Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines/etc) | 2024-25 Summer Edition

[BiPolar Caps]

I think Vrana has done enough to earn an NHL contract ... with another team.

Love him, but I just don't think it's the right fit

I disagree. Perhaps I'm guilty of wanting Vrana to make the Caps too much but if there's a coach that knows Vrana it's Carberry from their Hershey days together.

I get some of the knocks on Vrana regarding not being a two way player and lack of playing d, but some of the complaints we had about this team last season was lack of speed and a bona-fide sniper. Vrana answers both of those. Vrana is talented, his issues have always been above his shoulders. Carberry knows this and I think he can work with a more motivated and mature Vrana this go around.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

I think Vrana has done enough to earn an NHL contract ... with another team.

Love him, but I just don't think it's the right fit

I think it's a good fit. He can play in the middle six and on PP2 and adds speed and offensive talent. He's not new to the league so he could be a very good 13F as well without risking his development.

If I had to guess I think Caps mgmt and maybe the coaching staff think Lapierre and Miro need one more year before writing their name in ink in the top six. Lapierre is also waiver-exempt so they can have him start in Hershey if that want to give looks to other guys.

Locks: Ovi, Strome, PLD, Mangiapane, Strome, Dowd, Duhaime, Raddyish, Protas, Raddysh
Locks unless traded: CMM, Milano
Bubble: Vrana, Lapierre, Miro
Might get a few games due to solid camp: Cristall, Rybinski
Cut/re-assigned/loaned: everyone else

 

[BiPolar Caps]

When constructing this roster, obviously you look at it now, but the GM and Coach do also have to have an eye on the future.

Per Puckpedia, this year's UFAs for the Caps will be Backstrom, Oshie, Dowd, Mangiapane and Raddysh and in the following year will be Ovechkin, Milano and Duhaime all in the forward ranks. So there'll be ample opportunities for the likes of Miro, Lappy, Cristall and Leonard along with others in the not too distant future.

Miro and Lappy start the season at Hershey.

Cristall can return to the WHL and then a year (next year) at Hershey will be good for his development.

I could see Leonard on the team next season.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

When constructing this roster, obviously you look at it now, but the GM and Coach do also have to have an eye on the future.

Per Puckpedia, this year's UFAs for the Caps will be Backstrom, Oshie, Dowd, Mangiapane and Raddysh and in the following year will be Ovechkin, Milano and Duhaime all in the forward ranks. So there'll be ample opportunities for the likes of Miro, Lappy, Cristall and Leonard along with others in the not too distant future.

Miro and Lappy start the season at Hershey.

Cristall can return to the WHL and then a year (next year) at Hershey will be good for his development.

I could see Leonard on the team next season.

Leonard will be on the team this season if they make the playoffs but yeah, he's probably 1/2RW to start the 2025-26 campaign.

 

[BiPolar Caps]

Leonard will be on the team this season if they make the playoffs but yeah, he's probably 1/2RW to start the 2025-26 campaign.

Yep, unless Mangiapane has a fantastic year, there maybe no reason to look to resign him. He currently makes 5.8 mil.

 

[zappa4ever]

re: Vrana
imo he hasn't moved the needle much, small sample size but he hasn't shown that speed burst or much to separate himself from the pack

I think his 21GP, 25GP and 26GP over the last 3 years makes it tougher to make the case for him

maybe at camp he's kicking ass, don't know, but seems like nostalgia at this point to want him back vs merit; that being said if he's willing to start in Hershey, hey, take a flyer on him, or let a bottom-dweller team give him a try and maybe after 30gms if our offense sucks maybe then... for now I'd rather see Milano/Miro/Pro get the last spots over V

if lines 1/2/4 are:
OV-PLD/Strome-Mangia
McMic-Strome/PLD-Willy
Raddysh-Dowd-Duhaime
then:
Milano-Lapi-Pro
Miro
would round out my 13

 

[g00n]

All that matters to me is Vrana is given a fair shot. I see no reason to believe that isn't the case.

 

[Brian23]

I think the other thing people need to keep in mind is how an NHL team is going to horde assets.

The value isn't strictly in who's starting between Vrana, Miro, and Lapierre but in what options does the team have going forward. The real question is basically does the team have more value with all 3 in the organization or just two of them, though they may be able to sign Vrana and slide him into the AHL. It's just not as sure a thing.

As an aside, I also just don't think either Miro and Lapierre has shown they deserve the spot in the NHL yet and would much rather them be getting 20 minutes a night somewhere instead of sitting on the bench or getting 10 minutes a night with the big club. I'd much prefer Vrana riding the pine, or getting 12 minutes.

