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

[ArmadilloThumb]

And before anyone posts we'd need to give assets to move Kuzy I say then don't move him. Let him sit as needed until he shows a return to worthiness. We don't need his space right now.

Value-only moves, or you hurt the team in the long run.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Carbery said he saw a “highly motivated player” at practice today in Kuznetsov. Wants to see that high level of attack translate when he returns to the mix tomorrow.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Definitely agree with you. My only thing is that Kuzy doesn’t seem like he’d be one to lip service. He says it how it is right or wrong.

I am hoping this is him turning a corner, but we won’t know until we know.

At times in life, we all say we “want” to do things….but follow through doesn’t always happen. I’m not suggesting he’s bold faced lying, I’m saying he may not (probably won’t) deliver on that lip service.

 

[kicksavedave]

Kuzy hat trick incoming. Carbs Jack Adams to follow.

 

[bacchist]

Has Kuzy turned a corner, at least in his thinking? So weird to hear him talking like this.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/features/washington-capitals-evgeny-kuznetsov-scratch-trust-spencer-carbery

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Wake up Kuzy!

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

At least Kuzy gets that real production matters….wonder if we can get him to drop a note to @twabby informing him of that…..

 

[PlushMinus]

At times in life, we all say we “want” to do things….but follow through doesn’t always happen. I’m not suggesting he’s bold faced lying, I’m saying he may not (probably won’t) deliver on that lip service.

I'm not buying it at all. How many times would Lavi and now Carberry have told him they need him to take the game seriously and play like he is capable of playing???

Now all of a sudden he gets scratched and it's message received, I'm angry and this is what I needed to turn things around? Bullshit.

Sure, he might come out next game or two and be an absolute beast but that's not going to last.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I'm not buying it at all. How many times would Lavi and now Carberry have told him they need him to take the game seriously and play like he is capable of playing???

Now all of a sudden he gets scratched and it's message received, I'm angry and this is what I needed to turn things around? Bullshit.

Sure, he might come out next game or two and be an absolute beast but that's not going to last.

I won’t be holding my breath waiting for him to suddenly be good again that’s for sure.

Maybe Carbs on a personal level is someone Kuzy can relate to more than older task master Lavi?

Agreed…if the bump (har har) comes….probably will be short lived.

 

[alphabetical]

I'm not buying it at all. How many times would Lavi and now Carberry have told him they need him to take the game seriously and play like he is capable of playing???

Now all of a sudden he gets scratched and it's message received, I'm angry and this is what I needed to turn things around? Bullshit.

Sure, he might come out next game or two and be an absolute beast but that's not going to last.

I agree with you; it won't last. Best case scenario, he stays motivated long enough to be traded.

 

[HTFN]

At least Kuzy gets that real production matters….wonder if we can get him to drop a note to @twabby informing him of that…..

Have you ever seen the two in the same room together?

 

[Ridley Simon]

Have you ever seen the two in the same room together?

Yes. Purposely not paying attention whilst the actual game is being played?

 

[PlushMinus]

I agree with you; it won't last. Best case scenario, he stays motivated long enough to be traded.

Hopefully that is an incentive for him to play well and showcase himself.

But he has previously expressed discontent and made noises about wanting to be traded and he didn't up his game then.

I do think as CCR says there is a different r/ship he has with Carberry that wouldn't have existed with Lavi. But again, having Carberry coach him has made no difference and it's been 22 games.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Kuzy seems to be getting a million chances.

 

[alphabetical]

Hopefully that is an incentive for him to play well and showcase himself.

But he has previously expressed discontent and made noises about wanting to be traded and he didn't up his game then.

I do think as CCR says there is a different r/ship he has with Carberry that wouldn't have existed with Lavi. But again, having Carberry coach him has made no difference and it's been 22 games.

That's not a motivation for kuzy. That's a motivation for BMac.

 

[traparatus]

The number one thing I'd like to see from Kuznetsov is improved defensive play in all three zones. Of course it would be nice to get offense and production but that aspect of his game is not about effort. He is not seen open lanes, isn't scoring on his shots, isn't threading the needle on his passes. These are not issues that will be corrected through him trying harder.

Just don't be such a defensive liability. He is a versatile player. Carries the puck on the power play, can handle big minutes on the penalty kill. Combine that with even average defensive play and we can start talking about him having some value, even as a 40-50 point player. All that the Caps need Kuznetsov to do is play a responsible enough game so that they can offload him at the deadline without having to attach assets (with some retention if need be), instead of having to buy him out or punting on another year.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Ovie's spot

and move OV to the Bumper spot, as he would be more dangerous there!

