Offseason starts

[BlackIce]

Thank goodness that Carlson signed his extension a few days ago.  Now that Doughty has signed for $11 million AAV, the salary bar for defensemen is being raised again.

[Maacoshark]

If he did I wouldn’t blame him, this orginization and fan base have all but hated him and treated him like trash because they thought he should be playing in Reston while worshiping hacks like Bura and Connelly


Here’s to a crap defensive team with 4 centers at under 50% faceoffes.   

Hey, why don’t we just have Carslon take faceoffs!  He scores points so he can do that too right?

   I think you are getting carried away. Yes Beagle is a great faceoff man but we have other guys than can take faceoffs. Backstrom is decent on faceoffs and I'm sure if Beagle was gone Stephenson would be the 4th line center and he is a good faceoff man. Beagle defense is replaceable. Yes he is good defensively. Oh make it sound as if he us the best defensive forward in the league. He isn't. There are 2 or 3 guys on the team as good as him defensively.

[Maacoshark]

If he did I wouldn’t blame him, this orginization and fan base have all but hated him and treated him like trash because they thought he should be playing in Reston while worshiping hacks like Bura and Connelly


Here’s to a crap defensive team with 4 centers at under 50% faceoffes.   

Hey, why don’t we just have Carslon take faceoffs!  He scores points so he can do that too right?

   I can't argue with you about Bura and Connolly. I'd much rather have a player like Beagle. If we lose Beagle the biggest loss will be on faceoffs. He is excellent on faceoffs but one thing that no one here ever mentions is how often he gets tossed from the circle.

[Maacoshark]

Thank goodness that Carlson signed his extension a few days ago.  Now that Doughty has signed for $11 million AAV, the salary bar for defensemen is being raised again.

   I dont think that would have changed Carlson's contract. Doughty might be the best dman in the league. Top 2 for sure.

[dpf1971]

True, he is better overall ... but $3 million a year better?  That's what you pay a solid 4-6 defender.  I think, after listening to his post contract-signing interview, we also got a little hometown discount and when coupled with the Doughty signing - I would think, we got a little lucky there.

[Beaglefan2]

   I think you are getting carried away. Yes Beagle is a great faceoff man but we have other guys than can take faceoffs. Backstrom is decent on faceoffs and I'm sure if Beagle was gone Stephenson would be the 4th line center and he is a good faceoff man. Beagle defense is replaceable. Yes he is good defensively. Oh make it sound as if he us the best defensive forward in the league. He isn't. There are 2 or 3 guys on the team as good as him defensively.

Please spare me the argument on Beagle. He has been a selfless, hardworking player that gets 110% out of his abilities. He is the role model that every coach points to and wants in the lockeroom.  If anyone wants to say there are other guys that are better at this or that, just shut the hell up!


Let’s all agree that we would love to have him back and if not, that we appreciate what he did for us and wish him well.

[DC_1908]

Please spare me the argument on Beagle. He has been a selfless, hardworking player that gets 110% out of his abilities. He is the role model that every coach points to and wants in the lockeroom.  If anyone wants to say there are other guys that are better at this or that, just shut the hell up!


Let’s all agree that we would love to have him back and if not, that we appreciate what he did for us and wish him well.

And recognize what we’ve lost, not only faceoffs, but PK, multipostional, and an elite defensive specialist. 


Boyd, Greish, etc are good and all but they ain’t  gonna be that level for a looong time if at all

[Devise]

And recognize what we’ve lost, not only faceoffs, but PK, multipostional, and an elite defensive specialist. 


Boyd, Greish, etc are good and all but they ain’t  gonna be that level for a looong time if at all

Our best hope is Stephenson, who showed flashes of defensive acumen during the playoffs combined with speed. But personally I'd be much more comfortable with our bottom six with BOTH Beagle and Stephenson. Considering we have kept DSP as well, throw Eller into that mix? Management shouldn't let the Cup star gaze them, our bottom six were HUGE for the Cup win this past season. Ovie came alive again following the 2nd round, but there several tight games against Tampa elimination games, and even in the 2nd round where it was our role players + TJ Oshie carrying us to wins.


Jay Beagle is huge in all of that, so I hope we can keep him. His faceoff and penalty killing alone, but he also makes some of our other role players better.

[zerofox]

I'm not happy about losing Beagle (is he officially "gone"?). As others have said, hard working, defensive skill, PK ability, faceoff ability, locker room presence, etc.

[BlackIce]

Tomorrow is the start of the UFA period.  No one is "gone" until then, and a guy like Beagle may not be one of the first signees, because they tend to be the biggest stars and Beagle is more of a complementary piece.


