Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines/etc) | 2023-24 Regular Season Edition

[PlushMinus]

What's the problem? The Devils will be on the back end of two in a row as well.

Besides, I like the gimmick.

I would prefer a decent number of games each night instead of this feast or famine schedule they have at the moment. But it's not really a big deal. Just me whining

The Devils are way younger than our guys so the back to back is going to be easier for them. And I guess Hunter Shepherd will be in goal for his first ever NHL start? I think the potential is there for it to be a very ugly result.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Partially wrong there! The others need to produce, then opponents have to start focusing less on OV. Force feeding OV has never worked and should not be how the Caps generate their offense. OV still draws multiple opponents players on him. He actually makes some great passes, but his teammates have not been finishing. If the others finish on some consistency, then opponents have no choice but change their defensive positioning. As it stands now, opponents try to blanket OV and force the other Caps forwards to beat them.

Same goes for the Caps PP. If others shoot more and score goals, then OV can't be marked as much as opponents PK's game plan for.

That’s a factor of course, but Ovi scored 42 last year when literally no one else was dangerous offensively.

Others have to pull their weight, of course. It’s like when Ovi would get great looks on the PP because Semin and Green were huge threats themselves, and vice versa

 

[bacchist]

I would prefer a decent number of games each night instead of this feast or famine schedule they have at the moment. But it's not really a big deal. Just me whining

The Devils are way younger than our guys so the back to back is going to be easier for them. And I guess Hunter Shepherd will be in goal for his first ever NHL start? I think the potential is there for it to be a very ugly result.

I'm not too worried about missing out on Darcy's .868 save percentage for a game.

 

[Raikkonen]

aint even mad, this is logical

no reason to watch this though

ps: call up lapier, miro and iorio. trade everyone to make room. tank. request me to return in a couple of years.

 

[The Consiglieri]

aint even mad, this is logical

no reason to watch this though

ps: call up lapier, miro and iorio. trade everyone to make room. tank. request me to return in a couple of years.

Nor am I. Some of us called this a long time ago (admittedly I was way too early, calling for it in '17-'18 lol), but the value of then sucking big time immediately is that we get o deluded, hopeless win now stupidity at the deadline. Make it utterly hopeless from the jump so they can face the music, shed whatever vet talent is around, hold a glue guy or two, and start the legit rebuild, all be it several years too late, but hey, at least this year will be year 2, in some ways, rather than year 0 if we had made idiotic win now trades a few months from now. If this continues for the next couple of months (and it definitely should), there's no chance they'll make incredibly stupid short sighted trades (or at least I'd like to think so anyway).

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

“Some of us called this”?!?

We ALL knew this team would age and many of us have predicted a long and painful rebuild….for years now…

There is no great revelation here. This was as easy as it gets to predict.

 

[g00n]

“Some of us called this”?!?

We ALL knew this team would age and many of us have predicted a long and painful rebuild….for years now…

There is no great revelation here. This was as easy as it gets to predict.

People who cry "OMG we suck fire everyone" all day every day for years will eventually be right.

The last few years I thought they underperformed for various reasons. This season they look worse than I've seen in a loooong time...maybe back to some of the Oates era or even the rebuild days, only without dominant Ovie.

It's hard to tell how much is the roster vs the new coach/system.

Regardless of that, I don't think much has changed wrt the need to trade certain pieces. Mantha has not really awakened as would have been hoped by now, and Kuzy continues to be a frivolous puck goblin. Trading them for magic beans won't turn things around but it's a step in the right direction.

Systematically they're either too spaced out or too bunched up and there's no flow beyond 1-2 passes. The other team gets the puck into the high slot with ease while we can barely enter the zone. I don't think that's just talent, that's guys not yet knowing were to be or where their support is.

This will surely improve eventually but it might come too late to save the season, especially with aging veterans who are likely to be injured about the time everyone finally "gets it".

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

I was just looking over GMBMs draft history again and wow is it depressing. His most impactful players are Samsonov, Siegenthaler, and Fehervary. Out of over 50 picks that’s the best he has done. We went from one of the best drafters in GMGM to one of the worst in GMBM.

