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

[Kazer]

You mean like almost every season of the Ovechkin era? We have only made it past the 2nd round once and that was 2018.

The key clause there was 'no real shot'. The Caps were legit contenders for most of 08-09 to 18-19 (minus Oates).

Separately, that reinforces my point. The Caps built out of Ovechkin/Backstrom/Green/Alzner/Carlson/etc. were not able to win a cup until 17-18. Does this team strike you as being one-to-two pieces away from contending? To the point where we should be trading away good young players and draft picks?

FWIW, I believe there is a ton of logic in Strome + Lapierre + McMichael is probably not a contending center core. But I don't believe that automatically pushes us into 'trade away first round picks and good young players to contend now'.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Waiting until summer 2025 to be “active” in trades and UFA doesn’t make much sense to me. Waiting for anything, doesn’t make sense to me.

If you know you want something, and it helps you, and you can afford it, why wait? For what?

I think people are confusing “must do something” vs “making smart decisions”. I’m not going to bitch and moan of BMac doesn’t do anything major. Nor will I think he’s being spurious to do something major asap.

Do what’s best for the franchise. It’s pretty simple. GMBM knows what he wants — and if last summer proved anything — it’s that he will be patient to do so.

I’m sure I will get labeled an apologist for management, or appealing to authority, or what have you — but we have a great GM. Let him do what he needs to do. Whenever that may be

 

[OV Rocks]

As you mentioned, Pittsburgh drafted Crosby 1st overall in 2005 and then won the Cup in 2009 (plus 2016 & 2017).
Chicago drafted Patrick Kane 1st overall in 2007 - then won the Cup in 2010, 2012, & 2013.
If you're willing to also accept 2nd overall picks, the Los Angeles Kings drafted Drew Doughty 2nd overall in 2008 and won the Cup in 2012 & 2014.
Tampa Bay had to wait longer than 5 years, but drafting Stamkos (1st overall) and Hedman (2nd overall) were key foundational pieces in their 2020 & 2021 Cups.

Chicago and LA drafted in the lottery for 8 years surrounding those picks though, then waited a long while to capitalize on them. By that theory the 24 draft is year one, we have 7 years more of drafting in the lottery and then we will be aggressive and say 5 years after that we should reap the rewards.

Ha - screwwww that

It took a decade+ for Tampa to reap the benefits (and they already had a recent Cup which makes it easier to swallow) but I would argue that those cups are more in part Vasilevskiy Kucherov and Point's doing

Untuck Your Shirt From Your Tighty Whities @Hivemind

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Waiting until summer 2025 to be “active” in trades and UFA doesn’t make much sense to me. Waiting for anything, doesn’t make sense to me.

If you know you want something, and it helps you, and you can afford it, why wait? For what?

I think people are confusing “must do something” vs “making smart decisions”. I’m not going to bitch and moan of BMac doesn’t do anything major. Nor will I think he’s being spurious to do something major asap.

Do what’s best for the franchise. It’s pretty simple. GMBM knows what he wants — and if last summer proved anything — it’s that he will be patient to do so.

I’m sure I will get labeled an apologist for management, or appealing to authority, or what have you — but we have a great GM. Let him do what he needs to do. Whenever that may be

As probably the most vocal proponent of "patience" in making moves I may surprise you and agree that you do go ahead and make the moves that make the team better. That's how we got Langway, Oshie, etc...

As you point out GMBM tends to be on the lean towards patience approach like I do. You invest in and trust your scouting staff and see their vision through. But you are also open to favorable hockey trades.

A lot of this comes down how each of us see upside. I have been consistent on saying there is significantly more upside with CMM, Protas, and Lappy than others. I still think that way. I also think that way for Miroshnichenko and Leonard. I am hopeful but I hesitate to advocate the same for Cristall, Suzy, and Funk. They may bring it, but to me it's still uncertain.

I'll also underscore the secondary benefit of waiting with any potential move with any of our young talent - if they all develop above expectations you have way more value in any move you make with any that are in positions/roles we are stacked in.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

This team reminds me a little of the 80's Oilers that dominated - specifically how they improved...

The first year they went to the Finals they got swept by the Islanders - pretty much owned. I remember Gretzky sitting on the open door of the bench almost crying. They were young and had heart and were hungry. They just needed a little more time to grow and gel before going on their run.

I see the same potential for taking it up a level next year and the one after that just with the utes we have. Not saying we are going to win the Cup next year but rather they can continue to improve significantly..They have that same hunger - and used that to deliver the Calder. Not a trivial point.

Last year was the bottom.

