19-92 in the roster somehow).

Should they tank? I dont think so, but if they are far out in the winter, why not gain some places in the top-10? I believe there is a way to form roster that Ovi will be still surrounded with quality partners and the team defense will be still able to lose games to ensure better tank standings.

They can theoretically get on a streak and manage to get into the 1st round to make revenue for Ted. It'd be fun, why worry? Half assing that would be not fun obviously.

So if only they make decision player by player depending on the offers they get and dont make a trade of baseless hope they should be ok to retool on the fly this Summer.

Now what to do with Wilson, Oshie, CMM and some others? Trade them or not?

I dont know if Wilson will break down after 30 or not. Can he help in the future? Who knows. He will be able to be the future Oshie-like polarizing figure And captain material, but what does that give you strategically?

Oshie... its not that long wait til the end of his contract. I dont mind.

Brown - Id try to extend him for the right price. Its kind of a player of a needed mold.

Oshie + Wilson after knee injury + Brown after knee injury sounds like a plan, right? Dont see how Mantha changes much in that scenario. Trade Mantha. End of story.

On defense, I think they will keep Carlson. 5 goals in 7 games lately or something? Those arent growing on trees. Orlov will be kept too. They both need mobile reliable partners, and it will be ok. They both will teach youngsters later (Iorio? Chesley? we can trade/draft someone too). My bet is both 9 and 74 retire as Capitals, but I wont be surprised to see 74 traded (but the odds of this are fading each year imho).

CMM... he could be buried too down the chart Im afraid. Cant outplay trade deadline fodder Lars Eller? No luck for you. Doesnt look like post-Ovi core piece to my eyes, worse than I expected.


PS: I bet upgrading Gustafsson would be better for current season performance than some expensive trade for forward. But for stealth tanking reasons Gus is good.

 

[trick9]

Actually i think trading for Karlsson is a decent way of being able to rebuild whilst also getting Ovi his goals. Karlsson, unlike Carlson, can really be a one man offense creator and thus we could trade Carlson, Mantha, Oshie, Wilson and pretty much anyone as long as Karlsson and Ovi play on the PP. Obviously depends on what San Jose would ask for him but still not a bad idea.

He's been shit for years and now after a good 30-game stretch we want to trade for him and take that cap hit for half a decade?

Who else we should acquire for the rebuild? Darnell Nurse? Jeff Skinner? Sergei Bobrovsky? OEL?

Hard pass. That contract is hot garbage.

 

[Brian23]

Yeah, nah. People see Karlsson and just think you're getting this.

Ignoring the 4 years preceding it.

If you end up geting 20 - 22 Karlsson, you're paying 13 million a year for a slightly more offensive Orlov.

 

[YippieKaey]

He's been shit for years and now after a good 30-game stretch we want to trade for him and take that cap hit for half a decade?

Who else we should acquire for the rebuild? Darnell Nurse? Jeff Skinner? Sergei Bobrovsky? OEL?

Hard pass. That contract is hot garbage.

He actually hasn't been shit. He was injured a lot but when healthy he's been producing at a similar rate to Carlson.

And those comparisons are not relevant, completely different levels of players.

But yeah, his contract is expensive but it's not much worse than resigning Carlson, Orlov, Jensen etc and watch them decline at the tail end of their contracts. At least Karlsson is and could be considered elite for a year or two more.

 

[Raikkonen]

I think they will come back to play Fever alongside Carlson again. And it will be a more effective pair. Maybe under new coach.

If they trade for even better LD... well, nobody will argue too.

 

[Devil Dancer]

They'll never sit mojo until he's off the team.

Fwiw I really liked Mojo at 4RW with some PP time. I thought that line was as effective defensively as it usually is, and had a little extra offensive pop with Mojo on it.

 

[Hivemind]

Fwiw I really liked Mojo at 4RW with some PP time. I thought that line was as effective defensively as it usually is, and had a little extra offensive pop with Mojo on it.

Given how much the PP struggles without Mojo to gain the zone for them, this is also my ideal usage of Johansson for the remainder of this season. Then fire Forsythe and have someone else design a PP zone entry that hasn't been solved by the opposition.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Fwiw I really liked Mojo at 4RW with some PP time. I thought that line was as effective defensively as it usually is, and had a little extra offensive pop with Mojo on it.

