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

[AlexModvechkin8]

Fighting through an injury-plagued season to scrap your way into the playoffs, and having almost everyone come back for the postseason, is a good way to build resiliency and grab some momentum at just the right time.

As long as they can actually scrape their way into the playoffs and not end up in no man’s land right outside the playoffs but not with a top draft pick to show for it either.

 

[Hivemind]

Adding another 33 year old, rapidly declining player in Craig Smith is the last thing this team needs. Especially considering his $3.1M cap hit will make the salary cap juggle particularly binding in any situation in which Backstrom and one of Oshie or Wilson are in the line-up at the same time.

This is without Craig Smith, and with the extra goalies, NAK, LuJo, and Snively all waived/sent down, and with Alexeyev and Wilson still on LTIR - and the team is still $1.523M over the salary cap running a 22-man roster.

If they need another forward, they have plenty of spare parts that need a longer look already. No need to dumpster dive for a $3.1M, declining player. Bump Protas up. Call up a kid and give him a real role. Give Snively another shot.

 

[twabby]

Their next 15 games:

DET
@ OTT
WPG
@ NYR
OTT
MTL
BUF
@ CBJ
NSH
CBJ
@ PHI
PHI
@ NYI
MIN
@ ARI


Only 4 current playoff teams in this stretch of the schedule (WPG, @ NYR, @ NYI, MIN). Only 6 of 15 on the road.

Not to say they should or will overlook these bad teams, but you'd hope after this stretch of games they'd have put themselves in a playoff position.

 

[DWGie26]

Adding another 33 year old, rapidly declining player in Craig Smith is the last thing this team needs. Especially considering his $3.1M cap hit will make the salary cap juggle particularly binding in any situation in which Backstrom and one of Oshie or Wilson are in the line-up at the same time.

This is without Craig Smith, and with the extra goalies, NAK, LuJo, and Snively all waived/sent down, and with Alexeyev and Wilson still on LTIR - and the team is still $1.523M over the salary cap running a 22-man roster.

If they need another forward, they have plenty of spare parts that need a longer look already. No need to dumpster dive for a $3.1M, declining player. Bump Protas up. Call up a kid and give him a real role. Give Snively another shot.

Agree! As we are now getting healthy bodies back, there is no need to take on any more reclamation projects. Milano has been a great find. NAK has been serviceable. Snively is probably toast. And NAK behind him. And Protas just because he can go down for free. The only thing I would be looking for on the waiver wire is a 4RD. But for a few games, AA or Irwin can cover that. Johansen will have to go down soon if we are to do it for free.

 

[DWGie26]

This could also be interesting with what moves we make. Important point at the end though, which is we can recall from Hershey and not subject to the 23 man roster (Until the 28th).

 

[trick9]

Their next 15 games:

DET
@ OTT
WPG
@ NYR
OTT
MTL
BUF
@ CBJ
NSH
CBJ
@ PHI
PHI
@ NYI
MIN
@ ARI


Only 4 current playoff teams in this stretch of the schedule (WPG, @ NYR, @ NYI, MIN). Only 6 of 15 on the road.

Not to say they should or will overlook these bad teams, but you'd hope after this stretch of games they'd have put themselves in a playoff position.

It's good time to make up some ground for sure. Schedule turns terrible after those 15 games:

@
@
Vs.
@
@
@
Vs. (b2b)
Vs.
Vs.
@

Then lots of divisional games left for the last month or so of the season.

 

[usiel]

Small sample size of course but AA should be in the bottom pairing. Caps are overcooking their D prospects.

 

[twabby]

Just wanted to go ahead and post this bad boy:

This was before tonight’s game.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Just wanted to go ahead and post this bad boy:

View attachment 624113

This was before tonight’s game.

They'll trade Dowd and keep Eller lmao

 

[bacchist]

Just wanted to go ahead and post this bad boy:

View attachment 624113

This was before tonight’s game.

That's good, right?

 

[bacchist]

With Kuemper back, how short of a leash does Lindgren have?

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

With Kuemper back, how short of a leash does Lindgren have?

Short IMO.

 

[YippieKaey]

So im not sure how the playoffs seeds actually work but we are currently 8th in the Conference. Does that mean we are currently in a playoff spot?

Please enlighten me, i had no idea i didn't know how that works.

 

[Brian23]

So im not sure how the playoffs seeds actually work but we are currently 8th in the Conference. Does that mean we are currently in a playoff spot?

Please enlighten me, i had no idea i didn't know how that works.

It's not always a direct 1 to 1, but currently we're not in the WC (maybe todays win changed that).

