Now what?

[yave1964]

And yet again the Capitals have failed to advance to the Conference finals during the Alex Ovechkin era, falling again to the Penguins for the second consecutive year.

 

  Is the window closed? Yes, they have to be considered still relevant with players such as Backstrom, Ovie, Holtby, Carlson, Kuznetsov and Johansson but the core is another year older filled with even more self doubt.

 

  And this is a huge year for the Capitals free agency wise, they went all in on Kevin Shattenkirk who was not a god fit to put it mildly and almost certainly will be gone. In fact, the Capitals will likely be hit very hard in free agency with the following all UFA's and much of the cap room that they have available going to the kids:

 

Shattenkirk

Oshie

Justin Williams

Brett Connolly

Karl Alzner

 

And then factor in that the Golden Knights will select someone quite possibly quality backup goalie Grubauer.

 

  Ovechkin is no longer the player that he was, it happens to us all and it looks as if the supporting cast is more style than actual substance as far as the kid forwards go. Holtby was down a bit this season and down a lot in the postseason. And all of those important free agents, two top four d-men, two top six wingers. 

 

If the window is not closed it is nearly so.

[notfondajane]

1 hour ago, yave1964 said:

And yet again the Capitals have failed to advance to the Conference finals during the Alex Ovechkin era, falling again to the Penguins for the second consecutive year.

 

  Is the window closed? Yes, they have to be considered still relevant with players such as Backstrom, Ovie, Holtby, Carlson, Kuznetsov and Johansson but the core is another year older filled with even more self doubt.

 

  And this is a huge year for the Capitals free agency wise, they went all in on Kevin Shattenkirk who was not a god fit to put it mildly and almost certainly will be gone. In fact, the Capitals will likely be hit very hard in free agency with the following all UFA's and much of the cap room that they have available going to the kids:

 

Shattenkirk

Oshie

Justin Williams

Brett Connolly

Karl Alzner

 

And then factor in that the Golden Knights will select someone quite possibly quality backup goalie Grubauer.

 

  Ovechkin is no longer the player that he was, it happens to us all and it looks as if the supporting cast is more style than actual substance as far as the kid forwards go. Holtby was down a bit this season and down a lot in the postseason. And all of those important free agents, two top four d-men, two top six wingers. 

 

If the window is not closed it is nearly so.

I think the Capitals have reached the pike of their success!  I believe their decline has started! Let's see how far they drop! 

[B21]

3 hours ago, yave1964 said:

And yet again the Capitals have failed to advance to the Conference finals during the Alex Ovechkin era, falling again to the Penguins for the second consecutive year.

 

  Is the window closed? Yes, they have to be considered still relevant with players such as Backstrom, Ovie, Holtby, Carlson, Kuznetsov and Johansson but the core is another year older filled with even more self doubt.

 

  And this is a huge year for the Capitals free agency wise, they went all in on Kevin Shattenkirk who was not a god fit to put it mildly and almost certainly will be gone. In fact, the Capitals will likely be hit very hard in free agency with the following all UFA's and much of the cap room that they have available going to the kids:

 

Shattenkirk

Oshie

Justin Williams

Brett Connolly

Karl Alzner

 

And then factor in that the Golden Knights will select someone quite possibly quality backup goalie Grubauer.

 

  Ovechkin is no longer the player that he was, it happens to us all and it looks as if the supporting cast is more style than actual substance as far as the kid forwards go. Holtby was down a bit this season and down a lot in the postseason. And all of those important free agents, two top four d-men, two top six wingers. 

 

If the window is not closed it is nearly so.

 

It doesn't look good but the Capitals need to look no further than the team that just eliminated them to see that there is still a few years left in that "window".  You could have written this exact same post about the Pens just 3 years ago. It actually might be a blessing that so much of the supporting cast is UFA or RFA. As the Pens have showed you can "rebuild on the fly" in a short period of time. Difficult but not impossible.

[WordsOfWisdom]

4 hours ago, yave1964 said:

they went all in on Kevin Shattenkirk who was not a god fit to put it mildly and almost certainly will be gone.

 

The Leafs had better not sign this guy. I'll be pissed if they go after this loser.

