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

[Holtbyisms]

What are the chances if we make the playoffs we see Leonard after his college season is over

I'd be surprised if he goes pro after one year unless they somehow win it all. He's got all his buddies there from the US development team. They all committed there together for a reason. Be shocked if any of them are one and done.

 

[Roshi]

What are the chances if we make the playoffs we see Leonard after his college season is over

Id say very unlikely. I think for his developement another year in college is propably the best way to go. He can chase to win it there, and grow as a player and as a human being

No need to rush him when we have about 12 guys in Hershey that can jump in the mix.

 

[CapsSkins]

What team can afford both McDavid and Draisatl as UFA's? Anyone?

I can think of one...

Haha jk jk... unless

What an insane coup that would be if we transitioned from the Ovie Era to the McJesus/Draisaitl era.

Draisaitl is a UFA in '25-26 after Kuzy and Oshie come off the books and McDavid hits UFA the following year after Ovie and Carlson come off, too.

McDavid, Draisaitl, Strome, Lapierre, McMichael... that would be insane Center depth. A man can dream!

 

[Calicaps]

In a hypothetical Nuggent-Hopkins for Kuemper scenario, who says no? Washington, Edmonton or both?

RNH has another 5 years after this @ $5.125m. Kuemper another 3 years @ $5.25m

Me. I say no. RNH is entirely not what this team needs.

 

[PlushMinus]

Me. I say no. RNH is entirely not what this team needs.

Jeez - a straight up trade, Nuge for Kuemper - why not?

We'd get a 1st line center (or 2C behind Strome but would give Nuge PP1 role) and we'd give up our less than stellar might not be a starter anymore goalie.

I could see it going horribly wrong, tho: Lindgren falters under pressure and we're toast. We've got Hunter Shepherd but 28 years old and 2 NHL games, super risky.

Anyway Edmonton won't be interested and Kuemper almost certainly has the Oilers on his no trade list, so it's all pointless....

 

[max21]

Dueling hat trick game on right now, Verizon center was electric during the Ovi prime

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Jeez - a straight up trade, Nuge for Kuemper - why not?

We'd get a 1st line center (or 2C behind Strome but would give Nuge PP1 role) and we'd give up our less than stellar might not be a starter anymore goalie.

I could see it going horribly wrong, tho: Lindgren falters under pressure and we're toast. We've got Hunter Shepherd but 28 years old and 2 NHL games, super risky.

Anyway Edmonton won't be interested and Kuemper almost certainly has the Oilers on his no trade list, so it's all pointless....

Jeez indeed….my first instinct is you make that deal….lots of term left, but at only 5.125 per…and in real $ it’s lighter on the backend making it more buyout friendly, otherwise it’s for his age 31-35 seasons.

 

[twabby]

https://theathletic.com/5086154/2023/11/24/nhl-power-rankings-21/

13. Washington Capitals, 10-4-2​

Last week: 17
Sean’s ranking: 14
Dom’s ranking: 14

Playoff Chances: 26%
Current Pace: 113 points
Projected Pace: 82 points
Needed Pace: 87 points

Is it time to re-evaluate the Metro playoff picture? The Capitals are off to a surprisingly scorching start at 10-4-2, putting a wrench into everyone’s playoff prognostications. That hasn’t moved the needle in their playoff chances to a level some fans might expect, though. Despite only needing an 87-point pace from here on out to make the playoffs, the Capitals are at 26 percent on Thanksgiving partly due to how they got here in the first place.

Generally speaking, teams don’t normally play at a 113-point pace with an even goal differential. The fact Washington hasn’t outscored its opponents despite its record is a red flag. The reasons they haven’t might be even redder flags: A bottom five expected goals rate at five-on-five and the worst power play in the league. That, plus the Capitals have the second toughest remaining schedule.

In other words … Sell! Sell! Sell!

I think 26% is probably too low given the number of points they've banked to date. I'd probably go closer to 50%. Hockeyviz has them at 39% which seems more accurate. But I agree that their start is a little bit of fool's gold. I think they can play better though, especially if they ease off Kuznetsov's minutes and Ovechkin is able to play better. Also maybe score a power play goal?

 

[traparatus]

Jeez - a straight up trade, Nuge for Kuemper - why not?

We'd get a 1st line center (or 2C behind Strome but would give Nuge PP1 role) and we'd give up our less than stellar might not be a starter anymore goalie.

