Offseason starts

[richkrt99]

I would like to see Orpik back for (up to) 1.5 mil. If that happens, GMBM is a genius or very F'n lucky.
IF that were to happen we just got back the same player we would have been paying 4x the salary.
Orpik is aged but still effective for all the reasons many of you mentioned. Especially with some still younger D to train. Would he be willing?  Beats retiring and who else would pay him?  He MIGHT get a 1 year for 2 mil from someone, but would it be worth it to him?  I mean it's pennies to him at this point. Why not come back where you won a cup and have an established role.
Even if we lost him it was a very useful trade. Needed the $$$ more than anything.
I like getting Kempney back and the DSP deal is a bargain and 1 year is great.


I hate to lose Beagle, but hated losing Hendricks, etc. I love Beags and everything he brings but his age is gonna impact his play sooner rather than later so unless he is willing to sign short term you got to let him walk. Good for him if he gets paid.


I've never been the biggest Carlson fan (that's Maaco's job) but I'm okay with the deal. Too much term but that's what it took to get it done and what were the other realistic options. Same thing with Kuzy deal and Orlov and so on. I remember all the bitching about those deals but that's what it took at the time. It's the timing of the contacts people forget. You can't fairly compare deals year to year and in salary alone. You have to consider not only the options available but also how they fit our needs.  We HAD to sign Kuzy so we did. Same for Orlov, same for Dylan.  I don't think anyone can argue Carlson doesn't fit our needs AND our team (shall we discuss Shattenkirk)
I would love a big crease clearing solid D with O skills and so on, but Byfuglin ain't available.


Why haven't we signed Wilson yet?  Is it just because Of timing. He (and Carlson...Replacement) were my two biggest concerns. We need to lock up Willy deal.


I'm liking the offseason so far. But then, what the Hell do I know...didn't like last offseason and now we the STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS


GO Caps

[BlackIce]

rich, Wilson and to a much lesser extent Bowey were set aside because they were RFA's.  The team had to take care of the pending UFA's that they wanted (Carlson, Kempny) first, all the while they were handling the draft and the coaching situation, and doing the trade to free up the cap room to sign the UFA's.  Remember, it's only been a few weeks since we won the cup.  The exception to this was DSP, but it seems like he sort of fell into their laps, so they took it, I guess.


Wilson may take some time, especially if the team is thinking about trying to sign him to a longer-term deal.  I'd think Bowey should be fairly straightforward, but what do I know?


As far as resigning Orpik, I wouldn't mind, on a short-term contract for the right price, but if he goes elsewhere, might there be a similar defenseman on the UFA list (older, basically stay-at-home) that we could pick up?

[DC_1908]

The 1908s are in New Orleans. . .


I’m trying to replenish the alcohol I am sweating out. . .


. . . PSA:  faux goth-vampire wanna be fags are even dumber than nornalb when wearing trench coats in 90+ degree heat

[zerofox]

I would like to see Orpik back for (up to) 1.5 mil. If that happens, GMBM is a genius or very F'n lucky.
IF that were to happen we just got back the same player we would have been paying 4x the salary.
Orpik is aged but still effective for all the reasons many of you mentioned. Especially with some still younger D to train. Would he be willing?  Beats retiring and who else would pay him?  He MIGHT get a 1 year for 2 mil from someone, but would it be worth it to him?  I mean it's pennies to him at this point. Why not come back where you won a cup and have an established role.
Even if we lost him it was a very useful trade. Needed the $$$ more than anything.
I like getting Kempney back and the DSP deal is a bargain and 1 year is great.


I hate to lose Beagle, but hated losing Hendricks, etc. I love Beags and everything he brings but his age is gonna impact his play sooner rather than later so unless he is willing to sign short term you got to let him walk. Good for him if he gets paid.


I've never been the biggest Carlson fan (that's Maaco's job) but I'm okay with the deal. Too much term but that's what it took to get it done and what were the other realistic options. Same thing with Kuzy deal and Orlov and so on. I remember all the bitching about those deals but that's what it took at the time. It's the timing of the contacts people forget. You can't fairly compare deals year to year and in salary alone. You have to consider not only the options available but also how they fit our needs.  We HAD to sign Kuzy so we did. Same for Orlov, same for Dylan.  I don't think anyone can argue Carlson doesn't fit our needs AND our team (shall we discuss Shattenkirk)
I would love a big crease clearing solid D with O skills and so on, but Byfuglin ain't available.


