Toggle sidebar

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

  • Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
Status
Not open for further replies.
Calicaps said:
Where did I say he deserves a sweater? He gets one because he's paid a zillion dollars and because Carbery is trying to find a way to make him play well. It's only November. Carbery is less than 2 months into his job. He's not gonna give up on himself yet. Soon enough, he'll throw his hands up, but not yet.
Click to expand...

I agree maybe Carbery is trying to salvage him but he's shown all the trust in the world in him and it's yielded nothing but negative results so far.

I think at some point you have to start criticizing the coach for playing the worst player in the NHL on the top line, and I'm at that point now. They're 20% of the way into the season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: um and PlushMinus
twabby said:
Kuznetsov is the worst player in the NHL according to GAR this year. He was the 10th worst last year. No one is trading for him. They tried this summer and no one wanted him. There's no rebuilding his trade value.

In what universe does he deserve a sweater, let alone a first line assignment, let alone the 6th most minutes in the NHL among forwards? Scratching him gets you 21 minutes of ice time per night not allocated to the worst player in the NHL and instead allocated to a perfectly reasonable player in Mantha. It also gets you McMichael playing center instead of wing.
Click to expand...
It's a head scratcher, for sure.

Maybe the issue is that if Kuznetsov is not in the lineup, you have to 'spread the wealth' of Ovechkin and Wilson across the rest of the lineup. At least in this way they are all contained on the same line.

It would be great to see a major reduction in ice time for this 1st line, if Carberry insists on having it. I understand the financial and general optics issues of scratching them but how are those three leading Caps forwards in ice time? Makes no sense to me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: um and SecretaryofDefense5
g00n said:
Moving Ovie closer to the net later in his career has been discussed for the last 10yrs or so.

I'd like to see someone on the other side of the PP become a scoring threat before making that change. That would open Ovie up more, since PKers wouldn't cheat his way as much, and could be made to even overplay the other side sometimes.

We thought that might be Mantha but for some reason, nope.
Click to expand...

Pacioretty might become that, if/when he gets into it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Calicaps and Monsterrain
twabby said:
I agree maybe Carbery is trying to salvage him but he's shown all the trust in the world in him and it's yielded nothing but negative results so far.

I think at some point you have to start criticizing the coach for playing the worst player in the NHL on the top line, and I'm at that point now. They're 20% of the way into the season.
Click to expand...
Even Backstrom got demoted to 3C pretty quickly. I don’t get why Kuzy is so special.

Come to think of it maybe Backstrom acknowledged his poor performance with Carbery. If only Kuzy had a tenth of Backstrom’s class.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WanderingCapsFan
I mentioned this in a GDT post, but was watching a Rangers documentary where Keenan benched Brian Leech. It was wonky but got him going and they went on to win the Cup. Feels like Carbery is going to need to do that to Kuzy at some point. Doesn’t mean he will never see the ice again, but you would hope it shocks him enough to get him playing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Holtbyisms
um said:
Even Backstrom got demoted to 3C pretty quickly. I don’t get why Kuzy is so special.

Come to think of it maybe Backstrom acknowledged his poor performance with Carbery. If only Kuzy had a tenth of Backstrom’s class.
Click to expand...
It's propably because they are already down a veteran center. But i don't get why Kuznetsov is anywhere close to NHL lead for TOI among forwards. Those ''veteran'' minutes should go to Strome, if anyone. Dowd is getting bunch of minutes already and given how hard those minutes are, it's not ideal for him to be near ~20 minutes. But why Kuznetsov over Strome? Strome may need be ~700 game NHL veteran yet but it's not like Kuznetsov plays like one, either.

That Backstrom thing you posted just seems wrong. I don't want to bash Backstrom or anything but it's not like he just stepped away at the first possible chance. It was clear last season that he wasn't NHL quality anymore and yet he dragged this thing all the way to this season before calling it quits. It's nothing wrong, he wanted to give it a one last go and he had every right to do so, but let's not act like he quit right after realising he wasn't going to cut it anymore. He quit 7 months after his GM basically publicly told him that his level of play is not acceptable for his salary and basically was pushing him to retirement.
 
twabby said:
Agreed, which is why I think Ovechkin might benefit from going into the bumper spot. A lot more options to receive the puck and in a much more dangerous area of the ice.
Click to expand...
Seriously I’m open to whatever we can do to make a power play better, but this is not something I would.

He still has one of the most lethal shots in history why would you put him in bumper?
 
  • Like
Reactions: RedRocking
um said:
Even Backstrom got demoted to 3C pretty quickly. I don’t get why Kuzy is so special.

Come to think of it maybe Backstrom acknowledged his poor performance with Carbery. If only Kuzy had a tenth of Backstrom’s class.
Click to expand...

Backstrom's demotion was due to health.

Kuzy has no serious health issue we're aware of so the idea is he's just not playing well for some reason, and might be able to reverse that.

Putting NB on the top line and giving more minutes would not have cured his hip. Whether doing so gets Kuzy out of his funk is another matter. I know what we all believe, but I also understand the new coach wanting to exhaust all possibilities at this point in the season/relationship before cutting bait entirely.

