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

[Ridley Simon]

These are some good lines. Have to keep Strome and Ovechkin together.

View attachment 629705

(Ovechkin is at +11% away from Strome)

So Mr Twabs — you’ve got a keen eye on these things. Those lines DO look good. With these players. But knowing that Wilson and Backstrom are seemingly imminent, where would you slot them? And NO, on the bench doesn’t count. We have to play them.

I’d send down Protas when one comes back. I don’t really want to, but it’s the most logical choice (regardless if Wilson or Backstrom).

It’s the next choice that I’m chewing on. It’s gotta be one of either Milano, Johansson, or Hathaway, I think? Perhaps Eller could be one to sit, but I doubt they do that.

What would twabby do?

 

[Hivemind]

Please don't rush Oshie back. He may be the "glue guy" - but I mean that in the sense he's made of paper mache at this point. The team is rolling even without him in the line-up. Let him take his time nursing his injury back to 100% before putting him back in the line-up. When need him when the games matter, not on a Tuesday night in January against Buffalo.

 

[HTFN]

I’ll happily admit I was wrong here. Thought that Oshie would for sure be out longer term. No idea how he went from not being able to take a stride and needing to be helped off the ice to missing only six games but hey, that’s good news. Hopefully he’s not rushing himself back and he’s actually fully healthy.

Bursitis? I’m learning in my own way that it can go from feeling like you re-tore everything and won’t be the same again to basically fine without much middle ground or explanation

 

[Roshi]

I think some of these numbers are high. Gus for example has had one big contract that was 3M per year. If he wants more than that, we don’t need to resign him. Really 2 - 2.5M and I’d keep him. Otherwise I’m looking at farm With Johansen and Alexyev and even Nardella. Jensen and Orlov are about right but factor in hometown discount and I hope we can get that. Suspect TVR might get more like 2M. I wouldn’t resign Brown and Milano will be more like 1.5M But I’d like him back. Also like Sheary back. Fine with Mojo, Eller, Hags, and Hathaway going out. Hard calls but it is time to move on to next generation.

Sheary is gold for the 1,5 tag, but id figure he wants to head to the FA to see his value, which will be atleast a double.

Anyways, i dont think its necessary Brown, but i do think they would like to target a player of that style - who is great at PK and can slot anywhere in the top9, as they are losing Eller and maybe Hathaway, and Sheary (with the formal exit of Lavis favourite guy Hagelin). And they were pretty high on getting Brown too. But then again, it might be they just give the 3+ for Sheary as he has been good for us.

 

[twabby]

So Mr Twabs — you’ve got a keen eye on these things. Those lines DO look good. With these players. But knowing that Wilson and Backstrom are seemingly imminent, where would you slot them? And NO, on the bench doesn’t count. We have to play them.

I’d send down Protas when one comes back. I don’t really want to, but it’s the most logical choice (regardless if Wilson or Backstrom).

It’s the next choice that I’m chewing on. It’s gotta be one of either Milano, Johansson, or Hathaway, I think? Perhaps Eller could be one to sit, but I doubt they do that.

What would twabby do?

It’s a tough puzzle if everyone is healthy.

I’d probably move Johansson to 4LW, Backstrom at 3C, Protas to the bench. Protas has done very well defensively but he doesn’t provide anything offensively. For a team that has lacked scoring punch in the postseason I think they need to prioritize offense.

Wilson would certainly be in the top 6, probably on the second line with Kuznetsov.

I can’t really justify giving Eller a spot over Milano at this point. Milano is their top 5v5 point producer on a per 60 basis and has big positive impacts on offensive playdriving.

Ovechkin-Strome-Sheary
Milano/Mantha-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Milano/Mantha-Backstrom-Oshie
Johansson-Dowd-Hathaway

Kuznetsov would need to PK more. Backstrom would need to PK some, which is fine given he’d likely get fewer 5v5 minutes. But I think that trade off is worth keeping Milano in the lineup over Eller.

