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Offseason starts
Beaglefan2:
--- Quote from: Maacoshark on Friday June 29, 2018, 08:27:57 PM Eastern --- 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.
--- End quote ---
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:
--- Quote from: Beaglefan2 on Friday June 29, 2018, 10:35:35 PM Eastern ---
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.
--- End quote ---
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:
--- Quote from: DC_1908 on Friday June 29, 2018, 11:25:25 PM Eastern ---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
--- End quote ---
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.
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