Why haven't we signed Wilson yet?  Is it just because Of timing. He (and Carlson...Replacement) were my two biggest concerns. We need to lock up Willy deal.


I'm liking the offseason so far. But then, what the Hell do I know...didn't like last offseason and now we the STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS


GO Caps

I wouldn't mind getting Orpik at a low cost. Other than Djoos, I prefer him over any of our other youngsters.

[Maacoshark]

I wouldn't mind getting Orpik at a low cost. Other than Djoos, I prefer him over any of our other youngsters.

   I'm not very high on Djoos. He is OK when carrying the puck. But the rest of his game is weak. Not great defensively which is why the Caps sheltered him as much as possible. His biggest weakness is his lack of strength. He gets pushed off the puck too easy. He can't win any battles. I could see a couple of our prospects possibly passing him on the depth chart in the future.

[Biggest]

Djoos will never be a physical DMan, OK?  But his puck moving, passing, and speed make him a lock moving forward - at least as a bottom pairing DMan.  I see no scenario whatsoever where he isn't in the lineup regularly.  But I would agree his size / physicality limitations will probably prevent him from becoming a Top 4 Defender.  The one who disappointed me the most last season was young Madison Bowey.  Clearly an athletic specimen, there just wasn't enough 'jam' in his game - in my book.  Hoping he grows, matures, and manufactures a mean streak.  As for young DMen in the pipeline, I love the Russian Kid (Alex Squared) we just drafted and see him making a speedy trip to the Bigs (alongside another former first round Russian, Samsonov).  But the guys we took in the 2nd round (this year and a couple years back)?  Just not seeing what the club / Mahoney was or is seeing with those cats.  Who else do folks think will press for Orpik's spot in that 3rd D pairing (assuming Orpik gets paid somewhere else)?

[Maacoshark]

Djoos will never be a physical DMan, OK?  But his puck moving, passing, and speed make him a lock moving forward - at least as a bottom pairing DMan.  I see no scenario whatsoever where he isn't in the lineup regularly.  But I would agree his size / physicality limitations will probably prevent him from becoming a Top 4 Defender.  The one who disappointed me the most last season was young Madison Bowey.  Clearly an athletic specimen, there just wasn't enough 'jam' in his game - in my book.  Hoping he grows, matures, and manufactures a mean streak.  As for young DMen in the pipeline, I love the Russian Kid (Alex Squared) we just drafted and see him making a speedy trip to the Bigs (alongside another former first round Russian, Samsonov).  But the guys we took in the 2nd round (this year and a couple years back)?  Just not seeing what the club / Mahoney was or is seeing with those cats.  Who else do folks think will press for Orpik's spot in that 3rd D pairing (assuming Orpik gets paid somewhere else)?

   I think Bowey has more long term uoside than Djoos. Sure Djoos is a better puck mover and maybe a better skater but Bowey is better at everything else. Bowey needs to make quicker decisions. That will come with experience. He does have the size and strength to be an NHL defence man.  He has a good shot and is an adequate passer. He needs to work on some things.
   Djoos on the other hand isnt very good defensively which is why he was he was sheltered as much as possible. His lack of strength is a big problem in the defensive zone. He loses every battle and gets knocked off the puck too easily. He is literally the weakest defence man physically that I have ever seen in the NHL. If he can't add some strength I can see some other guys in the system passing him on the depth chart. Bowey and our 2018 1st round pick Alex Alexeyev aren't our only prospects. We also have Johansen, Hobbs and Seigenthalter coming up. Some people think Lewington should even get a shot. I think that's a long shot though. Lewinton is tough and physical but he brings nothing else. He isn't even great defensively.

[Biggest]

Thx Maaco for the insights about our D prospects.  One of the guys at Russian Machine questioned the 2nd round DMan we picked a couple weeks ago as well as Seigenthalter.  We'll see if those concerns of the Slovakian and Seigenthaler being 'over drafted' as 2nd rounders when their names were called end up being spot on or not.  I share your concern about Djoos needing to get more physical or being passed over in time by Bowey or others should those challengers for that bottom pairing DMan role step up their games.

