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

[CapitalsCupReality]

Or they can end up with Alex Ovechkin.

Once in a lifetime thing….

 

[Kalopsia]

"We Will do everything in our power to bring the cup back to DC."

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Caps roster.

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Oh hey, another picture with me in it! Here was the view from on stage.

 

[g00n]

Once in a lifetime thing….

Yeah "generational talent".

The quality of top picks in the draft varies from year to year. If you're going to tank you'd better be sure the talent is really special and not just the usual hype for whoever is "consensus #1".

 

[Ridley Simon]

Yeah, I guess the issue I can see is that depending on what you think Leonard's ceiling is, they have lines 2-4 of a cup winning team potentially but are completely barren of top line talent. When's the last time other than maybe Vegas that a team won the cup without a top 5-10 player on the team?

Washington
St Louis
Florida (unless you see Tkachuk as top 5-10)
Vegas, as you stated

Just off the top of my head

 

[SherVaughn30]

was listening to NHL radio on sirius and they had the caps below the pens with both missing. Im not saying the caps are contenders but imo they have improved the roster significantly while Pitt didnt do anything. I also believe the bruins and hurricanes wont have the easy rides they had the last few years. It will be another tight race in the east and of course injuries will be a huge part of it but the caps on my paper have improved more than a little bit imo. Kuemper was hot garbage last year and the team played different with him. Give the caps half of his losses and changes the picture a bit.

Logan Thompson is an upgrade over what Darcy Kuemper did for us. Scott Murray once again proved he messes up vet goalies.

 

[Holtbyisms]

And yet that alone wasn't enough. It took another decade and other key pieces. I'm not saying it never works. I'm just saying it's not a given. And what @wickedwitch said is so on point. You can always destroy stuff.

It's being eager to that I don't get.

It wasn't, it took three top five picks in four years and multiple years of being bad. Two of the three they nailed and those two were what eventually guided us to the cup with the help of some lucky late 1st rounders who hit.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Once in a lifetime thing….

Sydney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Conner McDavid, Austin Matthews, Connor Bedard...all of these are just fine and franchise altering.

 

[Block]

Washington
St Louis
Florida (unless you see Tkachuk as top 5-10)
Vegas, as you stated

Just off the top of my head

Ovechkin was still a top 5 player when they won, and I put Tkachuck around 10. So St. Louis and Vegas I guess. 2 out of the last 10?

 

[Jags]

Yeah, I guess the issue I can see is that depending on what you think Leonard's ceiling is, they have lines 2-4 of a cup winning team potentially but are completely barren of top line talent. When's the last time other than maybe Vegas that a team won the cup without a top 5-10 player on the team?

Well, if the end of the Ovi era is this contract, then his departure clears about 10m in cap space. The cap's going up, we'll have shots to draft well, and one or two of the guys we currently have in the pipeline could pan out that way if we're a little lucky.

If we keep turning the roster over as we have been the last couple years, we could be in a good spot when that next shiny top talent hits free agency. No need to blow it up.

 

[g00n]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1844732185041047852

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Sydney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Conner McDavid, Austin Matthews, Connor Bedard...all of these are just fine and franchise altering.

Is the league fixing it so we get the next Crosby? How long did Edmonton wait for McDavid, Chicago Bedard, etc?

Like others have said, it’s not so easy to pull off. All tanking does is guarantee a loss of fans, revenue, etc…..and doesn’t guarantee you a Superstar.

After Ovechkin is gone…..we’ll see. Ted doesn’t want to tear it down and wreck the fanbase, so we’ll see if they get desperate enough.

 

[Chokingdogs]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1844732185041047852

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Brian Willsie!

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1844732185041047852

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Thats a fun roster. I wish I was in the locker room.

 

[Acallabeth]

Legendary DET has been stuck trying to get back in the Playoffs for 8 years now

When tanking doesn't "work", your team can be stuck in purgatory for many more years and all the problems compound. I'll take smart re-tooling and if the Hockey Gods make it so tanking is the only way, then so be it, but to choose that? Nope. No thanks.

I think the Wings are a poster franchise for just declining without tanking: all their stars aged and retired, and they got into the spot when they had no stars, no game-breaking prospects and no trade capital to get high draft picks. Since 2017, they had 7 top 10 picks, but only one top 5 pick and are once again too good to pick a star prospect.

I think the Caps are already in a better position, with having legit prospects in Leonard and maybe Miroshnichenko (in addition to young NHL players that are developing with the main club) and bringing in nice veteran players this offseason. So ranking the Caps so low in both the present and the past seems a bit harsh.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Is the league fixing it so we get the next Crosby? How long did Edmonton wait for McDavid, Chicago Bedard, etc?

Like others have said, it’s not so easy to pull off. All tanking does is guarantee a loss of fans, revenue, etc…..and doesn’t guarantee you a Superstar.

After Ovechkin is gone…..we’ll see. Ted doesn’t want to tear it down and wreck the fanbase, so we’ll see if they get desperate enough.

No doubt. Yeah I don't think they completely tear it down until he gets the record but we'd be crazy not to continue to aquire draft capital and/or prospects for expiring contracts as we move towards it.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Again, i strongly believe the notion we will need to tear it down is not in any way likely.

Yes I'm a super-optomist, but I really just call them as I see them. I still contend that Leonard, Miroshnichenko, and CMM will all continue to elevate their game, and exceed or even far exceed 'consensus' ceilings.

I see potential for Lappy to also exceed his expected ceiling.

I see potential for PLD , Roy, and Chychrun to all shine and become valuable core Caps for a long time.

And yes, much of this will be enhanced by a great dressing room culture and Carbs coaching style.

There is good potential in the pool of goalies, but it's hard to predict which might rise the most.

Cristall, Parascak, LittlePro, Hudson, and Muggli (and maybe a couple of others) all have a shot at overachieving and becoming valuable contributors.

If I am correct on a decent amount of these projections it will signal the Caps as a go-to option for Quality FAs.

Real potential to become a fun and exciting contender with the mix of ingredients already in house...

YMMV...