 

[Kazer]

If we're judging purely based on preseason, then I agree that Lapierre doesn't deserve a spot. To me, you have to take into consideration that he was AHL playoff MVP; played valuable playoff minutes against NYR (and was productive too with 2 points in 4 games); and played 51 NHL games last year with solid productivity (22 points in 51 games).

I don't see him missing the lineup in any scenario where he is healthy.

 

[qc14]

If I had to guess I think Caps mgmt and maybe the coaching staff think Lapierre and Miro need one more year before writing their name in ink in the top six. Lapierre is also waiver-exempt so they can have him start in Hershey if that want to give looks to other guys.

As an aside, I also just don't think either Miro and Lapierre has shown they deserve the spot in the NHL yet and would much rather them be getting 20 minutes a night somewhere instead of sitting on the bench or getting 10 minutes a night with the big club. I'd much prefer Vrana riding the pine, or getting 12 minutes.

I don't disagree about Miro as he's ahead of schedule but Lapierre has nothing left to prove/learn in the AHL.

I'm all for making prospects earn it over vets but I just don't think Vrana (while looking pretty good) has looked great or even better than Lappy to the point that I'm risking damaging the development/relationship with Lapierre over it. Combine that with the fact that I think he's just a strictly worse player than Milano in all aspects of the game, Leonard will be joining the team at some point this year, and that Hershey is already overflowing with 13F types and I just don't see the need.

 

[qc14]

Right now my roster (after any opening day roster moves/cap shenanigans) is still
Ovi-Strome-Mangiapane
McM-PLD-Wilson
Milano-Lappy-Protas
Duhaime-Dowd-Raddysh
and pick one of Dube/Limoges/Rybynski

If you want to send a message to Lappy/take a look at Cristall/reward a Hershey guy for a good camp you slide Protas to center, let them be the 3w opposite Milano, and sit Lappy for 2 or 3 games.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

If we’re getting the Vrana of last night every game, sign me up, but he had to be named by the coach in the Press to elicit that performance…..that sounds very similar to his last run here….

I need to see that next game and more for him to make my team.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

If we're judging purely based on preseason, then I agree that Lapierre doesn't deserve a spot. To me, you have to take into consideration that he was AHL playoff MVP; played valuable playoff minutes against NYR (and was productive too with 2 points in 4 games); and played 51 NHL games last year with solid productivity (22 points in 51 games).

I don't see him missing the lineup in any scenario where he is healthy.

Yep this….the way he closed out last season earned him his spot this year. A few average preseason games after a short offseason doesn't keep him in Hershey for me.

Who cares if he plays limited minutes….at some point he has to make the transition full time, then earn more minutes.

 

[Brian23]

AHL playoff MVP;

Appealing to this is meaningless, there's a litany of AHL MVPs and AHL Playoff MVPs who've literally never been able to crack the NHL at all. Hell, even on the Bears run it's not as if Snively or Frank weren't right there with Lapierre as far as driving the Bears to back to back titles, yet Snively and Frank are both probably guys who'll never really be NHL mainstays.

The only real relevant point to Lapierre making the roster is his play last year and this preseason, and I think his play last year has been severely overrated by fans desperate for a future player. He wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, but he was anointed as if he was close to a Leonard as far as prospect and he just hasn't shown that. Add that to a, so far, pretty lackluster preseason debut and I don't know what justification you can clearly have for him making the roster over others.

Something I also didn't mention in my last post was that Lapierre making it also forces CMM to his off position. They have a lack of quality wingers on this team and an overabundance of centers currently. I'd much rather keep a true center at center and have a true winger (Miro or Vrana) at wing, especially if you aren't really going to lose anyone sending Lapierre down.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

I can't rock with McMichael at centre. I think he's a winger in the pros long term.

Lapierre is a centre all the way.

 

[Kazer]

Appealing to this is meaningless, there's a litany of AHL MVPs and AHL Playoff MVPs who've literally never been able to crack the NHL at all. Hell, even on the Bears run it's not as if Snively or Frank weren't right there with Lapierre as far as driving the Bears to back to back titles, yet Snively and Frank are both probably guys who'll never really be NHL mainstays.

The only real relevant point to Lapierre making the roster is his play last year and this preseason, and I think his play last year has been severely overrated by fans desperate for a future player. He wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, but he was anointed as if he was close to a Leonard as far as prospect and he just hasn't shown that. Add that to a, so far, pretty lackluster preseason debut and I don't know what justification you can clearly have for him making the roster over others.

Something I also didn't mention in my last post was that Lapierre making it also forces CMM to his off position. They have a lack of quality wingers on this team and an overabundance of centers currently. I'd much rather keep a true center at center and have a true winger (Miro or Vrana) at wing, especially if you aren't really going to lose anyone sending Lapierre down.

Lapierre was (and is) 22 vs Frank (26) vs Snively (27). There's a big difference between being a driving force in the AHL playoffs as a seasoned veteran versus a guy who was in his second professional season.