I could see it going horribly wrong, tho: Lindgren falters under pressure and we're toast. We've got Hunter Shepherd but 28 years old and 2 NHL games, super risky.

Anyway Edmonton won't be interested and Kuemper almost certainly has the Oilers on his no trade list, so it's all pointless....

I was just curious to see how the trade value would be perceived. Of course, all the NTCs make trades near impossible. GMs give those things out like cheap Halloween candy.

Kuemper, Mantha
for
RNH, Cambell, 1st, 2nd.

 

[CapsSkins]

If Oshie is going to miss extended time, I’d rather call up Frank or Snively than see more of Phillips.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

If Oshie is going to miss extended time, I’d rather call up Frank or Snively than see more of Phillips.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Just press box Kuzy at this point. Take out the Devils game and he has one goal in 14 games (assuming he doesn’t score today). He’s a defensive nightmare and his offense is nowhere near at the level to make up for it. Can’t stand watching him play anymore.

 

[g00n]

RIP old PP

 

[Silky mitts]

Is there a limit to LTIR, or can Oshie make it $17M?

 

[Capitals40]

View attachment 772877

RIP old PP

He needs to at least make Ovi come off the ice with the rest of the pp1 unit..no more 2 minutes

 

[tycoonheart]

He needs to at least make Ovi come off the ice with the rest of the pp1 unit..no more 2 minutes

He doesn't get 2 mins anymore. At least I'm not seeing him in there for the entire 2 mins.

 

[pman25]

Time to reinsert Phillips and make him PP unit #1 on the half wall. Move Ovi to the bumper or park his ass in front of the goalie if he can’t move anymore. Try Sandin as QB1. No more Kuznetsov. Get Milano to be your zone entry man

I’d go with a 1st unit of Sandin, Strome, Milano, Phillips, Ovi

2nd unit could be Carlson, Mantha, McMichael, Wilson, Ovi again

 

[Calicaps]

Jeez indeed….my first instinct is you make that deal….lots of term left, but at only 5.125 per…and in real $ it’s lighter on the backend making it more buyout friendly, otherwise it’s for his age 31-35 seasons.

I mean, ok. I've never been a big fan of RNH, and I think we're in good shape with our young centermen. I guess if you want to put him on the wing maybe.

 

[bacchist]

Time to reinsert Phillips and make him PP unit #1 on the half wall. Move Ovi to the bumper or park his ass in front of the goalie if he can’t move anymore. Try Sandin as QB1. No more Kuznetsov. Get Milano to be your zone entry man

I’d go with a 1st unit of Sandin, Strome, Milano, Phillips, Ovi

2nd unit could be Carlson, Mantha, McMichael, Wilson, Ovi again

This is fine except for 8 on both lines. He should spend some time just getting PP2 time until he shows some fire

 

[pman25]

This is fine except for 8 on both lines. He should spend some time just getting PP2 time until he shows some fire

Sounds good to me, I’ll put Nic Dowd on the powerplay! Literally anything could be better than whatever they got right now.

 

[Raikkonen]

Well, where to start? First things first

Ovi's shot is still somewhere there (looking at his goal last game which was overturned) but other than that he's losing the ability to play. I still think he can retire early. Im confident he understands where his game is at much better than we here. Its a question of pride now in my opinion. There is a risk he doesnt make it in 3 seasons and needs another one... And he can just retire and be no less of a goat. Some will even appreciate him more while being happy he didnt catch 99. Whatever he does from now on he's in top-10 in history. He doesnt need to stay flatfooted on the ice for 200+ games.

Im no expert, but why cant he do more shots? Is his C bad? Can't he go full Knuble in ES (PP also obviously)? I guess it isnt in the cards for Carbery, and if Ovi goes to the line with less TOI in ES he could maybe get his own type of a line inside team's new system. But is it right at all for Carbery? For Caps longterm?

I dont see much cohesiveness in the play between 8 and 17 / 92. Their ability to setup him is not great at the moment. How can you change it with this roster? I dont see much space. 24 and 29 dont look like a solution either. And younger Cs need to have some space to grow too, so better wingers and less old men to carry 24/7.

Do anyone here see this whole thing working in playoffs? I dont believe in it one bit. With this 92 and 8 theyre one and done most probably. Even imagine Kuzy traded. Do you see better result?

For the future, they need to build new core, so work with young guys to make them better. No matter if they can get in playoffs or not. They need better players and team getting better to the point theyre a contender after Ovi.

