i would worry about knuble had he had had a good start and then disappeared down the stretch. what happened was the opposite. a poor start aided by boudreau choosing to go with a lot SOB in the beginning and laich on the first pp unit. when that played out and knuble got his ice back, he immediately broke his jaw.
after that he was as good as ever right into the playoffs where he broke his hand.
Not saying people here want to send Knoobs out the door, cause honestly, we don't. Let's be honest, Knuble is probably going to retire as a Cap. He may only be penciled in on the top line, but I can't see him being replaced, unless he hangs em up. I don't see why he'd leave for another team, at this point.
- he is basically playing for a contract every year, and willing to take discounts to stay.
- he is versatile, and can play on any line
- he wants to play for a contender, and has a shot every year with these guys.
- he's a vet presence on a young team
- he's consistent, although streaky, and gets 20 goals a year
why would you let someone like that go? we're obviously just looking at the options, since he's only got so many years left in the tank.
Wanting the younger acquisition to succeed has ZERO to do with Knuble. I would love it if Brouwer's play forced Knuble to the 2nd line. It would mean McPhee made a great trade and we would have a guy performing at better than a 20g pace there...that said....probably won't happen and Knuble will put in a respectable year.
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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.
out the door? maybe not. not mostly. last year there were many asking loudly and regularly why fehr was not on the first line instead of knuble.
this camp we have had some posts suggesting the knuble belongs on the 3rd line as a checker. i really dont get that, but its been here.
Knuble was absolutely awful at the beginning of last year. It was with good reason everyone was asking for Fehr. Knuble didn't catch fire until near the end of the season.