 

[Devil Dancer]

If they're not going to tank then at some point they need to be more aggressive about acquiring top talent through other methods. That's not an area where GMBM has excelled in the past. Is he up to it?

You have to be willing to take a risk and acquire guys like Eichel or sign a key UFA like Pietrangelo. And, you have to avoid the duds like PLD.

I'm not sure this Caps management team has the pro scouting skill or the stones to pull those kinds of moves off.

Even if their best prospects blossom, they're going to need a few of those big acquisitions to be a true contender.

 

[aonb]

Just for fun: Mitch Marner for Tom Wilson. Wilson goes home and Toronto gets beefier for the playoffs (with cost certainty thanks to Wilson’s extension) while Washington gets a top line forward and they are one of few teams who have the cap structure to extend Marner. Marner instantly becomes the Caps best forward.

I'd love to see it but it would be Marner for Wilson + +

Add one more + probably

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Even if their best prospects blossom, they're going to need a few of those big acquisitions to be a true contender.

And I do agree with that, especially in regard to bringing in potential high end D talent. This is where our extra picks may come into play.

Hopefully GMBM and staff can find a young stud D and maybe move a 1st + 2nd + 2025 2nd + x for them.

I wonder if Keumper might be happy to go somewhere he can be #1 and is OK to be the x in a package of picks for a really promising young D....

 

[marcel snapshot]

Just for fun: Mitch Marner for Tom Wilson. Wilson goes home and Toronto gets beefier for the playoffs (with cost certainty thanks to Wilson’s extension) while Washington gets a top line forward and they are one of few teams who have the cap structure to extend Marner. Marner instantly becomes the Caps best forward.

I mean - done. Immediately. But even Toronto might not be that dumb or that knee-jerk.

 

[bacchist]

We have to be careful about trading away draft capital. Aside from Oshie, the core of the 2018 team were all Capitals draft picks. Ovechkin, Backstrom, Carlson, Kuznetsov, Wilson, Orlov... We drafted and developed these guys.

You can chart out the last 20 years of the franchise by looking at the draft history, just in terms of what picks we had.

When we went through our rebuild, we stocked up on draft picks.

We ended up with no picks in the first 3 rounds in 2011, but in 2012 we has 2 first round picks again (Forsberg and Wilson, fwiw...). We ended up basically giving away Forsberg for a low-impact player, which turned out to be devastating.

Then again in 2017, we didn't have any picks in the first 3 rounds, but this time in the following year we only had one pick at the end of the first round (Alexeyev at 31) and a couple in the second (one of which was Fehervary). And in 2021, we were again without a first round pick.

We were dominant for a lot of the 2010s because we had acquired a massive amount of draft capital that we used to fill the pipeline with prospects. As the 2010s wore on, we neglected the pipeline and that's how we ended up where we are today.

I see a lot of this talk about trading multiple picks + prospects to acquire some player, but it's so often a mistake. The grass is always going to be greener on the other side if you never water your own lawn.

 

[Liam Smith]

Why do we like Zegras so much on this board? Hes done the Michigan move a few times, But the Ducks dont want him and im not sure he can play D or do anything more then high level pick up moves here and there.

He did play with Sonny on the Ducks and they pulled off that trick play once.

If the Ducks go dumb and start giving away good players like we got in Strome and Sonny, Yes we need to jump. But i would not sell the house at this point for Zegras

I wouldn't sell the house, but their first and a guy like CMC? I think I'd take the risk. People seem to forget how talented Zegras is and I think Carbs could get the best out of him. Potential 80 point player if he puts it all together.

 

[um]

I'd love to see it but it would be Marner for Wilson + +

Add one more + probably

Marner has a full no trade clause. If he were to be traded he’d have full control.

I imagine Marner would only come here if he was offered a generous contract extension. Something few teams can afford.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

I'd love to see it but it would be Marner for Wilson + +

Add one more + probably

Not sure how many ++ it would require to be honest. Marner has a full NMC and has one year left on his contract before he can walk for nothing. He has a $10.9M cap hit which isn’t easy to offload. The Leafs are not exactly negotiating from a position of strength here.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Not sure how many ++ it would require to be honest. Marner has a full NMC and has one year left on his contract before he can walk for nothing. He has a $10.9M cap hit which isn’t easy to offload. The Leafs are not exactly negotiating from a position of strength here.

The Carbery factor could lead Marner to waive his NTC. Marner may want to be a #1 under his old coach. Also GMBM has made a few recent trades with the leafs so we seem to work well dealing together.

 

[erzon]

Is this old news? The rumor of a conflict i mean...

