whats our cap situation going to be at the deadline in terms of pro-rated space available for new salary?
Essentially none. LTIR, as mentioned, doesn't allow for banking cap space. So we basically get ~$1M+new injuries. We can barely fit Orlov if he's a call up for a non-LTIR player.
as i thought. so acquisitions will be difficult. we'd have to offload salary which looks like a limited proposition. we could offer hamrlik and a pick to someone, but with the way hes playing the team would want the pick just to take his salary off our hands, nevermind giving us a decent player in return.
This fact, plus GMGM's words about having a playoff team play together all year vs deadline acqs, = what you see is what you get... which is very very good. But probably could have been better for short term.
as i thought. so acquisitions will be difficult. we'd have to offload salary which looks like a limited proposition. we could offer hamrlik and a pick to someone, but with the way hes playing the team would want the pick just to take his salary off our hands, nevermind giving us a decent player in return.
having backup never hurts, because if we trade hamrlik and 1 player gets injured, next up is collins or orlov
I am not sure that the Capitals regard Hamrlik's play with the same disdain some here do. His minutes dont seem to reflect any lack of confidence in him.
14 games in and Green is already going to miss games with a second injury. He is going to be a target for the rest of his career. And does not play well banged up. I wish they would trade him. We are on our way to another BB fail anyways. Why not start planning for a few season from now. But I don't think they will unless the team falls apart.
We already wasted OV best years on BB. I am starting to think he is what he is. He will get his points and some goals. While he continues to kill the team with his lazy play at all other areas of the game.
Nothing will change until BB is gone.
And to all you company BB guys. Yes, the team is 10-4 and in first place. But there is no way you can say the team looks good. Or is playing good hockey. All the BB can do is change lines and hope for a great individual effort as always.
What? The team is 7-0 with Green in the lineup. And its a series of bad luck injures.
Keep telling yourself that. You will never be able to count on him for a 20+ game playoff run.
But then again you guys are happy with BB regular season wins. And the playoffs don't really matter.
Such a clear and sad agenda Really makes it hard to take anything you say seriously.
BB just relying on individual performances as always? Have you watched the games at all this year? The bottom six has been outstanding both the 3rd and 4th line, as units, have had a major impact. The Caps have one player that's better than a point per game. You're delusional, as usual.
I knew you would come at me. Seeing I already covered your usual "The team is 10-4 and BB is doing a great job" nonsense. All that stuff was put in there you.
I was very surprised with Schultz getting scratched last night. I'm not a big fan of his, and thought he was terrible last year, but he has played quite well this season. Harmlik has been terrible, it made no sense that he got a jersey and Schultz didn't.
You claim BB isn't doing a great job, but you offer no legitimate points as to why.
All you did was go back to the "relying on individual performances" barrel. That has quite obviously not been the case to anyone who's watched the team this year, hence the Caps being one of the most balanced offensive teams in the league. If you can't tell the difference between the way the Caps are playing this year, and the way they've played the last few years, then there's no point in even discussing things with you.
If anything, this team would be better if individual performances weren't hurting the team at times (Hamrlik, Vokoun at times).
Again, your true colors were shown in your first few sentences. "We are on our way to another BB fail anyways. Why not start planning for a few season from now"
You cannot build a house on a bad foundation. And that is what the team has. No matter how you spin it. It will come back to the team not be prepared and not being able to adjust in the end. They play lazy poor fundamental hockey. And it’s been like this for years now.
"no legitimate points"
Accountability should start on day one. Not season four.
BB has some of the top talent in the league and the PP still sucks.
The team comes out flat for big games all the time.
It took three seasons for BB to make the forwards back check.
How many games seven have we lost at home now?
It’s not hard to keep going if you need me to.
Last edited by Mr Gone: 11-12-2011 at 10:29 AM.
Reason: "no legitimate points"
As much as I ride him, and tend to resist the tendency to try and coddle him back to expected production, I do think that one attempt that should be made right away with Semin is to put him back on the left side. Every single time he's struggling, put him back at his natural position. It shouldn't even be a question.
I see the new 2011-2012 season doom claim is that Ovechkin's best seasons are past and wasted. Where was this all off season?
BTW...Does the Caps pp still suck? Isn't it currently top 5? Top 5 with Mike Green not playing a big chunk of games and Ovechkin not scoring at home? Were they not top 5 season before last? Have they not sucked on the pp most of Boudreau's tenure?
One more point about the guy not being able to coach. John Carlson, Karl Alzner, and Marcus Johansson are not quality top of the lineup NHL players at their young age without proper guidence. Those kinds of players are as easily wasted and lost with poor coaching. Dennis Wideman had lost his confidence and much of his game in Florida. In Washington he is excelling. Currently tied for 7th in scoring from defense. Again that takes coaching.
I see the new 2011-2012 season doom claim is that Ovechkin's best seasons are past and wasted. Where was this all off season?
BTW...Does the Caps pp still suck? Isn't it currently top 5? Top 5 with Mike Green not playing a big chunk of games and Ovechkin not scoring at home? Were they not top 5 season before last? Have they not sucked on the pp most of Boudreau's tenure?