 

[Kolzilla]

I was just looking over GMBMs draft history again and wow is it depressing. His most impactful players are Samsonov, Siegenthaler, and Fehervary. Out of over 50 picks that’s the best he has done. We went from one of the best drafters in GMGM to one of the worst in GMBM.

Yeah, but remember much of teh early GMGM era had very high picks and many of them. GMBM's highest pick, i think, was this year in leonard. I wonder if it's more a function of GMGM having more and higher 1st's and 2nd's. At least Bmac doesn't overvalue his draft picks like McPhee did.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Yeah, but remember much of teh early GMGM era had very high picks and many of them. GMBM's highest pick, i think, was this year in leonard. I wonder if it's more a function of GMGM having more and higher 1st's and 2nd's. At least Bmac doesn't overvalue his draft picks like McPhee did.

I get that but other than Backstrom and OV the roster was built on late first rounders and after. If you review the draft history of GMGM you will be amazed to see how many of our core was drafted after pick 25 in the first round.

 

[strungout]

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I was just looking over GMBMs draft history again and wow is it depressing. His most impactful players are Samsonov, Siegenthaler, and Fehervary. Out of over 50 picks that’s the best he has done. We went from one of the best drafters in GMGM to one of the worst in GMBM.

Does he only get the criticism? Because I see Ross Mahoney getting his balls cradled here a lot when they do draft someone good.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Does he only get the criticism? Because I see Ross Mahoney getting his balls cradled here a lot when they do draft someone good.

Not sure I follow but I think GMGM had maybe the best draft run out of any GM from 2004-2014. It’s actually insane when you look over how many studs he drafted in later rounds.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Not sure I follow but I think GMGM had maybe the best draft run out of any GM from 2004-2014. It’s actually insane when you look over how many studs he drafted in later rounds.

You don’t follow that back then GMGM didn’t get much credit for drafting, that Mahoney mostly did around here? Why does that same logic not carry forward for GMBM? Does he only get the criticism and Mahoney the credit?

Please tell me ALL the studs GMGM drafted after round 2 for us lol….

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

You don’t follow that back then GMGM didn’t get much credit for drafting, that Mahoney mostly did around here? Why does that same logic not carry forward for GMBM? Does he only get the criticism and Mahoney the credit?

Please tell me ALL the studs GMGM drafted after round 2 for us lol….

Who cares who gets the credit at the end of the day the GM is the one in charge. As for studs he drafted in later rounds I dunno some guy named Holtby. And the defense of GMBM is that he hasn’t had top 5 picks. But GMGM picked Green, Varlamov, Neuvirth, Carlson, MoJo, Orlov, Kuzy, Grubauer, Stephenson, Burakovsky, Perrault, all in late first round or after. All of those players are better than what GMBM has drafted in similar spots.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Kuzy continues to be a frivolous puck goblin.

The moment of - or reason for - morphing from magical puck wizard to frivolous puck goblin can be hard for us mortals to pinpoint (particularly since he sometimes morphs back), but the results are pretty apparent

 

[Misery74]

There are realistically only four teams that could take Mantha, at 50%:

Anaheim
Arizona
Chicago
Nashville

Cost will be prohibitive, as a lot of teams want to dump guys.

Only bad options for this team right now.

Tankini for Celebrini was f***ing brilliant by the way.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Who cares who gets the credit at the end of the day the GM is the one in charge. As for studs he drafted in later rounds I dunno some guy named Holtby. And the defense of GMBM is that he hasn’t had top 5 picks. But GMGM picked Green, Varlamov, Neuvirth, Carlson, MoJo, Orlov, Kuzy, Grubauer, Stephenson, Burakovsky, Perrault, all in late first round or after. All of those players are better than what GMBM has drafted in similar spots.

Great….1st rounders aside….because you did claim “it’s insane how many studs he drafted In later rounds”…..

Holtby 4th
Gruby 4th (not a stud)

Orlov 2nd (not a later round)

Neuvy 2nd (not a stud, not a later round)
Perreault (not a stud)

So I’ve got one stud (a guy you win Cups with) after the second round…..Holtby…..Stephenson was a 3rd who broke out on another team, so take credit for him if you want.


I‘m not defending GMBM as much as debunking the horseshit idea that GMGM was a master drafter.