Source: Slår tillbaka mot radiouppgifterna

Translation by ChatGPT:
Nicklas Bäckström Strikes Back Against Claims in Radiosporten
Published April 25, 2024, at 18:59. Updated at 19:18.

Nicklas Bäckström is reportedly in conflict with Washington's coach, Spencer Carbery, according to Radiosporten Hockey. However, the Swedish star denies these claims, stating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

In November, the 36-year-old Bäckström paused his NHL career due to long-standing injury issues, including hip problems, and has since been listed as a long-term injured player.

Radiosporten Hockey's host Magnus Wahlman and expert Per Svartvadet suggest that Bäckström's absence might be due to reasons other than injuries. They claim to have heard from several independent sources that Bäckström's situation is not injury-related but rather a significant rift with the coach, leading to his placement on the injury list.

Wahlman also noted that tensions might have escalated when Carbery intended to position Bäckström in the team's third line-up, despite Bäckström having had a significant hip surgery and performing exceptionally well thereafter.

Expressen contacted Nicklas Bäckström, who refuted the allegations of any rift with the coach, reiterating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

Despite Bäckström's absence, the Washington Capitals have advanced to the NHL playoffs, where they are currently facing the New York Rangers in the first round. The Rangers have won the first two games.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Is this old news? The rumor of a conflict i mean...

Source: Slår tillbaka mot radiouppgifterna

Translation by ChatGPT:
Nicklas Bäckström Strikes Back Against Claims in Radiosporten
Published April 25, 2024, at 18:59. Updated at 19:18.

Nicklas Bäckström is reportedly in conflict with Washington's coach, Spencer Carbery, according to Radiosporten Hockey. However, the Swedish star denies these claims, stating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

In November, the 36-year-old Bäckström paused his NHL career due to long-standing injury issues, including hip problems, and has since been listed as a long-term injured player.

Radiosporten Hockey's host Magnus Wahlman and expert Per Svartvadet suggest that Bäckström's absence might be due to reasons other than injuries. They claim to have heard from several independent sources that Bäckström's situation is not injury-related but rather a significant rift with the coach, leading to his placement on the injury list.

Wahlman also noted that tensions might have escalated when Carbery intended to position Bäckström in the team's third line-up, despite Bäckström having had a significant hip surgery and performing exceptionally well thereafter.

Expressen contacted Nicklas Bäckström, who refuted the allegations of any rift with the coach, reiterating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

Despite Bäckström's absence, the Washington Capitals have advanced to the NHL playoffs, where they are currently facing the New York Rangers in the first round. The Rangers have won the first two games.

I smell BS…

 

[Hivemind]

Is this old news? The rumor of a conflict i mean...

Source: Slår tillbaka mot radiouppgifterna

Translation by ChatGPT:
Nicklas Bäckström Strikes Back Against Claims in Radiosporten
Published April 25, 2024, at 18:59. Updated at 19:18.

Nicklas Bäckström is reportedly in conflict with Washington's coach, Spencer Carbery, according to Radiosporten Hockey. However, the Swedish star denies these claims, stating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

In November, the 36-year-old Bäckström paused his NHL career due to long-standing injury issues, including hip problems, and has since been listed as a long-term injured player.

Radiosporten Hockey's host Magnus Wahlman and expert Per Svartvadet suggest that Bäckström's absence might be due to reasons other than injuries. They claim to have heard from several independent sources that Bäckström's situation is not injury-related but rather a significant rift with the coach, leading to his placement on the injury list.

Wahlman also noted that tensions might have escalated when Carbery intended to position Bäckström in the team's third line-up, despite Bäckström having had a significant hip surgery and performing exceptionally well thereafter.

Expressen contacted Nicklas Bäckström, who refuted the allegations of any rift with the coach, reiterating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

Despite Bäckström's absence, the Washington Capitals have advanced to the NHL playoffs, where they are currently facing the New York Rangers in the first round. The Rangers have won the first two games.

The second you read that the rumor mongers claimed that Backstrom was "performing exceptionally well thereafter" you know that the rumormongers are full of BS.

 

[twabby]

I proposed Wilson for Nylander last offseason. Similar situation now for Marner.

Washington desperately needs playmakers and Marner is not only that but he's a great two-way player. Oshie used to be a playoff choker, until he wasn't. I'd bet on Marner to figure it out. Especially since doesn't he have a sprained ankle he's playing through?

I think Wilson's value has dropped some but he's still likely an incredibly valuable trade chip, especially to a team like Toronto who is always chasing toughness. I don't think a Wilson for Marner trade would require a big add, if any at all.