That’s what I’d do. I don’t think the coaches will do it. I think they’ll scratch Milano (or perhaps Mantha) to keep Eller in the lineup. I think that would be a mistake. But I suspect they won’t be fully healthy for long enough to really make it an issue, unfortunately.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

So Mr Twabs — you’ve got a keen eye on these things. Those lines DO look good. With these players. But knowing that Wilson and Backstrom are seemingly imminent, where would you slot them? And NO, on the bench doesn’t count. We have to play them.

I’d send down Protas when one comes back. I don’t really want to, but it’s the most logical choice (regardless if Wilson or Backstrom).

It’s the next choice that I’m chewing on. It’s gotta be one of either Milano, Johansson, or Hathaway, I think? Perhaps Eller could be one to sit, but I doubt they do that.

What would twabby do?

I’m not twabby but I’m keeping Strome and Ovi together. My lines look like this:

Ovi-Strome-Sheay
Milano-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Mantha-Backstrom-Oshie
Eller-Dowd-Hathaway/Johansson

I think they’ll sit Milano instead but I don’t like the idea of taking pace and offense off the ice and he’s produced at a strong clip. Let Eller, Johansson, and Hathaway compete for the two wing spots on the fourth line. What I think they’ll actually do is put Johansson in Milano’s spot or put Johansson at 3LW and Mantha stays on the second line and Milano goes on nacho duty which would be suboptimal.

It does seem to make more and more sense to make a trade to alleviate the log jam. Even if Backstrom is out indefinitely or goes back on the shelf they still have legit NHL talent sitting in the press box while Irwin is playing regular minutes. Maybe moving Mantha for a guy like Dumba (not saying I want Dumba as he’s declined but a player of his caliber/name recognition) is the move. Maybe they move for a guy like Dante Fabbro. I think moving Eller makes sense on the surface but they seem to love him and I don’t think they’ll trade him knowing if Backstrom can’t go they’ll need to rely on Protas or McMike at 3C/4C.

Their depth is their calling card these days instead of elite top end talent so maybe it makes sense to cash in those chips for a better hand at a different position.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

It’s a tough puzzle if everyone is healthy.

I’d probably move Johansson to 4LW, Backstrom at 3C, Protas to the bench. Protas has done very well defensively but he doesn’t provide anything offensively. For a team that has lacked scoring punch in the postseason I think they need to prioritize offense.

Wilson would certainly be in the top 6, probably on the second line with Kuznetsov.

I can’t really justify giving Eller a spot over Milano at this point. Milano is their top 5v5 point producer on a per 60 basis and has big positive impacts on offensive playdriving.

Ovechkin-Strome-Sheary
Milano/Mantha-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Milano/Mantha-Backstrom-Oshie
Johansson-Dowd-Hathaway

Kuznetsov would need to PK more. Backstrom would need to PK some, which is fine given he’d likely get fewer 5v5 minutes. But I think that trade off is worth keeping Milano in the lineup over Eller.

That’s what I’d do. I don’t think the coaches will do it. I think they’ll scratch Milano (or perhaps Mantha) to keep Eller in the lineup. I think that would be a mistake. But I suspect they won’t be fully healthy for long enough to really make it an issue, unfortunately.

 

[Ridley Simon]

It’s a tough puzzle if everyone is healthy.

I’d probably move Johansson to 4LW, Backstrom at 3C, Protas to the bench. Protas has done very well defensively but he doesn’t provide anything offensively. For a team that has lacked scoring punch in the postseason I think they need to prioritize offense.

Wilson would certainly be in the top 6, probably on the second line with Kuznetsov.

I can’t really justify giving Eller a spot over Milano at this point. Milano is their top 5v5 point producer on a per 60 basis and has big positive impacts on offensive playdriving.

Ovechkin-Strome-Sheary
Milano/Mantha-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Milano/Mantha-Backstrom-Oshie
Johansson-Dowd-Hathaway

Kuznetsov would need to PK more. Backstrom would need to PK some, which is fine given he’d likely get fewer 5v5 minutes. But I think that trade off is worth keeping Milano in the lineup over Eller.