 

 

 

[nossagog]

56 minutes ago, B21 said:

 

It doesn't look good but the Capitals need to look no further than the team that just eliminated them to see that there is still a few years left in that "window".  You could have written this exact same post about the Pens just 3 years ago. It actually might be a blessing that so much of the supporting cast is UFA or RFA. As the Pens have showed you can "rebuild on the fly" in a short period of time. Difficult but not impossible.

I'll disagree, just a little. the Pens built a team to win the cup, but they still had a load of talent with the Baby Pens that were able to come up and fill in as injuries occured.   The past 3-4 years, the Pens have been devastated by injuries that sometimes have prevented them going far in the playoffs. Crosby's concussions, Letangs concussions.  They had an excuse, if they cared to use it. 

 

The Caps have no excuses except for their play.  And now, they are going to pay a high price for going all in and not winning.   Their core should start with Kusnetzov(RFA and needs a raise), Burakowsky(RFA and needs a raise), Johansson, Orlov(RFA and needs a raise) and Schmidt.(RFA and needs a raise)  But I don't know if they have the money left to resign them all long term. with their cap issues.  

 

Oshie probably can't be resigned, and he was one of their best performers.

Shattenkirk was not the player they thought they were going to get, he's probably gone. 

I can see them exposing Orpik to the expansion draft and praying that Vegas hasn't watched he play deteriorate so badly that he's barely a third pairing guy now at $5.5M a year. 

Winnik will be gone.

Williams will be gone.

 

Yes its a perfect time for rebuilding, but I think some of the long term contracts that made earlier, as well as the trades they've made to win now may be a hard pill to swallow. 

 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

4 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Is the window closed? Yes, they have to be considered still relevant with players such as Backstrom, Ovie, Holtby, Carlson, Kuznetsov and Johansson but the core is another year older filled with even more self doubt.

 

How many chances does a team get? The Crapitals have been in the playoffs for 10+ years in a row now. It gets boring. Delete Washington and put the Lightning, Flyers, Panthers, or Sabres in there. ANYONE else please. The Eastern Conference is so damn boring because it's the same teams at the top every year. Having Detroit miss the playoffs was an interesting change. Would be nice to see Boston miss the playoffs too. The Leafs actually made the playoffs (which is a rare event in the NHL). There needs to be some variety here. 

 

Washington fans are spoiled. Their team is spoiled. There is no rush to win anything when you know you have another chance year after year to get it right. If Ovechkin played the first 10+ years of his career on a non-playoff team, I think there would be more appreciation of how difficult it is to get there. Maybe he'll finish his career on a non-playoff team and regret not doing more when he had the chance.

 

[yave1964]

4 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

The Leafs had better not sign this guy. I'll be pissed if they go after this loser.

 

 

 

I dont know, he is one Hell of a power play guy but IMHO was not used right at all by the Caps and Trotz.

 

  In St. Louis he was a second pair guy with Pietrangelo doing the heavy lifting five on five. He was sometimes a third pair guy depending upon who they were playing against but the Blues were masterful at drawing penalties, always among the leagues best while Shattenkirk was there. To me I see Shattys:

STRENGTH: Power play God and great clearing pass. Serious offensive ability.

 

WEAKNESS: Plays poorly under pressure when rushed will cough up the puck, surprisingly slow of foot.

 

He is much more of a specialist and the Leafs were lacking offense on the back end and would put up 60 points with those insanely skilled young forwards. It comes down to can you afford the sacrifice in other areas, do you have defensive d-men to cover his butt?

 

  His value is low. He turned down 7 million a year from the Blues and is now being skewered as the scapegoat for a lost season. He still will not be cheap but the bidding war wont be what it would have been. He would be a welcome addition to the Wings for instance. Everything i have read has him a near mortal lock going to the Rangers tho which would be the worst of all landing spots.

 

  So in short, on the right team at the right price he has a Hell of a value. He was never comfortable in Washington who gave up a ton for him and tried to make him something that he was not.

[WordsOfWisdom]

3 hours ago, yave1964 said:

STRENGTH: Power play God and great clearing pass. Serious offensive ability.