 

[Hivemind]

Chicago and LA drafted in the lottery for 8 years surrounding those picks though, then waited a long while to capitalize on them. By that theory the 24 draft is year one, we have 7 years more of drafting in the lottery and then we will be aggressive and say 5 years after that we should reap the rewards.

Ha - screwwww that

It took a decade+ for Tampa to reap the benefits (and they already had a recent Cup which makes it easier to swallow) but I would argue that those cups are more in part Vasilevskiy Kucherov and Point's doing

Untuck Your Shirt From Your Tighty Whities @Hivemind

You asked for examples, I gave you examples.

Fun fact, those four franchises are the only four franchises that have won more than a single Cup since the 2004 lockout. All four of them had home grown 1st and/or 2nd overall picks on their roster when they did so.

Boston would be the fifth most successful playoff franchise in that span and the best example of a team doing it without full-on tanking, but a big part of their success was turning their 5th overall pick (Phil Kessel) into a 2nd overall pick (Tyler Seguin) and 9th overall pick (Dougie Hamilton) via trade/Toronto's stupidity. Those assets were also later flipped into even more assets, but the germ was still a high draft pick.

I get it, you want to have your cake and eat it too. You want to contend continuously without ever rebuilding. But the reality is that's much easier said than done. There's a reason nobody has successfully pulled off the flawless "core change over" without a rebuild since the Detroit Red Wings (and since then, the Red Wings have turned to ash). It sounds great in theory, but it rarely works in practice.

 

[um]

You asked for examples, I gave you examples.

Fun fact, those four franchises are the only four franchises that have won more than a single Cup since the 2004 lockout. All four of them had home grown 1st and/or 2nd overall picks on their roster when they did so.

Boston would be the fifth most successful playoff franchise in that span and the best example of a team doing it without full-on tanking, but a big part of their success was turning their 5th overall pick (Phil Kessel) into a 2nd overall pick (Tyler Seguin) and 9th overall pick (Dougie Hamilton) via trade/Toronto's stupidity. Those assets were also later flipped into even more assets, but the germ was still a high draft pick.

I get it, you want to have your cake and eat it too. You want to contend continuously without ever rebuilding. But the reality is that's much easier said than done. There's a reason nobody has successfully pulled off the flawless "core change over" without a rebuild since the Detroit Red Wings (and since then, the Red Wings have turned to ash). It sounds great in theory, but it rarely works in practice.

Caps are already rebuilding. McMichael, Lapierre, Protas, Miroshnichenko, Sandin, Fever, Alexeyev, Leonard, Cristall, etc. are all rebuilding pieces. Even taking a chance on younger guys like Strome and Milano are moves a rebuilding team does.

Just because we're not drafting top 5 doesn't mean there's no rebuild.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Is this old news? The rumor of a conflict i mean...

Source: Slår tillbaka mot radiouppgifterna

Translation by ChatGPT:
Nicklas Bäckström Strikes Back Against Claims in Radiosporten
Published April 25, 2024, at 18:59. Updated at 19:18.

Nicklas Bäckström is reportedly in conflict with Washington's coach, Spencer Carbery, according to Radiosporten Hockey. However, the Swedish star denies these claims, stating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

In November, the 36-year-old Bäckström paused his NHL career due to long-standing injury issues, including hip problems, and has since been listed as a long-term injured player.

Radiosporten Hockey's host Magnus Wahlman and expert Per Svartvadet suggest that Bäckström's absence might be due to reasons other than injuries. They claim to have heard from several independent sources that Bäckström's situation is not injury-related but rather a significant rift with the coach, leading to his placement on the injury list.

Wahlman also noted that tensions might have escalated when Carbery intended to position Bäckström in the team's third line-up, despite Bäckström having had a significant hip surgery and performing exceptionally well thereafter.

Expressen contacted Nicklas Bäckström, who refuted the allegations of any rift with the coach, reiterating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

Despite Bäckström's absence, the Washington Capitals have advanced to the NHL playoffs, where they are currently facing the New York Rangers in the first round. The Rangers have won the first two games.

No chance. Backstrom is one of the easiest going guys there is, and Carbery has a terrific way of relating to people, AND would have the utmost respect for Backs as not only a potential HOF player, but an obvious franchise legend.

Lastly — I highly doubt TednDick would allow it. They’d back Nick.

 

[HTFN]

Is this old news? The rumor of a conflict i mean...