I give Mahoney and staff the credit and the criticism for all of it myself…..but yes, ultimately it falls on GMBM…..who apparently sucks so bad he was promoted to President of Hockey Ops.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Great….1st rounders aside….because you did claim “it’s insane how many studs he drafted In later rounds”…..

Holtby 4th
Gruby 4th (not a stud)

Orlov 2nd (not a later round)

Neuvy 2nd (not a stud, not a later round)
Perreault (not a stud)

So I’ve got one stud (a guy you win Cups with) after the second round…..Holtby…..


I‘m not defending GMBM as much as debunking the horseshit idea that GMBM was a master drafter.

I give Mahoney and staff the credit and the criticism for all of it myself…..but yes, ultimately it falls on GMBM…..who apparently sucks so bad he was promoted to President of Hockey Ops.

Fair, I meant later in the first round and after. But my point still stands that hitting in the top picks like OV and Backstrom is great. But you also need to hit on non obvious picks too. Holtby, Carlson, Orlov, and Kuzy were all critical pieces of the Caps long term success and cup win. And GMBMs inability to find those players in the late first round and beyond is a major reason the drop off has been so quick and our prospect pool has been ranked at the bottom of the league for a while.

 

[Cappy76]

It's to early to tell on most of GMBMs picks if you ask me.

Carlson drafted in 08 wasn't until 14/15 season he put up 1D numbers and arguably until 17/18 he was a stud

Orlov drafted in 09 and wasn't a fulltime cap until 15/16

Kuznetsov drafted in 10 and didn't put up stud numbers until 15/16 season

That's 6 seasons until those players became what were saying GMBM isn't able to find in his 10 years as GM. By this metric Alexyev has another year, McMichael and Protas have 2 years, Lappy and Trenyev 3 years, Iorio 4 years, Miro, Chelsey, and Sudz 5 years before they can be considered not acceptable picks

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

Delete.

 

[trick9]

Lots of picks upcoming, great prospects already to follow in other leagues and on top of that we do have some good young talent on the NHL roster already. Capitalize on having all 3 retention slots available still and weaponise the available cap space next summer and we are in a much better place than i would have expected at this stage.

Sky isn't falling even if this is likely going to be a really long season.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

It's to early to tell on most of GMBMs picks if you ask me.

Carlson drafted in 08 wasn't until 14/15 season he put up 1D numbers and arguably until 17/18 he was a stud

Orlov drafted in 09 and wasn't a fulltime cap until 15/16

Kuznetsov drafted in 10 and didn't put up stud numbers until 15/16 season

That's 6 seasons until those players became what were saying GMBM isn't able to find in his 10 years as GM. By this metric Alexyev has another year, McMichael and Protas have 2 years, Lappy and Trenyev 3 years, Iorio 4 years, Miro, Chelsey, and Sudz 5 years before they can be considered not acceptable picks

Remember as good as JC74 pick was GMGM passed on him once for one his worst busts in Gustafsson who burned out before even making to rookie camp.

 

[kicksavedave]

Remember as good as JC74 pick was GMGM passed on him once for one his worst busts in Gustafsson who burned out before even making to rookie camp.

Which just proves that drafting can be a total crapshoot. But its also true that to really judge a draft you need quite a few years. The early returns on GMBM's drafts aren't good at all, but his recent picks are all still in the "too soon to tell" category.

It can be said however that the reason we suck right now is not just that the guys we have are all old and slow, but also that the kids we have available to replace them are just not impact players. Draftees making the NHL isn't the real measure of success. Its draftees making an impact in the NHL, and right now none of GMBM's draftees are making any impact at all. None.

I guarantee, there isn't a single NHL staff that looks at the Caps on their schedule and thinks "we need to plan for how to deal with CMM/Protas/AA/Beck/LuJo/any other kids."

 

[traparatus]

I think it's fair to say that drafting under BMac has not been a strength. 2016 and 2017 were complete write offs and that's the generation of players that should be contributing at the NHL level right now.

Situation is not helped by some of the trades. We'd all probably feel better about BMac's drafting if Vrana, Siegenthaler and Samsonov returned valuable assets or building blocks for the future. Instead they returned Mantha.

All in all, Caps do not have any (projected) elite level prospects or young players. This has something to do with the management team that has been in place for 10 years, though the biggest factor is the high competitive level of the team in that time span, IMO.