Our team really isn't that hard to fix but McPhee needs to do it right away.
Subtract Joel Ward, Jeff Schultz, John Erskine, and Jason Chimera.
Add a player like Center Darren Helm as the third line center with the occasional switch with Marcus Johansson. Add a mid-aged defenseman, I suggested a guy like Jordan Leopold if we could get him, to pair with Green on the FIRST line. It's clear Alzner and Carlson are not ready to bump up to the first pair.
Mid-Aged Defenseman, Green
Alzner, Carlson
Orlov, Kundratek
(Poti, Hamrlik)
Holtby
Neuvirth
In the future you could shop Neuvirth or Holtby for a forward to push Brouwer to the third line. You could also swap Johansson and Laich depending on how they both perform on their respected lines.
All this can be done this season. Yet I have a feeling it won't get done because we're too ***** enough to trade for anything. Last time I checked, we've got Forsberg/Kuznetsov/Wilson/Grubauer for depth. You could at least swap some draft picks and these players we don't want for some actual HELP.
Congratulations, you managed to post a lineup worse than ours somehow. I hope you realize that 3 of the 4 players you focused on getting rid of are not the problem.
Leopold blows, no idea why you're so fixated on him other than arbitrarily declaring him in the right "age group".
Plus, assuming Forsberg jumps up to the Caps next season and makes the roster, this is what the setup would look like for next season if you actually made some moves:
Ovechkin, Backstrom, Wolski
Forsberg, Ribeiro, Johansson (if he improves on the 3rd line)
Brouwer, Helm, Laich (Helm can be grown by Laich and Brouwer)
Perreault/Crabb/Someone Else, Beagle, Hendricks
Mid-Aged Defenseman, Green
Alzner, Carlson
Orlov, Kundratek (a year in the NHL improved)
Then you could let go of Poti if you will and Hamrlik will probably be gone. You can find some new defenseman to serve as plugs or a third pair in case Kundratek struggles during Free Agency.
I acctually like the Caps bottom-6! They play accordingly to their capabilities and doesn't take games off.
Chimera-Laich-Ward
Hendricks-Beagle-Crabb
The top-6 on the other hand, don't like as much. Ovi is probably going to need some time to adjust to playing RW, Backstrom och Ribeiro are more then adequate as 1-2 C. Wolski has impressed me so far, but is known for being inconsistent. Brouwer is a 2nd/3rd line tweener in my book. And Johansson has been dissapointing in both games this year as well as much of last season.
He would fit nicely with Green so you have no idea what you're talking about. Leopold tallied 59 points his past two seasons and 23 goals.
And it's alot better than Chimera who does nothing, Joel Ward who we can all agree needs to go, and Jeff Schultz.
Kundratek looks promising. Don't piss on our parade please.
He'd be not much better than Poti or Hamrlik. There's a reason he's on the outs in Buffalo and 3 million contract is an overpayment for him. He's very spotty defensively and not physical. Whatever slight upgrade he is is not worth it. I have no idea why you're obsessed with him but you're wrong. I'd be willing to take a flyer on him if he costs nothing but he's nothing more than another stopgap for Green's partner hole.
I'm not sure how you randomly decided that Chimera and Ward do nothing. Ward is the only one who has done anything this season, he's adequate on the 3rd/4th line and he's a machine in the playoffs. Chimera is our fastest player who consistently pressures the opposing team with his speed, and makes peanuts. He's a perfect third liner.
Schultz needs to go, that much is obvious.
Erskine is a capable bottom pairing defenseman who has more balls than the rest of the defense combined. Only reason to move him is if the cap hit gets in the way.
Look at the lineup you posted again. What have you done exactly other than shuffle the deck chairs on the titanic? Wolski is still on the top line. Ribeiro is still surrounded by plugs who can't finish. What the **** is that third line even supposed to do? That team might be worse because the third line looks like it will have the worst chemistry in the history of hockey. But hey, at least you traded multiple firsts for Darren Helm (which is what Detroit would want for him), a guy who brings as much as Jay McClemment. To put him on a line with two soft semi-skilled guys. I don't even...
Kundratek hasn't shown anything other than the fact that he can sorta play in the NHL at a bottom pairing level.
Did you just start following hockey or something? Your opinions are pretty reactionary.
He'd be not much better than Poti or Hamrlik. There's a reason he's on the outs in Buffalo and 3 million contract is an overpayment for him. He's very spotty defensively and not physical. Whatever slight upgrade he is is not worth it. I have no idea why you're obsessed with him but you're wrong. I'd be willing to take a flyer on him if he costs nothing but he's nothing more than another stopgap for Green's partner hole.