Where Ovi is in this future in 2024, 25 and 26? Somewhere there disrupting things unfortunately. If he retires the building process will become easier. You can still sell a good amount of his jerseys I guess. It could be less painful for him, good for the organization, so I consider it real possibility. Wanted to see 895 obviously but more with a level of play like last season. Current level is fugly.

Next. Kuzy. Some team should be in belief he can be useful. Trade him at deadline. Jimi is not entirely ready, so no problem.

Without 92, 19 and 77 they can actually be a team which is taking steps in right direction. With personnel which will be here for some years (many of them). The immediate results wont matter much, and they can still win some games as is.

Me myself, I dont need to watch it live anymore. No reason for that. That's good for my health. The end of an era. Thanks to all of you for rational discussion all these years since 2008 or when I started lurking here. I was about 25 back then so its a big chunk of my life. Love you guys.

The only thing left - visit my dumb colleague in Finland once borders are open again next year

 

[PlushMinus]

Watching him against Edmonton, Ovie looks:

Physically tired / low energy

Every now and again you see him show some fight and I think he put a pretty big hit on Connor Brown

He does not look mentally engaged or fired up - at all. I wonder if CaliCaps is right and the death of his father has had a huge impact on him and his motivation / love for the game.

He is the highest points scorer on our team but I can't remember the last time we were so far down the points list - this is just brutal and yes we have the lowest individual points total in the league. Even San Jose (Hertl) has 14 points)

 

[bacchist]

Well, where to start? First things first

Ovi's shot is still somewhere there (looking at his goal last game which was overturned) but other than that he's losing the ability to play. I still think he can retire early. Im confident he understands where his game is at much better than we here. Its a question of pride now in my opinion. There is a risk he doesnt make it in 3 seasons and needs another one... And he can just retire and be no less of a goat. Some will even appreciate him more while being happy he didnt catch 99. Whatever he does from now on he's in top-10 in history. He doesnt need to stay flatfooted on the ice for 200+ games.

Im no expert, but why cant he do more shots? Is his C bad? Can't he go full Knuble in ES (PP also obviously)? I guess it isnt in the cards for Carbery, and if Ovi goes to the line with less TOI in ES he could maybe get his own type of a line inside team's new system. But is it right at all for Carbery? For Caps longterm?

I dont see much cohesiveness in the play between 8 and 17 / 92. Their ability to setup him is not great at the moment. How can you change it with this roster? I dont see much space. 24 and 29 dont look like a solution either. And younger Cs need to have some space to grow too, so better wingers and less old men to carry 24/7.

Do anyone here see this whole thing working in playoffs? I dont believe in it one bit. With this 92 and 8 theyre one and done most probably. Even imagine Kuzy traded. Do you see better result?

For the future, they need to build new core, so work with young guys to make them better. No matter if they can get in playoffs or not. They need better players and team getting better to the point theyre a contender after Ovi.

Where Ovi is in this future in 2024, 25 and 26? Somewhere there disrupting things unfortunately. If he retires the building process will become easier. You can still sell a good amount of his jerseys I guess. It could be less painful for him, good for the organization, so I consider it real possibility. Wanted to see 895 obviously but more with a level of play like last season. Current level is fugly.

Next. Kuzy. Some team should be in belief he can be useful. Trade him at deadline. Jimi is not entirely ready, so no problem.

Without 92, 19 and 77 they can actually be a team which is taking steps in right direction. With personnel which will be here for some years (many of them). The immediate results wont matter much, and they can still win some games as is.

Me myself, I dont need to watch it live anymore. No reason for that. That's good for my health. The end of an era. Thanks to all of you for rational discussion all these years since 2008 or when I started lurking here. I was about 25 back then so its a big chunk of my life. Love you guys.

The only thing left - visit my dumb colleague in Finland once borders are open again next year

Playoffs are probably nothing to worry about.

 

[g00n]

 

[Empty Goal Net]

This is fine except for 8 on both lines. He should spend some time just getting PP2 time until he shows some fire

I'm a little late but the Caps' PP is a never-ending topic. Save Ovie for PP2. If he can be fresher out there (I know, 'fresher' is relative) during the latter portion of the PP, he has that advantage plus he's less likely to be going up against the opponent's PK1. idk if we'll ever know why he's returning so many pucks to JC74 - at least some of those he gives back appear to be in his wheelhouse - but Carbs should know and take steps to correct/fix/adjust depending on whether it's the feeder or the shooter or some other problem.