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

[Ovechkins Wodka]

I’m not sure about Ovie on right wing

When Oates started messing around with him, it torpedoed the team.

 

[notDkristich]

Nothing wrong with the move. Unless OV scores 1+, this is nothing more than a shake up and we revert back to the rolling OV out in a coffin until he breaks 99's record

 

[DWGie26]

Wow… i was all for leaving everything at forward ranks in tact for another game or two. Carbs going the opposite direction and saying, I gifted spots based on having been here and earned it. But one game and out. Despite being ‘wrong’ I’m still all for it. Carbs doesn’t play.

 

[wickedwitch]

When Oates started messing around with him, it torpedoed the team.

That was a decade+ ago. Oates was messing with him because Oates was a control freak who always thought he knew best. This is because Ovechkin isn't the player who used to be.

 

[PlushMinus]

That was a decade+ ago. Oates was messing with him because Oates was a control freak who always thought he knew best. This is because Ovechkin isn't the player who used to be.

Is he now a left hand shot? What has changed that makes a guy who has played almost his entire career on the LW now better suited to the RW?

Oh wait I just figured it out: it's less distance to and from the bench. It's to help him conserve energy and save him for short bursts of speed

 

[marcel snapshot]

Nothing wrong with the move. Unless OV scores 1+, this is nothing more than a shake up and we revert back to the rolling OV out in a coffin until he breaks 99's record

Well when you put it like that, what’s not to like. Carbs continuing to have to spin plates because not everybody can play the both ends of the ice, 5-man connected unit hockey he (rightly) favors. At least it’s only one guy whose D deficiencies/physical compromises/mental checkouts have to be covered up, instead of 4 as it was at the start of last year. Anyway, I like the RW move

 

[DWGie26]

OV is not going to play RW for more than a shift or two. And I’m taking the under.

What nobody has really mentioned is Protas with OV. Been calling for this since last year. Pro has great eyes, is very strong on the boards and puck retrieval. With Strome being a shoot first center you balance it out having Pro out there. So you have Strome in front of the net, Pro on the boards, and OV cherry picking at the. Blue line.

 

[SherVaughn30]

Is he now a left hand shot? What has changed that makes a guy who has played almost his entire career on the LW now better suited to the RW?

Oh wait I just figured it out: it's less distance to and from the bench. It's to help him conserve energy and save him for short bursts of speed

Technically in hockey, if a right handed shooter plays RW, they can get their shot off quicker from the boards, cut off reverse send around of puck easier and be more comfortable for passes for a tap-in inside the post. Playing as a d-man or forward, I always felt more comfortable playing the right side, being a left handed shooter.

OV playing RW will throw teams off for how they normally game plan him to take his good shot away. Even playing as a RW, with cycling/good puck movement, OV could still end up one-timing from his normal office.

 

[SherVaughn30]

OV is not going to play RW for more than a shift or two. And I’m taking the under.

What nobody has really mentioned is Protas with OV. Been calling for this since last year. Pro has great eyes, is very strong on the boards and puck retrieval. With Strome being a shoot first center you balance it out having Pro out there. So you have Strome in front of the net, Pro on the boards, and OV cherry picking at the. Blue line.

If I remember Kozlov when he played with OV in OV's early career, he always had a pass first mentality, was good along the boards and good at puck possession. Protas reminds me of him in some ways. Protas is also a bigger player than Kozlov(6'4" 232lbs). Would like to see Protas utilize his huge frame more.

 

[alphabetical]

OV is not going to play RW for more than a shift or two. And I’m taking the under.

What nobody has really mentioned is Protas with OV. Been calling for this since last year. Pro has great eyes, is very strong on the boards and puck retrieval. With Strome being a shoot first center you balance it out having Pro out there. So you have Strome in front of the net, Pro on the boards, and OV cherry picking at the. Blue line.

I've got to agree about protas with ovechkin. I don't think mangiapane is a good piece for that line, but protas should be able to help distribute the puck to both strome and ovechkin.

I don't really care about ovechkin playing right vs left wing at this point in his career. He's not driving play up the left side of the ice and taking advantage of having his forehand on the inside, so it no longer really matters if he's on the left or the right. As long as he's not playing D or C, I don't care.

 

[usiel]

I thought mangiapane looked pretty good on the first line being fast and a tenacious puck hound so would have give it a few more games before panicking.

 

[Calicaps]

I don't view this as panicking. I think the Caps' preseason schedule sucked with the long layoff so this is really their first chance to test combos against NHL talent.

 

[trick9]

I don't think this is panicking. It might just be one game but in reality, it's not. Sonny Milano did all he could to lose his spot in the training camp already and his last season is the sole reason he is still in Washington rather than be in Hershey.

I actually think it's the opposite of panic mode. If you made a knee-jerk decision, it was to cut Milano after the camp and (likely) lose him in waivers. They did it this way to keep several options, hoping one of them finally claims that spot. Milano didn't do it yet so it's Vrana's turn. If he doesn't claim it, then it's propably Milano again and after that you'll start to put Miro back in the conversation too.

