Speculation: Who should be the new GM of the Washington Capitals?

[OldHat]

Defensive hockey is likely embedded in long time Caps fans DNA.

We always thought the key to a cup was just to add a big gun or 2.

Too bad McPhee fleeced the D while doing that.

This is so true. Why has it been one or the other?

 

[txpd]

This is so true. Why has it been one or the other?

forgetting that the game changed about the time the defense changed. right? at the time of the fire sale the caps had 4 defensemen that had been together a very long time. solid group. gonchar, witt, klee and Johansson.

remember what happened to the flyers defense after the lockout with all their big, but slow defensive defensemen who could lay a hurtin' oon you. they were pylons in the new game.

 

[OldHat]

forgetting that the game changed about the time the defense changed. right? at the time of the fire sale the caps had 4 defensemen that had been together a very long time. solid group. gonchar, witt, klee and Johansson.

remember what happened to the flyers defense after the lockout with all their big, but slow defensive defensemen who could lay a hurtin' oon you. they were pylons in the new game.

I'm talking before that. The teams directly preceding the Great Purge were not good defensive teams. Mid to late 80's and early to mid 90's teams were very good defensive teams but lacked the extra scoring punch. Teams from the BB era on have been the exact opposite. Offensive juggernauts with weak defense.

I was happy to see both Witt and Gonchar go.

 

[BTCG]

So you believe successful organizations should be parroted without regard to context or new information?

Maybe atmosphere is the wrong word but I would say that any bright GM isn't simply looking to replicate past success. They're looking to innovate wherever possible and to build upon their strengths even further.

The Blackhawks are THE example of a winning franchise that continues to seek innovative ways to self-evaluate via analytics rather than rest on their laurels. A fair portion of the future in running teams is happening there IMO.

What is gawd's name are you talking about? Are they bringing in the same players and choreographing the same plays?

Cue twilight one music.

 

[Koized]

There are an infinite number of factors that can't be emulated. Why was Dave Lewis a terrible NHL head coach, he came from Detroit? The idea that you should just hire someone from a successful organization and they are the best candidate is a compete joke. Would I consider it a pro in the selection process? Yes. However, you would hope that Patrick and Ted would be able to identify if the candidate is good in their current position and is well suited as an AGM, etc. or if they have the vision and attibutes to be the GM. Being the guy that runs things is a lot different then being the second in command.

 

[SimplySensational]

Capitals were the 4th best defense team in 10-11.

Its like none of you guys ever watch the Capitals.

 

[BTCG]

There are an infinite number of factors that can't be emulated. Why was Dave Lewis a terrible NHL head coach, he came from Detroit? The idea that you should just hire someone from a successful organization and they are the best candidate is a compete joke. Would I consider it a pro in the selection process? Yes. However, you would hope that Patrick and Ted would be able to identify if the candidate is good in their current position and is well suited as an AGM, etc. or if they have the vision and attibutes to be the GM. Being the guy that runs things is a lot different then being the second in command.

Let me help you: Dave Lewis wasn't a bad coach... he was the wrong coach, for the time period. DRW was a team in transition, and Lewis is not a development type coach.

If you'd paid attention, you'd know that Lewis was given the job because DRW were angry with Barry Smith. His crime: he took time off to coach a team in Sweden, against the wishes of the DRW. Hence, he was not promoted, and ended up in Phoenix.

Smith WAS and is, a development coach. In fact, my son played for his team one summer when my son did the DRW camp for kids (which he did twice, it was cool... he also did Cap's camp twice too). We got to know Barry well.

If Barry or Dave were here, they'd tell you that emulating proper structure is a MUST.

Hope this helped!

 

[BTCG]

Capitals were the 4th best defense team in 10-11.

Its like none of you guys ever watch the Capitals.

Not so much not watching as having closed minds.

 

[BobRouse]

I want a Stanley Cup more than any regular season success. As a fan it was hard to watch Carolina, Tampa Bay, New Jersey, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh win cups, especially Carolina and Tampa Bay. I don't care if it takes Hunter hockey or BB hockey, just get it done. I do enjoy watching Ovechkin tearing up the regular season, but I will enjoy it more when the teams hoists a Stanley Cup.