Not sure if this is fair or not, but after the Prospects 'Development' Camp, I'm seeing Johansen and Alexeyev as having the most upside - more so than Djoos or Bowey, or any of the others.  If you had to rank our D prospects in the pipeline, say from 1 to 6 (including Djoos), how would you rank them?

   I think Bowey has more long term uoside than Djoos. Sure Djoos is a better puck mover and maybe a better skater but Bowey is better at everything else. Bowey needs to make quicker decisions. That will come with experience. He does have the size and strength to be an NHL defence man.  He has a good shot and is an adequate passer. He needs to work on some things.
   Djoos on the other hand isnt very good defensively which is why he was he was sheltered as much as possible. His lack of strength is a big problem in the defensive zone. He loses every battle and gets knocked off the puck too easily. He is literally the weakest defence man physically that I have ever seen in the NHL. If he can't add some strength I can see some other guys in the system passing him on the depth chart. Bowey and our 2018 1st round pick Alex Alexeyev aren't our only prospects. We also have Johansen, Hobbs and Seigenthalter coming up. Some people think Lewington should even get a shot. I think that's a long shot though. Lewinton is tough and physical but he brings nothing else. He isn't even great defensively.

[Devise]

Still no word on Wislon, we did qualify him so it's not like he can go to another team. But curious if he ends up going to Arbitration? If so we could be looking at a big paycheck. I figure he'd be the perfect fit for a bridge deal, a few years at a little bump now for a bigger raise at the end. We'll see.


I'm kinda curious if we do anything else here. Orpik still on the market, DeHann still on the market. I'm assuming our target is D? We could probably use another fourth line forward as well. May not fit the bill completely of fourth liner, but he could be cheaper than Beagle, Patrick Maroon would be an interesting option as well. I know DC would love that what with him being 6'3 225lb. But shoring up that bottom six would be great. I absolutely would have no problem with Maroon playing wing next to Lars Eller. Hell throw DSP on the other wing and you'd have a pretty formidable third line.


I hope BMGM is still out there though. Losing Beagle matters. And while we do have some kids looking for promotions/some players to fill in some roles. The goal should be to repeat here, so adding where we can should absolutely be on the table.

[BlackIce]

   I think Bowey has more long term uoside than Djoos. Sure Djoos is a better puck mover and maybe a better skater but Bowey is better at everything else. Bowey needs to make quicker decisions. That will come with experience. He does have the size and strength to be an NHL defence man.  He has a good shot and is an adequate passer. He needs to work on some things.
   Djoos on the other hand isnt very good defensively which is why he was he was sheltered as much as possible. His lack of strength is a big problem in the defensive zone. He loses every battle and gets knocked off the puck too easily. He is literally the weakest defence man physically that I have ever seen in the NHL. If he can't add some strength I can see some other guys in the system passing him on the depth chart. Bowey and our 2018 1st round pick Alex Alexeyev aren't our only prospects. We also have Johansen, Hobbs and Seigenthalter coming up. Some people think Lewington should even get a shot. I think that's a long shot though. Lewinton is tough and physical but he brings nothing else. He isn't even great defensively.

From watching the games last season, I'd say that Bowey right now is as good as any defenseman we have at making outlet passes.  His weakness last season was along the walls.  Not so much being outmuscled for the puck, but he seemed to have trouble figuring out where he should be relative to the puck to play it.  He would consistently get on the wrong side of the puck and an opponent would just skate away with it.  You could see the difference in opponents' strategy when the puck was in his area as opposed to when it was going to Carlson or Niskanen on the same side.  Lots of times when those two had the puck at the boards opponents would lay off and lurk, hoping to pick off an ill-advised pass.  Lots of people here complained about Carlson and Nisky turnovers, and opponents thought the same thing.  On the other hand, when the puck was headed to Bowey, opponents would attack immediately, knowing they could carry the puck away, rather than hope that he would make an errant pass.


Too bad to lose Beagle, but $3 million AAV for 4 years was something we were never going to compete with.  Can't blame him for going for that payday.  What do people think about Antoine Vermette as a UFO replacement for Beagle?  He should come much cheaper.  I don't think he has nearly the motor that Beagle does, but throughout his career he has consistently been as good as anyone in the league in the face-off circle -- even a little bit better than Beagle.


