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

[Calicaps]

Sometimes the best thing a GM can do is nothing and not make moves for the sake of moves... if we stay the course we very well could see this team a top contender going past Ovi's retirement with this top 9:

Miro - Strome - Leonard
CMM - Dubois - Wilson
Cristall - Protas - Protas

Potential as well from Parascak and Matieko

Sign J6 for 8 × 9 plus an Ox.
Maybe we see Hudson become a star, and Muggli and Allen become mainstays.

Have I ever mentioned I'm optimistic?

I like what the goalies are doing. I know the numbers have been a little off but I'm seeing a lot of Clutch saves, especially recently. Great to have two goalies in a great headspace and in a great room.

So much IS room and chemistry....

So you figure Jimi is out for good? Amazing how everyone is ready to throw him away already.

 

[HTFN]

Not meant at you @HTFN, just replying again to everyone throwing massive shade at Laviolette.

He’s the most accomplished US coach ever. The talk that he is dogshit is just wrong.

Has be gotten too old to win in the new league? Maybe? I guess?

Didn’t his team win the Prez Cup last year? And the ECF?

This kicking when down crap is just that. Crap. We look like bitter ex girlfriends with this shit.

Come on people. We are better than this

Hot take? No, I don't think he did, I think they rode a world class goaltender, an already elite D, and if I remember correctly a pretty potent power play to the league's best record and the Rangers massively benefited from Laviolette simply not being the last guy. I guess if he was running the PP I'd have to give credit but I've never heard that he was influential there. We've seen that before with him (it's arguably his only major selling factor at this point) but it seems to literally have a one year shelf life, so he's a guy that can come in and revive a room but almost always lose it again quicker than most coaches, I assume when the smokescreen wears off and they realize he's completely out of touch.

Taking what we heard from Preds fans trying to warn us, what we saw on our own, and what we're seeing now... is there any remaining reason to believe that Laviolette is a quality motivator/personnel coach? That element was not on display here. What exactly about his X's and O's are so good? I'm looking at the same listless, soggy team I watched for years in different red, white, and blue jerseys. No form of identity, no "this is our hockey", just... nothing.

I ain't better than shit. The league left this guy behind ten years ago, and these are all things I can say completely independent of my personal distaste for watching those Caps squads.

I think he used to be a fiery younger coach who could get an already good roster of guys to play pretty hard... but as soon as the locker room feels like that isn't enough and turns back to him for answers he's got nothing of significant value, doesn't plan well around his personnel outside of the basic obvious stuff (especially relating to deployments), and not just notably but visibly loses entire rooms of professionals in a few different locations now.

The shouting, fired up, accidentally punch somebody in the head guy has turned into a tired, defeated looking man and it resonates with his teams.

 

[hb13xchamps]

Yeah I’m not buying that Lavi ain’t part of the problem in New York. His stars are playing below expectations. Drury has been a dickbag but that shouldn’t be the scapegoat for why the team decides to play like asscheeks most nights. And Lavi is scratching Kakko but not any of the vets whose names are being smeared by the NY media for playing like shit. That team is just a complete mess all around this season

 

[Ridley Simon]

Hot take? No, I don't think he did, I think they rode a world class goaltender, an already elite D, and if I remember correctly a pretty potent power play to the league's best record and the Rangers massively benefited from Laviolette simply not being the last guy. I guess if he was running the PP I'd have to give credit but I've never heard that he was influential there. We've seen that before with him (it's arguably his only major selling factor at this point) but it seems to literally have a one year shelf life, so he's a guy that can come in and revive a room but almost always lose it again quicker than most coaches, I assume when the smokescreen wears off and they realize he's completely out of touch.

Taking what we heard from Preds fans trying to warn us, what we saw on our own, and what we're seeing now... is there any remaining reason to believe that Laviolette is a quality motivator/personnel coach? That element was not on display here. What exactly about his X's and O's are so good? I'm looking at the same listless, soggy team I watched for years in different red, white, and blue jerseys. No form of identity, no "this is our hockey", just... nothing.

I ain't better than shit. The league left this guy behind ten years ago, and these are all things I can say completely independent of my personal distaste for watching those Caps squads.

I think he used to be a fiery younger coach who could get an already good roster of guys to play pretty hard... but as soon as the locker room feels like that isn't enough and turns back to him for answers he's got nothing of significant value, doesn't plan well around his personnel outside of the basic obvious stuff (especially relating to deployments), and not just notably but visibly loses entire rooms of professionals in a few different locations now.

The shouting, fired up, accidentally punch somebody in the head guy has turned into a tired, defeated looking man and it resonates with his teams.

When we played the Panthers in round one, whatever year that was, as an 8vs1, we definitely outcoached them. From an X’s and O’s perspective, we completely outclassed them. But the talent difference (8th seed!) was insurmountable. As it should have been.

