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Offseason starts
Maacoshark:
--- Quote from: DC_1908 on Friday August 10, 2018, 09:29:36 AM Eastern ---Having grown up 1/4 of the year outside of Detroit, and 3/4 of the year (way) outside of DC, so i’ve always been a fan of BOTH cities/areas teams. Although I will admit it took me about 10 years to get over the 92 NFC championship game.
As for the Wings this year, I have “optimistic low expectations”, meaning it’s sometimes better for a team in this situation to not make the playoffs, but i’m “optimistic” that the team will develop the system, IQ, strength/cardio, and begin to regain the Wings mentality of “we’re going to win”. The similarities i am talking about is how both The Wings(or at least before Mr. I died) and The Caps have very strong and strict organizational business philosophies that have proved to create major issues.
In lieu of being a “broken record”, I’ll skip repaying how The Caps “We have a chance” philosophy puts sales over championships and go on to The Wings. Probably the greatest strength, and weakness of Mr. I was the hometown proud, Wimgs/Tigers family stance. This did, and still does in some cases, created an environment that drew players, coaches and anyone to Detroit and/or want to stay. This was carried on by the players, coaches, JLA staff, fans and city. Now this obviously, became highly effective up until their last Finals appearances (and what should of been two Cups). The team was getting older, there was a bottle neck at GRG who had several players that would of been on any other teams roster), the draft picks were getting lower, the league and planet caught on to accounting methods and getting young players outside the draft, Nick, Hank, Pavel, and Ozzie where all that was from a dynasty made up off all-time greats and hometown hero’s, they had to wear the away sweaters at home with the C and the A on the wrong side (sarcasm), it was clear to almost everyone that a youth movement to begin a rebuild/reboot was in order, and that it may of been to late.
But somewhere between Mr. I, Holland, and Babcock, a downward spiral started. Including keeping and resigning declining and/or plateauing players while keeping cheaper players in their 20s that most say are ready for the NHL in the AHL until they’re 26, keeping a coach who not only did many players not get along with, but refused to change a system that was becoming figured out, which exasperated the likes of DanFucknCleary having a well paid career longer than two seasons . . .
But you get the point, you could see the demise coming for years, and now they didn’t alter/adapt/or redesign their philosophies and practices at a fast enough, effective enough, or large enough scale so a team that made the playoffs for 20+ seasons, made the final 4 times and the conference finals (a lot of) times, is now a team with 1-2 hall of famers, and couple all stars, almost a glorified AHL team that fans are happy if they just develop and improve next year.
A cause to the “DC_Derangement Syndrome” is I have seen the Caps going down the same road for years. The Wings and other teams and business, where the value of the ideology out weighs the results.
Will The Caps end up like The Wings are now in 10, 8, 3, 2 seasons? It’s impossible to know for sure, but the the signs and the data is there and it is foolish and naive to dismiss it.
The Wings have 11 Cups, 4* since 97, and had the longest playoff streak in modern major sports history, and I don’t know any fan who says “it’s ok, I have complete trust in Mr Holland, and since we won the Cup for the first time in 40 years, I can die happily”.
Wings fans understand why the team is where it is now, and would be happy with steady improvement, it sure as hell doesn’t mean we like it, nor do Holland or even Mr. I (the man who almost single handedly saved the city, who recently died), get passes an excuses for this damn mess regardless of what they did in the past.
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The Wings like any team has gone through tough times. In the 70s and 80s the Wings had 13 consecutive sub 500 seasons. When they finally did build a contender they continued to be a contender for a long time. Something that is more difficult now in the salary cap era. They have been fading for about 5 years now. I dont see the Wings being fixed very quickly.
I honesty feel the Caps have done a better job than the Wings at developing young players recently. I think that trend might change. The Caps dont have a lot of good prospects coming up. A couple of promising dmen. Nothing upfront though. When Ovi, Backstrom and Oshie are gone or are just too old to be productive we could be in trouble.
4 Caps:
If Vrana and Burakovsky do not develop into top end forwards the Caps will be in a world of hurt in a few years when Ovie, Oshie and Backy lose their effectiveness. The Caps do not have any potential top end forwards in the system. I was hoping they could come up with one at this year’s draft but it was not to be.
DC_1908:
--- Quote from: Maacoshark on Friday August 10, 2018, 02:30:36 PM Eastern --- The Wings like any team has gone through tough times. In the 70s and 80s the Wings had 13 consecutive sub 500 seasons. When they finally did build a contender they continued to be a contender for a long time. Something that is more difficult now in the salary cap era. They have been fading for about 5 years now. I dont see the Wings being fixed very quickly.
I honesty feel the Caps have done a better job than the Wings at developing young players recently. I think that trend might change. The Caps dont have a lot of good prospects coming up. A couple of promising dmen. Nothing upfront though. When Ovi, Backstrom and Oshie are gone or are just too old to be productive we could be in trouble.
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Yep, a big part of the development issue is what I said earlier when they leaving the players in the minors to long and keepinc or signing vets during the early 2000s. So when they decided to rebuild (ice Holland talked Mr. I into it), the farn system got cleaned out.
So while they did develop several great NHL players, (granted no superstars but players almost anyone would take on their team),since the last cup, there’s a lot of gaps left from players who sat in the minors to long.
I agree that it will take a while, but they are on the right track. The farm system is getting reloaded, some said Holland had his best drafts ever these past two years (this is the guy who picked Pavel in 6th and Hank in the 7th rounds), they’re trading for picks and signing players to cap friendly contracts, (ie Vanek for 1 for 3) . . .
It is ironic, when The Wings won their last Cup ten years ago, the Caps where a rebuilding team, that shocked the hockey world on trade-deadline day (best, trade-deadline day, ever) to win 10 out of 11 to win the SE anc clinch a playoff spot on the last game of the season.
10 years later, The Caps win the Cup and the Wings are rebuilding.
20 years ago, they played in the SCF
Maacoshark:
Ya Datsyuk in the 6th, Zetterberg in the 7th. Two of the best draft picks in recent NHL history. The Caps better late round picks were guys like Khristich and Bondra. Pretty good players but not the equivalent.
DC_1908:
--- Quote from: Maacoshark on Friday August 10, 2018, 10:25:22 PM Eastern --- Ya Datsyuk in the 6th, Zetterberg in the 7th. Two of the best draft picks in recent NHL history. The Caps better late round picks were guys like Khristich and Bondra. Pretty good players but not the equivalent.
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Ya know that is one thing always i’ve questioned or complained about with the Caps: finding players deep in the draft, undrafted, or drafted/unsigned UFAs our of college/jrs.
As of now the Caps pre-training camp roster, only Djoos, Boyd, Greisch, and (I think) Copley where taken by the Caps in the 5th or later or UFA, and only Djoos and Copley will are guaranteed to make the roster.
Also Beagle was a undrafted UFA
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