I suspect I know what the organization's thinking may be here.  A guy like Beagle makes a career for himself by extracting every ounce of capability he has from himself.  We all know that Beagle is one of the very few who has consistently set the standard for consistent effort in this organization over the past several years.  That's fine, but when a player is "maxing himself out" to compete in a league, then the first little bit of capability he loses as Father Time takes its toll can make the difference between being able to compete effectively, and not being able.  The Caps may be concerned that Beagle is reaching that tipping point, or at least, he's reaching a point where they have younger players who can compete more effectively than he can overall simply because they have a comparably useful set of skills (I didn't say the same skills) and ARE several years younger.


Count me among those who love what Beagle has brought to this organization.  But nothing lasts forever, and it is the organization's difficult call to decide when, short of forever, the end of the relationship shall be.

[Mickstix]

Nobody's really mentioned Beagle as being "glue".. Loosing guys like him can take a toll in other ways, besides taking faceoffs and killing penalties, etc.. We've lost Orpik, probably Beagle.. Who's the other "hard working" veterans that set an example for the locker room? Oshie? That's about it and he's only been here a few years.. Im sure Nicky, Ovie, Carlson, etc. work hard, but I've never heard mention of their "work ethic" or anything..


Just something else to think on, when we say our apparent goodbye's to another excellent heart/motor man.. 

[BlackIce]

OK, here's my latest update of the salary cap situation:


We now have 17 players signed and committed, or tentatively committed, to the roster to start next season.


They are:


10 forwards -- Ovie/Kuzy/Backstrom/Oshie/Eller/Bura/Connolly/Vrana/Smith-Pelly/Stephenson


5 defensemen -- Carlson/Kempney/Niskanen/Orlov/Djoos


2 goalies -- Holtby/Copley


The total salary cap hit for those 17 players is, to the nearest thousand dollars, $69,552, 000.  The salary cap for the coming season has been set at $79.5 million, leaving the Caps $9,948,000 to work with.  The team will need to place at least 5 more players on the roster to start the season, maybe 6.  I say 5 because Trotz was satisfied with 22; one extra d-man and one extra forward.  Whether Reirden feels the same way I do not know.


Two RFA players that are as yet unsigned but are a virtual certainty to be on the roster this coming season are Wilson and Bowey.  My thinking is that it is going to take upwards of a $5 million cap hit to sign both of them:  say $3.7 million for Wilson and $1.3 million for Bowey.  IF my thinking is reasonably accurate, that would leave 3 more players to be added to the roster (2 forwards and a defenseman) and $4,948,000 available (sorry for unaccountable font change.)  If Beagle were resigned for a cap hit of, say, $2,000,000 (a small raise), the other two spots could be filled by Hershey call-ups for less than $2,000,000, leaving a little in excess of $1,000,00 of cap room available for injury call-ups, leveraging for a roster addition at the trade deadline, etc.  That isn't much room.  If Travis Boyd were resigned instead of Beagle for, say, $1,000,000 and the other two spots still filled with Hershey graduates, that would leave $2,000,000+ available, enough to have a 23rd player on the roster or have a much more comfortable salary cap buffer.

That is where I see the team as being for now.

NOTE:  I get fuzzy and say "less than $2,000,000" for two Hershey call-ups because many but not all of the minor league contracts are for the league minimum of $650,000 if the player plays in the NHL.  In fact, several of the most likely players to fill the NHL roster in the fall would count more than $650,000, though virtually all of them would have a cap hit under $1,000,000

[Maacoshark]

Please spare me the argument on Beagle. He has been a selfless, hardworking player that gets 110% out of his abilities. He is the role model that every coach points to and wants in the lockeroom.  If anyone wants to say there are other guys that are better at this or that, just shut the hell up!


Let’s all agree that we would love to have him back and if not, that we appreciate what he did for us and wish him well.

   All I am saying is Beagle is replaceable. Of course I'd like him to return but if we lose him it isn't the end if the world.

[Maacoshark]

And recognize what we’ve lost, not only faceoffs, but PK, multipostional, and an elite defensive specialist. 


Boyd, Greish, etc are good and all but they ain’t  gonna be that level for a looong time if at all

   I guess my opinion differs slightly on Beagle. He is better than average on the pk and defensively but I wouldn't call him elite in either of those situations. I honestly think nStephenson is already better than Beagle in those situations or at least as good. Stephenson also bring a bit more offensive upside.

