Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2023 Off-season

[CapitalsCupReality]

Lol I should dig up all my post from the end of last season and through the summer where everyone yelled at me when I said we were running it back again because nobody wants our trash. GMBM is a straight shooter and the top 6 would look significantly different next year they said. lolol

Didn't really want Edmundson to see much ice but was hoping we'd be able to flip him for a better asset than we paid at the deadline. Things looking bleak on that front probably if he's hurt already and looking to miss games. Just give Vinny his number back and go away.

What, you think you were the only one who knew our trash was trash? GMBM said he would try….what can you do? Takes two to trade.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

What, you think you were the only one who knew our trash was trash? GMBM said he would try….what can you do? Takes two to trade.

BMac is sad that we have so much trash too.

 

[usiel]

Well done Ovie...

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/features/washington-capitals-alex-ovechkin-takes-ivan-miroshnichenko-under-wing

To help Miroshnichenko further acclimate to the lifestyle and team, Ovechkin has been serving as a translator on the ice and helping break the language barrier when he can. Fellow Russian speakers Evgeny Kuznetsov, Aliaksei Protas, Alex Alexeyev, Alexander Suzdalev and Bogdan Trineyev have helped here, too.

Off the ice, the two will train alongside each other, and Ovechkin has also been taking him to dinners, joining him for meals and spending as much time as he can with him.

For head coach Spencer Carbery, it makes all the difference, especially when it comes to getting Miroshnichenko acclimated to the team's systems and better with English.

 

[usiel]

Not all concerned about the Edmundson injury considering the recent dubious history of sheparding young dmen into the NHL. Good for AA here. Also:

There was plenty of positivity, though, when it comes to what can be done with a potential vacancy on the blue line.

"It absolutely does [open a door]," Carbery said, adding, "As I always look at things, some great opportunity for someone to step in and potentially take off, whether that's [Hardy] Haman Aktell, whether that's Lucas Johansen, snag a spot potentially on the opening night roster. It's what these guys want, right? They want to prove that they're an everyday NHL player on a good team. So it's right there. I love that, not for Joel's case, but for guys that are just waiting for that one break to be able to get into the lineup."

Alex Alexeyev was playing in Edmundson's spot on Tuesday and skating with Trevor van Riemsdyk on the third pairing, and he is another name Carbery is looking at to prove he can be a full-time NHL blueliner.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/news/washington-capitals-joel-edmundson-injury-update-younger-defensemen-step-up

 

[HTFN]

Not all concerned about the Edmundson injury considering the recent dubious history of sheparding young dmen into the NHL. Good for AA here. Also:

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/news/washington-capitals-joel-edmundson-injury-update-younger-defensemen-step-up

I was surprised how much better Johansen looked than some of the other D in what I saw against Buffalo before my stream died, but not surprised to hear him mentioned by the coach as a potential day one guy.

thought he looked like he took a bit of a step

 

[twabby]

How comfortable is Alexeyev playing on the right side? I know he played both sides at the end of the year in DC, but I was wondering if it's something he's done throughout his career.

I still think TVR should play in the top 4. He's a second pairing talent and I'd hate to see his minutes limited.

Sandin-Carlson
TVR-Jensen
Fehervary-Iorio/Alexeyev

This would give a shutdown second pairing. Maybe not quite as good as Orlov-Jensen had been in the past, but good enough.

I'm glad Carbery seems to be sticking with Sandin and Carlson as a pairing. I think that pairing can allow both to focus a bit more on their strengths: in-zone offense for Carlson and transition play for Sandin. I'm also confident that Carlson can play respectable enough defense that they won't bleed chances against. Hopefully Sandin can improve his defensive play some as well, but I also don't think he's as bad as he showed toward the end of last season where it seemed like the entire team was winging it on the fly.

The D can work. Especially after the Edmundson injury which seems to be serious. They're not elite but it's a playoff caliber D if the main guys stay healthy.

 

[msimons10]

Way too early line predictions?

 

[Langway]

Seemingly tomorrow's lineup.

 

[HTFN]

Seemingly tomorrow's lineup.

Now that’s a preseason game I want to watch, interesting players on the ice at virtually all times

 

[twabby]

I've certainly heard of the Leivermann-Day duo.

 

[Misery74]

Miro and OV together. Should be fun.

 

[JohnCarlsaurus]

How did Matthew Philips and Haman-Aktell look in camp?