I still think it wasn't the right call to send Cristall down because he brings what this team sorely lacks, and that is offensive creativity. He has his deficiencies but so does his competition. Milano and Vrana lack physicality, aren't good along the boards and aren't good defensive players, either. But it is what it is.

It's going to be an interesting week for the 3rd line. Facing 3 really good teams so they really need to make an impact or they are going to be sitting on the bench for 90% of the games.

 

[usiel]

I respect the opinions of those thinking that Cristall would of made of difference one game in but the kid is still tiny.

 

[bacchist]

Way more concerned with McIlrath than the forward changes. The top nine is what it is...a jumbled mishmash lacking that true pace-setting stud. It's going to be by committee until Lenny or Cristall pop in a big way (and even then from the wing that's a harder sell).

I guess Sandin-TVR could be considered the second pair? But not really. Sandin needs to step up offensively. Chychrun ought to cut off any possible PP time for Sandin but it's 5v5 in more of an insulated role where he needs to really make his mark. If he can't do that then IMO he's just holding Hutson's spot warm.

I thought McIlrath did well last year when we had all those injuries. He wasn't a clear liability as far as I remember. Obviously he's not in the starting 6 for reasons, but I'm not too concerned.

 

[bacchist]

I respect the opinions of those thinking that Cristall would of made of difference one game in but the kid is still tiny.

Yeah, but I think he just needs to hit the gym. He's 5'10" and 175 lbs. He can bulk up a bit and start playing bigger. 10 more pounds and he'll look a lot less Matthew Phillipsesque trying to hit 6'3" dudes

 

[Langway]

I thought McIlrath did well last year when we had all those injuries. He wasn't a clear liability as far as I remember. Obviously he's not in the starting 6 for reasons, but I'm not too concerned.

The issue is the aggressiveness of his pinches. It's essential he has forward support but at a time when they may be horny for goals it presents some risk. Aggressiveness is good...but patience will be key for this team. Avoiding the big mistakes. Being disciplined. Sticking to it and not chasing or forcing it. Getting timely goaltending.

Eventually Carbery may need to opt for a more boring, passive, defense-first approach because if they get off to a slow start, esp. offensively 5v5, you wonder if they have enough skill/pace/sense to be a front-foot team these days. Lots of changes were made and chemistry in time should improve but it's not like the biggest culprits in the first game were new faces. It was the totally gifted third line. I don't think it's overreacting to treat what's essentially the fourth line as though they'll hardly play now. Totally up to them to earn their way back in.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

As long as Carbs is just as quick to give anyone else in that bottom group of forwards the hook when they have a bad game….seems likes fair competition.

 

[StrikingDistance]

As long as Carbs is just as quick to give anyone else in that bottom group of forwards the hook when they have a bad game….seems likes fair competition.

We should have the same attitude towards posts on here. Couple of bad / insensitive / holier-than-thou stat genie hot takes in 48hrs = nacho duty from HF.

That said, who's posting the GDT today? The last nitwit OP should not be allowed to post a GDT unless a winning streak needs to end...

 

[Lindemann]

I don’t know why anyone would see this as panicking

We looked 1000 times better than the start of last year. We looked faster, more shots, better forecheck, better zone entries, etc

Devils played 4 games vs our 1 and people are picking them to go all the way this year.

We are going to be fine

 

[Brian23]

This was a pretty interesting read. Makes it seem more apparent GMCP is actually the GM and GMBM has stepped away more. Also, man, I really wonder what those two decisions were that they won't talk about. I figure one was firing Trotz, but can't imagine what the other would have been.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5837959/2024/10/15/inside-the-agonizing-decisions-that-shape-nhl-franchises-excerpt/

 

[Kolzilla]

This was a pretty interesting read. Makes it seem more apparent GMCP is actually the GM and GMBM has stepped away more. Also, man, I really wonder what those two decisions were that they won't talk about. I figure one was firing Trotz, but can't imagine what the other would have been.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5837959/2024/10/15/inside-the-agonizing-decisions-that-shape-nhl-franchises-excerpt/

View attachment 916920

Maybe the other decision was forcing Backstrom to LTIR?

 

[Brian23]

Maybe the other decision was forcing Backstrom to LTIR?

This was 2017, the year before the cup, and the cup year Backstrom had 71 points. They were not talking about forcing Backstrom to LTIR, it wouldn't have even been a thought at that point.

 

[Kolzilla]

This was 2017, the year before the cup, and the cup year Backstrom had 71 points. They were not talking about forcing Backstrom to LTIR, it wouldn't have even been a thought at that point.

Ah yes, forgot this was back in 2017.

 

[Langway]

Given the stated effort/cultural issues they were trying to fix at the time and our hindsight knowledge of his off-ice issues you wonder if the other wasn't Kuznetsov. His production dropped from almost a point-a-game to less than 60 in '16-17. He had a paltry second playoff run. Could be there was star backlash to Trotz and the structure/discipline asked for and then more of a depth player backlash to a key younger skilled star that wasn't taking that next step per se and perhaps already had amassed ample off-ice baggage / general discipline issues.