League News: NHL Talk - (News n' Scores n' Stuff) - 2022-23 season, Vol. 4, Off-season Edition

[CapitalsCupReality]

Why? As each of the old guard retires, their cap hit becomes available, allowing us the room to replace them with a shiny new toy. $9.2m might get us something better than a hobbled Backstrom. $9.5m will probably be able to buy a lot to replace what's left of Ovechkin. Same with Oshie and whoever else. And along the way the cap goes up and we're allowed to trade for and draft people.

This team only has to drop out of the playoffs if those transitions are handled poorly. This is a year where the team has a chance to breathe a lot of new life into the ranks, and we mostly agree on how they should go about doing that and how sweeping some of those changes could be if handled correctly. And it doesn't have to stop there. There's room for tinkering and turnover every year. This idea that we're gonna be suck after Ovi retires can be bullshit if our front office does their job.

There's not a single player extended beyond Ovechkin. IMO, you can see them prepping for a rebuild of large proportions after he's gone. Not scorched earth, but it's unavoidable IMO.

 

[IvanMalison]

6x$6.1 for Letang. Takes him to 41 but that’s a great cap hit and they won’t care about term in 3-4 years anyway.

6 years for Letang. Insanity.

Also Georgiev to Avs... interesting.

Yeah this is a really good deal for Pittsburgh. Not going to be competitive for a bit after crosby, and this allows them to remain competitive for the next few years. Might even have enough space for Malkin now.

Kinda makes me sick to see them manage the cap so well.

 

[twabby]

Why? As each of the old guard retires, their cap hit becomes available, allowing us the room to replace them with a shiny new toy. $9.2m might get us something better than a hobbled Backstrom. $9.5m will probably be able to buy a lot to replace what's left of Ovechkin. Same with Oshie and whoever else. And along the way the cap goes up and we're allowed to trade for and draft people.

This team only has to drop out of the playoffs if those transitions are handled poorly. This is a year where the team has a chance to breathe a lot of new life into the ranks, and we mostly agree on how they should go about doing that and how sweeping some of those changes could be if handled correctly. And it doesn't have to stop there. There's room for tinkering and turnover every year. This idea that we're gonna be suck after Ovi retires can be bullshit if our front office does their job.

They have a lot of old guys that are carrying the team and those old guys are only going to get worse. Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Oshie, Orlov, Carlson, and Jensen are all 30+. In aggregate it's very difficult to imagine them being better next year than they were last year.

Internally do they have any players capable of replacing any of the above? Of course they should do everything they can to trade and UFA their way to a new core, but even I'm realistic about the limits of that approach. There are only so many trade assets available, even if you can win every trade you make. There are only so many dollars available, even if you only make good signings. You do need good young franchise players in the pipeline and Washington has very little in that regard. McMichael and maybe Lapierre could reach core status I guess, but I'm not seeing anyone else.

It's going to take a few years to draft, develop, and replace the core. It doesn't have to be a 5 year rebuild, but it'll take at least 2-3. And who cares about JT Miller's cap hit in 2027 if they're in the middle of a rebuild? For all we know the cap ceiling could be $100 million at that point.

 

[twabby]

That's all they got for DeBrincat?

 

[Langway]

Getting finessed by Ottawa of all people. Get bent, Chicago.

Now we wait for the inevitable Kane/Toews trade requests...

 

[Kalopsia]

That's all they got for DeBrincat?

Wow, everything I heard about DeBrincat was that they were asking for the moon. I'm shocked that's all he cost.

 

[twabby]

I hope that means other players will be available for cheap, though I don't know that this will really set the market for players Washington should be targeting.

 

[pman25]

damn thats it? At least ask for Ridly Greig or something as well. Damn Chicago.

 

[Kalopsia]

I hope that means other players will be available for cheap, though I don't know that this will really set the market for players Washington should be targeting.

I'm sure Vancouver fans will see no reason why they shouldn't continue to expect the equivalent of 3+ first round picks for a rental Miller. I was told recently by one of them that it was totally reasonable for Miller to get twice the return of Fiala, haha.

Anyway, clearly the market for forwards who'll soon need expensive extensions isn't what the general public expected it to be. Gotta think the price for Miller is gonna be fairly reasonable. Getting him at 50% retention really seems like the only way the Caps can make a big move this offseason given the Backstrom news.

 

[895]

Don't understand the trade from Chicago's perspective.

 

[RedRocking]

The Letang contract is great for Pittsburgh. They have a few years left in Crosby's career to compete for the Cup and losing Letang would have been a dagger. The low AAV is more important than the term.

Washington needs to have a similar mindset when it comes to targeting a center this offseason. Who cares about the length of a JT Miller contract extension, for example? Washington is only going to be competitive for a few more years so make the most of those years and don't worry about the remainder.

Yep, Pitt will always be smarter than us re the cap and roster construction.

Look at what they’re doing with Malkin - some hardball. You know if that was us, they’d have immediately inked a 9Mx5 contract, with BMac running to get it signed, as Ted yells -bb..but, but jErsEY sALeS!!!

 

[itsjustsurvival]

Don't understand the trade from Chicago's perspective.

Trying to force Kane and Toews to waive their NMCs?

 

[Kalopsia]

Yep, Pitt will always be smarter than us re the cap and roster construction.

Look at what they’re doing with Malkin - some hardball. You know if that was us, they’d have immediately inked a 9Mx5 contract, with BMac running to get it signed, as Ted yells -bb..but, but jErsEY sALeS!!!

