Laich could play LW on a line with Ribeiro and take key faceoffs. I'm sure they'll look to improve that area of Ribeiro's game but I don't expect a ton of growth in his game at this point. It would be nice, of course. Here's hoping.
Oates talked about how centers should be playmakers and make those around them better offensively so from that standpoint I'd look at Perreault, assuming he's still around, at 3C over Laich unless they're going for very different looks in the bottom six. On the surface the new approach should be good for Perreault. I've never been entirely sold on his skating but hopefully a byproduct of being a more up-tempo team is a relatively higher conditioning level.
Laich could play LW on a line with Ribeiro and take key faceoffs. I'm sure they'll look to improve that area of Ribeiro's game but I don't expect a ton of growth in his game at this point. It would be nice, of course. Here's hoping.
Oates talked about how centers should be playmakers and make those around them better offensively so from that standpoint I'd look at Perreault, assuming he's still around, at 3C over Laich unless they're going for very different looks in the bottom six. On the surface the new approach should be good for Perreault. I've never been entirely sold on his skating but hopefully a byproduct of being a more up-tempo team is a relatively higher conditioning level.
The difference between Laich and Ribeiro in faceoff ability would translate to like 1 win per game, IINM. Laich isn't as good at it as he used to be.
Oates talked about how centers should be playmakers and make those around them better offensively so from that standpoint I'd look at Perreault, assuming he's still around, at 3C over Laich unless they're going for very different looks in the bottom six. On the surface the new approach should be good for Perreault. I've never been entirely sold on his skating but hopefully a byproduct of being a more up-tempo team is a relatively higher conditioning level.
while he said that, i am not sure that applies to the 3c slot if the team plans a traditional checking 3rd line. i find it hard to believe that after the playoffs that beagle had that he will be reduced to a 8 minute a night 4c. i dont expect anymore bench ov and play beagle for half the game anymore, but i'd be stunned to see beagle fall into steckel's role.
Yeah, if Ribeiro is going to stick around he is going to need to work on FOs and other areas of his game. Might as well not avoid that and hopefully he brings the right attitude. We'll see how much he wants to win and be part of a winner.
Beagle had a strong finish to the season playing HunterHockey but in no way is he a third-line center. I could maybe see it if the fundamental style they played was re-affirmed with the coaching hire but it really wasn't.
while he said that, i am not sure that applies to the 3c slot if the team plans a traditional checking 3rd line. i find it hard to believe that after the playoffs that beagle had that he will be reduced to a 8 minute a night 4c. i dont expect anymore bench ov and play beagle for half the game anymore, but i'd be stunned to see beagle fall into steckel's role.
I don't think Beagle has the all around skills to maintain the possession game that Oates is hinting at, not as a 3rd liner at least. That wasn't nearly as big an issue under DH but if Oates is going to be more aggressive they might need more than Beagle can give them on a regular basis.
Plus, with money to spend, you have to figure there's a decent chance they add whatever depth they can.
Perhaps AO2 meant scoring C's should be playmakers. While I think MP can help our team, I have a feeling he will end up the odd man out, Mr Scratch. We don't really have the offensive horses to roll 3 scoring lines with MP at 3C - maybe.... But if we did move Laich to wing, I would rather MJ be our 3C.
Maybe George targets a 2.5/Tweener RW, he and Brow interchangeable.
Just for kicks - 3 "scoring" lines
MJ Nick O
Laich Rib Brow
Chimera MP Tweener
Hendricks Beagle Ward
I don't think Beagle has the all around skills to maintain the possession game that Oates is hinting at, not as a 3rd liner at least. That wasn't nearly as big an issue under DH but if Oates is going to be more aggressive they might need more than Beagle can give them on a regular basis.
Plus, with money to spend, you have to figure there's a decent chance they add whatever depth they can.
I think he can earn the spot sooner or later, but I don't see them penciling him in there to start. I think GMGM looks to add more depth than that. I'm just not sure which direction he goes (grind-y or score-y) for that 3rd line.
And, of course, most of this is just wishful thinking.
I think Beagle certainly has 3C potential. I believe the Caps really like his game.
__________________
George McPhee....The Teflon GM. 15 years of failure and counting....
6 - Number of playoff series the Capitals have won since George McPhee took over as General Manager in 1997 (which makes him the third-longest-tenured GM in the League), three of which came in McPhee's first season on the job.