All I know about them so far is that they're both really good skaters

 

[um]

How comfortable is Alexeyev playing on the right side? I know he played both sides at the end of the year in DC, but I was wondering if it's something he's done throughout his career.

I still think TVR should play in the top 4. He's a second pairing talent and I'd hate to see his minutes limited.

Sandin-Carlson
TVR-Jensen
Fehervary-Iorio/Alexeyev

This would give a shutdown second pairing. Maybe not quite as good as Orlov-Jensen had been in the past, but good enough.

I'm glad Carbery seems to be sticking with Sandin and Carlson as a pairing. I think that pairing can allow both to focus a bit more on their strengths: in-zone offense for Carlson and transition play for Sandin. I'm also confident that Carlson can play respectable enough defense that they won't bleed chances against. Hopefully Sandin can improve his defensive play some as well, but I also don't think he's as bad as he showed toward the end of last season where it seemed like the entire team was winging it on the fly.

The D can work. Especially after the Edmundson injury which seems to be serious. They're not elite but it's a playoff caliber D if the main guys stay healthy.

Agreed that the 2nd pairing needs to be buffed up. Especially because the first pairing may be serving several pizza's a game.

 

[Debrincat93]

All I know about them so far is that they're both really good skaters

i mean, thats never a bad thing.

thanks for the reply.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Our lineup looks better with no Mantha

 

[um]

Our lineup looks better with no Mantha

Hard to argue that when he's shoved into the top 6.

That Ovechkin-Backstrom-Mantha line from a few days ago had me worried.

 

[zappa4ever]

So Edmundson is much ado about stuffing, sounds like he took a puck or stick to the hand vs. the HF trademark insta-overreactions

4-6 weeks puts him at missing 6-10 games, good oppty for Alexeyev/LuJo et al to step up

onwards...

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

All I know about them so far is that they're both really good skaters

Ahhh….Philips looked like an AHL skater the few shifts I saw of him….Maybe he’s more effective than a pretty skater…

So Edmundson is much ado about stuffing, sounds like he took a puck or stick to the hand vs. the HF trademark insta-overreactions

4-6 weeks puts him at missing 6-10 games, good oppty for Alexeyev/LuJo et al to step up

onwards...

“Ohhhhh maaaah gaaaaawd,…..his back…..Told Ya so!”

 

[Langway]

The D can work. Especially after the Edmundson injury which seems to be serious. They're not elite but it's a playoff caliber D if the main guys stay healthy.

Yeah, I'm not sure it is in light of the relative weakness of the forward group. More of a capable semi-vintage Backstrom and better health help but firmness/tightness/athleticism in light of their forwards seems light. Tactics and hustle only mask it so far.

The viability of a Sandin-Carlson top pair is questionable. Will they out-score their limitations in somewhat tough minutes, particularly if forward lines don't mesh consistently? Will they be a possession driver? Their gap control seems like it could be pretty suspect. It's a pairing I would go after for sure. The combination of older forwards and at least unknown fitness levels of their LD is a troubling mix. Maybe it's a bubble worthy D group but it's a step back from a year ago (not just Orlov but also some pretty spectacular cheap production from Gustafsson). Overall it's hard to focus on the blueline or personnel overall and be too convinced. So much seems to be on Carbery & Co. being miracle workers and better health. But they also did lose some key pieces compared to last year. The aforementioned LD but also Sheary/Johansson/Hathaway/Eller all provided degrees of vet stability. They're banking on some Bears to step up--at least initially--and it's hard to say just how productive they may be.

This is a group that still needs to be shaken up further IMO and it's unfortunately not something that can be forced when several assets have limited markets. It's a tough spot when probably still needing something extra, some more stability, but wanting to give a few Bears an opportunity. Ideally they crush it in camp and it's a no-brainer but short of that I wonder how patient they can afford to be.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Barely a playoff quality D corp IMO. I definitely prefer TVR running the 3rd pair.

 

[twabby]

Yeah, I'm not sure it is in light of the relative weakness of the forward group. More of a capable semi-vintage Backstrom and better health help but firmness/tightness/athleticism in light of their forwards seems light. Tactics and hustle only mask it so far.

