Talk about Capitals hockey & more! > Washington Capitals & Other Hockey Discussion
Caps trade for Nick Jensen
PUCKNRUSH:
--- Quote from: richkrt99 on Monday February 25, 2019, 10:35:19 AM Eastern ---Jensen looks good. Not that you can judge anything by one game, but I really had no idea about him. Looks to be a really good fit. If he IS a/the guy that can START a decent breakout and actually consistently move the puck up and get it out of the D zone (as is reported as his skill set), then ALL HAIL GM BM because that is one of the Caps biggest issue. How many goals yesterday were the result of not being able to get the puck out of the D zone? This is something the Caps desperately need to fix before the playoffs.
2.5 mill is a low budget price tag for an adequate D IMHO. Definitely needed a guy to share some of the load.
Now....WTF are you going to do with Burka, and Orlov? Sure as hell hope Burka is gone and Orlov wakes the F up. I can't see any way the Caps could unload that shitty Orlov deal. Orlov has been a real disappointment this year. His game needed to improve to get close to earning that contract, not take a nose dive.
Hoping that Jensen turns out to be solid and it relieves some burden from Nisky, Orlov, and Carlson. They need some help.
Also, what are we calling him? Need something better than Jensen. Not Jenny (unless he starts to play like Burky)
I saw somewhere someone posted Jensen and Djoos playing together would be.....Jen and Djoos (Gin and Juice) 8)
Go Caps.
Let's see some more please.....Like SOMETHING for BURKA.
--- End quote ---
Hey Rich!
You hit the nail on the head with the bringing the puck up issue!! It is such a HUGE issue, that has so many negative tentacles attached to it!
Opponents get more O zone time, more SOG, better quality shots, because there is now more confusion and chaos for our D, trying to get back into a defensive posture, when they were expecting to turn up ice!!
On OUR side, it decreases our O zone time, less SOG, disrupts some shift changes for us, which causes the line on the ice to have to remain, losing some legs, speed, and reaction time, which then requires even MORE effort to get the puck back, before it lands in the net!!
Seems that our opponents have figured out that when they cross blue line, and enter our D zone with the puck, if we takeaway the puck, along the boards, or below the goal line, all the opponent has to do, is pressure our guys, a little a bit, and our opponent stands a damn good chance of getting possession back AGAIN, while still in our D zone! THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW!! Yes, under Trotz also!!
The reason it was not as much of an issue, the years before, is because we were VERY EFFECTIVE at disrupting opponents in the neutral zone, or just AFTER they crossed the blue line, trying to enter our D zone!
Therefore there weren’t as many opportunities for this weakness to be as EXPOSED! It wasn’t so much of an issue, in prior seasons, because generally, we pre-defended having to even deal with that issue, way, way, less than we have to NOW. This was our basic D strategy, and was successful!! One of the NHLs best at it, IMO!!
Teams beat us when they found a way around US, controlling neutral zone, and blue line entry!!
This year, that’s all changed, as teams enter our zone, fairly easy, compared to our previous years D. The end result of course, is a worse goals against, and bad numbers for Holtz. The goalies are assaulted with better quality shots this year!
Thanks Rich! Next rant for me will be the fact that we’re freakin’ STUCK with Bura this year!! UGGHH!!
Rush
PUCKNRUSH:
Cont’d..... So GMBM adding Jensen is attempting to address this issue!
Also don’t think Djoos will be the main fall guy, as Rierden said he just wanted to put Jensen, by design, with Orpik, because of age and experience.
Orlov, has been playing stupidly for way too long now, all season! I believe it’s no longer a temporary lapse, on his part! He’s aggressive, but with low hockey IQ!
Hopefully, Rierden has the balls to scratch him, or even Nisky, sometimes, if Jensen pans out! Liked what I saw from him!!
Rush
alta:
With the immediate 4 year "extension" given to Jensen, someone else has to go. I was hoping GMBM would've moved a couple more guys to bring in someone that can consistently win faceoffs. But as I think about it, I think this is Orpiks last year. I had thought that at the beginning of the year with Orpiks $1M for 1 deal, but that was also dependent on these younger Dmen stepping up more than they have. So the D corp gets juggled for maybe 3 months then someone is the odd man out, and that's the guy with no contract. Which still leaves juggling the D corp next season to get Seigs up to speed. The D is still a mess in the foreseeable future.
Mickstix:
--- Quote from: PUCKNRUSH on Monday February 25, 2019, 11:13:30 PM Eastern ---
Hopefully, Rierden has the balls to scratch him (Orlov), or even Nisky, sometimes, if Jensen pans out!!
Rush
--- End quote ---
:huh: Dayum Rush, I didn't know you smoked? :snicker: If any "name" gets scratched from the D core, it'll be Orpik.. Those big contracts burn a hole in their scratch pad.. :-\
BlackIce:
--- Quote from: Mickstix on Tuesday February 26, 2019, 09:05:09 AM Eastern ---
:huh: Dayum Rush, I didn't know you smoked? :snicker: If any "name" gets scratched from the D core, it'll be Orpik.. Those big contracts burn a hole in their scratch pad.. :-\
--- End quote ---
Now my take on the defensive rotation is that Orpik and Djoos will rotate as the #6 defenseman, with Orpik playing against the slower/tougher teams and Djoos against the quicker/more finesse teams, at least through the rest of the regular season. This will have the added bonus of giving Orpik some rest going into the playoff season (assuming they make it); then they can figure out what to do if/when they get there.
My feeling is that, other than sitting Orlov for a couple of games to try to send a message, the top 4 D are going to be there, barring injury. Sure, the contract commitment means something, but let's face it: If those guys aren't ready to play come playoff time we ain't going much of anywhere anyway. This is a "you committed to these guys as the core of the defense, now let them run with it or not" situation.
I'm wondering if Kuzy and Orlov aren't two sides of the same coin here. Kuzy is a much more open personality and because of his sense of humor and willingness to say what he thinks is becoming an interview favorite. He has said openly that for him it is harder to concentrate during the regular season, because mistakes individual games DON'T mean life or death as they do in the win-or-go-home playoff atmosphere. So he does coast some, and tries some things that he wouldn't in the playoffs for the sake of playing safer. I wonder if Orlov, who we hear from very little, feels somewhat the same way. This may be one downside, or at least reality, of having won the Stanley Cup -- now knowing what it takes to get though the playoff thicket (and the Caps had as difficult a road to get through last year as anyone in recent playoff history), the natural reaction for some players is to conserve ammunition for the playoff season. Yes, then you have to find a way to "flip the switch" when the playoffs start, and maybe it doesn't happen. But that is the way some players will approach things, like it or not. Heck, we've seen a bit of recent commentary on this board about Ovie coasting a bit more recently, and I have seen some of it in recent games that I have attended. He's still scoring, but the commitment on defense may not be quite the same. As a 33-year-old, high mileage and high TOI player, this may be his way of conserving ammunition for the playoffs.
To my mind, the biggest impediment to doing well in the playoffs this year isn't players not quite giving the overall max effort needed. I think the biggest problem is achilles heels that have made themselves known and that may not be correctable even WITH more effort and attention to detail. The PK may still not be good enough to hold off the best PP teams, even with the Hagelin/Jensen additions. And the Caps have NO answer for their face-off woes that I can see, which simply exacerbates the PK issue.
All this assumes, of course, that the Caps make the playoffs, which is no sure thing, though even as tight as the standings are they still have an excellent shot, because time is starting to run short for the teams behind them. 4 or 5 standings points mean more and more as the number of games remaining dwindles.
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