People really ****ing are harping on this only 48 games BS.
There are a lot of teams winning a lot and other teams not winning.
Hell, Thanksgiving usually comes at the quarter mark of the season, therefore we've basically hit that now. So I guess 9-12th place should just give up, because after all, they are a massive 3 points behind Toronto who's 5th.
Haha exactly. I know it's a shortened season, but points are points. We are a wopping FIVE POINTS out of the playoffs. If you were 8 points (which is about what it would be in relation to a full season) outside the playoffs 25% through a full season, no one would be panicking. Chill the **** out guys. Imagine, we win the next 2 games. That's 5-8-1. That's still bad but for sure in the running. Then say we go 6-2, boom now you're at .500. Chill out guys. Wait and see what happens the rest of this month. If we continue at this rate we'd be 10-12 points outside the playoffs at the end of this month. If we even just DECREASE the point differential, we're in good shape. So chill the f out.
I wonder if when Ted tacked on those extra years, if he thought inflation and salary escalation would be continuing rampant in the era it was when Ovi signed. That Ovi's contract would be more reasonable in 2020. And may well be.
Just like real estate experts will tell you, there is never a bad time to buy. They were wrong.
What exactly could they actually spend it on?
What UFA's could the Caps of signed that could score from 40 feet out?
1.3m. Yeah Ovi made us miss out on that one right?
No, but you asked who was available. Holland (with apologies to Brooklyn Caps: I will limit bringing up this subject) managed to find another top 6 forward that cost him nothing.
Aren't we close to being forced to release someone to fit in Laich?
A team in last place using near its cap... if this is not hell, I may not want to ever see it.
Maybe it just a roster spot we need to free up.
I will answer you proper in 2020
a. kundratek can be sent back, i believe. poti is hurt. my guess is that he goes to ir when laich comes back.
b. often times a team in last place is not a last place team. i would not describe the capitals as a last place team. this current roster is capable of far better. the new york islanders are not.
a. kundratek can be sent back, i believe. poti is hurt. my guess is that he goes to ir when laich comes back.
b. often times a team in last place is not a last place team. i would not describe the capitals as a last place team. this current roster is capable of far better. the new york islanders are not.
a. kundratek can be sent back, i believe. poti is hurt. my guess is that he goes to ir when laich comes back.
b. often times a team in last place is not a last place team. i would not describe the capitals as a last place team. this current roster is capable of far better. the new york islanders are not.
A. I will predict neither happen before the TDL, and maybe not all year.
B. Not me but a few here seemed to think we were not climbing out of the cellar soon as recently as 1 win ago.
I'd say it has to do with the turnover in coaching. Boudreau was pressured to change his coaching style after we had the bad luck of playing a team that just happened to have the hottest goalie I've personally ever seen and we hit the post about 30 times. At that point it was a mistake in my opinion, and we should have just kept the course, kept developing as a team and keep Boudreau how it was. After Boudreau changed, it was time to fire him. Then look at Dale Hunter the COMPLETE opposite style. That took half a season to adjust to, and we almost made the conference finals. Who knows if Ward never frigin slashed the guy in the face. Then we have a new coach AGAIN with a complicated system, that is supposed to take a while to get used to with no pre-season. This isn't like a coach coming in and trying to run the same system. It's hard for these guys to completely change the way they play and to be asked to do it immediately without any training or time.
Now I will say, if they end up the season looking how they have this first 25% I'd start to worry. But honestly, even if we end up in last place, if we end the season 5-5 or something of the sort I'll be happy. I think we have a lot to look forward to, and Oates isn't here to play like the old caps. He's here to implement a playoff hockey system that wins cups. It'll take time.
So it's going to take a 4th year of bad play/regression for you to get worried? That's a lot of Ovechkin's career to piss away...
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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.
Haha exactly. I know it's a shortened season, but points are points. We are a wopping FIVE POINTS out of the playoffs. If you were 8 points (which is about what it would be in relation to a full season) outside the playoffs 25% through a full season, no one would be panicking. Chill the **** out guys. Imagine, we win the next 2 games. That's 5-8-1. That's still bad but for sure in the running. Then say we go 6-2, boom now you're at .500. Chill out guys. Wait and see what happens the rest of this month. If we continue at this rate we'd be 10-12 points outside the playoffs at the end of this month. If we even just DECREASE the point differential, we're in good shape. So chill the f out.
Yes, it's only five points, but the Caps have to gain that on 7 different teams, it's not like the current 8th seed team can lose three in a row while Caps do the opposite and they're in the playoffs.
Yes, it's only five points, but the Caps have to gain that on 7 different teams, it's not like the current 8th seed team can lose three in a row while Caps do the opposite and they're in the playoffs.
I'm more thinking winning the SE division. As we have % wise more games against division teams than regular season years. So say we win our next game against Carolina and Tampa that is a guaranteed 2 points closer. We just have to outplay the rest of our division, I'm not saying we will. But we still got a pretty good chance. Way better than this 5% everyone keeps talking about.
