Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines/etc) | 2023-24 Regular Season Edition

[Caps8112]

fine with moving wilson for the right piece but not really interested in Marner. Its not all his fault they lose, but doesnt seem like a playoff warrior type or the superstar that overcomes the playoffs warrior defending him.
Leafs werent going anywhere this season and wont next season until they get real goaltending.

 

[g00n]

I don't remember Datsyuk being thought of as a primadonna headcase, though. Just not able to win. Until he was.

 

[Todd Lazarchick]

Well they didn't want to trade prospects, didn't want to trade draft picks, and their top dangles in Kuzy and Mantha were either hurt, in trouble, or stinking up the ice.

Not sure how gmbm could've gotten anything significant without giving up way too much.

But that’s the point. He’s never willing to give up anything. Does he know it’s ok to make a trade where both sides win?

 

[pman25]

I don’t even know if you have to move Wilson for him, see if they will take pick #17 and some spare parts. I’d give them Dowd, Lindgren, one of the RHD.

And however many 2nd and 3rds they want!

 

[Calicaps]

But that’s the point. He’s never willing to give up anything. Does he know it’s ok to make a trade where both sides win?

I don't think that's true at all. He's traded firsts and seconds aplenty and been shit on for it on these boards. The aging pieces weren't desirable assets and kids were unproven. This is very much the first time in a long time that he's had 1) more than a few draft picks to offer and 2) actual cap space to take on a big-time player's contract

 

[hb12xchamps]

Call me crazy but I don’t necessarily consider our goaltender position to be “deep.”There’s a helluva lot of unknowns in there.

Stevenson looked great at the beginning of the year and fell back to earth towards the end of the season. He’s already 25 with 0 NHL games. He had a heck of a season, however, he played behind the best team in the AHL so hard to say how much that plays into it.

Shepard is Fucale 2.0. Elite AHL goaltender with spot duty call up potential. I don’t think he has the athleticism at the NHL level to make up for his lack of height.

I also fully expect a regression from Chucky. This season was abnormal for his career standards and he is already 30 years old. He single handedly kept them in a playoff spot but it would be difficult to expect that again from him. His series against the Rangers wasn’t great, albeit he did have an AHL defense in front of him the majority of the series.

 

[Calicaps]

Call me crazy but I don’t necessarily consider our goaltender position to be “deep.”There’s a helluva lot of unknowns in there.

Stevenson looked great at the beginning of the year and fell back to earth towards the end of the season. He’s already 25 with 0 NHL games. He had a heck of a season, however, he played behind the best team in the AHL so hard to say how much that plays into it.

Shepard is Fucale 2.0. Elite AHL goaltender with spot duty call up potential. I don’t think he has the athleticism at the NHL level to make up for his lack of height.

I also fully expect a regression from Chucky. This season was abnormal for his career standards and he is already 30 years old. He single handedly kept them in a playoff spot but it would be difficult to expect that again from him. His series against the Rangers wasn’t great, albeit he did have an AHL defense in front of him the majority of the series.

I agree. I am very wary of trading Darcy.

 

[twabby]

By all means if Marner wouldn't cost Wilson then don't give them Wilson. It's certainly possible they trade Marner for 5 cents on the dollar rather than 50 cents.

I just hope they're in on him. 90+ point two-way playmakers typically cost the moon, Marner is going to cost far less than his worth to a buying team.

 

[alphabetical]

By all means if Marner wouldn't cost Wilson then don't give them Wilson. It's certainly possible they trade Marner for 5 cents on the dollar rather than 50 cents.

I just hope they're in on him. 90+ point two-way playmakers typically cost the moon, Marner is going to cost far less than his worth to a buying team.

But he's only signed for a year before becoming UFA. I don't want the caps wasting resources on a rental.

 

[RedRocking]

But he's only signed for a year before becoming UFA. I don't want the caps wasting resources on a rental.

He has a full NMC, so if he waives it, it’s presumably for somewhere he’d want to sign long term.

Anyone that is trying to trade for him will be talking to his people about an extension.

 

[bacchist]

We apparently signed Pacioretty to a deal that prevented us from moving him at the trade deadline, which took me by surprise. I wouldn't put it past them to trade for a guy who will just walk at the end of his contract.

 

[Langway]

I just hope they're in on him.

Given MacLellan's stated preferences you'd have to think they are unless Toronto has an initial very specific ask that Washington can't fulfill. It's probably too early for that advanced stage just yet. Toronto needs a coach and to decompress a bit. Then they can finalize how they plan to restructure. What other card can they play, though? Trying to find a taker for Tavares seems costly and way more complicated. Given past contract issues and just the psyche of the team it seems inevitable it'll be Marner. I guess they could theoretically run it back with a different voice but then it's an own rental situation probably and their depth takes a big hit unless they scrounge up cheap stopgaps again.

The big difference this time around for the Caps is cap space. Many others will have greater flexibility compared to the past few years but it's their biggest asset. Here's hoping they're patient and selective deploying it and are also creatively open to making some subtractions here or there if need be. Even if Wilson is off the table other cap-efficient options like Jensen, Dowd and Malenstyn should have appeal to teams like Toronto.