The viability of a Sandin-Carlson top pair is questionable. Will they out-score their limitations in somewhat tough minutes, particularly if forward lines don't mesh consistently? Will they be a possession driver? Their gap control seems like it could be pretty suspect. It's a pairing I would go after for sure. The combination of older forwards and at least unknown fitness levels of their LD is a troubling mix. Maybe it's a bubble worthy D group but it's a step back from a year ago (not just Orlov but also some pretty spectacular cheap production from Gustafsson). Overall it's hard to focus on the blueline or personnel overall and be too convinced. So much seems to be on Carbery & Co. being miracle workers and better health. But they also did lose some key pieces compared to last year. The aforementioned LD but also Sheary/Johansson/Hathaway/Eller all provided degrees of vet stability. They're banking on some Bears to step up--at least initially--and it's hard to say just how productive they may be.

This is a group that still needs to be shaken up further IMO and it's unfortunately not something that can be forced when several assets have limited markets. It's a tough spot when probably still needing something extra, some more stability, but wanting to give a few Bears an opportunity. Ideally they crush it in camp and it's a no-brainer but short of that I wonder how patient they can afford to be.

I'm just saying in a vacuum the D is fine IMO. Not fantastic, but good enough. Jensen and TVR are good enough second pairing options. Maybe Fehervary also gets there one day but he should at least be a decent third pairing option if nothing else. A healthy Carlson is a fine if flawed 1D.

I'm confident Sandin will get to a first pairing quality soon too, though I'm of course higher on him than you are. I don't think he's going to become a shutdown D this year but he's shown very well in his career. He has first pairing talent and he has the coach to unlock it. Orlov had similar questions about how'd he fare higher in the lineup after his 15-16 season but all of the underlyings indicated a great player, just like they do for Sandin.

Of course the forwards being a disaster is going to strain the D to perhaps an unmanageable degree, but that's on them fixing the forwards more than needing to upgrade the D. Barring a Carolina level defensive corps no defense would show well with guys like Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, and Oshie playing the way they did defensively last year.

 

[twabby]

Barely a playoff quality D corp IMO. I definitely prefer TVR running the 3rd pair.

I think Fehervary needs to prove he can be a top 4 defenseman, something he hasn't done yet. His limitations can be much better insulated on the third pair and if he does improve this year under Carbery then sure, move him up.

TVR in the meantime has shown well in the time he's gotten in the top 4. He's certainly a great option for the third pair but that leaves the second pair severely lacking.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I think Fehervary needs to prove he can be a top 4 defenseman, something he hasn't done yet. His limitations can be much better insulated on the third pair and if he does improve this year under Carbery then sure, move him up.

TVR in the meantime has shown well in the time he's gotten in the top 4. He's certainly a great option for the third pair but that leaves the second pair severely lacking.

And that’s the big hole in the D Corp that’s keeping them (IMO) as barely a playoff quality unit.

I like Fever playing up because he’s got the better physical tools, he just needs to process the game faster IMO, hone his craft. Fever has shown he can play any pair IMO, to varying degrees of success.

Sandin hasn’t proven a thing. This will just be like Fever running with Carlson….it’s an audition that could easily and eventually see him bumped to the 2nd pair.

 

[Todos a la Calle]

I'm rooting for Johansen to make the NHL. Seems he's put in a lot of work. I know it's still a long shot.

 

[Langway]

Of course the forwards being a disaster is going to strain the D to perhaps an unmanageable degree, but that's on them fixing the forwards more than needing to upgrade the D. Barring a Carolina level defensive corps no defense would show well with guys like Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, and Oshie playing the way they did defensively last year.

IMO it's overall average to slightly below mostly because the top two LD are unproven in projected roles. It could work but it's at least an unknown currently. I'm not sure it's a group overall I'd take over PIT/OTT/BUF in terms of upside, athleticism, size and IQ. NYI's seems closest. Maybe somewhere around 11th in the East then.

I'd rate the forwards slightly higher perhaps if they're healthy but not by much. They also have some unproven options but in more sheltered roles. Their proven options up front are likely notably limited but at least there's past success. Maybe I'm overrating that but in terms of harnessing tools, even if their ability to get to spots isn't what it was, it offers a bit more. The D isn't terrible but it's a competitive league and the nucleus of it minus Orlov isn't what it was. (I don't tend to think Sandin quickly matches him overall.)

With where the game is headed in terms of the uptick in scoring and youth it's a suspect mix. Maybe it was the best they could do with cap constraints and no trades but it does seem like to this point an off-season where it's hard to figure they could have managed much less. I'm certainly rooting for the various Bears options to build off of their Calder Cup success in carving out NHL roles but I wonder just how patient their approach will be should they get off to a slow start.