It's frustrating for us but we're not the ones calling these shots or with skin in the game.
 
trick9 said:
It's propably because they are already down a veteran center. But i don't get why Kuznetsov is anywhere close to NHL lead for TOI among forwards. Those ''veteran'' minutes should go to Strome, if anyone. Dowd is getting bunch of minutes already and given how hard those minutes are, it's not ideal for him to be near ~20 minutes. But why Kuznetsov over Strome? Strome may need be ~700 game NHL veteran yet but it's not like Kuznetsov plays like one, either.

That Backstrom thing you posted just seems wrong. I don't want to bash Backstrom or anything but it's not like he just stepped away at the first possible chance. It was clear last season that he wasn't NHL quality anymore and yet he dragged this thing all the way to this season before calling it quits. It's nothing wrong, he wanted to give it a one last go and he had every right to do so, but let's not act like he quit right after realising he wasn't going to cut it anymore. He quit 7 months after his GM basically publicly told him that his level of play is not acceptable for his salary and basically was pushing him to retirement.
Click to expand...
g00n said:
Backstrom's demotion was due to health.

Kuzy has no serious health issue we're aware of so the idea is he's just not playing well for some reason, and might be able to reverse that.

Putting NB on the top line and giving more minutes would not have cured his hip. Whether doing so gets Kuzy out of his funk is another matter. I know what we all believe, but I also understand the new coach wanting to exhaust all possibilities at this point in the season/relationship before cutting bait entirely.

It's frustrating for us but we're not the ones calling these shots or with skin in the game.
Click to expand...
My point was Backstrom's situation made it easy on Carbery as he didn't have to be the guy to deliver the bad news. Backstrom knew he wasn't playing well and chose to step aside.

With Kuznetsov playing lousy Carbery has a difficult decision of demoting him or trying to get him to play to his full ability. Personally I don't think Kuzy should be our 1C anymore but I understand how much this sucks for a rookie coach who's never done anything in this league.

Its the same with Oshie and the whole 1st PP unit. Carbery either hasn't found the stones to demote the established guys or he thinks they still have the potential.
 
um said:
My point was Backstrom's situation made it easy on Carbery as he didn't have to be the guy to deliver the bad news. Backstrom knew he wasn't playing well and chose to step aside.

With Kuznetsov playing lousy Carbery has a difficult decision of demoting him or trying to get him to play to his full ability. Personally I don't think Kuzy should be our 1C anymore but I understand how much this sucks for a rookie coach who's never done anything in this league.

Its the same with Oshie and the whole 1st PP unit. Carbery either hasn't found the stones to demote the established guys or he thinks they still have the potential.
Click to expand...

He's been very vocal in calling them out including players with bad habits on the PP so it's obvious he's willing to take on the top guys, imo.

So I don't think he's lacking in nerve, I think there's a calculated assessment going on based on Kuzy's past potential, his real vs perceived value, and his replacement cost.

My guess is he and Gmbm have a cut off date or some other metric for the Kuzy Situation. There's too much at stake (in money and other team and individual goals) for there to be no plan. And Gmbm seems to always operate with a long-term plan.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Calicaps, HeyMattyB and tycoonheart
Kuznetsov's situation is made somewhat complicated by a challenging direction the organization is heading in. Caps are kind of trying to compete, kind of trying to rebuild and kind of have to prioritize Ovechkin's record.

If you are rebuilding, you scratch Kuznetsov without a second thought and he wouldn't be the only one. As it is, you gotta look at the rest of the roster. I think most people, myself included, are pleased with the kind of season that Strome and McMichael are having. Strome is on pace for about 50 points, McMichael 40 points. That's without either one been regularly saddled with one of the defensive black holes featured on the top line. What are you going to compete for with that level of production?

It's a tough situation for Carbery. That said playing Kuznetsov/Ovechkin/Wilson is one thing. Playing them the amount of time that they've been on the ice is another. The latter, I don't see a good reason for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: um
g00n said:
He's been very vocal in calling them out including players with bad habits on the PP so it's obvious he's willing to take on the top guys, imo.

So I don't think he's lacking in nerve, I think there's a calculated assessment going on based on Kuzy's past potential, his real vs perceived value, and his replacement cost.

My guess is he and Gmbm have a cut off date or some other metric for the Kuzy Situation. There's too much at stake (in money and other team and individual goals) for there to be no plan. And Gmbm seems to always operate with a long-term plan.
Click to expand...
I hope you’re right. I don’t want a full season of this Kuzy getting 20+ minutes a game.

If playoffs is the goal, they’ve gotta play their best players.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ovechkins Wodka
I wonder if they would dare waive him…send him to Hershey for a game lol….when he clears waivers, maybe he finds some humility, but probably not.
 
um said:
They won’t even dare take him off 1C!
Click to expand...

2C is fine atm. We are a goal and point starved team. He's averaging 0.5 points per game playing at 10% of his ability and effort. Dare I say, none of us could do that. And dare I say, I'm not shelling $$$ out for tickets to go watch his lazy ass.

First offer that comes to BMac's phone should be accepted as long as it does not involve a 1st round pick, and toss in the McNugget Minute as a deal sweetener.
 
I've got an idea to make 1st line Milano-Strome-Wilson
They should be able to play like top-6 line, right?

So 2nd is Ovi-Kuzy-?
And maybe it will work with Protas?

Then
Mantha-CMM-Paci/Oshie/Phillips

And the glorious
Beck-Dowd-NAK
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom