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

[YippieKaey]

I think Kuznetsov is probably a little lazy but also just isn't as good as people think.

He had one stellar Cup run, one great year (15-16), and a couple of pretty good years, but otherwise has never really been a star player. I think people way overestimate how talented he is.

You can still see the skating and puckhandling though and he's pretty big & strong for a skill guy. But the decision making is just actively bad.

It's like someone built a great hockey robot but forgot the cpu and put in an electric tootbrush instead.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

His high has been very high though, it's just that he has never really been able to keep it that high consistently. With Kuzy it's more about the potential considering those highs.

Absolutely….his high was Elite. nobody really expected that level again (other than maybe spurts), but damn, he should be able to deliver like 80%+ of that high, but he doesn’t have the heart, the desire. It’s Semin all over again in that regard. (no desire to be his best)

 

[DWGie26]

This is absolutely true, but the gamble here is that Carbery is either an interpersonal wizard wunderkind who has the magical ability to reach Kuzy when several other veteran and rookie coaches could not, or else he's just randomly got something in his approach that will resonate with Kuzy given enough time.

It's not impossible but I'm increasingly skeptical, not of Carbery's abilities but that the above scenarios are true.

Rarely do "wantaway" players ever fully turn it around and buy back into the team they're trying to escape, or that tried to get rid of them.

you can’t win them all over. And it takes two. Kuzy needs to lean in and meet the coach and he hasn’t seemed willing to do that… with any coach. Varna seems to be the same. Semin the same.

I believe Carbery is a good leader. Good communicator. Good coach. He’ll do everything he can but it doesn’t mean he’ll succeed with all players. Right now I’m just happy he has made an impact of McMichael, Mantha, Wilson is buying in, Oshie, not sure what impact Carbs had on Backstrom, but i am sure the communication was good.

 

[Kuz]

I think Kuznetsov is probably a little lazy but also just isn't as good as people think.

He is very talented. Skillwise and skating wise, but lacks work ethic and a winning drive. Like hockey is just a sport for him he doesnt have the drive to win and be the best like for example Crosby.

 

[twabby]

What skills does Kuznetsov possess that makes people expect him to be elite if he tried harder?

Yes I don't think he should be as bad as he is, but I also don't think he's a 1C if he tried hard.

 

[DWGie26]

What skills does Kuznetsov possess that makes people expect him to be elite if he tried harder?

Yes I don't think he should be as bad as he is, but I also don't think he's a 1C if he tried hard.

Well his skating and puck carrying is elite. He has passing skills and a good shot. But he is lazy with passing, lazy with skating, and isn’t trying to improve. He has lots of skills to be a Top 6 Center. But his XGAF is very low.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Semin’s bad was better than Kuzy’s bad. That says something.

 

[g00n]

I think Kuznetsov is probably a little lazy but also just isn't as good as people think.

He had one stellar Cup run, one great year (15-16), and a couple of pretty good years, but otherwise has never really been a star player. I think people way overestimate how talented he is.

What skills does Kuznetsov possess that makes people expect him to be elite if he tried harder?

Yes I don't think he should be as bad as he is, but I also don't think he's a 1C if he tried hard.

Wait, didn't you spend like 2 years trying to convince us of the opposite because fancy stats said he was better than what we saw?

 

[Marshall]

I have no idea what to think of this team. Generally I think they don’t have the offensive horses to keep this pace up and as soon as Lindgren comes back to earth they’re going to put a string of Ls together.

That's the key for me.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

One of the greatest assets Caps have right now is the opportunity to be patient.

Allowing the young'uns at all levels to develop more, along with player depaerures (UFA or trade) and knowing more about how the cap evoles, allows for optimal descion making and can maximize potential over the rest of the decade.

Allow Patches to arrive and see what he adds. See where we are as the deadline approaches.

Sure, if a truly advantageous hockey trade presents that's great, otherwise patience. I'll address Kuzy in a separate post...

 

[Ridley Simon]

Re: goalie play —

Kuemper isn’t playing great, but Lindgren is. That could easily flip. Kuemper has had numerous “amazing stretches” over his career. So him playing better is more likely to me, than not.

The key has absolutely been the defense, and it’s seemingly extremely underrated, starting with — Carlson, of all people. He’s anchoring the top pair in ways he hasn’t for a while, and doing it with a young’ins, usually. Fever is playing well and will only get better too.

Jensen is a truly strong player, who *always* takes time to gel on a new system. TVR is as steady as they come, and can play either side and with anyone.

Sandin is simply emerging, which isn’t odd as he’s young and learning the NHL game.

That leaves Edmundson — who is a good player, put into the correct role. With all the possible moving parts the Caps have, it’s seemingly simpler for Edmundson to be able to play in the “correct role”.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Kuzy....