 

[DWGie26]

By all means if Marner wouldn't cost Wilson then don't give them Wilson. It's certainly possible they trade Marner for 5 cents on the dollar rather than 50 cents.

I just hope they're in on him. 90+ point two-way playmakers typically cost the moon, Marner is going to cost far less than his worth to a buying team.

Exactly. He is going to be harder to move than Kuzy. Leafs will have 4 $10M+ forwards next year. The logical choice is Marner for reasons other have stated. But not many teams can afford to take on a $10M contract. With unknown of being a UFA next year. We can do it without sending a player back. Maybe there is a partner who has something Leafs want.

But ultimately I think they don’t get much to move him. Like rental type. I think possibly a 3rd this year and maybe a conditional next year if we resign him. Leafs get some value but get to move on from cap and player rather than losing him for nothing next year. Gain cap space as well which they need more than a player.

 

[Calicaps]

We apparently signed Pacioretty to a deal that prevented us from moving him at the trade deadline, which took me by surprise. I wouldn't put it past them to trade for a guy who will just walk at the end of his contract.

While this is true, as has been previously discussed, you have to think that BMac envisioned the deal as low risk and moderate reward, where Max would surely want a shot at a Cup and would accept a trade to a contender at the deadline, gaining the Caps a basically free 3rd or 4th round pick or something. With that in mind, GMBM almost surely viewed the NMC as courtesy, guaranteeing that if Patches couldn't go, he wouldn't endure the indignity of getting waived. Mac must've been stunned--as we all were--when he declined the trade to a top team. Dude just didn't want a championship ring that bad, I guess.

 

[DWGie26]

While this is true, as has been previously discussed, you have to think that BMac envisioned the deal as low risk and moderate reward, where Max would surely want a shot at a Cup and would accept a trade to a contender at the deadline, gaining the Caps a basically free 3rd or 4th round pick or something. With that in mind, GMBM almost surely viewed the NMC as courtesy, guaranteeing that if Patches couldn't go, he wouldn't endure the indignity of getting waived. Mac must've been stunned--as we all were--when he declined the trade to a top team. Dude just didn't want a championship ring that bad, I guess.

I thought he really lost his confidence. couldn’t get it back. Exhausted him. Easier to ride it out then go on a grind… especially when your game isn’t good. Good gamble. Bad result for all.

 

[trick9]

Lost in all of this Marner -debacle is Tavares.

I assume he's not going to waive his NMC (for the record, i assume Marner won't either) to come here, but if he did, that'd be another great target for us. He's not nearly the player he used to be and has that choker reputation but he's still a really great player that only has 1 year left on his contract.

And while Marner would still cost assets, even if the Leafs were willing to lose that deal, there is a good chance Leafs would just pay something to get rid of Tavares if they get him to waive his NMC. Leafs still need to please their fan-base and have atleast something to show for it, but i'd guess they would jump at a chance to trade Tavares + Pick #23 + 2026 3rd rounder for Nick Jensen + 2026 late pick. They'd get something to show for it there, open up a lot of cap space and they can take a run at one of the UFA D's.

For the Capitals that'd be great bit of business. You get scoring. Improve the offense. Add picks. Tavares could help them if they wish to make the Playoffs again next season, and if they don't, he should be very easy to move to a contender with salary retention.

I'd guess Tavares would be much more willing to waive his NMC to come here than Marner, since it'd be a short-term thing. I think acquiring Marner and re-signing him is a pipe dream. Even if they were willing to lose the trade, there would still be a lot of interest so the cost wouldn't be pennies. And i don't really buy the scenario where Marner would only list few teams he'd join and Capitals would be one of those teams and we'd get him for 5 cents on the dollar... because, why? It'd still cost Wilson, for sure. Which we know that MacLellan isn't willing to do.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Tavares might be a good piece of business but is he even an upgrade on Strome at this point? I feel like those are two players heading in opposite directions in their career trajectories. And he takes away a C spot from McMike and Lapierre. Marner fills a real hole, as does a center who can be a bonafide 1C. Tavares just feels like more of the same middling middle six talent they already have a glut of.

To your point though, the Caps are in a good spot. They have cap space to burn to help facilitate trades, a decent prospect pool and cache of draft picks, a good young coach, and they overperformed expectations so they don’t have to sell a rebuilding project to players who want to win now. That, and whoever is on the team this and next year gets to ride shotgun to potentially the greatest achievement in decades with Ovechkin potentially taking over #99.

 

[Pigskin]

I've also been thinking about gathering assets and/or moving a Jensen/DK type contract with Tavares. Unless of course we can land a big fish instead. Tavares for 6 months or a year is us being patient and waiting for the right deal.

I see McMike as part of a trade to either help the D or obtain a top 6 winger.
I also see Protas as the 3C moving forward or temporarily as the 4C in the case that we obtained Tavaras for 6 months. Protas is going to need to find stability at some point soon - a place to call his own in the lineup.
If all this happened, Dowd would be traded. He has value now, so we should get what we can for him. He has been great, but at his age, cash in.

