There is a reason that so few good UFA's sign w/ the Caps.
Yes....they don't overpay typically.
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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.
I did forget about Olie. His name flashed in my mind but I had forgotten how uncool that was. Oates left unhappy, too, didn't he? Linden begged out. Bulis was pissy. Arnott wasn't impressed. Oh and Eric Belanger was a real ugly one.
I'm telling you, Ted is an idiot. The Caps are a botched organization.
I did forget about Olie. His name flashed in my mind but I had forgotten how uncool that was. Oates left unhappy, too, didn't he? Linden begged out. Bulis was pissy. Arnott wasn't impressed. Oh and Eric Belanger was a real ugly one.
I'm telling you, Ted is an idiot. The Caps are a botched organization.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mystlyfe
Imagine if McPhee would have been willing to give Willie Mitchell two years instead of Hamrlik...
You are both correct. McPhee and/or Ted alienates and undervalues vets. It's a huge problem with no end in sight.
Imagine if McPhee would have been willing to give Willie Mitchell two years instead of Hamrlik...
That's what started the Scott Hannan quest. August 2010, Caps/GMGM kicks the Mitchell tires and flys him across the country to here. Mitchell signs with L.A.. GMGM trades Flash for Hannan in December and he remarks that he had been working on the deal since August.
Mitchell would have been to Green as he had been to Bieska. Dollar wise pound foolish.
On a side note, recall reading within the last week or two where GMGM had been frustrated in learning that Hammer had no trade value to other GMs.
Weren't there injury concerns with Mitchell at the time? I thought I remembered him being looked at by a couple clubs and the only team willing to give him 2 years was the Kings. It's no sure bet that Mitchell would have stayed healthy here for 2 seasons and the move would have been pooped on relentlessly while people wondered why the Caps didn't sign someone without any injury concerns like Roman Hamrlik.
I wonder if McPhee's worsening cash management will be enough to get him fired. Between Green, Nylander, Hamrlik, Poti, and Schultz he has wasted a ton of Ted's cash. You could argue that we would be exactly where we are today had we not spent a penny on these contracts. And that's giving him a pass on Jagr and Alex (Leonsis interference) and Backstrom (wth man, no one saw that).
Weren't there injury concerns with Mitchell at the time? I thought I remembered him being looked at by a couple clubs and the only team willing to give him 2 years was the Kings. It's no sure bet that Mitchell would have stayed healthy here for 2 seasons and the move would have been pooped on relentlessly while people wondered why the Caps didn't sign someone without any injury concerns like Roman Hamrlik.
I believe Mitchell was coming off of a concussion at the time and their were major concerns with that with his old team the Canucks. Believe it came down to the Kings/Caps and Canucks and it was the length of the deal that was the deciding factor for Mitchell.
Hannan was another guy scapegoated as he left town.
Ted and George: "It's not OUR fault! Nylander, CalleJo, Belanger, Hamrlik, Vokoun, Varlamov, Hannan, Linden, Bulis, Oates, Bondra, Jagr, Arnott, Semin, and Olie are all a bunch of trouble-makers."
Weren't there injury concerns with Mitchell at the time? I thought I remembered him being looked at by a couple clubs and the only team willing to give him 2 years was the Kings. It's no sure bet that Mitchell would have stayed healthy here for 2 seasons and the move would have been pooped on relentlessly while people wondered why the Caps didn't sign someone without any injury concerns like Roman Hamrlik.
As Ref9 pointed out, he was coming off of a serious concussion. There were definitely concerns. Los Angeles, Washington, and Vancouver were the three serious contenders, with LA being the only team to pony up a second year on the offer. He worked out with both the Kings and the Caps to show he was healthy.
Hamrlik, on the other hand, was viewed as kind of an iron man. He had played 75+ games in all but one season since the lock-out. While injury wasn't a huge concern, that many games played for a 37 year old certainly brought a mileage concern with it. A concern that has apparently manifested as legitimate.