 

WEAKNESS: Plays poorly under pressure when rushed will cough up the puck, surprisingly slow of foot.

 

Exactly why Toronto doesn't need him. He's the opposite of what Toronto needs. 

 

Things that irk me about Shattenkirk:

• Prima donna (no-trade clause to Canada)
• Never won anything in St. Louis
• Never won anything in Washington
• Wrong type of defenceman for Toronto. We already have Rielly, Gardiner, and now Zaitsev (for eternity). We need guys that can defend. The last time Toronto had defenceman that could defend was probably 1993 when they had Dave Ellett, Bob Rouse, and Sylvain Lefebvre.

 

 

[notfondajane]

On 5/11/2017 at 0:16 PM, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

How many chances does a team get? The Crapitals have been in the playoffs for 10+ years in a row now. It gets boring. Delete Washington and put the Lightning, Flyers, Panthers, or Sabres in there. ANYONE else please. The Eastern Conference is so damn boring because it's the same teams at the top every year. Having Detroit miss the playoffs was an interesting change. Would be nice to see Boston miss the playoffs too. The Leafs actually made the playoffs (which is a rare event in the NHL). There needs to be some variety here. 

 

Washington fans are spoiled. Their team is spoiled. There is no rush to win anything when you know you have another chance year after year to get it right. If Ovechkin played the first 10+ years of his career on a non-playoff team, I think there would be more appreciation of how difficult it is to get there. Maybe he'll finish his career on a non-playoff team and regret not doing more when he had the chance.

 

I agree it would be poetic justice! Who do you think would sign him?

[jammer2]

On 5/11/2017 at 0:15 PM, nossagog said:

The Caps have no excuses except for their play.  And now, they are going to pay a high price for going all in and not winning.   Their core should start with Kusnetzov(RFA and needs a raise), Burakowsky(RFA and needs a raise), Johansson, Orlov(RFA and needs a raise) and Schmidt.(RFA and needs a raise)  But I don't know if they have the money left to resign them all long term. with their cap issues.  

 

 

 They are gonna have some problems signing some of the guys listed above. VERY interested to see what Burakowsky gets in an RFA deal. He really developed some offensive chops last year. He is just on the cusp of the top pp in Washington, which is the golden ticket to getting a LOT more chances at points. One thing for sure, he was all over the ice during these playoffs, his excellent speed was evident during almost every shift he took. He's one of my breakout players for next season. With Oshie moving on, there is room for a player on the top pp, and Burakowsky is most likely the one to fill that void.

 

 Dimitri Orlov has long been established as a heart and soul type of dman. Very physical, he loves to initiate contact but unlike his peers in this category, he can skate. This past season, he turned up the heat on offense. For a short time, he was QB'ing the top pp, but was mostly a mainstay on the Caps 2nd pp unit. What is the market value for a 25 year old d-man who can skate, drop the gloves with any middle weight and most heavy weights in the league, owns a booming slapshot, QB's the pp, and oh yeah, was a +23 on the season. He's due to get a HUGE increase. 

[WordsOfWisdom]

3 hours ago, notfondajane said:

I agree it would be poetic justice! Who do you think would sign him?

 

Phoenix Coyotes. Perfect.  

Or if he wants to stay in the east, the Florida Panthers.  

 

(Those would be my two picks if I had a choice of where to send him lol.)

 

 

Chances are he winds up with the Kings or the Rangers if he gets traded. The Rangers love established, proven stars from other teams at any age + every player wants to play for the Rangers -- even the players on the Islanders! The only strike against LA is that they're on the west coast, but there's plenty of beach, and plenty of opportunity for a player like Ovechkin to disappear (both on and off the ice) with no media or fan pressure.

 

 

 

 

 

[ruxpin]

On 5/11/2017 at 11:07 AM, B21 said:

 

It doesn't look good but the Capitals need to look no further than the team that just eliminated them to see that there is still a few years left in that "window".  You could have written this exact same post about the Pens just 3 years ago. It actually might be a blessing that so much of the supporting cast is UFA or RFA. As the Pens have showed you can "rebuild on the fly" in a short period of time. Difficult but not impossible.