Beagle missed his back check on that dreaded triple OT goal (if that was Semin, you would remember the goal I speak of). A center has a lot of responsibilities, and while I think he can excel in a defensive role, I am not sure he graduated to taking Laichs spot as our full time 3C.
i am not the biggest beagle fan. i was against playing him as much or more than ovechkin and others. i used him as the poster child for hunterhockey when i was upset with it.
that doesnt change the fact that beagle was given a primary role in the caps playoff plan and the caps lost game 7 without him. mcphee and oates both said that the team game and defensive sacrifices that the team showed v boston and the rangers was something they expected the players to keep.
cutting beagle back to 4c doesnt really send that message.
i also wonder if hendricks is not going to bet some appreciation with a greater role than 4th line wing.
if i were to guess come playoffs in 2013, jay beagle will be getting top 9 minutes at center and laich will be skating wing and filling in for injuries at center.
just like i am not sure that ovechkin applies to oates righties on the right and lefties on the left. what made moving marty st louis to the right wing was that right shot stamkos was getting his passes off the right wing. ovechkin is to washington what stamkos is to tb and the fact that stamkos is a center and ovechkin a left winger is a minor detail.
recall, that he is the guy that wanted bondra on the right point on the power play. left shot on the right point.
as to beagle missing a back check on a critical goal. alzner has gotten smoked for a critical playoff goal or two in the last two years. if it had been schultz instead, the board would have lit him up. alzner didnt get demoted as a result. neither would beagle.
Beagle's massive out of no where emergence last year not withstanding, Hendricks had a fine year as well. I prefer Hendricks at 3C over Beagle. And maybe even over Laich, since it would relegate him to wing where I think he would does best.
i am not the biggest beagle fan. i was against playing him as much or more than ovechkin and others. i used him as the poster child for hunterhockey when i was upset with it.
that doesnt change the fact that beagle was given a primary role in the caps playoff plan and the caps lost game 7 without him. mcphee and oates both said that the team game and defensive sacrifices that the team showed v boston and the rangers was something they expected the players to keep.
cutting beagle back to 4c doesnt really send that message.
i also wonder if hendricks is not going to bet some appreciation with a greater role than 4th line wing.
if i were to guess come playoffs in 2013, jay beagle will be getting top 9 minutes at center and laich will be skating wing and filling in for injuries at center.
just like i am not sure that ovechkin applies to oates righties on the right and lefties on the left. what made moving marty st louis to the right wing was that right shot stamkos was getting his passes off the right wing. ovechkin is to washington what stamkos is to tb and the fact that stamkos is a center and ovechkin a left winger is a minor detail.
recall, that he is the guy that wanted bondra on the right point on the power play. left shot on the right point.
as to beagle missing a back check on a critical goal. alzner has gotten smoked for a critical playoff goal or two in the last two years. if it had been schultz instead, the board would have lit him up. alzner didnt get demoted as a result. neither would beagle.
Really? "Smoked for a critical playoff goal?" When?
Beagle doesn't have the offensive upside to be the long term solution at 3C. He was .5 ppg in the AHL, and has just 12 points in 96 career NHL games. He wasn't a huge scorer in college either, as his best season was 36gp, 10g 10a.
I prefer Johansson at 3C in a nontraditional sense. Let him develop his game at C, the position we want him to project to. Stick him with Chimera and another big, speedy forechecker and let them have at it.
Ovechkin, Backstrom, W
Laich, Ribeiro, W
Chimera, Johansson, W
Hendricks, Beagle, W
Brouwer, Ward, and two mystery players fill out the wings.
I thought Beagle had showed he had more offense while Bruce was still the coach last season. I was starting to be impressed by his offensive abilities. Once Dale came in, he had Beags switch his style to be more defensive.
mcphee doesnt tend to outright lie. if he says he is not going to trade a first round pick, which he has said numerous times, he doesnt turn around and do it.
i remember his comments prior to the fedorov, cook and huet trade deadline. he said something to the effect that he was not going to trade his high end prospects and first round picks. he said if there was something there at a lesser cost, he would consider it.
the media reported that mcphee saying the caps werent going to make a splash on deadline day and not to expect much. the caps made three deals and then the media said mcphee lied. closer reading of his actual words showed that all three of his deals fell within the criteria he outlined in his comments.
you can't accept mcphee's public comments with broad strokes. you have to look at the exact wording.
mcphee's comments about hunter's coaching would likely be accurate as hunter remains part of mcphee's inner circle.
I think this is pretty important to note. A lot of people claim McPhee lies. I've never seen him do it.
Hendricks doesn't have the wheels I would like my Centers to have, but he earned at least consideration for more ice time. All depends on his camp and other pickups I'm guessing.
Just at the draft...he said there wasn't much on the trade front. Then...
Unless of course, he was offered Ribs on the 23rd and a half hour and tripped over himself to agree to it with zero consideration.
I may be remembering wrong, but I think later that night he said they had talked to Dallas about Ribeiro at the deadline, and then something came together at the draft pretty suddenly.
Yes, he said they had talked about Ribs during the season but Dallas was in the playoff hunt and didn't want to move him at the time.
Yeah, what I'm unsure about is whether his comments made it sound like the trade came together in between when he said there wasn't much and when it happened. Still wouldn't really be a lie, but whatever.