• keep trying to trade him if possible, but only for a good/great return. Picks would be fine...

• if he can't be traded, manage him in context of his play.

• I personally would have him on the wing on the 3rd line at this point. Nachos duties as needed.

• again, we can be patient here as the cap for the next two years are not driving moving him. He may end up.being a summer or next season move.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

I'll also double down on my suggestion to try and get Leason back. He is NOT crap, as we saw this week.

There was an original plan for him with Protas that got disrupted by waiver status circumstances. The original plan was there because he and Protas were GOLD together in the WHL, with Protas at centre (his natural position).

I rarely call for bringing back former Caps, but this is a case of following through on the original plan. And it shouldn't cost too much.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

As as Ridley Simon correctly points out, goalies can be streaky. Patience principle applies here too. Another year and we know what we have with our FIVE actual and potential NHL goalies.

 

[um]

What skills does Kuznetsov possess that makes people expect him to be elite if he tried harder?

Yes I don't think he should be as bad as he is, but I also don't think he's a 1C if he tried hard.

We've seen him be elite. Particularly the 2015-16 season and the 2017-18 playoff run.

But I don't think we'll ever see that Kuzy again. He got his money and he got his cup and at the risk of sounding corny, Kuznetsov does not hate to lose.

 

[twabby]

Wait, didn't you spend like 2 years trying to convince us of the opposite because fancy stats said he was better than what we saw?

No I tried convincing people that his 20-21 season was pretty good and not worthy of the criticism he was receiving in that particular year.

 

[traparatus]

I think Kuznetsov is probably a little lazy but also just isn't as good as people think.

He had one stellar Cup run, one great year (15-16), and a couple of pretty good years, but otherwise has never really been a star player. I think people way overestimate how talented he is.

I think some of it stems from the fact that it's difficult for fans to recognize player's peak years while in the moment. We see the great year and expect that to be the future norm. Not even the elite players sustain their peaks for too long.

Kuznetsov's transition play through the neutral zone is elite. Skating is elite. I've always felt that his biggest limiting factor is his refusal to take a direct line to the net. As a result, he actively keeps himself out of his effective shot range and spends an absurd amount of time on his backhand. This part of his game is his choice and that's what always leaves me wanting for a bit more. So much of his success in the Cup run came from from direct play but that element has almost completely gone out of his game.

 

[hockeykicker]

 

[traparatus]

No I tried convincing people that his 20-21 season was pretty good and not worthy of the criticism he was receiving in that particular year.

That's the great irony of the Kuznetsov journey. The one year he made a legitimate AND successful attempt to be a complete and defensively responsible player, he saw his ice time slashed to one of the lowest rates of his career, lost his power play spot and got shat on by everyone and their grandma.

That year he finished with xGA/60 of 2.15, actual goals against of 1.98 and he got nothing but grief for it.

 

[um]

That's the great irony of the Kuznetsov journey. The one year he made a legitimate AND successful attempt to be a complete and defensively responsible player, he saw his ice time slashed to one of the lowest rates of his career, lost his power play spot and got shat on by everyone and their grandma.

That year he finished with xGA/60 of 2.15, actual goals against of 1.98 and he got nothing but grief for it.

It was awful nice of Kuzy to play good defense in his eighth season.

 

[Ridley Simon]

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Ex Caps galore!!

 

[traparatus]

It was awful nice of Kuzy to play good defense in his eight season.

That's going a bit too far. He was a perfectly average defensive player when he first came into the league.

The 2020-21 bucked a long term trend of increasingly poor defensive performance. Going beyond stats, the guy did make a legitimate effort. Neither his head coach, nor the fanbase at large had any interest in having that player.

Ask me, it would be great to have a well rounded Kuznetsov right now, playing power play, penalty kill and not being a defensive abomination. I'd take the slight decrease in production as a trade-off.

 

[twabby]

That's the great irony of the Kuznetsov journey. The one year he made a legitimate AND successful attempt to be a complete and defensively responsible player, he saw his ice time slashed to one of the lowest rates of his career, lost his power play spot and got shat on by everyone and their grandma.

That year he finished with xGA/60 of 2.15, actual goals against of 1.98 and he got nothing but grief for it.

Well said. The "where are his points???" refrain got really tiring considering his lack of ice time and the fact he was contributing on both ends of the ice.

 

[bacchist]

Well said. The "where are his points???" refrain got really tiring considering his lack of ice time and the fact he was contributing on both ends of the ice.

Where have we heard that before?

 

[Kuz]

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Looks like Carolina needs a goalie. Carolina is a top team while getting some awfull goaltending. Caps did well in getting rid of Samsonov and Venecek. Short sample size tough and they managed to play decent last year.