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

[Devil Dancer]

Yeah I don't think it's Eller hatred. He's just the most obvious target for improvement in a very solid lineup.

 

[Lou Sassole]

Yeah I don't think it's Eller hatred. He's just the most obvious target for improvement in a very solid lineup.

Raddysh has 7 goals and hasn't done much since the new year. He doesn't kill penalties, he doesn't hit much, so if he isn't scoring, he's the most obvious guy to sit, for me.

 

[DWGie26]

yeah, I was one that said i don’t think he will be that impactful this postseason. I’m still limiting my expectations. But i was also wrong about where he would start. Perhaps I need to up my optimism (which is uncharted territory for me).

 

[Ridley Simon]

When they brought in Beauvillier and paired him with Dowd and Duhaime, it became obvious to me that they were leaving the 3RW (Raddysh/Frank) spot open for Leonard. I have not seen anything to change my mind on that.

Leonard might earn his way out of that spot at some point, but that seems like the obvious place for him to start.

Except today’s line announcements. Which floors me, so this isn’t a jab at you.

 

[um]

Raddysh has 7 goals and hasn't done much since the new year. He doesn't kill penalties, he doesn't hit much, so if he isn't scoring, he's the most obvious guy to sit, for me.

Well yea, but Raddysh plays a much lesser role.

The question of this team being cup worthy isn't going to hinge on our 13th/14th forward. Our center depth, however, is a lot more important.

 

[wickedwitch]

Leonard's contract details still aren't on puckpedia. I'm curious about the performance bonuses he got.

 

[caps4cup]

Raddysh has 7 goals and hasn't done much since the new year. He doesn't kill penalties, he doesn't hit much, so if he isn't scoring, he's the most obvious guy to sit, for me.

I don’t think you’re necessarily wrong on Raddysh, but he still has more points than Eller in 2025.

Eller also only gets 45 seconds of PK time per game as well (he and CMM are 5th and 6th among forwards), so he’s not some irreplaceable part of the PK either. And FWIW, Raddysh averages more 5v5 TOI per game than Eller, even if it’s only a marginal difference.

I don’t think Eller vs Raddysh really makes all that much of difference, but I do think Raddysh is currently the better player. The question is if you think that (likely) slight difference is worth moving CMM to center for when he’s shown to be more effective at wing. Probably not, but playing him on his off wing with a Center who is severely limited offensively at this point in his career is probably even worse.

 

[Silky mitts]

I feel like Eller is a value add to the lineup for his zone entries if nothing else

 

[Devil Dancer]

Raddysh has 7 goals and hasn't done much since the new year. He doesn't kill penalties, he doesn't hit much, so if he isn't scoring, he's the most obvious guy to sit, for me.

Clearly management agrees with you, since Leonard took Raddysh's spot!

 

[DWGie26]

I don’t think you’re necessarily wrong on Raddysh, but he still has more points than Eller in 2025.

Eller also only gets 45 seconds of PK time per game as well (he and CMM are 5th and 6th among forwards), so he’s not some irreplaceable part of the PK either. And FWIW, Raddysh averages more 5v5 TOI per game than Eller, even if it’s only a marginal difference.

I don’t think Eller vs Raddysh really makes all that much of difference, but I do think Raddysh is currently the better player. The question is if you think that (likely) slight difference is worth moving CMM to center for when he’s shown to be more effective at wing. Probably not, but playing him on his off wing with a Center who is severely limited offensively at this point in his career is probably even worse.

you kinda allude to it, but comparing oranges and apples here. Center versus a wing. But to answer your question, no way caps are taking McMichael away from his wing position. Deep in playoffs where you need a center, maybe. But as the playoffs roll around Eller is our 3C full stop.

 

[caps4cup]

you kinda allude to it, but comparing oranges and apples here. Center versus a wing. But to answer your question, no way caps are taking McMichael away from his wing position. Deep in playoffs where you need a center, maybe. But as the playoffs roll around Eller is our 3C full stop.

