GDT: Free Agency Frenzy (July 1st @ 12pm ET)

[Hivemind]

still think its slightly odd they haven’t announced a press conference….bmac still cooking something, maybe?

I wouldn't read much more into it than they're still in Vegas.

 

[Carlzner]

I think 8 in the bumper would be awfully interesting.

He doesn’t have Oshie’s hands but I bet his gravitational pull would open up shooting lanes for Chychrun, Dubois, Carlson, etc

Maybe even Strome at the point with Carlson/Chychrun acting as wing backs

 

[Ridley Simon]

Don't post much these days, mostly a lurker but came to say exactly this. They still need goal scoring unless there's a big jump from those on the existing roster.

I am not that worried about goal scoring (you and @twabby bring up good points, however…).

-they have added a sound offensive weapon to the blue line.
-they have added 2 “pass first” forwards who can also score.
-this team had almost no “pass first” forwards last year (save the corpse of Kuznetsov….and perhaps Lapierre/Protas and maybe Mantha for spells), and a lot of “shoot first” players (Ovechkin, Strome, Wilson, Milano, McMichael, NAK). Oshie could do both, as could Dowd….but they aren’t pass first either.

Caps were at their best w Backstrom and Kuznetsov both being mostly pass first forwards. It balanced them.

They need that again, so I’m bullish that the overall makeup will work far better than some of the individual parts, as I think they can feed off each other.

Mangiapane and Strome seem like ideal fits for each other. Maybe w Ovie

PLD can center Wilson and Milano/Lapierre. McMichael can play w Protas and Milano/Lapierre.

It’s seemingly better balance, IMO. BUT, we will see.

 

[Vilica]

I think 8 in the bumper would be awfully interesting.

He doesn’t have Oshie’s hands but I bet his gravitational pull would open up shooting lanes for Chychrun, Dubois, Carlson, etc

Maybe even Strome at the point with Carlson/Chychrun acting as wing backs

I don't know why people are so interested in moving Ovi to the bumper. He's about equal to Oshie in the shooting aspects of the position, and finding soft spots in coverage, but that's only half the job of the bumper. The other half is being the primary puck retriever to recycle possession after shot attempts, which involves forechecking, tying up sticks and pucks, and winning board battles. None of those are strengths for Ovechkin, and he's not going to become good at them at 39yo. Oshie being a puck hound leads to extended zone time, tired PKers, and more PP goals.

If you want to think about it in a more technical sense, in our default 1-3-1 formation, the guy at the point (usually a D) doesn't have many responsibilities for puck retrieval beyond keep-ins, and the same with the Ovi spot. The two left shots and the bumper are the players tasked with it. If we move Ovi to the bumper, that means the player now in the Ovi spot needs to help out more with retrievals, given that Ovi won't be that helpful. The problem is that your bumper starting from the center of offensive zone can cover both sides of the zone because of that positioning, whereas the player crashing from the Ovi spot really only covers the weak side. They're basically always going to be second to pucks due to their starting position.

 

[Portable Mink]

What a cracker of a free agency start. I think Raddysh will surprise and Dowd is the best 4th line center going around. Could be elite.

go caps

 

[StrikingDistance]

Excited for next season!

Who, please step-up, who gave GMBM a 'D' rating? Sens fan? Nick jensen logging in? haha

If you're a Caps fan, please explain. Lowest I can fathom is a 'B'.

Beyond Brian literally kidnapping a superstar player, what were you hoping for realistically? Rationally?

 

[442]

I am not that worried about goal scoring (you and @twabby bring up good points, however…).

-they have added a sound offensive weapon to the blue line.
-they have added 2 “pass first” forwards who can also score.
-this team had almost no “pass first” forwards last year (save the corpse of Kuznetsov….and perhaps Lapierre/Protas and maybe Mantha for spells), and a lot of “shoot first” players (Ovechkin, Strome, Wilson, Milano, McMichael, NAK). Oshie could do both, as could Dowd….but they aren’t pass first either.

Caps were at their best w Backstrom and Kuznetsov both being mostly pass first forwards. It balanced them.

They need that again, so I’m bullish that the overall makeup will work far better than some of the individual parts, as I think they can feed off each other.

Mangiapane and Strome seem like ideal fits for each other. Maybe w Ovie

PLD can center Wilson and Milano/Lapierre. McMichael can play w Protas and Milano/Lapierre.

It’s seemingly better balance, IMO. BUT, we will see.

100%, in the aggregate I think the team has improved but a lot hinges on health (obvious) and Wilson getting back to form. PP improving dramatically is something I'm optimistic about.

 

[twabby]

I really can't believe that Stephenson contract with Seattle. Good for him securing the bag, but that has to be one of the worst contracts of the past few years!

