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

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You give Cristall his 9 game tryout and then make the decision. He’s had a solid camp and a solid number of preseason games but the 9 game tryout is a more realistic “preseason” for him. He’s not playing against top competition, veterans are going half speed for the most part and the goaltending league wide during preseason has been poor this year. Give him the 9 games and tell him, “don’t make me send you back to juniors” and see if he continues to produce when it counts.
 
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895 said:
https://x.com/i/web/status/1839871293245563213


I really don’t like this quote.


It reads very strongly to me as “you’re a nice guy but…”

It’s bad if a guy comes in and does everything to earn a spot but doesn’t get it because of waiver/contract status. Another year in juniors is wasted. We have a potentially very god player here.
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The fact that the rules are, he’s either juniors or NHL and can’t really promote is kind of bullshit. He should be able to play in the AHL if his development says so.
 
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895 said:
https://x.com/i/web/status/1839871293245563213


I really don’t like this quote.


It reads very strongly to me as “you’re a nice guy but…”

It’s bad if a guy comes in and does everything to earn a spot but doesn’t get it because of waiver/contract status. Another year in juniors is wasted. We have a potentially very god player here.
Click to expand...
I kind of disagree. He wants the kid to keep fighting.

Not over yet.
 
pman25 said:
Would we go 14F and 7D? Waive Bear? No idea if this is cap compliant. Rotate in Cristall / Vrana for Lapierre/Milano/McMichael. Do this for first 10 games until someone either gets hurts or the picture clears up. Can always send back Cristall or waive Vrana

Ovi-Strome-Mangiapane
McMichael-Dubois-Wilson
Protas-Lapierre-Milano
Duhaime-Dowd-Raddysh
Cristall / Vrana

Chychrun-Carlson
Fehervary-Roy
Sandin-TvR
Alexeyev
Click to expand...
I feel like Jake is a good story, but we have a logjam, and he’s in the way more than anything.

Let the kids play.
 
Misery74 said:
I feel like Jake is a good story, but we have a logjam, and he’s in the way more than anything.

Let the kids play.
Click to expand...
I don't see how Vrana is the one in the way with the log jam, the log jam is at center and they've locked in to two top centers in Strome and PLD for the foreseeable future. They have two center prospects that need to play at center (three if you think Cristall deserves a cup of coffee), but realistically only one spot.

They're actually incredibly shallow at the wing positions, something a Vrana poker chip could remedy pretty quickly if it hits.
 
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Brian23 said:
I don't see how Vrana is the one in the way with the log jam, the log jam is at center and they've locked in to two top centers in Strome and PLD for the foreseeable future. They have two center prospects that need to play at center (three if you think Cristall deserves a cup of coffee), but realistically only one spot.

They're actually incredibly shallow at the wing positions, something a Vrana poker chip could remedy pretty quickly if it hits.
Click to expand...

Cristall isn’t playing C, and where do those overflow C’s go? Wing. Log jam.
 
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CapitalsCupReality said:
Cristall isn’t playing C, and where do those overflow C’s go? Wing. Log jam.
Click to expand...
Even if you don't want to count him, playing one of the kids at wing just because you've got an actual logjam at center is just setting them up for failure. We've already established that CMM is a much worse winger then he's been at center, can't wait to hear how shit you think he is when they've forced him to wing because of the actual logjam at center.

The log jam is at center, a true winger shouldn't be the make or break for centers.
 
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If your paying attention to coaches lines
It looks like the Lappy is gonna be center
Connor McMichael is probably going to be on wing
And Vrana is fighting to stay on the roster hopefully we keep him. I would be very disappointed if he went through all this on a PTO and got cut.

I thought for sure Lappy was a lock for opening night. But maybe they don’t promote him
 
It seems like they've got PTSD from losing center depth in recent years, so they stockpile them and move the surplus to wing.

Not sure if this is good or bad. I'm leaning toward bad, as it may not be worth it to hoard those nuts just to have a mid 2-3C available if needed, which means you slot in a lesser winger from Hershey or the press box, after playing a center out of position in the first place.

Seems like a lot of half-assing when you could just fill your slots with the best possible players at each position, which means no moving centers to wings just to keep them around. Go get (or promote) some true wingers instead. Then deal with injuries as they happen.
 