I don’t disagree with that. I do think CMM’s impact is limited by his current line mates though. Eller just nukes his line mates offense and CMM’s value is in his offensive creation. It’s just not a good fit, especially if you’re having him play his off wing. Moving a bonafide top 6 guy to what is your de facto 4th isn’t putting him in an opportunity to be successful. If CMM is in the bottom 6, he should play with Dowd and Beauvillier.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Protas -- like McMichael, Beauvillier, and Leonard himself -- is not a center.

The lengths people go to just because they have an irrational hatred of Eller ...

If I ever meet Eller I am going to try and hug him. I do not hate Eller.

I just want to see experimentation and test players to see how they respond and if we can discover synergies. Like CMM and PLD.

Im talking about spot duty and getting the team used to some flexibility in case of injuries in a hopefully potential long playoff run.

Go Caps!

 

[um]

I don’t disagree with that. I do think CMM’s impact is limited by his current line mates though. Eller just nukes his line mates offense and CMM’s value is in his offensive creation. It’s just not a good fit, especially if you’re having him play his off wing. Moving a bonafide top 6 guy to what is your de facto 4th isn’t putting him in an opportunity to be successful. If CMM is in the bottom 6, he should play with Dowd and Beauvillier.

I think moving McMichael to 3C is something you do to give the Caps an actual strong third line. It should take away ice time from our 4th line.

I wouldn't do any of this unless someone can play a top 6 role in McMichaels place, which is unlikely.

Some people here think that being a 3C is a demotion for McMichael, I don't feel that way at all. 3Cs have had huge roles on some recent cup winners. Panthers had Lundell, Golden Knights had Karlsson, Tampa had Gourde, Pens had Bonino, we had Eller, and so on.

I think the Caps haven't had a good third line in so long that some people think it's a line for journey men. f*** that, depth wins.

 

[qcal1427]

I think moving McMichael to 3C is something you do to give the Caps an actual strong third line. It should take away ice time from our 4th line.

I wouldn't do any of this unless someone can play a top 6 role in McMichaels place, which is unlikely.

Some people here think that being a 3C is a demotion for McMichael, I don't feel that way at all. 3Cs have had huge roles on some recent cup winners. Panthers had Lundell, Golden Knights had Karlsson, Tampa had Gourde, Pens had Bonino, we had Eller, and so on.

I think the Caps haven't had a good third line in so long that some people think it's a line for journey men. f*** that, depth wins.

I think McMichael has been significantly better this year at wing than he was last year at center. He is also a very up-tempo player and while he creates a lot he gives up a lot going the other way. Without a very solid defensive presence on his wing, I think he is fairly significant risk in his own end. Of the extremely good defensive wings we do have (Wilson, Protas, Duhaime) I like them all more in other spots than on McMichael's wing on the third line.

Eller at 3c is more boring -- absolutely. But he is much more plug-and-play in terms of who you can put next to him and lets you optimize the rest of the lineup. Yes it sucks for McMichael to be demoted for something completely unrelated to his exceptional play this year. It's also unfair to Raddysh (who has been completely average in basically every facet of the game this year!) to come out of the lineup altogether. That's how it goes when your team is really good though!

 

[Langway]

A possible $275k for the Smythe in Y1. Go on then.

 

[wickedwitch]

A possible $275k for the Smythe in Y1. Go on then.

So Leonard got way more bonuses than the typical 8th overall pick. They pretty much never get any B bonuses or even the full A bonuses. (I couldn't find any who did.) Which points to two things: 1) he had leverage and 2) the Caps think he's a future franchise player and are going to treat him as such even if he was "only" drafted 8th.

The Caps similarly gave Kuzy bonuses way above what a typical 26th overall pick would get.

