What Might Have Been

[4 Caps]

i was doing a little research on the two rookies in the All Star Game, Brock Boeser and Brayden Point.  I am really impressed with Boeser, he has a heck of a shot as witnessed by his winning the accurate shot competition and had a nice goal in the first game.  Vancouver selected him with the 23rd pick in the 2015 draft.  With the pick right before Boeser was picked, the Caps selected Ilya Samsonov.  Now admittedly Samsonov is rated the best goalie prospect but the fact is he won’t be our starting goalie for the next 3 or 4 years depending on when Holtby’s contract is up.  It would be nice to have a scorer like Boeser on this years team to help out Ovi. 


As for Point, he is having a tremendous year for Tampa Bay.  He was selected by Tampa Bay with the 79th pick in the 2014 draft.  With the 39th pick, the Caps selected Vitek Vanechek.  Actually Point is not a rookie as this is second year in the NHL but I had never heard of him before this season.  He would be a nice addition to this years Caps team. 


But what is done is done so I can’t dwell on it but I found it interesting.  Drafting is so important in building a team and overall I think the Caps have done a pretty good job over the years under Ross Mahoney’s direction. 

[Surreylily]

The whole scouting thing I find quite interesting and I imagine is quite challenging.


These guys aren't just looking for raw talent, they also have to look at temperament and sustainability - prone to illness/injury, even at a very young age.  The passage of the male hormones when they are at their most rife and prolific and therefore most potentially damaging to their own and the sports reputation.


The scouts have to be very canny.  They need to know people and nature even more than they can recognise skill.  A very fine balance.

[DC_1908]

Our scouting department, and those who instruct them, need overhauls.

Bottom line is their decisions, thresholds, and the execution of these, have lead to a to a comprised of primarily one-way players that result in consistent cap-hell.

Next Sunday, well again see the template of how a pro-sports team, or just any business, should be run to not only to be successful, but to dominate . . . This includes drafting or signing players to for specific roles and not for talent or marketability.
 






 

[Maacoshark]

   There have been a lot of what ifs in the history of the Caps as there us with every team. Its too early to evaluate this what if. I think the biggest what ifs for us are the Forsberg trade, drafting Fehr ahead of Getzlaf and trading for Dale Hunter. Odd that no one ever mentions the Hunter trade. We gave up Haworth, Dushene and a first round pick. That pick was Joe Sakic. One of the best to ever play. Man what could have been.

[4 Caps]

Of course there is no gurantee that we would have drafted Sakic if we had our 1st round pick.  I know there is no point in playing the what if game, as you state every team can say the same thing.  The Forsberg trade still irritates me.  If Erat had been in his prime that deal wouldn’t bother me so much but he was at the end of his career.  Has to be the worst trade in Caps history and one of the worst trades in NHL history. 

[Maacoshark]

  One thing people forget. If we kept Forsberg in our system, would have he developed at the same rate. I highly doubt it. We had way too many guys ahead of him on the depth chart. When we traded him to Nashville, he was a first line player and playing on the top pp immediately. It would have been a slower development here.
    Of the what its the Joe Sakic thing is the one I think about. Maybe the Caps though about it too since they drafted Joe Sakic's younger brother a few years later.

[DC_1908]

  One thing people forget. If we kept Forsberg in our system, would have he developed at the same rate. I highly doubt it. We had way too many guys ahead of him on the depth chart. When we traded him to Nashville, he was a first line player and playing on the top pp immediately. It would have been a slower development here.
    Of the what its the Joe Sakic thing is the one I think about. Maybe the Caps though about it too since they drafted Joe Sakic's younger brother a few years later.

You’re damn right people forget that!   They also forget he didn’t wanna play here, they also forget that we wouldn’t have the Young Euro Speed amd Skill Super Team they think we would, least of all with all of the guys ahead of em.


I’m sure someone out there has traded FFF to The Caps on their video games so they can have Bura/Kuzy/and FFF together.  Well hope they have fun because that would be a train wreck of turnovers, loafing, bad passes and zero D in real life.


Anyone can GM in hindsight.  But getting two players, one vet and one prospect, in positions of need, for a player that’s a surplus and won’t play for you, is just god damn common sense.

On the other hand, trading a top prospect in a position of need, a 2nd and 3rd when your system is depleted, for a type of player you already have that assuredly won’t stay. . .is just incompetentance, a media stunt or both

[4 Caps]

Just a couple of comments.  First, even if Forsberg hadn’t developed as fast as he did, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have helped the Caps in the last couple of years.  Second, DC where did you hear that Forsberg didn’t want to play for the Caps.  That is utter nonsense, you don’t think he would have loved to play with Nick  Backstrom.  Third, despite what you say that was a horrible trade, we got a veteran who was at the end of his career and a grade B prospect who played sparingly in the NHL.  If you don’t think Forsberg would help this Caps team I don’t know what to say other than your knowledge of hockey is suspect.

[alta]

I bet the Islanders are still kicking themselves in the nutsack for trading Chara, his first two years he looked like an uncoordinated oaf

[DC_1908]

Just a couple of comments.  First, even if Forsberg hadn’t developed as fast as he did, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have helped the Caps in the last couple of years.  Second, DC where did you hear that Forsberg didn’t want to play for the Caps.  That is utter nonsense, you don’t think he would have loved to play with Nick  Backstrom.  Third, despite what you say that was a horrible trade, we got a veteran who was at the end of his career and a grade B prospect who played sparingly in the NHL.  If you don’t think Forsberg would help this Caps team I don’t know what to say other than your knowledge of hockey is suspect.

I don’t have time to look for the exact evidence, but I vividly remember hearing that, and that him
falling to 11 was more then just the top 10 just wanting Ds.


What I did find is that I’m not the only one thinking logical and business like about this
[size=78%]https://www.google.com/amp/s/capsfansreport.wordpress.com/2016/09/12/defending-the-filip-forsberg-trade/amp/[/size]


One of GMGMs best traits was being rational enough to realize he’s signing and drafting assists.  Draft an asset to trade it later, keeping enough to make moves at anytime


So yeah, head case or not. FFF is just an asset that was made expendable when GMGM drafted another asset.


So if it was Kuzy that was traded, people would say the the same thing.  And if all three would be here, it would be a train wreck, on the ice and with cap.


Bottom line, it was low risk high reward business move. 

[4 Caps]

I will never be convinced and the salary cap argument I don’t buy at all. They could have worked something out.  We will have to agree to disagree and there is really no reason to continue this argument because what is done is done.  We have to focus on the future and what we should do this season at the trade deadline.  Personally, I don’t see the Caps doing much because we won’t be able to fit a big contract under the cap nor do we have enough assests to acquire a difference maker. 

[Maacoshark]

  I agree that the trade at the time wasnt as bad as people think. If Forsberg didnt pan out in Nashville that trade couldn't be an issue. In my opinion I dont think Forsberg would be the same player here. We bring up our young players slowly. Dont let them play through there mistakes. Until this season because we are forced to.
      In the end it was a business decision. I think the deal helped Nashville more than it hurt us.

[Maacoshark]

I will never be convinced and the salary cap argument I don’t buy at all. They could have worked something out.  We will have to agree to disagree and there is really no reason to continue this argument because what is done is done.  We have to focus on the future and what we should do this season at the trade deadline.  Personally, I don’t see the Caps doing much because we won’t be able to fit a big contract under the cap nor do we have enough assests to acquire a difference maker.

     I dont think anyone is disagreeing with you. I dont think we can accurately predict how things would have played out had we kept Forsberg. I have no clue. If I had to guess I would say his development would have been hindered here. He may have turned out to be a player like Johansson.