The Malkin situation's pretty different than the Backstrom one. Backstrom's contract started when he was 32, pre-hip issues, when he hadn't missed double digit games in any of the previous 7 seasons. Malkin will be 36 when his next contract starts, and he's constantly missing big chunks of time due to injuries. He's also never had the type of relationship with Crosby that Backstrom has with Ovie, he wasn't a major part of bringing the team its first Stanley Cup, and his significance to the franchise is dwarfed by Crosby, Lemieux, and Jagr, whereas Backstrom's second only to Ovie. It's much, much easier for them to walk away from Malkin right now than it would've been for the Caps to walk away from Backstrom in 2020.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

So Chicago traded a former 8th overall pick, plus another first round pick (and more), to get an aging Seth Jones and gave him a billion dollars when their team clearly was ass and had no shot at competing. That pick turned out to be this year’s 6th overall pick, and now they’ve traded their best asset for the privilege of drafting one slot lower than they would have drafted if they literally did nothing at all last year. Awful asset management.

 

[RedRocking]

The Malkin situation's pretty different than the Backstrom one. Backstrom's contract started when he was 32, pre-hip issues, when he hadn't missed double digit games in any of the previous 7 seasons. Malkin will be 36 when his next contract starts, and he's constantly missing big chunks of time due to injuries. He's also never had the type of relationship with Crosby that Backstrom has with Ovie, he wasn't a major part of bringing the team its first Stanley Cup, and his significance to the franchise is dwarfed by Crosby, Lemieux, and Jagr, whereas Backstrom's second only to Ovie. It's much, much easier for them to walk away from Malkin right now than it would've been for the Caps to walk away from Backstrom in 2020.

I wasn’t really making a comparison to Backstrom (though I get it might look like that given their position, and the salary I threw out there). Crosby is apparently pretty pissed that they’re not giving Malkin what he wants though - do you think we’d have the same restraint to someone Ovi speaks up for?

Anyways, I was mostly making a point about our reluctance to get rid of star players. Like if we’re just running it back next year, then maybe trade a Carlson, while you can still get a good return.

I know it’s easier said than done. I’m just frustrated that it doesn’t seem like we have a plan and/or don’t have a clear eye as to what the team is at this point.

 

[Hivemind]

That's all they got for DeBrincat?

I know Washington didn't really have an equivalent asset to the 7th OA pick, but god damn I wish we could have been in on that somehow. Dirt cheap for a young, 40-goal scorer.

 

[John Price]

Pierre LeBrun @PierreVLeBrun
13s


Canes will be receiving 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks from Philly for DeAngelo


Pierre LeBrun @PierreVLeBrun
Hurricanes and Flyers are working on a Tony DeAngelo trade. It’s close I believe.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

The Flyers are ass. Hope Fletcher never leaves.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Did Ellis retire? If not, WTF are you doing Philly?

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Ghost and DeAngelo had the same number of points last year. Neither is any good defensively but they paid for the privilege of trading Ghost. In the span of a year to acquire Ristolainen and DeAngelo and a 7th, it cost them a 1st, 3 2nds, a 3rd, and a 4th, Ghost and Hagg. Lifetime contract for Fletcher, plz and thx.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I wasn’t really making a comparison to Backstrom (though I get it might look like that given their position, and the salary I threw out there). Crosby is apparently pretty pissed that they’re not giving Malkin what he wants though - do you think we’d have the same restraint to someone Ovi speaks up for?

Anyways, I was mostly making a point about our reluctance to get rid of star players. Like if we’re just running it back next year, then maybe trade a Carlson, while you can still get a good return.

I know it’s easier said than done. I’m just frustrated that it doesn’t seem like we have a plan and/or don’t have a clear eye as to what the team is at this point.

To what end? Opening a monster roster hole and making it harder to make the playoffs?

Hard pass on that Flyer-like path….

They need better roster players if you’re moving a Carlson, not prospects/picks.

 

[895]

I just hate the hurricanes and everyone associated with them so much.


Regardless of what you think about dAngelo, to make this tweet after the team you cover traded him away while you were silent when he was on your team is so gutless.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

“white men defending white men”……

Garbage in garbage out….

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

I just hate the hurricanes and everyone associated with them so much.


Regardless of what you think about dAngelo, to make this tweet after the team you cover traded him away while you were silent when he was on your team is so gutless.

I have very few people, probably less than a handful, blocked and muted on Twitter and she’s one of them. Grant Paulsen is another and EB from The Junkies is the third I can think of. She tweets and writes about the team like she’s 12 when she’s a paid professional journalist. Maybe she’s gotten better in recent years but everything she wrote was like nails on a chalkboard for me. It was par for the course with everything else coming out of Carolina that was insufferable.

We’ve been really lucky. Katie C, Isabelle, and now Sam have been terrific. TEB is fantastic as well.

 

[twabby]

I have very few people, probably less than a handful, blocked and muted on Twitter and she’s one of them. Grant Paulsen is another and EB from The Junkies is the third I can think of. She tweets and writes about the team like she’s 12 when she’s a paid professional journalist. Maybe she’s gotten better in recent years but everything she wrote was like nails on a chalkboard for me. It was par for the course with everything else coming out of Carolina that was insufferable.

We’ve been really lucky. Katie C, Isabelle, and now Sam have been terrific. TEB is fantastic as well.

I thought Katie Carrera kind of phoned it in a bit but then she probably wrote the single most memorable article in recent Caps memory after Oates and McPhee were fired so that made up for it.

TEB is good both now at the Athletic and when he was at the WaPo, Isabelle was good, and the jury is still out for me on Sam Pell.

Not a beat writer but I also think JapersRink does some really good work for a blog. Jon Press in particular is usually very blunt yet insightful, especially when he’s on the podcast.

RMNB has slipped but they’re fine if you ignore the analysis part.

Washington certainly has better coverage than most teams.