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

I really can't believe that Stephenson contract with Seattle. Good for him securing the bag, but that has to be one of the worst contracts of the past few years!

2 cups and a Bag. Hes doing it right

 

[twabby]

2 cups and a Bag. Hes doing it right

"Could he BE more blessed?"
/

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

"Could he BE more blessed?"
/
View attachment 891312

lol that’s messed up…

 

[zappa4ever]

nice guide to who's in/out for each team

is it just me or is this one of the most active offseasons in a long time league-wide, seems like several teams changed out a ton of players

BOS practically changed out 1/2 their team

lot of East teams looking worse/not improved? (good for us!)
BOS/CAR/FLA/NYR/NYI/PIT/PHI

Comprehensive Team Transactions Guide - Who improved? Who Regressed?

Was Curious to see who everyone had as their winners and losers of free agency. Anaheim Ducks In - Brian Dumoulin, Robbie Fabbri, Jansen Harkins, Carson Meyer, Tomas Suchanek, Out - Jakob Silfverberg, Max Jones, Gustav Lindstrom, Bo Groulx, William Lagesson, Robert Hagg, Alex Stalock...

forums.hfboards.com

 

[Kalopsia]

nice guide to who's in/out for each team

is it just me or is this one of the most active offseasons in a long time league-wide, seems like several teams changed out a ton of players

BOS practically changed out 1/2 their team

lot of East teams looking worse/not improved? (good for us!)
BOS/CAR/FLA/NYR/NYI/PIT/PHI

Comprehensive Team Transactions Guide - Who improved? Who Regressed?

Was Curious to see who everyone had as their winners and losers of free agency. Anaheim Ducks In - Brian Dumoulin, Robbie Fabbri, Jansen Harkins, Carson Meyer, Tomas Suchanek, Out - Jakob Silfverberg, Max Jones, Gustav Lindstrom, Bo Groulx, William Lagesson, Robert Hagg, Alex Stalock...

forums.hfboards.com

The salary cap just jumped 4.5M after growing only 4M over the previous five years combined, so teams definitely rushed to use that extra room.

 

[hockeykicker]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808161208216047896

 

[Silky mitts]

I think PLD will surprise. He’s going to likely start at 1C and will be given a lot of responsibility. And everyone thinks Washington sucks so the team won’t be in the spotlight.

It sounds like he wanted to carry in zone entries with the Kings and it was somehow a thing. If he handles zone entries and has some skilled guys on his line so he can drift around he's going to do well.

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808161208216047896

We want McGroarty.

 

[Devil Dancer]

I don't know why people are so interested in moving Ovi to the bumper. He's about equal to Oshie in the shooting aspects of the position, and finding soft spots in coverage, but that's only half the job of the bumper. The other half is being the primary puck retriever to recycle possession after shot attempts, which involves forechecking, tying up sticks and pucks, and winning board battles. None of those are strengths for Ovechkin, and he's not going to become good at them at 39yo. Oshie being a puck hound leads to extended zone time, tired PKers, and more PP goals.

If you want to think about it in a more technical sense, in our default 1-3-1 formation, the guy at the point (usually a D) doesn't have many responsibilities for puck retrieval beyond keep-ins, and the same with the Ovi spot. The two left shots and the bumper are the players tasked with it. If we move Ovi to the bumper, that means the player now in the Ovi spot needs to help out more with retrievals, given that Ovi won't be that helpful. The problem is that your bumper starting from the center of offensive zone can cover both sides of the zone because of that positioning, whereas the player crashing from the Ovi spot really only covers the weak side. They're basically always going to be second to pucks due to their starting position.

I want him in the bumper spot because his board work and keep-ins aren't NHL PP quality anymore.

Bumper is perfect. He can throw his weight around, shoot, and even dish some fancy passes on expected shots.

Plus it would free up the coaching staff to reconsider the entire PP scheme.

 

[Carlzner]

I don't know why people are so interested in moving Ovi to the bumper. He's about equal to Oshie in the shooting aspects of the position, and finding soft spots in coverage, but that's only half the job of the bumper. The other half is being the primary puck retriever to recycle possession after shot attempts, which involves forechecking, tying up sticks and pucks, and winning board battles. None of those are strengths for Ovechkin, and he's not going to become good at them at 39yo. Oshie being a puck hound leads to extended zone time, tired PKers, and more PP goals.

If you want to think about it in a more technical sense, in our default 1-3-1 formation, the guy at the point (usually a D) doesn't have many responsibilities for puck retrieval beyond keep-ins, and the same with the Ovi spot. The two left shots and the bumper are the players tasked with it. If we move Ovi to the bumper, that means the player now in the Ovi spot needs to help out more with retrievals, given that Ovi won't be that helpful. The problem is that your bumper starting from the center of offensive zone can cover both sides of the zone because of that positioning, whereas the player crashing from the Ovi spot really only covers the weak side. They're basically always going to be second to pucks due to their starting position.