 

[caps4cup]

I think McMichael has been significantly better this year at wing than he was last year at center. He is also a very up-tempo player and while he creates a lot he gives up a lot going the other way. Without a very solid defensive presence on his wing, I think he is fairly significant risk in his own end. Of the extremely good defensive wings we do have (Wilson, Protas, Duhaime) I like them all more in other spots than on McMichael's wing on the third line.

Eller at 3c is more boring -- absolutely. But he is much more plug-and-play in terms of who you can put next to him and lets you optimize the rest of the lineup. Yes it sucks for McMichael to be demoted for something completely unrelated to his exceptional play this year. It's also unfair to Raddysh (who has been completely average in basically every facet of the game this year!) to come out of the lineup altogether. That's how it goes when your team is really good though!

I do think some of that may have to do with his linemates as well as the additions to the defense and them moving pucks significantly better. Last year, his most common linemates were the 6 goal version of Protas and Mantha, who was traded at the TDL. IIRC, his other most common winger was the corpse of TJ Oshie. No question that playing with Dubois (their best overall forward) and a healthy Wilson has certainly helped him a ton.

I do think he’s a better winger than center. I just don’t think playing on Eller’s wing is necessarily a better situation for him than centering Mangiapane and Raddysh. We shall see, but Eller’s most common winger has been Mangiapane, whose GF/60 has dropped by almost a full goal with Eller compared to when he was with Dowd or Lapierre.

Obviously things can change during the game, but if Leonard plays well and the top 6 sticks, I don’t like putting CMM on the de-facto 4th line. People certainly shouldn’t be expecting very much production at all from him if he sticks on this line and it’s almost a waste of a very good forward usage wise.

 

[IsThatSemin]

Protas -- like McMichael, Beauvillier, and Leonard himself -- is not a center.

The lengths people go to just because they have an irrational hatred of Eller ...

I’m not sure it’s hatred or irrational, he’s a square peg in a round hole on this team. He should be in the press box but instead he’s centering the third line. Totally agree though that trying to make any of those guys a pivot in April is a bad idea/never going to happen

 

[um]

I think McMichael has been significantly better this year at wing than he was last year at center. He is also a very up-tempo player and while he creates a lot he gives up a lot going the other way. Without a very solid defensive presence on his wing, I think he is fairly significant risk in his own end. Of the extremely good defensive wings we do have (Wilson, Protas, Duhaime) I like them all more in other spots than on McMichael's wing on the third line.

Eller at 3c is more boring -- absolutely. But he is much more plug-and-play in terms of who you can put next to him and lets you optimize the rest of the lineup. Yes it sucks for McMichael to be demoted for something completely unrelated to his exceptional play this year. It's also unfair to Raddysh (who has been completely average in basically every facet of the game this year!) to come out of the lineup altogether. That's how it goes when your team is really good though!

I just want to try it out, especially if Leonard or Beauvillier can play in the top 6.

It’d be a mistake to not at least have a plan for when Dubois or Strome get hurt. We all recall how great Eller played on our 2018 run when Kuzy and Backstrom were out.

 

[mouser]

A possible $275k for the Smythe in Y1. Go on then.

The year 1 Conn Smyth bonus is a “phantom bonus” allowing the contract to have the $1.5m in year 2 performance bonuses.

Total contract salary plus performance bonuses can’t increase by more than 100% season to season. Without that phantom year one bonus the maximum year 2 bonus clauses would be capped at $950k.

You may ask: Why not include some other year 1 performance bonus clause besides the Conn Smythe for $275k?

Answer: signing this late in the season Leonard is not eligible to have a contract include any other performance bonus clauses year 1. All the normally allowed ELC performance bonuses clauses have minimum requirements the NHL deems statistically impossible to achieve at this point in the season.


Frankly, it’s a bit of an oversight by the NHL. Players signing ELCs now with teams eliminated from the playoffs would not be allowed to include any performance bonuses clauses—including the Smythe—capping their maximum year 2 performance bonus $’s to year 1 salary+signing bonus of $950k.