I agree to an extent here. But its not like one style is clearly the better way to do it.

Perhaps in the mid to late 90s and pre lockout you had to play a defensive style to maximize your chances of wining a cup. Clutching and grabbing, obstruction, not many penalties etc

Not since the lockout(s). You can win either way.

Our style has to match our personnel and our personnel have to be good for the style.

Hunterhockey is not the key to success. The key is having everyone on the same page. President, GM, coach, players, scouts, AHL affiliate etc

We had that for a few years and were close. Since then we've been all over the place in panic mode.

 

[strungout]

So of the teams still in the playoffs....who has a GM in the waiting the Caps might be looking at?

 

[Langway]

In order of readiness I would guess Benning (BOS), MacIver (CHI), Sweeney (BOS), Futa (LAK) and maybe Botterill (PIT).

 

[OldHat]

Capitals were the 4th best defense team in 10-11.

Its like none of you guys ever watch the Capitals.

4th best Because of the high-powered offense. You looking at GA/game?

That was the year Schultz was +50.

It's hard for a team to score on you when you are in their end most of the game.

 

[um]

4th best Because of the high-powered offense. You looking at GA/game?

That was the year Schultz was +50.

It's hard for a team to score on you when you are in their end most of the game.

you know your off a year right? not to mention you are completely wrong.

 

[OldHat]

you know your off a year right? not to mention you are completely wrong.

Ha... brain fart. You are correct that was 09-10.

Still, you would really consider that defense to be top 5 in the league? Not the type of defense that wins in the playoffs.

 

[RandyHolt]

How bad is it that our season has been relegated to watching how Sarge does.

Our team was in transition 10-11 to a more defensive team. But that was the Varly Neuvirth show more than Ovi coming back or the trap IIRC. Or plus fiddy +6

 

[BobRouse]

Ha... brain fart. You are correct that was 09-10.

Still, you would really consider that defense to be top 5 in the league? Not the type of defense that wins in the playoffs.

Yeah. We were pretty darn good suffocating teams via the trap that year.

We didn't give the Rangers anything in the first round. For long stretches of games I felt the Rags were absolutely zero threat to score.

During the season I recall we completely shut down the Penguins every time we played them. Winter classic, game before winter classic when we lost in SO to them

Tampa series was mysterious. I've not seen a team score so many flukey goals despite being outchanced and outshot every game. The hockey gods were not with us that year.

 

[coyote]

Gretz

Wayne was a great player but like many of the great players he would not be a good GM or coach. He has already proven he is not a good coach. Maybe he would fit in some other capacity with the team but not as GM or coach.

 

[Liberati0n*]

Is there any chance San Jose cleans everybody out and fires Doug Wilson? That would be amazing.

 

[trick9]

Who played for the LA Kings when Wayne Gretzky was traded?

Paul Fenton, who is among the favourites (with Benning) for the GM job.

Interesting.

 

[Capathetic]

Did Gretzky really have much to work with in Arizona? Rebuilding and expansion while being in the middle of nowhere. A free agent under 30 wouldn't play there(that was good),and Turris isn't as big of a bust as once looked.

It will be interesting to at least see the plan/moves made in order to compete with the Pens,bruins and Rangers ect. More pressure to win here. Inherits superstars not a bad scenario.

 

[Marshall]

So now Hextall is interviewing with teams? (Per Friedman's 30 thoughts)

Hmmm.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

I wonder if Jeff Gorton comes into play if the Gretzky stuff is true. I'm sure there'd be some talk with Sather about him.

 

[Bananas]

After wrestling with it for a bit I've come up w the answer:

Anyone who has some stones and knows what the **** he's doing.

 

[RandyHolt]

Just say no to hairplugs

 

[kicksavedave]

Just because it seemingly needs to be repeated every day until this silliness dies:

1997

That's the last year that the GM of a Cup winner was someone who'd won a Cup in his previous position.

You can repeat wrong facts over and over, it doesn't make them true. Holland won the Cup in 2008, he was the AGM in 1997 when they won. Of course you can change the criteria in a later post by making it only AGMs who won with a different team, but that's not what your post above said.