That’s what I’d do. I don’t think the coaches will do it. I think they’ll scratch Milano (or perhaps Mantha) to keep Eller in the lineup. I think that would be a mistake. But I suspect they won’t be fully healthy for long enough to really make it an issue, unfortunately.

Thank you sir, for the response. I am with you, for the most part. I am loathe to sit Milano, as his speed and shot have been really needed. The new players coming in (Backstrom, Wilson, Oshie) certainly have offense talent, but none are as fast as Milano, and 2 are basically slow.

I just don’t think they will sit Eller. It’s a fascinating situation, and definitely bears out to dealing an F for a D. Like salary for like salary.

Mantha seems to ideal candidate, as we’ve all discussed.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Vrana on waivers. Wow.

 

[twabby]

Thank you sir, for the response. I am with you, for the most part. I am loathe to sit Milano, as his speed and shot have been really needed. The new players coming in (Backstrom, Wilson, Oshie) certainly have offense talent, but none are as fast as Milano, and 2 are basically slow.

I just don’t think they will sit Eller. It’s a fascinating situation, and definitely bears out to dealing an F for a D. Like salary for like salary.

Mantha seems to ideal candidate, as we’ve all discussed.

I can't really tell how the staff feels about Mantha. He's never been a healthy scratch or clashed with the coaching staff like Vrana did, but they don't exactly seem like they love him either based on how he's moved around the lineup. But on the other hand he only trails Ovechkin in 5v5 ice time per game among forwards. Logically he makes sense as a trade candidate but only if they really go after a big fish like Meier, Karlsson, Chychrun, etc.

As I mentioned before I think the most important lineup decision they'll need to make will be regarding Backstrom himself and whether he's able to be an effective player with his repaired hip. I'm happy to see him give it a go soon, but if he's at the level he played at last year it's not tenable for him to be in the lineup.

 

[Hivemind]

Vrana on waivers. Wow.

At this point, there's got to be something more to the story regarding what's happening to Vrana this season. No point in speculating on what it is, but I want a reporter to do some digging.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Vrana on waivers. Wow.

Pretty wild. They just announced they were extending his conditioning stint by two weeks so something must have happened. Hope V turns out alright, not going to speculate what’s going on but it doesn’t seem good.

 

[YippieKaey]

Vrana on waivers. Wow.

I'd claim him

 

[DWGie26]

I’ll happily admit I was wrong here. Thought that Oshie would for sure be out longer term. No idea how he went from not being able to take a stride and needing to be helped off the ice to missing only six games but hey, that’s good news. Hopefully he’s not rushing himself back and he’s actually fully healthy.

You weren’t the only one in that camp. I was too. But welcome back TJ! LFG!

 

[DWGie26]

Pretty wild. They just announced they were extending his conditioning stint by two weeks so something must have happened. Hope V turns out alright, not going to speculate what’s going on but it doesn’t seem good.

Well you can’t extend an official conditioning stint. To do that you have to put him on waivers and send to AHL which is what they are doing. With his price tag, term, and known issues (plus unknown pubic issues), he is likely to pass through waivers. Pretty sad that it ending this way. Was rooting for him (and Mantha) to do well.

 

[Calicaps]

Vrana on waivers. Wow.

Poor guy. So much talent but it was clear from his history that something was fundamentally wrong. Hope he gets it together, whatever it is.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Well you can’t extend an official conditioning stint. To do that you have to put him on waivers and send to AHL which is what they are doing. With his price tag, term, and known issues (plus unknown pubic issues), he is likely to pass through waivers. Pretty sad that it ending this way. Was rooting for him (and Mantha) to do well.

They announced earlier that they were extending his conditioning stint. I think there are exceptions if a player is coming back from the Players Assistance Program as opposed to an injury conditioning stint.