 

[bacchist]

I'm gonna give the guy a chance

and move OV to the Bumper spot, as he would be more dangerous there!

I prefer Phillips there.

 

[um]

The number one thing I'd like to see from Kuznetsov is improved defensive play in all three zones. Of course it would be nice to get offense and production but that aspect of his game is not about effort. He is not seen open lanes, isn't scoring on his shots, isn't threading the needle on his passes. These are not issues that will be corrected through him trying harder.

Just don't be such a defensive liability. He is a versatile player. Carries the puck on the power play, can handle big minutes on the penalty kill. Combine that with even average defensive play and we can start talking about him having some value, even as a 40-50 point player. All that the Caps need Kuznetsov to do is play a responsible enough game so that they can offload him at the deadline without having to attach assets (with some retention if need be), instead of having to buy him out or punting on another year.

I notice he avoids puck battles and cycling on offence. He just holds onto the puck and makes the easy and lazy play.

 

[traparatus]

I notice avoids puck battles and cycling on offence. He just holds onto the puck and makes the easy and lazy play.

Has he ever not done that? I don't ever remember winning puck battles or cycling being a big part of his game. He has produced his offense by out-skating opposition with the puck on a string and finding passing lanes that defenders don't see. Look through any of his highlight reels. You'll be hard pressed to find anything he has created from a board/puck battle or off a give and go cycle.

I think offensively he is doing all the same things he has always done. He is just doing it poorly and he can't skate the same way now that he did five years ago. His passes have gone from creative, to hopeful, to 'who was that pass to?' Also he has a 38 year old Ovechkin for a linemate who is a shell of his former self and fumbles more ten foot passes than he completes, so that's not helping.

 

[trick9]

“Early on this year I felt like he was okay,” Carbery told the Junkies. “I don’t feel like he was ever at the level that he is capable of playing, even early on, but I felt like he was doing enough and we were winning games. Just of late it’s sort of got progressively worse from his individual game when you watch his shifts and you watch his puck touches. That’s where we had a discussion and I felt like it was in the best interest of our team and him to bring him out of the lineup. We know he’s a massive part of our team and if we’re going to be a successful team he’s gonna play a large role. We’re trying to get his game back to where it’s capable of being, especially offensively.”

I liked that they've certainly seen that he hasn't been good all year, even though offensively he has been fine. The bar needs to be higher for him to be worthy of that salary.

But we've seen this movie before. He'll respond short-term before going back to half-assed efforts. I do like that it seems like his days of getting a free pass for brutal advanced (defensive) stats seem to be over. He has always been given a free pass despite Caps being a team that's pretty high on analytics but he needs to produce to earn that pass.

5+9 in his last 39 games while being arguably the worst defensive forward on the team ain't gonna cut it.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Did not know it was 14 pts in the last 39 games. Beyond embarrassing

 

[Roshi]

i dont think Kuzy is ”just saying things right”. He is trying, finally. There was times i wouldnt say he was, and just didnt care.

The problem is, it might be too late. You are over 30 and you let your pace and motivation way way off, its not coming back just snapping your fingers. It might just be that he is done. You need a positive roll and something to play for to get there, and its certainly not going like that.

We’ll see. I was pro-kuzy for a long time after it was already in fashion to demand trading him, but today i wouldnt bet a penny for him rebounding from this multi-year slump. Just way too much negativity in waiting to get out.

 

[trick9]

It's still the same old same old Kuznetsov that he was when he was 25. Problem is that he isn't 25 anymore. He's 31 and the care-free attitude regarding training and preparation for long season is biting him in the ass. As you get older you are going to need to work even harder to keep up, especially player like Kuznetsov that relies greatly on his speed.

 

[g00n]

Kuzy said the exact same thing about not playing for money or being happy losing back in September while blaming Lavi/Gmbm for not building the Caps around his abilities:

Evgeny Kuznetsov points to Capitals’ hiring of Peter Laviolette for downturn in team: ‘You brought a coach who almost didn’t fit our style’

Evgeny Kuznetsov held his first press conference with Capitals media on Thursday, the first day of Capitals Training Camp. There, he seemed…

russianmachineneverbreaks.com

So we've heard all this before, including with the promise that things would be better and the new coach is what it will take to unlock his skill.

He's been asking for a trade for 2 years. He's not going to sell out for this franchise and put his body on the line. He's waiting for someone to take him away and is trying to avoid injury until then.