True it does look much better. And I should have been clearer. This team should be finely tuned and ready to compete for a cup. We had a whole season of not being able to get the PP working last season. And there was no accountability for the PP failure. If it’s not one thing it’s another. BB cannot hold this team together. He can fix one thing only to have the rest of it fall apart.
Maybe people were hoping 08-09 Ovie would show up this year?
Could be. But 08-09 Ov scored 5 goals in his first 14 games. So, nothing we have seen so far says that 08-09 Ov isn't here.
Traditionally, Ov has a big breakout right around the first of December. His strenth starts to take over more and more as the games and bumps and bruises start to pile up on opposing players.
I see nothing that says that Ovechkin is over the hill. What I do see is Backstrom making a run at his own Art Ross Trophy which is an entirely different discussion that gets set aside largely because its a positive. That and that Johansson is second on the team in goals. Another positive. If you ask me, its becoming more and more clear that kid is really something special.
True it does look much better. And I should have been clearer. This team should be finely tuned and ready to compete for a cup. We had a whole season of not being able to get the PP working last season. And there was no accountability for the PP failure. If it’s not one thing it’s another. BB cannot hold this team together. He can fix one thing only to have the rest of it fall apart.
The rest has fallen apart? They should be finely tuned for the playoffs at Veteran's Day? Eric Staal -16. That is falling apart. Bouncing off the bottom of the league in a tail spin is falling apart. I believe they have the best winning % in the conference with a whole bunch of new players. I don't see falling apart.
I think you are over reaching. You dont like Boudreau. I get it. But he fixed the power play, but the rest of the team is going to hell in a handbasket just doesn't fly.
Boston and Montreal are in a ditch. Vancouver is in a ditch. Its perfecty possible that a good team can drive off into a ditch. The Capitals are not doing that.
I see the new 2011-2012 season doom claim is that Ovechkin's best seasons are past and wasted. Where was this all off season?
Not that I agree with that guy, but people were obviously waiting to see how he would look this year. Personally, I think it could still go either way, although it's been and probably will stay somewhere in the middle. (Which I guess would mean his best years are behind him, but we'll see.)
Quote:
One more point about the guy not being able to coach. John Carlson, Karl Alzner, and Marcus Johansson are not quality top of the lineup NHL players at their young age without proper guidence. Those kinds of players are as easily wasted and lost with poor coaching. Dennis Wideman had lost his confidence and much of his game in Florida. In Washington he is excelling. Currently tied for 7th in scoring from defense. Again that takes coaching.
Yeah. That is one thing he has consistently shown a pretty remarkable ability to do. It's frustrating that he's clearly very good in many important ways but has yet to address some important consistent problems.
As much as I ride him, and tend to resist the tendency to try and coddle him back to expected production, I do think that one attempt that should be made right away with Semin is to put him back on the left side. Every single time he's struggling, put him back at his natural position. It shouldn't even be a question.
I would continue to ride him hard until he shows improvement in a focus area to the coach... Then I would reward him with some SOB time.
i think he was being rewarded last night getting backstrom on his line. I think that had as much to do with trying to get semin going as anything else. I think that is why Boudreau benched him.
Boudreau expected to see Semin intense and ready to rock and got the opposite. Did not Semin himself say that he was looking for a breakout game? My read is that came straight from the coach's mouth.
I see the new 2011-2012 season doom claim is that Ovechkin's best seasons are past and wasted. Where was this all off season?
BTW...Does the Caps pp still suck? Isn't it currently top 5? Top 5 with Mike Green not playing a big chunk of games and Ovechkin not scoring at home? Were they not top 5 season before last? Have they not sucked on the pp most of Boudreau's tenure?
One more point about the guy not being able to coach. John Carlson, Karl Alzner, and Marcus Johansson are not quality top of the lineup NHL players at their young age without proper guidence. Those kinds of players are as easily wasted and lost with poor coaching. Dennis Wideman had lost his confidence and much of his game in Florida. In Washington he is excelling. Currently tied for 7th in scoring from defense. Again that takes coaching.
I really think the Wideman case is him not being the top guy. He is a great player to have when he is #3-4 on the team. Some team is going to give him a big contract expecting him to play like a #1 and they are going to be really let down.
I guess I have to give some credit for all the kids turning out really well. So he has to be doing something right. But there are still big parts of the puzzle missing.
Some things might be missing. We will see. That said, I've said this before. All Boudreau needs is a championship and he immediately is the best coach in the league, second best if depending on what Babcock does.
Here's what I know. Even most of the best coaches in this league are what they are. They have a style of play and a style of coaching and that is what they do, team to team, roster to roster. Torts is Torts. Lovy is Lovy. Tippett is Tippett. Hitchcock is Hitchcock.
Boudreau has been a run and gun offensive coach and finished first. With the same basic roster he has been a defense first coach and finished first. He has been a let em have fun players coach and is now a won't hesitate to leave even his best player on the bench style of coach. Its only hard to not see the how much this guy brings to the table unless you have convinced yourself that he is a clown-loser.
