Speculation: Roster Building Thread - Off-season Part I

[NYR Viper]

What would Puju do for us that Kakko doesn't?

Why not have (2) good possession, 2-way wingers? Is there a rule somewhere against it?

 

[bleedblue94]

Evan Rodrigues is a good hockey player. He will just get overpaid. If he were to come in at a decent/fair rate he'd be a perfect 3rd liner.

He's not, he never broke 30pts in a season before and this year after his abbreviation of a start he had 11pts in 36 games after the all star game which is much more in line with his career norms. He isn't a good player, he's a meh player that had a terrific start to the season that will lead some team to make a mistake on.

 

[NYR Viper]

You are not considering that 70% of his ice time is with McDavid. I'd still like to add him though.

This is true, and of course all stats need 'color' provided. In saying that, the fact that his stats were so good and those players played better with him should be a good sign. That and the cost to acquire him is relatively low.

 

[Do you want ants]

Umm, ha are you sure?

Jp who people here are lauding to play with panarin is going to push two guys out of the lineup that weren't even in our top 12 forwards this postseason? Might want to rethink that. If Jp comes here he probably gets a chance w zib or panarin ahead of other in house options that haven't worked historically (including kakko)...

Was I one of those people penciling him into the top 6? No.

He could potentially be useful depth if the price is right and a significant upgrade over some of our usual bottom 6 fodder.

Rooney & McKegg aren't even under contract and the team doesnt need another defensive winger who doesnt score despite playing with elite players. And didnt he quit on his team too? I dont know what more can possibly be said about why this guy is not what we need.

Hence me saying “someone like”. It was in regards to some of the awful players we run in our bottom 6 over the years. Worst case he sucks like them and it’s status quo.

 

[McRanger92]

Why not have (2) good possession, 2-way wingers? Is there a rule somewhere against it?

We have more wingers than we know what to do with and we want to trade assets for another? You also cant be 2 way winger if you don't score playing with the likes of McDavid/Draisatl/Panarin/Zibanejad the vast majority of the time

 

[cwede]

i would gladly sign Colin White for a Wennberg-type re-group deal,
and Paul Stastny,
rather than go 'Big" for that 2nd line C this off-season
See how it goes and what guys become available during the season

Chytil or White can maybe be about as good as Strome has been,
and not hurry to complicate the Cap going forward

 

[duhmetreE]

He's not, he never broke 30pts in a season before and this year after his abbreviation of a start he had 11pts in 36 games after the all star game which is much more in line with his career norms. He isn't a good player, he's a meh player that had a terrific start to the season that will lead some team to make a mistake on.

So, using that logic, Nichuskin isn't a good hockey player?

He's a good bottom6 energy player. He has value to a team. Complaining about his point totals is like complaining about Fast/Goodrows production.... it's weird.

At a certain price, he's worth it. Above a certain price, he is not.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Colin White should be one of Drury's top targets for centers as far as UFA go

 

[NYR Viper]

We have more wingers than we know what to do with and we want to trade assets for another? You also cant be 2 way winger if you don't score playing with the likes of McDavid/Draisatl/Panarin/Zibanejad the vast majority of the time

If that asset is Georgiev + depth prospect, yes.

Again, if he creates a higher positive goal differential on the ice, isn't that the ultimate goal? Even if he only scores 15 goals in a season but his line outscores their opponents by an additional 20 goals than they would have, that's a plus. Based on his numbers in Edmonton, that seems to be his MO. That and the fact that he is a good possession player and good at both ends of the ice.

 

[bleedblue94]

Was I one of those people penciling him into the top 6? No.

He could potentially be useful depth if the price is right and a significant upgrade over some of our usual bottom 6 fodder.


Hence me saying “someone like”. It was in regards to some of the awful players we run in our bottom 6 over the years. Worst case he sucks like them and it’s status quo.

He's not signing his contract here to play in the bottom 6. He will go back overseas again if that's the case. He's requested a trade out of a top 6 role, he isn't looking for a bottom 6 role elsewhere.

 

[Raspewtin]

Colin White. Jesse Pulujaarvi. Evan Rodrigues. These guys are dime a dozen players, who don't move the needle.

Aim higher.

if we had "dime-a-dozen" players in place of Rooney, a very injured Goodrow, and Reaves we probably win an extra game or two.

 

[bleedblue94]

i would gladly sign Colin White for a Wennberg-type re-group deal,
and Paul Stastny,
rather than go 'Big" for that 2nd line C this off-season
See how it goes and what guys become available during the season

Chytil or White can maybe be about as good as Strome has been,
and not hurry to complicate the Cap going forward

If you are replacing strome w Colin white you are not making a move to make this team better. White is a significant downgrade from strome in a position that we are already weak at.

I HATE strome, but I think too many people are just taking for granted his worth here the last couple years.

 

[NYR Viper]

He's not signing his contract here to play in the bottom 6. He will go back overseas again if that's the case. He's requested a trade out of a top 6 role, he isn't looking for a bottom 6 role elsewhere.

I don't believe this to be true. He has requested out because he has consistently been kicked to the curb and been a scapegoat for that team. It's clear the relationship has been frayed for a long time and it finally came to a head, again.