Go back and look at those games (and our threads). We should have won that series.

Look, Lavi is obviously past his due date. At least, it seems so. But he took a dysfunctional franchise to the ECF after a Prez Trophy. He did that.

And now look at the mess they are, which they always were, becuase Drury is a dickhead. That’s not Lavi’s fault.

Maybe this is his last dance. I doubt it, but maybe. Maybe he is so hard headed that he cannot adjust now. I do not know the man.

But our team loved him those first 2 years.

The man’s record is 823-541-155 (and also 25 ties, from his first 3yrs coaching). Well over .500. Almost .600 (.591). Hes had 15 seasons where he coached a full 82 games. His teams have been over 92pts 12 of those. And over 100 8 of those. He’s made the playoffs 14x (outta 21 seasons).

This crap that he’s not a good coach is so juvenile. Like I said, had the game passed him by? Perhaps?

But let’s not act like he’s Adam Oates or Todd Reirden or any other idiot that you all are comparing him too.

The man will righteously end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame. As he SHOULD

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Not meant at you @HTFN, just replying again to everyone throwing massive shade at Laviolette.

He’s the most accomplished US coach ever. The talk that he is dogshit is just wrong.

Has be gotten too old to win in the new league? Maybe? I guess?

Didn’t his team win the Prez Cup last year? And the ECF?

This kicking when down crap is just that. Crap. We look like bitter ex girlfriends with this shit.

Come on people. We are better than this

Well said. Don’t think I need to say much more. I just respect the guy’s career and refuse to act like a jilted ex.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Moving back to discussion relevant to this year’s team, Moneypuck has the Caps with the best odds both to make the playoffs (99.8%) and win the Cup (11.3%). These last two losses didn’t change their playoff chances at all per this model and they actually overtook Tampa as the Cup favorite.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

So you figure Jimi is out for good? Amazing how everyone is ready to throw him away already.

I like Jimi and think we should keep him and give him the same long term opportunity to grow as I advocated for CMM. I just think the ones I mentioned are who I see with higher ceilings.

Again I think we have a lot of really great prospects and we should do nothing that moves any out until we get Leonard and maybe even Cristall here and see what happens and who gels with who.

Most I would do is maybe consider moving Mangiapane, Milano, and or Vrana at the deadline for a UFA. If we need really need to.

We are overachieving even on my optimistic expectations. Stay patient and give this group the chance to become something special.

 

[qc14]

When we played the Panthers in round one, whatever year that was, as an 8vs1, we definitely outcoached them. From an X’s and O’s perspective, we completely outclassed them. But the talent difference (8th seed!) was insurmountable. As it should have been.

Go back and look at those games (and our threads). We should have won that series.

He had the Caps playing significantly above their talent level -- especially given what we know now about Kuzy and Backstrom -- and even in his final year had the team playing very well and right in the middle of the playoff race at New Years until his #1D took a slapshot to the face and was out for 3 months. If he was the guy in 19 and 20 instead of Reirden I think they make another deep run.

It was clear he no longer became the right guy for the group but he was still a good hire and a good coach here. He might not be the right guy for the Rags anymore either but similarly I think he got quite a lot out of a group that it's pretty clear now is not as talented as some people thought.

 

[HTFN]

When we played the Panthers in round one, whatever year that was, as an 8vs1, we definitely outcoached them. From an X’s and O’s perspective, we completely outclassed them. But the talent difference (8th seed!) was insurmountable. As it should have been.

Go back and look at those games (and our threads). We should have won that series.

Look, Lavi is obviously past his due date. At least, it seems so. But he took a dysfunctional franchise to the ECF after a Prez Trophy. He did that.

And now look at the mess they are, which they always were, becuase Drury is a dickhead. That’s not Lavi’s fault.

Maybe this is his last dance. I doubt it, but maybe. Maybe he is so hard headed that he cannot adjust now. I do not know the man.

But our team loved him those first 2 years.

The man’s record is 823-541-155 (and also 25 ties, from his first 3yrs coaching). Well over .500. Almost .600 (.591). Hes had 15 seasons where he coached a full 82 games. His teams have been over 92pts 12 of those. And over 100 8 of those. He’s made the playoffs 14x (outta 21 seasons).

This crap that he’s not a good coach is so juvenile. Like I said, had the game passed him by? Perhaps?

But let’s not act like he’s Adam Oates or Todd Reirden or any other idiot that you all are comparing him too.

The man will righteously end up in the Hockey Hall of Fame. As he SHOULD

I'm not arguing that he's not a good coach career-wise, I'm saying he hasn't been a good/effective coach in quite some time. Numbers speak, won't deny it, didn't even want to. He's either slipping as a coach or incapable of walking into bad opportunities, I guess....