Strome, Lappy, Tavares, Protas down the middle is pretty decent for the short term.

Would players be excited to be part of 895? Would it be an incentive for a vet coming in? I wouldn't think many would, aside from Ovi's established relationships. I don't see this as a selling point at all.

 

[Kazer]

I agree. I am very wary of trading Darcy.

Call me crazy but I don’t necessarily consider our goaltender position to be “deep.”There’s a helluva lot of unknowns in there.

Stevenson looked great at the beginning of the year and fell back to earth towards the end of the season. He’s already 25 with 0 NHL games. He had a heck of a season, however, he played behind the best team in the AHL so hard to say how much that plays into it.

Shepard is Fucale 2.0. Elite AHL goaltender with spot duty call up potential. I don’t think he has the athleticism at the NHL level to make up for his lack of height.

I also fully expect a regression from Chucky. This season was abnormal for his career standards and he is already 30 years old. He single handedly kept them in a playoff spot but it would be difficult to expect that again from him. His series against the Rangers wasn’t great, albeit he did have an AHL defense in front of him the majority of the series.

If the Caps were looking to contend in 24-25, I would agree. However, since we are not contenders, then moving Kuemper becomes a lot more plausible.

Let's start with Kuemper - he has not been great here. A career .914 sv% has dipped to .902% (combined) over his two seasons here. And he lost his starting role. However, with his previous pedigree, he could still be tradable to a team desperate for goaltending (Edmonton comes to mind). He's also a definitely bounce-back candidate.

Regarding Stevenson, he 'fell back to earth' to what was still an extremely good season. He was highly touted signing out of Dartmouth and has put up good numbers in the ECHL level and then even better numbers at the AHL level (.922% as a 'rookie'). Further, if he's not the answer, the team really needs to know that sooner than later as Antoine Keller is really the only prospect in the system (Gibson turns 25 this summer and spent the year in the ECHL).

Regarding Shepard, I agree - but I do think he could be a viable NHL backup next year if needed.

And then regarding Lindgren, I'm not sure how much regression you will get. He played a lot more games than any previous season, but he did not exceed his career mark by that wide of a margin (.909 career vs .911 this past season). If he does regress, I think you are looking at something around .900 to .905, which was still better than what Darcy put up last year.

Basically, if the Caps were competing for a cup, I would hang onto Kuemper. As it stands, it makes more sense to move Kuemper if a team out there is willing to take on the full contract. This scenario gives you the chance to evaluate Stevenson either at the NHL level (as primary backup) or at the AHL level (as primary starter).

 

[Hivemind]

Lindgren is definitely a big regression candidate. His career sv% isn't that much worse than his past season sv%, but that's because 45% of the games he's appeared in his career were in this past season. Nearly 75% of his career appearances have come in the past two seasons in Washington. He's a guy who's been a career #3 with spells as a back-up and mixed results over that span, and this was the first time in his career he's risen to be a starter. Career back-up (or #3) goalies having a pop off season and then regressing back is a tale as old as time. Jack Campbell was briefly looking like he was going to be Toronto's savior in net, and now he's back in the AHL at age 32. Similar stories for guys like Andrew Hammond, Calvin Pickard, Andrew Raycroft, Alex Nedjelkovic, Cal Petersen, Eddie Lack, etc

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

...i'd guess they would jump at a chance to trade Tavares + Pick #23 + 2026 3rd rounder for Nick Jensen + 2026 late pick. They'd get something to show for it there, open up a lot of cap space and they can take a run at one of the UFA D's.

This works from my side. Remember CapFriendly also lists Tavares as a LW. You could have a mix of:

Tavares - Lappy - Leonard
Ovi - Strome - Miroshnichenko
Milano - CMM - Wilson
Beck - Protas - Sgarbossa

That adds 29 goals for Jensen and a late pick, per your suggestion. Definitely improved.

We could the use any or a mix of DK, Charlie, Dowd, the Leafs 1st, one of our 3 3rds this year, one of our 3 2nd next year to trade for a quality D. Chychrun comes to mind. Open to other suggestions for D trade targets...

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Stretch scenario... we do the above and received enough assets to move for 2 quality D maybe we trade both DK and Charlie. With a much improved D Stevenson should have an easier transition.

Shep as a backup for one year and then Gibson?

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Also reading favorable trend currently for Suzdalev and Trineyev (as a 4th liner). Adds some time to give Cristall and Funk a look to see how well they can translate to the pro game. Getting Tavares fits the patience approach and waiting a year to target a long-term high-dollar UFA.

I'll add Tavares would be well motivated as a pending UFA.

 

[Midnight Judges]

I like 35 point Wilson (while getting PP minutes) who doesn't play strong defense a helluva lot less than the old 50 ish point Tom Wilson.

Which player is he going to be in the long term? I think he may have lost a step already.

 

[Calicaps]

Tavares!?! WUT? No.