 

[bleedblue94]

if we had "dime-a-dozen" players in place of Rooney, a very injured Goodrow, and Reaves we probably win an extra game or two.

See the problem is these guys aren't replacing your 4th line players or playoff healthy scratches if they come here, they are replacing 3rd line guys without pushing your current 3rd line down to the 4th line so your point is moot.

 

[RangerBoy]

Casey DeSmith re-signed with the Penguins. 2 years/$3.6M. That's more the Rangers could have paid. His previous AAV was $1.25M. Fleury wanted to play in Pittsburgh again. Finish his career where it started with his buddies.

Toronto
Colorado
Minnesota

Those are the Fleury teams. Allegedly.



I hope Hextall brings back the entire gang. The same team which hasn't won a playoff series since 2017. The same aging team.

 

[McRanger92]

if we had "dime-a-dozen" players in place of Rooney, a very injured Goodrow, and Reaves we probably win an extra game or two.

Sure, but at least 2 of those guys couldve been pushed out of the lineup if Blais was never hurt and Kravtsov didnt run back to Russia. Sometimes that's just how the chips fall.

The priority needs to be a true top 6 center, bottom 6 depth and reclamation projects are very much a secondary problem

 

[bleedblue94]

I don't believe this to be true. He has requested out because he has consistently been kicked to the curb and been a scapegoat for that team. It's clear the relationship has been frayed for a long time and it finally came to a head, again.

He is playing with two of the best players in the world, has left to play in Europe before, and isn't going to come here to play on the 3rd line for peanuts. He can go back to Europe and have a better career in a bigger role if the plan for him is to be a 3rd liner here. He already did this once and came back only when essentially promised a top 6 role.

 

[I Eat Crow]

Casey DeSmith re-signed with the Penguins. 2 years/$3.6M. That's more the Rangers could have paid. His previous AAV was $1.25M. Fleury wanted to play in Pittsburgh again. Finish his career where it started with his buddies.

Toronto
Colorado
Minnesota

Those are the Fleury teams. Allegedly.



I hope Hextall brings back the entire gang. The same team which hasn't won a playoff series since 2017. The same aging team.

Fleury in the Toronto market would be must see. They'll eat him alive there.

Shame Desmith went back to Pittsburgh. He's their best goalie.

I think Letang signs in Pittsburgh. Malkin goes to Florida.

 

[JimmyG89]

I don't believe this to be true. He has requested out because he has consistently been kicked to the curb and been a scapegoat for that team. It's clear the relationship has been frayed for a long time and it finally came to a head, again.

He was being sent to the minors in favor of Libor Hajek and Julien Gauthier, the later who has also requested to be traded. I wouldn't be thrilled based on how those players performed to be going to the AHL. He should have done it because he makes the roster as soon as Blais gets hurt, maybe even earlier.

Anything else said is literally revisionist history. He wasn't demanding a top 6 role. He wanted a spot on the NHL team. He was making 75K in the AHL. He could make that in one month in the KHL. He went and got his money.

Kravtsov is 3RW on this roster as it stands currently. Could even be in a top 6 role depending on his performance and the build of the rest of the team.

 

[RangerBoy]

Some contract projections.

Andrew Copp

Copp, who’ll turn 28 on Friday, can play center and wing, and that makes him an intriguing possibility for a Caps’ team that could use a center in the short term and winger in the longer term. He can also chip on both special teams’ units. In addition, he was really good for the Rangers in the playoffs, amassing six goals and eight assists in 20 games.

I think he could be a fit for the Caps lineup-wise. I do, however, wonder if his strong postseason priced him out of Washington’s budget. Evolving-Hockey projects Copp’s next deal to come in around four years, $5.8 million per. With Wilson due back from knee surgery in December and Backstrom possibly back at some point, that would be tough, if not impossible, to shoehorn onto the cap — barring other moves, of course.

How much money and term is Copp looking for?

JT Miller

You’ve got to give something to get something. But I have a hard time believing MacLellan would give up his 2020 first-round pick, his 2022 first-round pick and a prospect to make that deal happen. As I’ve said, I think Miller would be a great fit. But at some point, the Caps are going to need to retool.

Hendrix Lapierre is the 2020 first round pick.

The Caps don't have many assets.

Capitals mailbag part 1: Should the Capitals sign Nazem Kadri?

From questions about Nicklas Backstrom's health to the chances Washington drafts Ivan Miroshnichenko, Tarik is here for your questions.

theathletic.com

Three free agent forwards that could help the Caps pick up the pace would be Ilya Mikheyev, Andreas Athanasiou and Frank Vatrano. They won’t come cheap, however. Evolving-Hockey projects Mikheyev to snag a six-year contract that averages $5 million per; Athanasiou to fetch four years at $3.6 million per and Vatrano to come in at four years and $3.9 million per.

Someone is giving nearly Vatrano $16M? In this economy?

Capitals mailbag: Prospects, Scott Arniel and much more

Tarik El-Bashir's mailbag covers topics ranging from Peter Laviolette's leash to Scott Arniel's departure and much more.

theathletic.com

 

[Boris Zubov]

They also probably only see him play a couple times per year, as someone from Vancouver who watches him regularly the guy is still just as big of a bozo regardless of production. An upper middle class man's Ryan Strome.

