Wolski is not a plug and neither is Hendricks. Hendricks is a solid 4th line player. If anything, Ward and Chimera need to go over those guys. You forget Wolski, when healthy, is actually pretty darn good.
If you pick up a veteran D whose in his early thirties to pair with Green that would be nice. I suggested Jordan Leopold but I don't know if we could get him from Buffalo.
I don't disagree that the team has holes, but I see it a little differently.
If Knuble could be the 3rd guy on the top line, I think Brouwer could fill that role well enough for them to devote resources elsewhere.
2nd line wingers. Looks like they are going with band-aids while waiting for the Kuznetsovs and Forsbergs. Wolski had looked pretty good and I'd like Fehr to get a shot, but I'm more partial to him than most. Definitely a problem now and might be in the future depending on how well the young guys translate.
I think it's well known that I don't care for Laich. $4.5M for a 3rd line winger is terrible resource management. That line could have Chimera and Mojo for speed and Ward for cycling/retrieval/rebound duty.
4th line. I'm fine with the Hendricks/Beagles/Crabbs of the world competing for spots and getting PK time.
I'd argue that the top pair is Alzner-Carlson and they should be looking for a 2LD to pair with Green. Cut down his ES minutes. One of Poti or Hamrlik should be able to fill that hole this year.
Hamrlik-Orlov would be a good 3rd pair.
I'm later to the party than most, but I've given up on Schultz. I see him as a buyout candidate but I doubt management does. Erskine in small doses is fine as a #7.
According to Katie Carrera, team had an optional practice/skate this AM. Those not participating were Ovechkin, Backstrom, Ribeiro, Brouwer, Wolski and Green.
Best twitter response, they looked like they had an optional skate last night as well.
I don't disagree that the team has holes, but I see it a little differently.
If Knuble could be the 3rd guy on the top line, I think Brouwer could fill that role well enough for them to devote resources elsewhere.
2nd line wingers. Looks like they are going with band-aids while waiting for the Kuznetsovs and Forsbergs. Wolski had looked pretty good and I'd like Fehr to get a shot, but I'm more partial to him than most. Definitely a problem now and might be in the future depending on how well the young guys translate.
I think it's well known that I don't care for Laich. $4.5M for a 3rd line winger is terrible resource management. That line could have Chimera and Mojo for speed and Ward for cycling/retrieval/rebound duty.
4th line. I'm fine with the Hendricks/Beagles/Crabbs of the world competing for spots and getting PK time.
I'd argue that the top pair is Alzner-Carlson and they should be looking for a 2LD to pair with Green. Cut down his ES minutes. One of Poti or Hamrlik should be able to fill that hole this year.
Hamrlik-Orlov would be a good 3rd pair.
I'm later to the party than most, but I've given up on Schultz. I see him as a buyout candidate but I doubt management does. Erskine in small doses is fine as a #7.
He means "Since Knuble was able to fill that role, Brouwer should be able to as well."
I know it's not your statement, but to me the difference is that knuble had a very high hockey-IQ and a calmness to his game to compensate for his loss of athletisism, which I'm afraid Brouwer doesn't have, yet! That's why I think Brouwer hasn't clicked so well with Ovi&Nicky.
I still wouldn't mind trying Ovechkin with Ribeiro, or atleast put Wolski on the first line, because Mojo is turning the puck over every time they try to get a cycle going.
We have three "holes" in the top six, Chimera and Ward belong on the 4th line, and Hendricks should be on the bench... but Beagle and Perreault are acceptable 3rd and 4th line centers? Sometimes I don't get you guys.
We have three "holes" in the top six, Chimera and Ward belong on the 4th line, and Hendricks should be on the bench... but Beagle and Perreault are acceptable 3rd and 4th line centers? Sometimes I don't get you guys.
On a team run by a competent manager who built up some depth, yes. If we had, say, Neal amd Kunitz as top six wingers, Hendricks would be pushed down the depth chart.
On a team run by a competent manager who built up some depth, yes. If we had, say, Neal amd Kunitz as top six wingers, Hendricks would be pushed down the depth chart.
And if we had Crosby, Malkin, and Sutter down the middle, Beagle and Perreault would be pushed down the depth chart.
And if we had Crosby, Malkin, and Sutter down the middle, Beagle and Perreault would be pushed down the depth chart.
I just happen to think it's easier and wiser to build around Backstrom and Ribeiro than to seek out A++ 3rd and 4th line centers. If we disagree on that point no point taking this any further.
__________________
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 just happen to think it's easier and wiser to build around Backstrom and Ribeiro than to seek out A++ 3rd and 4th line centers. If we disagree on that point no point taking this any further.
We already have a quality 3rd line center in Brooks Laich, but for some reason you have him at 3LW and demote a perfectly capable 3LW (Chimera) to the 4th line. It would be lovely to live in the perfect world where the entire top six is filled with 1st line players and we can have 2/3rd line tweeners on the 4th line, but that's just fantasy. Guys like Brouwer and Laich occupy important roles on just about every team in the NHL, including the winning ones.
We already have a quality 3rd line center in Brooks Laich, but for some reason you have him at 3LW and demote a perfectly capable 3LW (Chimera) to the 4th line.
Laich is not a center regardless of what Mcphee says. He doesn't have the smarts or the strength to play center. He also scored a lot less points playing center than wing. If he's back at wing and playing to his 55 point potential, he slots higher than Chimera on the depth chart. Is that hard to follow?
Laich is not a center regardless of what Mcphee says. He doesn't have the smarts or the strength to play center. He also scored a lot less points playing center than wing. If he's back at wing and playing to his 55 point potential, he slots higher than Chimera on the depth chart. Is that hard to follow?
This.
Other than the MacAfee brainwashing, I have no idea why people are so inclined to view him as a 3C.
His faceoff ability is average to below average.
His speed is average.
His forechecking is average. He's not exactly an intimidating physical average.
His defensive play is good but relies more on effort than hockey smarts.
His primary instincts are those of a winger. He's not particularly good at distributing the puck.
He... blocks shots I guess?
He's paid 4.5 million to bring less than a specialized 2 million dollar 3C would in the role. If we want a real 3C trade him for McClemment or Talbot and pocket the difference.
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.
Laich is not a center regardless of what Mcphee says. He doesn't have the smarts or the strength to play center. He also scored a lot less points playing center than wing. If he's back at wing and playing to his 55 point potential, he slots higher than Chimera on the depth chart. Is that hard to follow?
If he's playing at 55 point potential, he's not a 3rd liner. He would very obviously fill one of the holes in the top six at that point. I can understand the logic of moving him away from center to play on a line that (theoretically) sees more ice time, but to move him away from center and keep him in the bottom six doesn't make sense.
But, his point decline didn't happen at even strength. It happened on the power play. During his high production years, he was feasting on PP points. His ES lines for the past for years have remained consistent. Playing center didn't really impact those totals.
08-09: 13G/27P
09-10: 12G/36P
10-11: 11G/32P
11-12: 10G/31P
It's his powerplay production that has declined in the past two years. He saw significantly less PP time last year than he did the previous three (due to the acquisition of Brouwer). And our powerplay has also been functioning at a lower rate in each of the past two than the two before. If he's restored his role on the top powerplay unit, and it functions at >20% again, his point totals will likely climb.
And potting around 40 points is actually pretty darn excellent production for a 3rd line center.