 

[YippieKaey]

It's not always a direct 1 to 1, but currently we're not in the WC (maybe todays win changed that).

View attachment 624221

Just checked, still third in the WC but with the same amount of points as the Isles but one more game played

 

[DWGie26]

Isles lost in OT tonight but picked up a point.

We have played more games than any team in Eastern Conference. 3 more than many. So we need to keep winning games. The whole division is within range now with NJ stumbling.

 

[RedRocking]

Just wanted to go ahead and post this bad boy:

View attachment 624113

This was before tonight’s game.

This is great, thanks. Would you mind posting Eller’s card? I’m guessing by his deployments, that Lavi feels Eller is his best 2-way center, with Nick out. Not unreasonable given 92 and 17’s defensive deficiencies. I think that’s why Lavi likes to play Eller in OT. But, these metrics, plus recent play, suggest that it may actually be Dowd that is our best 2-way center (with Nick out).

Heck, if it wouldn’t be too much to ask given his PK minutes, try Dowd in the bumper - he’s a right shot, he can certainly wire it from the slot, and he can win a face off like Oshie does to start the PP (which allows everyone to be correctly spaced immediately after the draw).

Predictably, the PP is a mess w/out 77, and they didn’t seem to have any more answers tonight. So, coach up Dowd, and just see if they can run some semblance of their normal formation and system.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Just wanted to go ahead and post this bad boy:

View attachment 624113

This was before tonight’s game.

The best 4C in the league in my opinion. And they have him at $1.3M for the next two seasons after this one. Not bad!

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[pman25]

The best 4C in the league in my opinion. And they have him at $1.3M for the next two seasons after this one. Not bad!

Dowd is so underpaid. He could easily be 3C. What a find during FA a few years ago. Gotta say we are pretty good at dumpster diving (Dowd, Sheary, TVR, Milano)

 

[racingmoose]

He had an okay season (not exceptional) as an NHL back-up in 2018-19, but he's a pretty unremarkable goalie in general. His biggest attribute is his size. He's probably best served as part of an AHL tandem that can be called up to spot start if a different goalie gets hurt (which is exactly what he's doing for y'all now). He left the organization because the Capitals didn't offer him a contract. Heck, even his previous 3-year one-way contract was puzzling from the day it was signed. He was the back-up in 2018-19, but then (predictably) lost that role to Samsonov the following year (2019-20). In 2020-21 he was passed again, as Vanecek took the #2 role in Washington after Lundqvist's heart condition came to light. Even in Hershey he gradually lost the reigns of the net, increasingly losing time to a variety of younger, higher upside keepers who performed as well or better than he did (first Vanecek, then Fucale, then Hunter Shepard). There simply wasn't an organizational need to re-sign him after paying him NHL #2 money for 3 years for him to be the 4th goalie on our depth chart.

This is a little off target. Copley was a solid backup in 18/19 playing in 27 games, winning 16 of them and having a save % of .905 He can be a good backup in the NHL and is a definite #1 in the AHL which he was in Hershey. Age and the Caps looking for a future number one in their young high draft picks resulted in his situation with Washington.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Boston the only team in the conference I see the Caps having issues. Add the Pens because this team just can't seem to show up for them in important games. All the other teams in the NHL don't scare me at all. The NYR are starting to get hot, so maybe them. This team cannot lose the easy schedule games at all after the poor start, even after trending way up rececently.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

This is a little off target. Copley was a solid backup in 18/19 playing in 27 games, winning 16 of them and having a save % of .905 He can be a good backup in the NHL and is a definite #1 in the AHL which he was in Hershey. Age and the Caps looking for a future number one in their young high draft picks resulted in his situation with Washington.

They needed a minimum cap hit backup and he earned a raise, to which they gave him, then buried him In Hershey. Unfortunate circumstances….

 

[kicksavedave]

Dowd is so underpaid. He could easily be 3C. What a find during FA a few years ago. Gotta say we are pretty good at dumpster diving (Dowd, Sheary, TVR, Milano)

Some folks love to point out BMacs glaring misses, but he's won more than a handful of transactions too. Hath and Dowd have anchored one of the best 4th lines in the league for a few years running and both were dirt cheap, perfect fits.

 

[Jags]

Some folks love to point out BMacs glaring misses, but he's won more than a handful of transactions too.

Remember that time he waved a wand and turned Brooks Laich and his crazy contract into Daniel Winnik? That was a neat trick.

Or that time he turned Brooks Orpik Making WAY Too Much Money into Just Brooks Orpik?

Hmmmmm.... Maybe he's only a genius at handling guys named Brooks.