Given the identity of this team and how we're getting pushed around and bullied this year... I'd 10/10 put Malenstyn on that line when he's healthy over Mojo. We've been flat out beaten up this year from the start to end so far. I know a lot of that is a lack of Tom Wilson, but if we're banking on him being our offensive savior he can't live in the penalty box.

Given how much the PP struggles without Mojo to gain the zone for them, this is also my ideal usage of Johansson for the remainder of this season. Then fire Forsythe and have someone else design a PP zone entry that hasn't been solved by the opposition.

Power playing isn't thriving with him either. Going from 20 to 18 with Mojo replacing Kuz isn't a world beating upgrade.

 

[YippieKaey]

Guess who?

 

[Raikkonen]

Guess who?

Kind of easy question. Its Sammy.

 

[Misery74]

They are awful, and this will only get worse.

Fire the coach already. What the f*** is happening?

 

[twabby]

It would be a shame if this injury was a significant one. He was showing some defensive improvement this year.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Anyone have a vid clip showing what happened to Kuemper?

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Would Ted want to give up his ticket sales money and tank again? Is old Ovie on a bad team enough to keep the fans buying tickets every game?
Either way if by the deadline we are out of the playoff picture trade every UFA maybe keep Orlov. I think we could be a playoff team next season with the right moves

People will pay to watch Ovy even if he's just sitting on the bench. He's the face of this franchise even if he's getting older and the team is older. A part of me keeps hoping they would get healthy and see what this team could do, however those hopes were crushed with Fever and DK going down, so I don't expect them to make it back in the playoff picture. I hope I'm wrong though. I'm for keeping Orlov since good defensemen are a precious resource and give the young guys some NHL time. I do agree if healthy and right decisions made, this team can make the playoffs next year. This is just like 98-99 season with all the injuries adding up.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

I was originally one of the proponents of going all-in every year until Ovechkin retires. I thought going all-in every year would yield the highest probability of getting him another Cup. But the results this season made me rethink that calculus. They haven’t been close the past 3 or 4 years and under the current path they’re only getting further away.

Instead of maybe having a puncher’s chance for the next year or two at best, I think the best course of action is to undergo a mini-rebuild right now with the hopes of being a legitimate contender in 3-4 years at the tail end of Ovechkin’s career. Any player who doesn’t fit into that window should be considered a trade asset IMO.

In 3 years does 35 year old pending UFA John Carlson fit into that window? Almost certainly not. So trade him while he still has some decent value.

Does Kuznetsov fit? It’s looking more and more like he’s a 2C who had one magical run and a few spurts of dynamic regular season play in between mediocre results. So trade him.

I love what Orlov and Jensen bring now but are these guys really going to be impact defensemen in 3 years when they are 34 and 35 years old respectively? If not trade them. They should be able to get first round pick values out one and maybe both. Plenty of playoff teams need top 4 defensemen. Florida, Toronto, and Edmonton come to mind immediately, but I’m sure others will be interested.

And yes, Tom Wilson needs to be on the block after he returns from injury. He’s a UFA after next year and I suspect he’s going to command a 7 year deal on the open market for a lot of money. I’m not sure that the Capitals should have any part of what is likely to be a massive deal for a to-be 30 year old physical winger that will take him into his late 30s, especially given he could likely return a king’s ransom in a trade that could really help inject talent to fit a contention window in 3-4 years. Wilson is good but so were players like Wayne Simmonds and Milan Lucic. It’s probably better to cash out now rather than sign a regrettable contract.

It’d require organizational buy-in and they’d likely need to convince Ovechkin as well, but I think with the right moves and a good amount of resolve they could get back into being a legit contender in 3-4 years. But as is they have basically no shot at winning it all.

If Wilson is moved, I sure hope it's to a Western team like Winnipeg because I like that team and I would hate to see Wilson playing in the Eastern Conference for a rival. Kuzy has no desire and not carrying the team during this tribulation, so I would look into trading him now.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Kuemper took himself out of the game because he wasn't feeling well.
Kuemper's Injury

 

[Raikkonen]

If Wilson is moved, I sure hope it's to a Western team like Winnipeg because I like that team and I would hate to see Wilson playing in the Eastern Conference for a rival. Kuzy has no desire and not carrying the team during this tribulation, so I would look into trading him now.

Trading Kuzy can get you where Backstrom cant play, Strome choses greener pastures and youre left with who exactly as you top-6 centers?

Oshie, Mojo and CMM ofc!