Creates an “unfair” situation for high tier draftees receiving performance bonuses, where the max allowed year 2/3 performance bonuses could depend on whether the prospect signs with a playoff alive team or playoff eliminated team.

 

[DWGie26]

The year 1 Conn Smyth bonus is a “phantom bonus” allowing the contract to have the $1.5m in year 2 performance bonuses.

Total contract salary plus performance bonuses can’t increase by more than 100% season to season. Without that phantom year one bonus the maximum year 2 bonus clauses would be capped at $950k.

You may ask: Why not include some other year 1 performance bonus clause besides the Conn Smythe for $275k?

Answer: signing this late in the season Leonard is not eligible to have a contract include any other performance bonus clauses year 1. All the normally allowed ELC performance bonuses clauses have minimum requirements the NHL deems statistically impossible to achieve at this point in the season.


Frankly, it’s a bit of an oversight by the NHL. Players signing ELCs now with teams eliminated from the playoffs would not be allowed to include any performance bonuses clauses—including the Smythe—capping their maximum year 2 performance bonus $’s to year 1 salary+signing bonus of $950k.

Creates an “unfair” situation for high tier draftees receiving performance bonuses, where the max allowed year 2/3 performance bonuses could depend on whether the prospect signs with a playoff alive team or playoff eliminated team.

This is very interesting and insightful. How is high tier draftee? Top 10? And only those get performance bonuses. And then the playoff thing i get how it skews.

 

[Langway]

The year 1 Conn Smyth bonus is a “phantom bonus” allowing the contract to have the $1.5m in year 2 performance bonuses.

Phantom...until he does it! Good info. Thx.

 

[mouser]

This is very interesting and insightful. How is high tier draftee? Top 10? And only those get performance bonuses. And then the playoff thing i get how it skews.

Generally only top 10 picks get B Performance Bonuses, and even then they often go most frequently to the top 5.

But many more players get the maximum $1m in class A Performance Bonuses. Not unusual to see a large % of 1st round players get the max. Those players signing late with a non-playoff team would have their year 2 bonuses capped at the year 1 salary. For example, Leonard’s year 1 salary is $950k. Not a huge difference, but still $50k less than max A bonuses in year 2 for impacted players.

The year 1 max salary is increasing where it eventually wouldn’t limit year 2 perf bonuses, but still a couple draft years away from that, and there will be a new CBA soon possibly changing those numbers.

Current max annual ELC base compensation is based on draft year.

2023: $950k
2024/25: $975k
2026: $1M

 

[895]

The year 1 Conn Smyth bonus is a “phantom bonus” allowing the contract to have the $1.5m in year 2 performance bonuses.

Total contract salary plus performance bonuses can’t increase by more than 100% season to season. Without that phantom year one bonus the maximum year 2 bonus clauses would be capped at $950k.

You may ask: Why not include some other year 1 performance bonus clause besides the Conn Smythe for $275k?

Answer: signing this late in the season Leonard is not eligible to have a contract include any other performance bonus clauses year 1. All the normally allowed ELC performance bonuses clauses have minimum requirements the NHL deems statistically impossible to achieve at this point in the season.


Frankly, it’s a bit of an oversight by the NHL. Players signing ELCs now with teams eliminated from the playoffs would not be allowed to include any performance bonuses clauses—including the Smythe—capping their maximum year 2 performance bonus $’s to year 1 salary+signing bonus of $950k.

Creates an “unfair” situation for high tier draftees receiving performance bonuses, where the max allowed year 2/3 performance bonuses could depend on whether the prospect signs with a playoff alive team or playoff eliminated team.

Has a college player ever hit the B performance bonuses? Iirc they are top 10 in scoring or something pretty difficult to achieve.

 

[wickedwitch]

Has a college player ever hit the B performance bonuses? Iirc they are top 10 in scoring or something pretty difficult to achieve.

Lane Hutson would be getting some this year but they aren't part of his contract.