Source: Slår tillbaka mot radiouppgifterna

Translation by ChatGPT:
Nicklas Bäckström Strikes Back Against Claims in Radiosporten
Published April 25, 2024, at 18:59. Updated at 19:18.

Nicklas Bäckström is reportedly in conflict with Washington's coach, Spencer Carbery, according to Radiosporten Hockey. However, the Swedish star denies these claims, stating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

In November, the 36-year-old Bäckström paused his NHL career due to long-standing injury issues, including hip problems, and has since been listed as a long-term injured player.

Radiosporten Hockey's host Magnus Wahlman and expert Per Svartvadet suggest that Bäckström's absence might be due to reasons other than injuries. They claim to have heard from several independent sources that Bäckström's situation is not injury-related but rather a significant rift with the coach, leading to his placement on the injury list.

Wahlman also noted that tensions might have escalated when Carbery intended to position Bäckström in the team's third line-up, despite Bäckström having had a significant hip surgery and performing exceptionally well thereafter.

Expressen contacted Nicklas Bäckström, who refuted the allegations of any rift with the coach, reiterating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

Despite Bäckström's absence, the Washington Capitals have advanced to the NHL playoffs, where they are currently facing the New York Rangers in the first round. The Rangers have won the first two games.

It's not even old news, it's new bullshit. Backstrom came back and didn't do okay, it felt like everyone was fully on board with what would happen next and he was given ample time to prove himself...

It's just tabloid garbage. His surgery isn't common, the recovery isn't common, and the man himself denied the report. We saying the guy who has played for this team without a single issue for this long came out of a surgery and suddenly became a diva about his ice time?

 

[YippieKaey]

Is this old news? The rumor of a conflict i mean...

Source: Slår tillbaka mot radiouppgifterna

Translation by ChatGPT:
Nicklas Bäckström Strikes Back Against Claims in Radiosporten
Published April 25, 2024, at 18:59. Updated at 19:18.

Nicklas Bäckström is reportedly in conflict with Washington's coach, Spencer Carbery, according to Radiosporten Hockey. However, the Swedish star denies these claims, stating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

In November, the 36-year-old Bäckström paused his NHL career due to long-standing injury issues, including hip problems, and has since been listed as a long-term injured player.

Radiosporten Hockey's host Magnus Wahlman and expert Per Svartvadet suggest that Bäckström's absence might be due to reasons other than injuries. They claim to have heard from several independent sources that Bäckström's situation is not injury-related but rather a significant rift with the coach, leading to his placement on the injury list.

Wahlman also noted that tensions might have escalated when Carbery intended to position Bäckström in the team's third line-up, despite Bäckström having had a significant hip surgery and performing exceptionally well thereafter.

Expressen contacted Nicklas Bäckström, who refuted the allegations of any rift with the coach, reiterating, "There is absolutely no truth in what they are saying."

Despite Bäckström's absence, the Washington Capitals have advanced to the NHL playoffs, where they are currently facing the New York Rangers in the first round. The Rangers have won the first two games.

Yeah, i read it in swedish and swedish hockey media saying Bäckström was phenomenal is a red flag. He wasn't. He also denies it himself and he played a bunch down the lineup.

 

[Hivemind]

Caps are already rebuilding. McMichael, Lapierre, Protas, Miroshnichenko, Sandin, Fever, Alexeyev, Leonard, Cristall, etc. are all rebuilding pieces. Even taking a chance on younger guys like Strome and Milano are moves a rebuilding team does.

Just because we're not drafting top 5 doesn't mean there's no rebuild.

That's the optimistic view, yes. The prospect pool has certainly improved compared to a few years ago. But this isn't a situation where the team needs a new set of young/cheap players to augment an already established core. This is a situation where the team, well, needs a brand new core. This team is about to lose its franchise player, it needs someone else to build the team around.

If we're incredibly lucky, we have two potential core candidates in Cristall and Leonard. But that's banking on best case scenarios for each of them. I'm firmly in the Cristall believer camp, but thinking he's going to be the kind of player that we can build a franchise around is an incredibly optimistic view. The rest of that batch of secondary pieces, at best. The rest aren't the type of players that represent the core of a contender. Heck, Alexeyev isn't even guaranteed to stick in the NHL beyond a fringe role. And both Strome and Milano are already 27 years old, and were cast offs from teams even worse than we are. While they can both be useful players (and Strome has been some incredible free value), they are far cries away from their peers when it comes to contending teams.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Not a fan of Zegra or Marner. I kept thinking about the rebuilds etc, however getting older I don't want to wait a decade for outcomes. Glad we had 2018 and I could experience that because now this league is too big and moving in a direction I don't like.