As for the Defensemen, I am not impressed with Djoos's speed.  If he has it, I rarely if ever saw him use it (like, for example, Nate Schmidt.)  I think he survives on guile and smarts -- he is an EXTREMELY smart player.  But size-wise, he is what he is and I don't think it will change significantly at this point.  I have more faith in Bowey's potential than most, and I expect he will be on the roster full-time this season.  I can see the logic in getting a more veteran, tough, stay at home defenseman to bridge the gap until the prospect pipeline sorts itself out.  Whether it's Orpik or someone of a similar nature I don't know, but if it occurs it's going to have to be on the cheap.

[BlackIce]

From watching the games last season, I'd say that Bowey right now is as good as any defenseman we have at making outlet passes.  His weakness last season was along the walls.  Not so much being outmuscled for the puck, but he seemed to have trouble figuring out where he should be relative to the puck to play it.  He would consistently get on the wrong side of the puck and an opponent would just skate away with it.  You could see the difference in opponents' strategy when the puck was in his area as opposed to when it was going to Carlson or Niskanen on the same side.  Lots of times when those two had the puck at the boards opponents would lay off and lurk, hoping to pick off an ill-advised pass.  Lots of people here complained about Carlson and Nisky turnovers, and opponents thought the same thing.  On the other hand, when the puck was headed to Bowey, opponents would attack immediately, knowing they could carry the puck away, rather than hope that he would make an errant pass.


Too bad to lose Beagle, but $3 million AAV for 4 years was something we were never going to compete with.  Can't blame him for going for that payday.  What do people think about Antoine Vermette as a UFO replacement for Beagle?  He should come much cheaper.  I don't think he has nearly the motor that Beagle does, but throughout his career he has consistently been as good as anyone in the league in the face-off circle -- even a little bit better than Beagle.


As for the Defensemen, I am not impressed with Djoos's speed.  If he has it, I rarely if ever saw him use it (like, for example, Nate Schmidt.)  I think he survives on guile and smarts -- he is an EXTREMELY smart player.  But size-wise, he is what he is and I don't think it will change significantly at this point.  I have more faith in Bowey's potential than most, and I expect he will be on the roster full-time this season.  I can see the logic in getting a more veteran, tough, stay at home defenseman to bridge the gap until the prospect pipeline sorts itself out.  Whether it's Orpik or someone of a similar nature I don't know, but if it occurs it's going to have to be on the cheap.

Not to advise this, but you all are aware that our old friend Chorney is out there, and could be had for less than $1 million?

[Maacoshark]

Thx Maaco for the insights about our D prospects.  One of the guys at Russian Machine questioned the 2nd round DMan we picked a couple weeks ago as well as Seigenthalter.  We'll see if those concerns of the Slovakian and Seigenthaler being 'over drafted' as 2nd rounders when their names were called end up being spot on or not.  I share your concern about Djoos needing to get more physical or being passed over in time by Bowey or others should those challengers for that bottom pairing DMan role step up their games.

Not sure if this is fair or not, but after the Prospects 'Development' Camp, I'm seeing Johansen and Alexeyev as having the most upside - more so than Djoos or Bowey, or any of the others.  If you had to rank our D prospects in the pipeline, say from 1 to 6 (including Djoos), how would you rank them?

   Ranking our d prospects is tough. Right now Djoos is probably a bit a head of the other guys. I think sending Bowey back to Hershey was good for him. He played well when he was sent down and I think he would be right behind Djoos. After that Johansen, Hobbs and Seigenthalter are fairly even. I might give a slight edge to Hobbs because he is a right handed dman. We dont have as many right handed dmen. Alex Alexeyev would be behind them just because he hasn't played any in the pros yet. Lewington could be in the mix too if they want to add a physical presence.
    Its possible we could trade some defensive prospects for some talent upfront. We dont have a lot of forwards that look promising.

[Beaglefan2]

Not to advise this, but you all are aware that our old friend Chorney is out there, and could be had for less than $1 million?

I really liked Chorney and thought he was playing well for us before he was the odd man out when they got the best defenseman ever - Shattenkirk. I think that ruined Chorney’s confidence and he hasn’t been the same since.