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I like that they gave McMichael a look at center. He did more offensively, albeit nothing amazing, than Lapierre has done thus far. I think we likely need to see an offensive pulse from Lapierre his next time in for him to be in the opening night lineup. He's not a player that should be groomed to be the next Marcus Johansson or something. Or Lars Eller. Utility is nice. Being able to play in all situations is valuable but they need dynamic offense. If he's not bringing that and generally pushing the pace it seems like the best argument for keeping Cristall around. Generally you don't want younger players sitting but in his case there could be value in him traveling, practicing with the team and learning the ropes generally in terms of video and watching the game from up high. They can't and shouldn't keep him merely because he's too good to be in the WHL but I'd be open to not rushing to judgement on a permanent decision due to contract status or the waiver status of others. If he's one of their best 13 or 14 forwards then give him the opportunity to claw his way up.

I'd very likely only carry seven defensemen as well to offset potentially carrying two extra forwards. I guess the extra would be Alexeyev but McIlrath seems at least serviceable. Not great but super familiar with the systems and mostly keeps it simple. Bear's time ought to be up I think. He's perhaps serviceable but the lack of plus strength or size offers little in the way of a calling card.

Overall at this point I'd keep both Vrana and Cristall around and just let it play out. Miro would be the odd man out since he's the easiest to assign to Hershey and be the first call-up. They can't decry a lack of offensive punch on the one hand and not follow that to its logical conclusion re: risk tolerance and what are a couple of very useful competitive options. Either way the top of the lineup will be challenged against more dynamic lineups. But it's also tough to have a firm sense of what the optimal combinations are. The fourth line is set. They didn't take long at all. Ovechkin-Strome-Mangiapane certainly looks just fine. But the middle six could remain very fluid. PLD-Wilson should be a pair that sticks together. Aside from that I'd expect a lot of mixing and matching trying to find answers.
 
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Piggybacking off of the middle six talk, I'd be very intrigued by what a Protas-PLD-Wilson checking line is capable of. The Dowd line will absorb some of that role...or at least a lot of the DZ assignments. But that sort of line is probably how I'd play it starting off to make a point about defense and physicality rather than spreading it out more. Then cobbling together the best depth scoring line possible from the leftovers, though I doubt they'd play Vrana & Cristall together on the same line barring injuries.
 
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Brian23 said:
Even if you don't want to count him, playing one of the kids at wing just because you've got an actual logjam at center is just setting them up for failure. We've already established that CMM is a much worse winger then he's been at center, can't wait to hear how shit you think he is when they've forced him to wing because of the actual logjam at center.

The log jam is at center, a true winger shouldn't be the make or break for centers.
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Not every C playing wing struggles….IMO it’s an easier assignment for your typical C. CMM so far at least, that sadly hasn’t been the case.

So for me, if the superior talent happens to be a C, I’m keeping him on the roster over an inferior talent at wing. Natural position be damned. I want the better hockey player.
 
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After watching a good part of last nights game, still leaning towards the following:

Ovechkin - Strome - Mangiapane
Vrana/Cristall - PLD - Wilson
Cristall/Vrana - McMichael - Protas
Duhaime - Dowd - Raddysh
Milano/Rybinski (based on Carberry's comments)

Give Cristall his 9 games to see how he performs against "real" competition in regular season games.

Lapierre/Miroshnichenko start the season in Hershey.

Chychrun - Carlson
Fehervary - Roy
Sandin - TVR
AA

Lindgren/Thompson

The folks that will have to pass through waivers to get to Hershey will be:
Sgarbossa
Sutter
Frank
McIrath
HAK
Priskie
I may be missing some but I believe most others i.e. Iorio are waiver exempt.

Sandin's the one that's in the dog house for me. Not that I understand the work visa process, but that process should have been initiated much sooner and he should have been over here in August working out with the others (evidently Vrana had no such problems with his work visa). He did not have a stellar season last year and he and Carberry had conversations about just that and what he needs to do to improve. Well to me he started this year off on the wrong foot.
 
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I like Vrana and have liked what I've seen from him so far. But I'd rather keep Cristall and Miro. Like people have been saying, Cristall looks like a playmaker and we desperately need that on the team. And Miro is one of the few forwards we have who actually shoots the puck. I think both of them fill a void.
 
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895 said:
https://x.com/i/web/status/1839871293245563213


I really don’t like this quote.


It reads very strongly to me as “you’re a nice guy but…”

It’s bad if a guy comes in and does everything to earn a spot but doesn’t get it because of waiver/contract status. Another year in juniors is wasted. We have a potentially very god player here.
Click to expand...
I'd be very annoyed because this is what the 9 game trial is for. No good reason not to use it.
 
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