Good points, but is there any reason why that can't be tweaked? 8 can float around in the middle causing distractions while the low guy (Dubois?) and the 2 wings (Chychrun/Carlson?) can have extra responsibilities with puck retrieval.

Not sure if Carlson can really be that so maybe he takes point in this scenario.

How many pucks did Ovi lose against the left wall? It's gotta be a ton unfortunately

 

[Ridley Simon]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808161208216047896

Here’s some Hershey replacements!

 

[Holtbyisms]

Here’s some Hershey replacements!

Hershey pretty freaking stacked again.

 

[Bananas]

How quickly can we unwind this roster if we are still middlin’ next year or two? I like this offseason if we can pull the plug / trade off if needed.

It seems like an honest shot at a “retool” on the fly, but in my experience that’s a very tough needle to thread and we’ll be lacking the star talent that top-5 type picks would provide had we already decided it was time to get a proper rebuild underway.

 

[Holtbyisms]

How quickly can we unwind this roster if we are still middlin’ next year or two? I like this offseason if we can pull the plug / trade off if needed.

It seems like an honest shot at a “retool” on the fly, but in my experience that’s a very tough needle to thread and we’ll be lacking the star talent that top-5 type picks would provide had we already decided it was time to get a proper rebuild underway

That's my biggest fear. My hope is that this roster is fluid enough to continue to sell and obtain assets and when 8 retires we're then in a position to draft top 3 for a couple years. Even looking at who he obtained this year with the exception of PLD and Roy they're all UFAs at this deadline. If we're not looking great I'd hope he would still sell even if we squeak into the playoffs again. By the deadline you hope your Hershey guys have progressed enough to come up and play valuable minutes and fill those spots. You could potentially obtain a couple 1st round picks from Mangiapane and Chychrun if they take off this season and then roll into the 2025 draft with 3 first round picks, 2 second rounders and whatever else you can obtain from Dowd and Chucky/Thompson(whoever they trade away). That's quite the haul and you could even consider moving into the top of the draft if you believe the guys there are franchise altering.

 

[Praetorian Caps]

 

[HeyMattyB]

How quickly can we unwind this roster if we are still middlin’ next year or two? I like this offseason if we can pull the plug / trade off if needed.

It seems like an honest shot at a “retool” on the fly, but in my experience that’s a very tough needle to thread and we’ll be lacking the star talent that top-5 type picks would provide had we already decided it was time to get a proper rebuild underway.

CapFriendly is still up for today, at least. And if you want to know how quickly the current roster could be unwound, I have good news: As CapFriendly shows, the current roster, including all of the recent trades and signings, was specifically planned out to provide maximum flexibility within the next season or two.

Three forwards (Mangiapane, Dowd, Raddysh) are UFAs at the end of the 2024-2025 season; Oshie and Backstrom's LTIR contracts, as well as Kuzy's dead cap, will be off the books at the end of the season. Two defensemen (Chychrun and Bear) are UFAs at the end of the season; Alexeyev will be an RFA. Both goaltenders are UFA at the end of the season. All of those UFAs (with the exception of Bear) have decent-to-significant trade value if things go south in 2024-2025.

Three more forwards (Ovechkin, Milano, and Duhaime) are UFAs at the end of the 2025-2026 season; CMM will be an RFA. Two defensemen (Carlson and TVR) are UFAs at the end of the season; Fehervary will be an RFA. It's not like Ovi will be traded, but there's still trade value with those players if things go south in 2025-2026 (assuming they're not moved earlier).

The team only has four forwards signed past the 2025-2026 season (PLD, Wilson, Strome, and Protas). There's only two defensemen signed past the 2025-2026 season (Roy and Sandin). By then, the team will have a much better idea of how their current prospects might fit in the future. No, the team has not drafted in the Top Five in forever. But they still have some high-end prospects, including potential top-six fowards Leonard, Cristall, Parascak, and Miro.

MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY. BY DESIGN.

 

[AZ Caps Fan]

What has that got to do with anything? We made the Playoffs last season and he could have literally joined to a Playoff team.

I don't think it has anything to do with how we look/looked as a team and everything to do with him doing what he thinks is best for his development.

Just wondered if it might be slightly more enticing to join a better roster is all.
I realize he had an opportunity to join a playoff team but did you see a team worthy of the playoffs? I didn't. Maybe that's a non factor for a lot of players. Would like to see him on the teams roster this fall but I'm not betting on it.