[DC_1908]

Still no word on Wislon, we did qualify him so it's not like he can go to another team. But curious if he ends up going to Arbitration? If so we could be looking at a big paycheck. I figure he'd be the perfect fit for a bridge deal, a few years at a little bump now for a bigger raise at the end. We'll see.


I'm kinda curious if we do anything else here. Orpik still on the market, DeHann still on the market. I'm assuming our target is D? We could probably use another fourth line forward as well. May not fit the bill completely of fourth liner, but he could be cheaper than Beagle, Patrick Maroon would be an interesting option as well. I know DC would love that what with him being 6'3 225lb. But shoring up that bottom six would be great. I absolutely would have no problem with Maroon playing wing next to Lars Eller. Hell throw DSP on the other wing and you'd have a pretty formidable third line.


I hope BMGM is still out there though. Losing Beagle matters. And while we do have some kids looking for promotions/some players to fill in some roles. The goal should be to repeat here, so adding where we can should absolutely be on the table.

Id love to get Maroon and or DeHaan, but they are not the entertainment first players, or the cheap day-laboursto fill out n"the bottom six"  Monumental insists on.


Cone on, there are the  guys that think Nick Dowd is just fine to replace that worthless scrub Jay Beagle

[Maacoshark]

Id love to get Maroon and or DeHaan, but they are not the entertainment first players, or the cheap day-laboursto fill out n"the bottom six"  Monumental insists on.


Cone on, there are the  guys that think Nick Dowd is just fine to replace that worthless scrub Jay Beagle

   I think it will be Stephenson replacing Beagle.  I wouldn't have a problem if we picked up Maroon to play the wing that Stephenson leaves vacant when he gets switched to center. This is wishful thinking.

[Biggest]

Maaco - clearly, we need to start adding skilled forwards to the pipeline in future Drafts.

The key, for me, is seeing Vrana and Burakovsky becoming sick, speedy, and skilled forwards that are potting 20 to 30 goals - and timely ones at that.

Those two have to make the jump Kuzy did - not saying they can have that level of impact (and they're wingers, not pivots), but that's the expectation I believe they need to have for themselves.

And in the bottom six, I really want to see Stephenson, Boyd and Walker up their games.  That happens, we have some time to get the pipeline packed with prospects for the forward ranks as Ovi and Nicky start slowing down (or worse, 'move on' when both have their deals come up for renewal in 2 years or so).

   Ranking our d prospects is tough. Right now Djoos is probably a bit a head of the other guys. I think sending Bowey back to Hershey was good for him. He played well when he was sent down and I think he would be right behind Djoos. After that Johansen, Hobbs and Seigenthalter are fairly even. I might give a slight edge to Hobbs because he is a right handed dman. We dont have as many right handed dmen. Alex Alexeyev would be behind them just because he hasn't played any in the pros yet. Lewington could be in the mix too if they want to add a physical presence.
    Its possible we could trade some defensive prospects for some talent upfront. We dont have a lot of forwards that look promising.

[Mickstix]

Don't know if this was expected or not, but another coach gone to the Islanders.. Lambert to join Trotz in NY.. And apparently Mitch Korn may be next.. 

[BlackIce]

Don't know if this was expected or not, but another coach gone to the Islanders.. Lambert to join Trotz in NY.. And apparently Mitch Korn may be next.. 

I would classify it as "not surprising."  One thing a new coach likes to do is surround himself with people with whom he feels comfortable.  And all indications were that Trotz was generally very comfortable with his coaching staff.


This is another reason why the Trotz/Reirden situation had to be resolved quickly -- so that both could deal with having who they wanted on their coaching staffs.  To be honest, we have no idea which if any of the remaining staff Reirden would have wanted to keep.

[alta]

I see Korn going with Trotz as well. Which sucks for the Caps. They had better find a real goalie coach for Holts, otherwise our Vezina goalie will go the way Carey did.

[Maacoshark]

I see Korn going with Trotz as well. Which sucks for the Caps. They had better find a real goalie coach for Holts, otherwise our Vezina goalie will go the way Carry did.

   Except Carey wasnt a vezina calibre goaltender. He had one decent season. His numbers weren't even over the top the season that he won the vezina. He really wasn't a very good goalie. After we traded him, his numbers were terrible. He ended up back in the AHL.