One example is on a delayed powerplay in 3v3 OT, he dumped the puck in... You don't dump the puck in on 3v3 OT to begin with, you dump it back into your own end because possession is key. But to dump it on a delayed PP in 3v3 OT?? It's almost admirable how a guy that dumb made it to the NHL.

I remember a game I went to in December 2019 against the Leafs, Canucks pulled their goalie, almost 2 mins left and JT Miller takes the puck behind the Canucks net, there were multiple Canuck players on the left side near the boards he could pass it to with no Leafs in sight, there's a Leaf coming at him from the right side of the net so what does Bozo do? Tries passing it on the right side of the net/or passing to himself and going around him, like saucing it over the leafs stick, so he passes it right to the Leaf and he scores on the empty net

Sometimes I think you are just trying to be a comedy act. You've used that OT reference about 30 times now on this board....If that even happened, big deal. Players f*ck up sometimes. I watched the Canucks 2-3x a week this season, so don't tell me Miller is still a bozo or still the same player he was in NY. He's not...at all. Miller outclasses Strome in every single category & has matured into a top player in this league. He's not better at wing as some are trying to say....he was in the top 30 in faceoffs won in the NHL this season, he runs the Vancouver PP & even killed penalties. He played with several combos of different wingers & they all played better when they were on his line. Boeser was basically non existant away from Miller as was Tanner Pearson.

I get some people don't want to give up big assets for a guy we probably can't afford to keep after next season, but this myth that he will revert to his immature ways or isn't an elite player needs to end.

 

[McRanger92]

Some contract projections.

Andrew Copp



How much money and term is Copp looking for?

JT Miller



Hendrix Lapierre is the 2020 first round pick.

The Caps don't have many assets.

Capitals mailbag part 1: Should the Capitals sign Nazem Kadri?

From questions about Nicklas Backstrom's health to the chances Washington drafts Ivan Miroshnichenko, Tarik is here for your questions.

theathletic.com

Someone is giving nearly Vatrano $16M? In this economy?

Capitals mailbag: Prospects, Scott Arniel and much more

Tarik El-Bashir's mailbag covers topics ranging from Peter Laviolette's leash to Scott Arniel's departure and much more.

theathletic.com

The contract projections seem crazy to me. Where is money coming from? I hope these mid-level UFAs dont mind playing in Seattle & Arizona, because those are the only teams who can afford them. I mean 4.5 AAV for Ilya Mikheyev is flat out crazy

 

[17futurecap]

Some contract projections.

Andrew Copp



How much money and term is Copp looking for?

JT Miller



Hendrix Lapierre is the 2020 first round pick.

The Caps don't have many assets.

Capitals mailbag part 1: Should the Capitals sign Nazem Kadri?

From questions about Nicklas Backstrom's health to the chances Washington drafts Ivan Miroshnichenko, Tarik is here for your questions.

theathletic.com

Someone is giving nearly Vatrano $16M? In this economy?

Capitals mailbag: Prospects, Scott Arniel and much more

Tarik El-Bashir's mailbag covers topics ranging from Peter Laviolette's leash to Scott Arniel's departure and much more.

theathletic.com

2 summers from now, so and so has bought out Frank Vatrano.

 

[NYR Viper]

He was being sent to the minors in favor of Libor Hajek and Julien Gauthier, the later who has also requested to be traded. I wouldn't be thrilled based on how those players performed to be going to the AHL. He should have done it because he makes the roster as soon as Blais gets hurt, maybe even earlier.

Anything else said is literally revisionist history. He wasn't demanding a top 6 role. He wanted a spot on the NHL team. He was making 75K in the AHL. He could make that in one month in the KHL. He went and got his money.

Kravtsov is 3RW on this roster as it stands currently. Could even be in a top 6 role depending on his performance and the build of the rest of the team.

I think he was describing Puljujaarvi, not Kravtsov

 

[Trxjw]

Puljujarvi is a very good defensive winger and the Rangers don't have many of those who can slot into the top-9 without being way over their head. I really don't understand the insistence from people that the Rangers need to make big moves and make big splashes. The only real obstacle to bringing in Puljujarvi is the fact that we don't have an open RW spot in the top-9 if we need to get Laf into the top-six full time and Kravtsov is being gifted a spot (again).

The Avs brought in Nichushkin and Burakovsky. Two guys who didn't perform with their first team and then blossomed with a change of scenery. They had them as big contributors on cheaper deals. The Rangers need similar players and that's why a lot of us are interested in guys like White and Puljujarvi.

We have have proven, elite talent up front. We have potentially elite talent in Kakko and Lafreniere. We have a Norris winner on our top pair. We have arguably one of the best 2nd pairings in the NHL. We have the reigning Vezina winner in goal. Why the obsession with "needle movers" and big names?

Cup winners find value where other teams miss it. We found it with Strome. Why can't Colin White be a similar story? We actually have a pretty good record with reclamation projects. Brassard, Stralman, Pouliot, Grabner, etc.