 

[DWGie26]

I’m not twabby but I’m keeping Strome and Ovi together. My lines look like this:

Ovi-Strome-Sheay
Milano-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Mantha-Backstrom-Oshie
Eller-Dowd-Hathaway/Johansson

I think they’ll sit Milano instead but I don’t like the idea of taking pace and offense off the ice and he’s produced at a strong clip. Let Eller, Johansson, and Hathaway compete for the two wing spots on the fourth line. What I think they’ll actually do is put Johansson in Milano’s spot or put Johansson at 3LW and Mantha stays on the second line and Milano goes on nacho duty which would be suboptimal.

It does seem to make more and more sense to make a trade to alleviate the log jam. Even if Backstrom is out indefinitely or goes back on the shelf they still have legit NHL talent sitting in the press box while Irwin is playing regular minutes. Maybe moving Mantha for a guy like Dumba (not saying I want Dumba as he’s declined but a player of his caliber/name recognition) is the move. Maybe they move for a guy like Dante Fabbro. I think moving Eller makes sense on the surface but they seem to love him and I don’t think they’ll trade him knowing if Backstrom can’t go they’ll need to rely on Protas or McMike at 3C/4C.

Their depth is their calling card these days instead of elite top end talent so maybe it makes sense to cash in those chips for a better hand at a different position.

Well, here we are fully stocked. Wasn’t sure this day would come this season.

I’m keeping first line together. Wilson on second line. Third line will be a veteran line and Backstrom is going to need some speed. I don’t like moving Protas out of lineup but have to factor in waivers given so many who can play the 4LW spot.

OV-Strome-Sheary
Mantha-Kuzy-Wilson
Mojo-Backstrom-Oshie
Eller-Dowd-Hathaway
Milano-NAK (Protas to hershey and Snively to waivers).

I know i am in the minority on NAK but I prefer to keep him over Snively for reasons I have detailed several time.

I would love to unload Snively for Luke Schen. not sure that can be a thing but VAN has 8 dee and Schen who is a 31 year old right dee on $850k contract would be good for us. The downside is we'll have to risk Alexyev going through waivers but I am OK with that risk. Don't like it, but OK with it to have a third RD for this year.

 

[Corby78]

Vrana on waivers. Wow.

Sooooo did we win the Mantha trade? Asking for a friend.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Can we jettison Mantha too?

 

[DWGie26]

Sooooo did we win the Mantha trade? Asking for a friend.

Too soon! But, eh, yes.

Can we jettison Mantha too?

Depends on what we can get for him. I’d prefer to move his Cap hit. But it won’t be for free.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Too soon! But, eh, yes.


Depends on what we can get for him. I’d prefer to move his Cap hit. But it won’t be for free.

You’re saying we would have to pay to move Mantha? No way.

 

[Roshi]

I wanna try too.

One line maybe worth a try is Mantha-Dowd-Hathaway. It has some vibe in it, elite shutdown line with a scoring thread.

Id break the first line for Wilson, mainly to get Sheary playing aside with Backy (because Backy-Oshie or Backy-Wilson is sloooow).

Milano and Kuzy seem to work.

Ovie-Strome-Willy
Milano/Majo-Kuzy-Oshie
Eller/Majo-Backstrom-Sheary
Mantha-Dowd-Hathaway

Protas has the bad luck to be the only waiver free. NAK is the last one to arrive anyways. Milano, Eller and Majo will take turns until someone gets hurt again. Snively will keep eating popcorn and playing very noticable both two games he gets the call for..

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

You’re saying we would have to pay to move Mantha? No way.

Agreed you wouldn’t have to pay but there probably also wouldn’t be many suitors for him either.

 

[um]

if healthy I’d go:

Ovie-Strome-Wilson
Mantha-Kuznetsov-Oshie
Milano-Backstrom-Sheary
Johansson-Dowd-Hathaway

That’s some pretty great depth.

I’m not sure we’ll ever see a healthy Caps team though.