I agree to some extent that Lapierre has gotten put on a pedestal, but I'm not advocating for him to be in the top 6. I just see his roster spot as safe to start the year. If his preseason struggles continue into the regular season, he may very well find himself in Hershey, but I would be genuinely stunned if he doesn't make the opening day roster.

 

[Jags]

If we’re getting the Vrana of last night every game, sign me up, but he had to be named by the coach in the Press to elicit that performance

I think that's the metric that Carbery is looking for though -- that if he feels he has to constantly manage Vrana to get consistent effort from him, he'll likely be cut. Vrana had to prove that he can still play AND that he's ready to be a professional, self-motivating teammate. Only the team and coaches know that for sure, and I trust them to make the call.

 

[Misery74]

Lapierre was (and is) 22 vs Frank (26) vs Snively (27). There's a big difference between being a driving force in the AHL playoffs as a seasoned veteran versus a guy who was in his second professional season.

I agree to some extent that Lapierre has gotten put on a pedestal, but I'm not advocating for him to be in the top 6. I just see his roster spot as safe to start the year. If his preseason struggles continue into the regular season, he may very well find himself in Hershey, but I would be genuinely stunned if he doesn't make the opening day roster.

There is no chance Lapierre starts in Hershey. He earned his spot. One shitty preseason game notwithstanding.

 

[HTFN]

Appealing to this is meaningless, there's a litany of AHL MVPs and AHL Playoff MVPs who've literally never been able to crack the NHL at all. Hell, even on the Bears run it's not as if Snively or Frank weren't right there with Lapierre as far as driving the Bears to back to back titles, yet Snively and Frank are both probably guys who'll never really be NHL mainstays.

The only real relevant point to Lapierre making the roster is his play last year and this preseason, and I think his play last year has been severely overrated by fans desperate for a future player. He wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, but he was anointed as if he was close to a Leonard as far as prospect and he just hasn't shown that. Add that to a, so far, pretty lackluster preseason debut and I don't know what justification you can clearly have for him making the roster over others.

Something I also didn't mention in my last post was that Lapierre making it also forces CMM to his off position. They have a lack of quality wingers on this team and an overabundance of centers currently. I'd much rather keep a true center at center and have a true winger (Miro or Vrana) at wing, especially if you aren't really going to lose anyone sending Lapierre down.

This doesn't really click for me....

1.) Yeah, AHL awards as a general appeal don't do much for me as they can definitely be won by non-NHL level players, but when your young former first round pick is that guy it's not a bad thing either. It can not mean a lot in a vacuum and still be very encouraging to see a guy pick up steam at the NHL level, then go back to the AHL and apply the experience in a way that elevates his game.

2.) I don't see anyone anointing him a Leonard level prospect, he literally has never been one unless you're counting pre-draft (and pre-injury) hype. He is the closest talented prospect to graduating, which is noteworthy, it doesn't make them all the same caliber.

3.) It's easy to forget that this is what his season actually looked like:

It's a pretty okay season, but it's also one that saw drastic improvement as he learned his game. By the end he was getting occasional top 6 line combinations (though not really ATOI), showing more offensive skill and IQ, and more importantly proving to be a pretty effective backchecker who can be trusted a bit more than expected. The Ovechkin-Lapierre-Protas line seemed to coincide with Lapierre being a more decisive player, maybe executing a better understood role, and he carried that into the NHL and AHL playoffs.


I'd love it if he was just potting hat tricks in the preseason, obviously, but I think when you look at this combination of elements there's not what I would call a good reason to send him to the AHL based on this preseason vs. the last ~6 months.

 

[wickedwitch]

This doesn't really click for me....

1.) Yeah, AHL awards as a general appeal don't do much for me as they can definitely be won by non-NHL level players, but when your young former first round pick is that guy it's not a bad thing either. It can not mean a lot in a vacuum and still be very encouraging to see a guy pick up steam at the NHL level, then go back to the AHL and apply the experience in a way that elevates his game.

2.) I don't see anyone anointing him a Leonard level prospect, he literally has never been one unless you're counting pre-draft (and pre-injury) hype. He is the closest talented prospect to graduating, which is noteworthy, it doesn't make them all the same caliber.

3.) It's easy to forget that this is what his season actually looked like:
View attachment 910035

It's a pretty okay season, but it's also one that saw drastic improvement as he learned his game. By the end he was getting occasional top 6 line combinations (though not really ATOI), showing more offensive skill and IQ, and more importantly proving to be a pretty effective backchecker who can be trusted a bit more than expected.


I'd love it if he was just potting hat tricks in the preseason, obviously, but I think when you look at this combination of elements there's not what I would call a good reason to send him to the AHL based on this preseason vs. the last ~6 months.

