Talk about Capitals hockey & more! > Washington Capitals & Other Hockey Discussion
What should the Caps do before the trade deadline?
BlackIce:
So here we are in President's Trophy position. But the playoffs are another matter.
We made a move for Eller to try to solve the 3rd line problem. It seems to have worked out Meh so far.
Now other clubs are starting to make moves - Carolina of course just made a huge trade.
Do we do more, or do we stand pat? Astoundingly, our defense is now occupying the league's top spot - I'd be surprised if anything is done there. The goaltending has shown itself this year to be among the league's best. I don't think anything could be done there without upsetting team chemistry, even if one wanted to do something. That leaves the forwards, who have been somewhat erratic OFFENSIVELY, but not necessarily defensively. The thing is, we have an abundance of players per se, but do we need upgrades, and if so, where? Because we have plenty of players, it probably means we'd look to, and maybe almost have to, trade away roster players to get somebody. When at least the teams out of contention are really looking to stock up on prospects and draft picks.
We face the annual conundrum: Does standing pat show confidence in the team, or does it show that management doesn't care about giving the team the best chance to win? The higher you are in the standings, the worse the conundrum gets, because you can get the blowback that you are messing with team chemistry. Plus, the way the Caps are structured/playing, there aren't any glaring weaknesses, which is what deadline acquisitions are best designed to address (as opposed to marginal upgrades). Heck, it might be argued that our #1 offensive issue right now is L1, with Ovie maybe dragging it down -- and we know nothing is going to be done there.
Now there could always be a significant injury somewhere, which would dictate a move. But what do we do if things continue basically as they are, and we remain around the top of the standings?
Surreylily:
The only person I'm concrned about is McMike. He started off really well, then totally disappeared after the break, in spite of Carbs moving him around to try to get him going again. I think there are enough people currently riding the pine that could replace him.
Maybe hes just going through a slump. It happens.
maybe trade him and Vrana for picks?
Apart from that, I cant see who we might get as an upgrade to what we already have.
I definitely want to see more of Frank.
alta:
As things stand now, I wouldn’t change anything. The only thing that I see needing improvement is the faceoffs, which has slowly improved. The problem is this team can’t afford to do much without moving too many pieces.
Mickstix:
Im always in the "stand pat" camp, when the team looks this good. Yet they never do.
Im still only worried about Ovi and the record. That's the 1st order of business. But they'll need a #1 LW and RW eventually. Strome has also cooled off as 1C, but all that could be due to Ovi, who knows.
I'd figure out how to sign LT and Chicky. That'd be plenty before the deadline, imo. We have plenty of depth guys in Hershey and riding pine, imo.
Mickstix:
https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1883983464682447314
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version