Hard to trade for top-6 center.

In other words its a blow to the 895 strategy. Very risky.

 

[g00n]

It would be a shame if this injury was a significant one. He was showing some defensive improvement this year.

Defensemen don't improve

 

[Hivemind]

Trading Kuzy can get you where Backstrom cant play, Strome choses greener pastures and youre left with who exactly as you top-6 centers?

Oshie, Mojo and CMM ofc!

Hard to trade for top-6 center.

In other words its a blow to the 895 strategy. Very risky.

Strome is an RFA, not a UFA.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

It would be a shame if this injury was a significant one. He was showing some defensive improvement this year.

Only good thing about this would be Alexeyev getting a ton of games because we all know Lavi wouldn’t dare having both of Fehervary and Alexeyev in the lineup. Too much speed for that to work, gotta have Irwin in there to balance it out.

 

[Rayquaza64]

Only good thing about this would be Alexeyev getting a ton of games because we all know Lavi wouldn’t dare having both of Fehervary and Alexeyev in the lineup. Too much speed for that to work, gotta have Irwin in there to balance it out.

oh but dont worry, orlov is back, so we can run
gustafsson-carlson
orlov-jensen
irwin-tvr

 

[Langway]

'We dug ourselves a hole': Caps GM Brian MacLellan on team's state

Takeaways from a media availability with the Capitals general manager, his first since the preseason.

theathletic.com

“I think [CMM & Lapierre] both need time,” he said. “It’s perfect. It has taken us a while to get McMichael into this spot but … he’s killing penalties, playing center, playing power play, so he is getting a lot of good ice time and hopefully his game can grow and his confidence can grow and we will see where he is at the end of the year.”

Seems like a weird way of putting it considering how long they dithered before finally sending him down. While they're basically fixated on Wilson and Backstrom returning to help, I don't know that they should telegraph this now being a write-off season at the NHL level for McMichael. I get patience. I get Lavi being Lavi. But there's got to be more fluidity and openness, yeah? Seems like a pretty definitive cold take.

What a mess they've got going on. Maintaining flexibility is great but it's not the end-all be-all. If the core is massively flawed it's not really going to matter if they let all of the pending UFAs go and cycle in a bunch of new faces seemingly for the sake of it. They still will be forced to make commitments next summer to have any hope of turning it back around. Win or lose you've got to stick to your values and core beliefs or else you're at the mercy of the moment. Without change being motivated by a resolved grasp of what the next version has to resemble it's just going to be whole lot of deck chair shuffling.

 

[g00n]

'We dug ourselves a hole': Caps GM Brian MacLellan on team's state

Takeaways from a media availability with the Capitals general manager, his first since the preseason.

theathletic.com

Seems like a weird way of putting it considering how long they dithered before finally sending him down. While they're basically fixated on Wilson and Backstrom returning to help, I don't know that they should telegraph this now being a write-off season at the NHL level for McMichael. I get patience. I get Lavi being Lavi. But there's got to be more fluidity and openness, yeah? Seems like a pretty definitive cold take.

What a mess they've got going on. Maintaining flexibility is great but it's not the end-all be-all. If the core is massively flawed it's not really going to matter if they let all of the pending UFAs go and cycle in a bunch of new faces seemingly for the sake of it. They still will be forced to make commitments next summer to have any hope of turning it back around. Win or lose you've got to stick to your values and core beliefs or else you're at the mercy of the moment. Without change being motivated by a resolved grasp of what the next version has to resemble it's just going to be whole lot of deck chair shuffling.

I don't see it as a problem at all. It tracks exactly with what I was talking about before. They got CMM some NHL time while guys were out and filled up his bank account. Then they sent him down for the rest of the year to get more work on the things they identified while he was up.

How is this a bad strategy?

This part is also potentially revealing, and consistent with what I said about this year being a planned swan song for the current lineup due to contract timing:

Then goes on to call out Kuzy, Carlson and Mantha.

Regarding d-men not being under contract:

Exactly as predicted. They're evaluating everyone this year. Probably 3/4 of the team are playing for their next contract, and they don't look like it.

And there it is.

 

[Corby78]

Think Alzner but smarter, stronger, much more physical, better positioning and a better nose profile

Basically he was the rock, the immovable object, a steady eddie who always was in the right position

Yah Langway was the guy you wanted on that blue line for 60 minutes if you could