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

[Lou Sassole]

32 thoughts again said they think Washington looks at the third line, adds Leonard after his season is up and possibly upgrades the 7D position

Patrick is supposed to be on Marek's podcast today.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

What we’re hearing about every NHL team heading into deadline week

With Friday’s 3 p.m. ET finish line coming into view, here's how each NHL team is approaching trade-deadline week.

www.nytimes.com

Boourns on the possibility of an uneventful deadline for the Caps. They haven't won a playoff series in seven years. I'd want to add a solid middle six piece mostly to further help avoid the possibility of being one-and-done. No middle six piece necessarily avoids the possibility and maybe Leonard would be more impactful than most options. That said, I definitely wonder what a playoff fizzle would do to this group, particularly the impact it would have on their transitional leadership group and to some extent also the staff. Way early to speculate but I can't help but wonder if this group has what it takes. The age of 8/74, the decline of Strome compared to his earlier season play...even the security now given to the goalies. Can they find their form and elevate?

They definitely have something with Protas-PLD-Wilson but it's also tough to imagine both that they're going some distance on their backs and that they otherwise have formidable enough forward depth to afford to load that line up like that.

This unfortunately seems accurate.

Unfortunately? This paints a solid picture overall.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Jack Hughes might be done until playoffs. Center market gets more crowded.

The Devils are not good. They haven’t been a playoff team in 50+ calendar days. I hope they swing big with the Hughes injury, it’ll be a waste of assets.

 

[Holtbyisms]

What youth do you see coming up and challenging in the next two years?

Clay Stevenson could challenge right now if he was given the opportunity. He's got NHL talent and compete. I'm not suggesting he's a bonafide #1 but he's got the size, athleticism and technique to succeed at the NHL level as a 1b or full time backup. In fact he's very similar to Logan Thompson and Phoenix Copley. Underscouted, late bloomer with a ton of size and raw ability that have been shaped in our system. Our scouting staff continually hits on UDFA goalies, he fits the mold.

Disclaimer: I don't want to hear about how he's sharing time with Shepherd and can't beat him out or that he's having a bad year. Hershey isn't playing very well defensively this year and both goaltenders numbers are atrocious. The AHL is also notorious for older, sometimes undersized battlers to be highly successful at that level. I'll use our own beloved Holtby as an example, he never fully took the #1 job from Dany Sabourin and was never the bonafide #1 in Hershey before becoming a legitimate NHL star goaltender. It's actually pretty common that NHL goalies split time with vets at the AHL level before making the jump.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Clay Stevenson could challenge right now if he was given the opportunity. He's got NHL talent and compete. I'm not suggesting he's a bonafide #1 but he's got the size, athleticism and technique to succeed at the NHL level as a 1b or full time backup. In fact he's very similar to Logan Thompson and Phoenix Copley. Underscouted, late bloomer with a ton of size and raw ability that have been shaped in our system. Our scouting staff continually hits on UDFA goalies, he fits the mold.

Disclaimer: I don't want to hear about how he's sharing time with Shepherd and can't beat him out or that he's having a bad year. Hershey isn't playing very well defensively this year and both goaltenders numbers are atrocious. The AHL is also notorious for older, sometimes undersized battlers to be highly successful at that level. I'll use our own beloved Holtby as an example, he never fully took the #1 job from Dany Sabourin and was never the bonafide #1 in Hershey before becoming a legitimate NHL star goaltender. It's actually pretty common that NHL goalies split time with vets at the AHL level before making the jump.

 

[qc14]

Clay Stevenson could challenge right now if he was given the opportunity. He's got NHL talent and compete. I'm not suggesting he's a bonafide #1 but he's got the size, athleticism and technique to succeed at the NHL level as a 1b or full time backup. In fact he's very similar to Logan Thompson and Phoenix Copley. Underscouted, late bloomer with a ton of size and raw ability that have been shaped in our system. Our scouting staff continually hits on UDFA goalies, he fits the mold.

Disclaimer: I don't want to hear about how he's sharing time with Shepherd and can't beat him out or that he's having a bad year. Hershey isn't playing very well defensively this year and both goaltenders numbers are atrocious. The AHL is also notorious for older, sometimes undersized battlers to be highly successful at that level. I'll use our own beloved Holtby as an example, he never fully took the #1 job from Dany Sabourin and was never the bonafide #1 in Hershey before becoming a legitimate NHL star goaltender. It's actually pretty common that NHL goalies split time with vets at the AHL level before making the jump.

He's 26 and has an .883 this year and a career .908 sv% in the AHL despite playing on the best team in the league in that timeframe. He's been repeatedly passed over for Shepard (who himself is having a disastrous season) for an NHL callup the last two years).

For comparison in his age 26 season LT was in his second year as a full-time NHLer after posting a career .929 in Henderson. Holtby was winning a f***ing Vezina and finishing in 4th for the Hart. Stevenson absolutely could not challenge for any role right now if given the opportunity.