[Maacoshark]

Everyone here seems disappointed that we are losing Beagle. I'm still not convinced that he won't he back. I'm sure teams will show some interest but he won't be getting a big contract or a longterm deal.

[RavenCp]

Everyone here seems disappointed that we are losing Beagle. I'm still not convinced that he won't he back. I'm sure teams will show some interest but he won't be getting a big contract or a longterm deal.

Agree. He has a lot of respects from the Fans.

May be he is looking for a bigger role, rather than 4th line center, although he plays PK, too.

[BlackIce]

Agree. He has a lot of respects from the Fans.

May be he is looking for a bigger role, rather than 4th line center, although he plays PK, too.

A couple of years ago he was 3rd line center for a little bit -- which I think he said at the time was his ultimate goal in the NHL.  Then the Caps traded for Eller specifically to fill that role, because he's a couple of steps above Beagle in offensive potential and also a good defender, and Beagle was bumped back down.  To be honest, I think 4th line C is the role Beagle is made for.  He not only plays PK, he plays a lot in the last 5 minutes of games where the Caps are trying to hold a lead.  Especially on defensive zone face-offs, down the stretch it was usually Beagle and either Eller or Backstrom on the ice.  Whose ice time is cut back to accommodate that change?  Well, Ovie for one.  If you watch carefully, you will not see him much down the stretch in games where the Caps have a 1-goal lead.  Conversely, of course, you see a heck of a lot of him down the stretch in games where the Caps face a 1-goal deficit.


If Beagle is going to get a 3rd line center role, it's going to be on a lesser team.  Which would he rather do, have a greater role on a lesser team or a lesser role on the Caps?  Of course, there IS always the money.  It's one thing for a  26-year-old DSP to take a lesser offer to stay on a team that is a good fit, where he can potentially build his resume.  It's quite another for a 33-year-old Beagle to do it.

[BlackIce]

Nobody's really mentioned Beagle as being "glue".. Loosing guys like him can take a toll in other ways, besides taking faceoffs and killing penalties, etc.. We've lost Orpik, probably Beagle.. Who's the other "hard working" veterans that set an example for the locker room? Oshie? That's about it and he's only been here a few years.. Im sure Nicky, Ovie, Carlson, etc. work hard, but I've never heard mention of their "work ethic" or anything..


Just something else to think on, when we say our apparent goodbye's to another excellent heart/motor man.. 

Wilson.  Believe it or not, he is a 5-year vet now.


If Orpik is not brought back, I wonder who if anyone gets his "A"?  Who are the viable candidates?  Oshie, I'd think.  Maybe Wilson, but he's a little young despite his vet status.  Carlson maybe -- it might not make motivational sense, but it would make organizational sense.  He IS a long-time vet after all, and he will be around for 8 more years.

[Devise]

Everyone here seems disappointed that we are losing Beagle. I'm still not convinced that he won't he back. I'm sure teams will show some interest but he won't be getting a big contract or a longterm deal.

All the rumors right now say he's already agreed in principle to a 3 year deal with the Vancouver Canucks at a AAV of 2.5 per year. So yeah....I do think we have lost him. Beagle is just being nice at this point. Ergo he's waiting till after the day of FA to see if Caps counter offer, or if he just goes with the deal he agreed upon.

[Biggest]

No question Beags will be missed.  Hell, we all love the kid - how there is simply no 'cheat' in his game.  Never a passenger, always giving it his all and being damned effective at the Dot and on the PK.  Tough to replace, for sure.  But that's FA, and Beags deserve to get paid.  And we simply can't bring everyone back although I would love it if by some miracle Jay returned.  Latest rumor I'm hearing is he's going North of the Border, possibly Vancouver.  Time will tell.  That said, I really love Stephenson's speed and versatility.  That versatility is something he and Beags both have in spades, but Chandler is a speedster and Beags is not.  We'll be OK, but our boys need to work on their face-offs or we're going to have a noted drop off at the dot in our Cup defending season that starts in the fall.

Our best hope is Stephenson, who showed flashes of defensive acumen during the playoffs combined with speed. But personally I'd be much more comfortable with our bottom six with BOTH Beagle and Stephenson. Considering we have kept DSP as well, throw Eller into that mix? Management shouldn't let the Cup star gaze them, our bottom six were HUGE for the Cup win this past season. Ovie came alive again following the 2nd round, but there several tight games against Tampa elimination games, and even in the 2nd round where it was our role players + TJ Oshie carrying us to wins.


Jay Beagle is huge in all of that, so I hope we can keep him. His faceoff and penalty killing alone, but he also makes some of our other role players better.