Not to mention McPhee immediately ponied up a 2-year extension with Poti (a year before his contract even expired) only a couple months after passing on Mitchell. Poti then promptly played 21 games that season and missed the entire next season.
It's puzzling to see when McPhee is concerned about the extra term and when he isn't. Guess the pendulum swung the other way after he missed out on Mitchell.
I did forget about Olie. His name flashed in my mind but I had forgotten how uncool that was. Oates left unhappy, too, didn't he? Linden begged out. Bulis was pissy. Arnott wasn't impressed. Oh and Eric Belanger was a real ugly one.
I'm telling you, Ted is an idiot. The Caps are a botched organization.
All good examples. I don't think its Ted tho. He is not running day to day operations. It has more to do with the decision makers whether that be GMGM or the rest of the brass.
Halpern didn't leave on good terms either. Some say GMGM gave him an offer but he said the Caps never even contacted him.
Witt wouldn't resign either and pretty much wanted out asap.
I didn't like how Chris Clark was issued out but that was business and I can understand that. Clark was REAL sad after.
Also in the Bulis trade Zednik was PO'd. I remember a story where he was giving the bird when walking out the building. Could not be true tho.
Knuble made me uneasy too. Dale treated him poorly.
After Halpern was threw a fit on the road in MSG during the Rags series, in the luxury box with other players and team execs, *****ing because he wasn't in the lineup....he was done as a Cap.
The Mitchell episode really pisses me off. At the time, I remember how all the Canuck fans said he had helped mentor Bieska and make Bieska a more rounded two way d-man. Mitchell sounded like the perfect pairing for Green.
Then because of not going the extra year for Mitchell they then end up trading Flash for Hannan. Don't get me wrong, I had no problem with trading Flash but what could he have gotten the Caps at the time if they didn't "have" to trade him for Hannan.
After Halpern was threw a fit on the road in MSG during the Rags series, in the luxury box with other players and team execs, *****ing because he wasn't in the lineup....he was done as a Cap.
So Halpern left on bad terms twice. Unreal.
I bet Halpern was a huge Dale Hunter fan growing up too.
I still cannot believe how bad Hunter was as a coach (in my mind at least). He basically made half the team hate the Caps organization.
And how about how George treated Boudreau????
The year before we had an 8 game losing streak and GMGM said he was fine and we turned around and won the east.
The year after there is a 4 or 5 game losing streak and suddenly "he lost the team".
Didn't take long for the rest of the NHL to scoop up BB. GMGM sometimes has no clue.
Ted the humanitarian has led a lot of hockey players to unhappiness.
B-Rouse, it's all at Ted's feet. He has to set winning as the standard. No one else can do it for him. He has no standards and, just as night follows day, the Caps suck.
Philadelphia has essentially relegated him to the same 4th line and healthy scratch role that Dale did. Knuble is done.
The Caps could have handled it better. That is what I'm saying. Dale had a real problem with communicating with players. I thought Knuble was good in the playoffs when he got his chance. He helped create the winner in game 7 did he not? Him and Ward barely played but they were good. Hunter was insane.
The Kolzig situation I can give them a pass for b/c he was really losing it at that point and getting Huet was our only chance at making the playoffs in hindsight.
Ted the humanitarian has led a lot of hockey players to unhappiness.
B-Rouse, it's all at Ted's feet. He has to set winning as the standard. No one else can do it for him. He has no standards and, just as night follows day, the Caps suck.
Well Ted is ultimately to blame for GMGM holding his job I assume. So in that respect it is his fault. It really does all start at the top.
So ok I'm with you on this. Its on Ted. But for not getting rid of GMGM after all these debacled instances and lack of results.
Hunter was a great coach He had standards. He made men out of a very soft team. They beat the big and bad SC champion Bruins! If Dale would've suited up for that all-time NHL worst PP in the end against the Rags he would've at least got the puck in the O zone. He may have scored!