Agreed. But the Pens were rebuilding (retooling) around Crosby.  The Caps are doing it around Ovechkin, who is the problem. 

[ruxpin]

I still can't believe the Caps couldn't get it done this year. Who could possibly have predicted that?  

[FD19372]

41 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

Agreed. But the Pens were rebuilding (retooling) around Crosby.  The Caps are doing it around Ovechkin, who is the problem. 

Bingo. They need to be building around Backstrom, Kuznetsov and their younger players. They also need to get more offensive production from their defense.

[FD19372]

39 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

I still can't believe the Caps couldn't get it done this year. Who could possibly have predicted that? 

It all depended on Ovechkin stepping up, and dominating a shift or two (and he failed miserably) , which Crosby is more than capable of doing no matter how many times the other team tries to put him into the boards. Ovechkin is not captain material. Give it to Backstrom or Williams next season.

[notfondajane]

On 5/14/2017 at 10:19 PM, FD19372 said:

It all depended on Ovechkin stepping up, and dominating a shift or two (and he failed miserably) , which Crosby is more than capable of doing no matter how many times the other team tries to put him into the boards. Ovechkin is not captain material. Give it to Backstrom or Williams next season.

Never understood why tried to build around a winger? Wouldn't it be easier around a center or two? 

[radoran]

On 5/14/2017 at 3:27 PM, jammer2 said:

What is the market value for a 25 year old d-man who can skate, drop the gloves with any middle weight and most heavy weights in the league, owns a booming slapshot, QB's the pp, and oh yeah, was a +23 on the season. He's due to get a HUGE increase. 

 

Six years, $30M?

 

[OccamsRazor]

Wow. At least A.O. is only 32.

 

Seems like he has been playing forever.

 

Time to trade him while he still has some value....

[OccamsRazor]

I think Vegas would be a great spot for him. They will need some star power!

[AJgoal]

Leave him unprotected in the expansion draft. Thin McPhee would take him?

[jammer2]

8 hours ago, radoran said:

 

Six years, $30M?

 

 

 

 I think he will get overpaid. I see him coming in at 6 mill a year for 5 or 6 years....we shall see. A really talented team could view him as the missing piece...and a huge upgrade in backbone.

[flyercanuck]

On 5/14/2017 at 3:27 PM, jammer2 said:

 

 

 Dimitri Orlov has long been established as a heart and soul type of dman. Very physical, he loves to initiate contact but unlike his peers in this category, he can skate. This past season, he turned up the heat on offense. For a short time, he was QB'ing the top pp, but was mostly a mainstay on the Caps 2nd pp unit. What is the market value for a 25 year old d-man who can skate, drop the gloves with any middle weight and most heavy weights in the league, owns a booming slapshot, QB's the pp, and oh yeah, was a +23 on the season. He's due to get a HUGE increase. 

 

Ya, but will he punch his own captain in the face?

[radoran]

11 hours ago, jammer2 said:

 

 I think he will get overpaid. I see him coming in at 6 mill a year for 5 or 6 years....we shall see. A really talented team could view him as the missing piece...and a huge upgrade in backbone.

 

He's arbitration eligible, but he's still an RFA. At $6M any offer sheet is giving up a 1/2/3 in the next draft. That's a pretty hefty price (along with the "goodwill" that comes with offer sheets #homercoaster) - even for a missing piece.

 

Burakovsky is also a RFA, but not arbitration eligible. Kuznetsov is the real sticker from where I sit, but he's also RFA/arbitration.

 

I think the question is "bridge deal" or "long term" from Washington.

[jammer2]

6 hours ago, radoran said:

 

He's arbitration eligible, but he's still an RFA. At $6M any offer sheet is giving up a 1/2/3 in the next draft. That's a pretty hefty price (along with the "goodwill" that comes with offer sheets #homercoaster) - even for a missing piece.

 

Burakovsky is also a RFA, but not arbitration eligible. Kuznetsov is the real sticker from where I sit, but he's also RFA/arbitration.

 

I think the question is "bridge deal" or "long term" from Washington.

 

 

  Ahhh, thanks for clarifing, I thought I had read he was a straight up UFA...my bad. Must have been Alzner I had read that about.