I'm not sure how you randomly decided that Chimera and Ward do nothing. Ward is the only one who has done anything this season, he's adequate on the 3rd/4th line and he's a machine in the playoffs. Chimera is our fastest player who consistently pressures the opposing team with his speed, and makes peanuts. He's a perfect third liner.
Schultz needs to go, that much is obvious.
Erskine is a capable bottom pairing defenseman who has more balls than the rest of the defense combined. Only reason to move him is if the cap hit gets in the way.
Look at the lineup you posted again. What have you done exactly other than shuffle the deck chairs on the titanic? Wolski is still on the top line. Ribeiro is still surrounded by plugs who can't finish. What the **** is that third line even supposed to do? That team might be worse because the third line looks like it will have the worst chemistry in the history of hockey. It certainly doesn't get us another playoff round.
Kundratek hasn't shown anything other than the fact that he can sorta play in the NHL at a bottom pairing level.
Did you just start following hockey or something? Your opinions are pretty reactionary.
Lol, okay let me just take my time to completely discredit almost everything you said here:
1. Kundratek is one of the better players in the AHL and has upside
2. Not much better than Poti or Hamrlik? Have you seen them lately?
3. I've been watching hockey my whole life
4. Joel Ward scores one big goal and he's a playoff "clutch"? We're not keeping a player who every time he scores is a major fluke. Most people here agree Joel Ward needs to go
5. John Erskine is a top pairing defenseman? What?!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrooklynCapsFan
We need a top pairing dman to play with Green. Not ****ing Colaiacovo.
No duh sherlock. I'm saying FOR THE SHORT TERM. We could give up players that are already headed out the door.
You don't wave your dick around and pick up PK Subban to put on the line with Mike Green. That's just not happening.
MOJO to Colorado for ROR, Drafted same year, MOJO about 7 slots higher, ROR has played about 90 more NHL games but production numbers comparable. Colorado gets MOJO at 900K for this year and GMGM will have to negotiate with ROR's agent on term and salary.
Apparently he's pretty good in the AHL, is a young defenseman, and showed some bright spots in last night's loss.
I don't care what the stats reflect, he can be a third line pair defenseman or a pretty good plug. He's the only defensive "depth" we've got right now that isn't 35 years old and on the direct road to retirement.
For the record I was high on him before the season as well. I am not in favor of Poti, who is already payed way too much, being the long term fixture. Especially after his performances and the injuries. God, no.
And those aren't bad players at all. Anyone is better than Erskine and Poti at this point.
Look at our team, we have no depth on defense whatsoever. Poti and Erskine probably gone after this year along with Hamrlik. That leaves us at....
Alzner
Carlson
Green
Orlov
Kundratek
Schultz
?????????
I don't think depth is the problem on defense.. the problem is they're one top-4 LD short. And it's magnified by the fact that the remaining top-3 (Green, Carlson, and Alzner) haven't been lights out these first two games.
For everyone saying "Why are you singling out Poti":
I agree that it's a top 4 D short which is why i'm suggesting some names for the short term. If it's not PK Subban or Erik Karlsson people ***** though. If you have any better names, please share them or DO NOT COMPLAIN.
Tom Poti is 35, Roman Hamrlik is 38. Poti is on a high salary and not having played since 2010. He won't be able to find his groove in one shortened NHL season to help us in the playoffs, if we even make it. Plus he's not a long term option at all.
Schilling and Wey can probably fill in as call ups next season.
And, please show where "most everyone" is saying Ward needs to go.
Joel Ward is one of the players that most Caps fans state are expendable?
Virtually every person that actually has a clue says he needs to perform better or get out? If he hadn't have scored already you'd be saying the same thing?
For everyone saying "Why are you singling out Poti":
I agree that it's a top 4 D short which is why i'm suggesting some names for the short term. If it's not PK Subban or Erik Karlsson people ***** though. If you have any better names, please share them or DO NOT COMPLAIN.
Tom Poti is 35, Roman Hamrlik is 38. Poti is on a high salary and not having played since 2010. He won't be able to find his groove in one shortened NHL season to help us in the playoffs, if we even make it. Plus he's not a long term option at all.
What does Tom Poti's "high salary" matter when his contract expires at the end of the season (in which the team is more than $6M under the cap)?
He basically screwed us. Even at that time he wasn't worth that money.
You can tell I don't like him.
Maybe you should focus on the guy who extended him.
__________________
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.
But seriously, did you not understand my question?
I did and I don't care if he is a nerd haha.
I understand he'll be gone next year if McPhee wants it. That's why I am not saying to trade him. You wouldn't get much value out of him at all at his age and injury history.
The players i'm saying to trade are the likes of Jeff Schultz and Joel Ward. Which is completely understandable knowing their history.
I don't know why McPhee also signed Joel Ward to his contract either. It was and still is a huge leap.