 

[Kazer]

Clay Stevenson could challenge right now if he was given the opportunity. He's got NHL talent and compete. I'm not suggesting he's a bonafide #1 but he's got the size, athleticism and technique to succeed at the NHL level as a 1b or full time backup. In fact he's very similar to Logan Thompson and Phoenix Copley. Underscouted, late bloomer with a ton of size and raw ability that have been shaped in our system. Our scouting staff continually hits on UDFA goalies, he fits the mold.

Disclaimer: I don't want to hear about how he's sharing time with Shepherd and can't beat him out or that he's having a bad year. Hershey isn't playing very well defensively this year and both goaltenders numbers are atrocious. The AHL is also notorious for older, sometimes undersized battlers to be highly successful at that level. I'll use our own beloved Holtby as an example, he never fully took the #1 job from Dany Sabourin and was never the bonafide #1 in Hershey before becoming a legitimate NHL star goaltender. It's actually pretty common that NHL goalies split time with vets at the AHL level before making the jump.

Not to be a Clay hater but he just doesn't strike me as Logan Thompson, and I say that as someone who was pretty high on Clay at this time last year.

Clay turned pro in 22-23, where he put up .916 in 36 ECHL games. He was a bit better than Tyler Wall, who he timeshared with (32 games played) with .912. Tyler Wall is very much not an NHL player, so you would've hoped to see more separation.

He backed up that solid start with 36 games played last year, in a timeshare with Shepard, with .922, below Shepard at .929. The problem is that he has absolutely cratered this year, with .883. Bad defense or not, he has cratered even harder than Shepard (.894).. a 39% drop compared to a 35% drop.

Logan has put up pretty much stellar numbers across the board, made the NHL, and ran with the opportunity so I'll cut this comparison short (.929 ECHL/.943 AHL/.926 AHL and then NHL after that for full seasons).

Copley is a bit more interesting as while he played a smattering of NHL games he did not get his first major chance until 18-19, and that came after a lackluster 17-18 where he put up .896 on the worst Bears team of the decade (.454 points percentage.. you have to go all the way back to 92-93 to find a worse points percentage). And while that was not a great number, it was better than what a very young Vitek Vanecek put up (.888). VV thankfully bounced back as he got older, putting up much better numbers than Samsonov in 18-19.

So, maybe Clay can still have a Pheonix-like story, but it's really not surprising when you deep dive the numbers why they aren't counting on him. He's had one good year, one medium year (the ECHL year), and one bad year. That doesn't scream future NHLer to me. If he bounces back with a strong 25-26, maybe he can play his way into an extension and some NHL games. But that's a big IF for a guy with one of the lowest save percentages in the AHL right now.

 

[Roshi]

Clay Stevenson could challenge right now if he was given the opportunity. He's got NHL talent and compete. I'm not suggesting he's a bonafide #1 but he's got the size, athleticism and technique to succeed at the NHL level as a 1b or full time backup. In fact he's very similar to Logan Thompson and Phoenix Copley. Underscouted, late bloomer with a ton of size and raw ability that have been shaped in our system. Our scouting staff continually hits on UDFA goalies, he fits the mold.

Disclaimer: I don't want to hear about how he's sharing time with Shepherd and can't beat him out or that he's having a bad year. Hershey isn't playing very well defensively this year and both goaltenders numbers are atrocious. The AHL is also notorious for older, sometimes undersized battlers to be highly successful at that level. I'll use our own beloved Holtby as an example, he never fully took the #1 job from Dany Sabourin and was never the bonafide #1 in Hershey before becoming a legitimate NHL star goaltender. It's actually pretty common that NHL goalies split time with vets at the AHL level before making the jump.

Nice post and hard to argue when most of us (or atleast I) havent seen him play more than a game or three. Would be great if he makes his way to the big lights.

This doesnt put Lindgrens renewal in any shade though, in my opinion. If Stevenson has the ”it factor” in our coaches mind, he can still take whats his. Starting from the camp, all it takes is an injury or a bad scretch from neither of the guys we have signed and Stevenson gets his chance.

We are still paying the same 8,85 mills for our goalies, just a different structure. Would be a positive problem to have.

That said, today Lindgren is worth his contract and not easily passed.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

“He could challenge if given the opportunity”……well unfortunately he’s got to earn it before we can see if he can challenge at this level.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

GDT?

 

[DWGie26]

Stevenson is still interesting. But not for next two years. He needs to play a higher percentage of games in AHL and be the man. If he does well then he can become a legit 3G. I’m not sure i am comfortable with that right now.

We could use a stud goaltender and i am happy using any of our first three picks (as of now) if the value is right.

 

[qc14]

Any word on Sandin after that nasty hit?

 

[notDkristich]

Any word on Sandin after that nasty hit?

I disagree on 'nasty'. inadvertent in real time.

 

[qc14]

I disagree on 'nasty'. inadvertent in real time.

Yea I agree, more meant nasty to take. Even though it's inadvertent it still hurts!