So it's going to take a 4th year of bad play/regression for you to get worried? That's a lot of Ovechkin's career to piss away...
What about the second half of last season where he was at a 50 goal pace? Each time we've implemented a new system it's taken him half the season to adapt. I'm saying towards the end of this season we should be doing better, and if we stop changing systems all the time maybe we can finally take that second half and extend it to a full season and beyond.
No, but you asked who was available. Holland (with apologies to Brooklyn Caps: I will limit bringing up this subject) managed to find another top 6 forward that cost him nothing.
Brunner was Babcock pickup. Saw him at WCs last year and wanted him bad.
Brunner was Babcock pickup. Saw him at WCs last year and wanted him bad.
Actually, they're saying that Zetterberg brought him to the teams attention. No matter... management there was smart enough to sign him, which is the main point here. Some teams are finding these players ... and it ain't us.
its a critical part of the package, rids. next season the caps can afford to add kuz in the top 6 f, orlov in the top 6 d, and be able to compete. put two of them on the top 2 lines and they are going nowhere, particularly if 8 and 19 are not superheros again.
if you want to put 5 of them in the lineup, its school days hockey. the caps have been too young all along. just as green is starting to mature, you want to trade him and wait for carlson to get to 26 or 27.
if you want to blow it up, then blow it up and start over. that ovechkin too. if you want an ovechkin lead team to run at the cup, then you dont need half the roster full of players with 3 or less nhl seasons of experience. thats a fail. thats what mcphee ha been doing and you want him fired.
edit: and...forsberg perreault wilson would be burned alive. two rookies and a the leader of the lollipop guild on one line? omg...fail
I am not explaining myself. I only want those players *kept* w the franchise for certain. They can not be part of any purge. I dont expect those kids to all play next year, or even in 2014. But they must stay.
Its the rest of the players that need to be mixed out (some of them at least), with new blood, from the new regime.
I dont expect Wilson, Forsberg, etc to be playing next year. I would expect a top pick (or 2 or 3) to be in lineup, along with Kuznetsov and Orlov. But thats its. If the Caps are playing all those kids, then I agree with you, they cant win.
Haha exactly. I know it's a shortened season, but points are points. We are a wopping FIVE POINTS out of the playoffs. If you were 8 points (which is about what it would be in relation to a full season) outside the playoffs 25% through a full season, no one would be panicking. Chill the **** out guys. Imagine, we win the next 2 games. That's 5-8-1. That's still bad but for sure in the running. Then say we go 6-2, boom now you're at .500. Chill out guys. Wait and see what happens the rest of this month. If we continue at this rate we'd be 10-12 points outside the playoffs at the end of this month. If we even just DECREASE the point differential, we're in good shape. So chill the f out.
You tell me to chill the F out. I tell you to Wake the F up.
Your entire post is a load of suppostion. Caps beat a lameduck Florida team, and all is rosy to you.
Caps have systematically been picked apart of their ownership group over the last 3 years, and now stand where they stand. A bad hockey team, in need of change. Standings dont lie.
So if the Caps dont win the nest 2 games, and lose them? 3-10-1? Then what? Opposite side of your rose coloured coin?
Cap *have* to now win tonite, and then against TB. Great. Must win games already.
Brunner would have done well on the first line playing left wing. That would fill the huge hole we have in our line up coming cheap at 1.3m. We ain't finding those players but other teams are.
Signing free agents out of Europe or the NCAA is always a crap shoot. Teams are limited with 23 roster spots and 50 contracts. Every contract offered is one less that can go towards NHL free agents or prospects in your system. Philadelphia was able to get Matt Read because Holmgren had plenty of free contract slots because he traded away so many picks. Keep in mind that Philly now has contract slots assigned to Harry Zolnierczyk, Jason Akeson, Ben Holmtrom, and Blake Kessel in addition to Read. It took a lot of free agent signings to find one that would pan out as a productive NHL regular. For every Brunner, Read, Conacher, or Fasth there's multiple Casey Wellmans, Jarod Palmers, Cam Talbots, and Paul Thompsons. Even among the highly touted guys, this holds true. Miele couldn't crack Phoenix's forward starved roster. Da Costa has only been a depth filler for Ottawa so far.
Additionally, Brunner played on a line with Zetterberg in Switzerland before he ever stepped onto NHL ice. He had time to develop chemistry with a future line mate in Detroit. This has certainly smoothed his transition into the NHL, and is an advantage we could not have offered him.
so, oates is quoated in katie's piece on perruttu that he wants to see him play the right way. "its not about production. its about playing the right way."
after numerous recent losses oates said, that they didnt win, but they played the right way.
now we have it. with boudreau, the caps won. they won a lot, but we saw the umberger like complaint that they played the wrong way. now, here we have oates. calm and level headed instead of bouncy and emotional. he says the caps need to play the right way. playing right is more important than production and more important than winning a given game.
so....is this going to work? play the right way and win enough to make the playoffs and because they play right playoff success with follow?