Even ignoring what he did in the AHL, as @HTFN shows, through March+April, he was at 0.5 P/G (a 41 pt pace); he then maintained that though the NHL playoffs, unlike many others on the team.

Seriously, even if it were 2 atrocious regular season games, he wouldn't get sent to Hershey over them. Instead, it's one bad and one mediocre preseason game. Obviously, we all want more than he's shown, but he earned his spot on the Caps because of his play in the NHL last season. There's no world where a few preseason games would hold more weight than 20+ NHL regular season games or 4 NHL postseason games.

 

[Calicaps]

I can't rock with McMichael at centre. I think he's a winger in the pros long term.

Lapierre is a centre all the way.

McMike has been consistently bad at wing and consistently much better in the middle. But also yeah, Jimi's a C for sure. Not sure how that shakes out, but putting CMM at wing is a recipe for not getting his best.

Even ignoring what he did in the AHL, as @HTFN shows, through March+April, he was at 0.5 P/G (a 41 pt pace); he then maintained that though the NHL playoffs, unlike many others on the team.

Seriously, even if it were 2 atrocious regular season games, he wouldn't get sent to Hershey over them. Instead, it's one bad and one mediocre preseason game. Obviously, we all want more than he's shown, but he earned his spot on the Caps because of his play in the NHL last season. There's no world where a few preseason games would hold more weight than 20+ NHL regular season games or 4 NHL postseason games.

Agree, but I do see the risk of a sophomore slump. Coaching will matter a lot to keep his development on the right track.

 

[HTFN]

Even ignoring what he did in the AHL, as @HTFN shows, through March+April, he was at 0.5 P/G (a 41 pt pace); he then maintained that though the NHL playoffs, unlike many others on the team.

Seriously, even if it were 2 atrocious regular season games, he wouldn't get sent to Hershey over them. Instead, it's one bad and one mediocre preseason game. Obviously, we all want more than he's shown, but he earned his spot on the Caps because of his play in the NHL last season. There's no world where a few preseason games would hold more weight than 20+ NHL regular season games or 4 NHL postseason games.

And those are just the points, there were multiple instances I can "remember" (which is to say that I remember reacting to them and also have no damn clue how I'd ever source them) of Lapierre picking someone's pocket in transition or hustling back to break up a play, he was really starting to show off how versatile he could be on both ends of the puck.

Just to get it on the record, I don't think he's going to accelerate to some superstar level or anything, but we're past done cooking at this point. I've been strong on CMM and at this point unless Connor takes his own big step it seems like Lapierre is positioning to surpass him this year. Neither might be ideal, but for what we've got, that's how it's looking.

McMike has been consistently bad at wing and consistently much better in the middle. But also yeah, Jimi's a C for sure. Not sure how that shakes out, but putting CMM at wing is a recipe for not getting his best.

This is also true, unfortunate, and one of the reasons CMM might end up trade bait if possible unless they find a solution we're not seeing so far over this season (or if one of them explodes/implodes so much that it becomes a non-factor)

 

[Dr John Carlson]

McMike has been consistently bad at wing and consistently much better in the middle. But also yeah, Jimi's a C for sure. Not sure how that shakes out, but putting CMM at wing is a recipe for not getting his best.

True. Let me rephrase: On a good team, Lapierre has a place as a centre, while I don't know if McMichael does.

In other words, I guess I'm just not a McMichael guy...

 

[HTFN]

True. Let me rephrase: On a good team, Lapierre has a place as a centre, while I don't know if McMichael does.

In other words, I guess I'm just not a McMichael guy...

No way around it, he's stalled in a way that might not be acceptable long-term.

I wanted him to keep growing, I guess you could say I was a McMichael guy because of the pattern of his Junior growth, suggesting maybe IQ was his strongest suit and he just needs to learn his surroundings...

But this season I need him to take a serious step up into the 50-ish point range to justify what he's just okay at given his position in the lineup.

 

[Calicaps]

No way around it, he's stalled in a way that might not be acceptable long-term.

I wanted him to keep growing, I guess you could say I was a McMichael guy because of the pattern of his Junior growth, suggesting maybe IQ was his strongest suit and he just needs to learn his surroundings...

But this season I need him to take a serious step up into the 50-ish point range to justify what he's just okay at given his position in the lineup.

I'd like to see Strome/Dubois, Lappy, CMM down the middle eventually, but that logjam at the top makes it unlikely that both Lappy and CMM stick around. I've said a few times that with the Dubois signing, I could see management selling high on Strome if the younglings continue to grow. But the problem with getting them to grow is partly the logjam at the top... so it's a circular and maybe self-perpetuating problem.

I'm not unhappy that they signed Dubois, and I love Strome and am not saying I want him moved. But clearly we have 5 centers for 4 spots so I hope the braintrust has a plan.