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2023-24 Washington Capitals Thread


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9 hours ago, capcrunch98 said:

Backstrom admits in post-game press conference that the Isles were hungrier and wanted it more.  A lot of people made this observation about the Canes when they bounced us last year (which is why I brought it up earlier today). I know none of us wanna hear this, but when that happens to a veteran team that just won the Cup 2 years ago, it goes beyond the bottom-pairing d-men and the 3rd and 4th lines and even the coach.  It's an issue with the core of the team.  


there is definitely some truth in what you are saying though that’s also some pretty basic player speak after losing a series. But that’s why I think it’s important to be bringing up younger players rather than playing retreads. A team needs the energy that rookies and 2nd year players can bring a team. Those players are looking to prove they belong. Also, it’s important to have a coach to help bring the energy needed in these situations. 

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I remember how hype the players (and fans) got when Trotz would do his hot lap ritual in the Stanley Cup run.

 

Just curious if Reirden does anything like this, anyone know?

 

I can see that kind of thing firing up the team to bring more energy.

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1 hour ago, Hersh said:


there is definitely some truth in what you are saying though that’s also some pretty basic player speak after losing a series. But that’s why I think it’s important to be bringing up younger players rather than playing retreads. A team needs the energy that rookies and 2nd year players can bring a team. Those players are looking to prove they belong. Also, it’s important to have a coach to help bring the energy needed in these situations. 

 

In 2018 our bottom 6 had Connoly, DSP and Burakovsky. This year, it had Hagelin, Kovalchuk and Panik. :(

 

11 hours ago, capcrunch98 said:

Agreed. He's been the worst bring-in-a-fading-star-for-one-last-chance-at-the-Cup experiment since Mike Richards. I really thought playing with Ovi and other fellow Russians would elevate his game to a Fedorov-like level. Not even close. 

 

In fairness to Kovalchuck and Dillon, they NEVER got a chance to gel with the team properly. This was my main concern when the pandemic

interrupted the season right around the TDL, and my fears were justified. 

Edited by Mournblade
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10 hours ago, c slag said:

If Holtby does leave the organization, he leaves with a Calder Cup championship ring and a Stanley Cup championship ring 

 

He was critical to the 2018 run. Tampa Game 6, Game 7, Vegas Game 2 were all his

(and I'm probably forgetting some of the Pittsburgh/Columbus games which he stole as well). 

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28 minutes ago, Mournblade said:

 

In 2018 our bottom 6 had Connoly, DSP and Burakovsky. This year, it had Hagelin, Kovalchuk and Panik. :(

 

 

In fairness to Kovalchuck and Dillon, they NEVER got a chance to gel with the team properly. This was my main concern when the pandemic

interrupted the season right around the TDL, and my fears were justified. 

 

Losing Bura hurts cause he's a younger player and his contract with Colorado wasn't significant. I mean, he wasn't great with the Caps but I'd take him over Hagelin and Panik all day. Speaking of terrible deals, Hagelin and Panik make over $5 million combined and are under contract another 3 years. That's just throwing away valuable cap space. 

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36 minutes ago, Hersh said:

 

Losing Bura hurts cause he's a younger player and his contract with Colorado wasn't significant. I mean, he wasn't great with the Caps but I'd take him over Hagelin and Panik all day. 

 

Losing Connolly was far worse. You realize Connolly was a top 10 pick in 2010 (picked #6 by Tampa)? At times he even showed flashes of his top 10 pedigree.

And we had him playing on our THIRD line. 

 

No the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Caps were stacked, particularly on the bottom 6. 

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4 minutes ago, Mournblade said:

 

Losing Connolly was far worse. You realize Connolly was a top 10 pick in 2010 (picked #6 by Tampa)? At times he even showed flashes of his top 10 pedigree.

And we had him playing on our THIRD line. 

 

No the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Caps were stacked, particularly on the bottom 6. 

 

Connolly did come into his own in Washington and his production was increasing. The way to keep Bura and Connolly is developing younger players to keep funnelling into the system on rookie contracts. 

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4 minutes ago, Springfield said:


I need to hear the quote more clearly but I didn’t think it was too bad.

he lowered an entire gender to just a "distraction", while more and more NHL writers and viewers are that gender. so ya, it was inappropriate. but its the not the first time hes said something dumb. hes been terrible for years, and him being replaced is long overdue. there are too many better, younger analysts out there for him to still have that job

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Wow Vrana sucks something else in the playoffs, wtf bro. Goodbye Kovalchuk. Very flat outing last night, they gave up after the first. Not sure how to get excited for next year if we run the same lines, really want to see CMM with a sweater next year and maybe even Alexeyev. Still somewhat get a pass from me since the cup was only 2 years ago but it’s pretty stupid to get smoked from an inferior opponent after being the best team in the league for half the season. I really don’t know what they’ll do with Reirden, I really don’t mind the his pressers and seems like a likeable dude but I’m not sure how the players feel. Ovechkin is Teds moneymaker so he needs to think hard about getting Lavi or Gallant to coach for some of the rest of the Ovechkin years, they need to make a deep run next year or it will be very concerning and almost means the window will be for sure closed. The ****ing ISLANDERS beat us I mean wtf

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5 hours ago, max21 said:

Still somewhat get a pass from me since the cup was only 2 years ago

Every fan is entitled to their opinion, and it's nice to hear silver linings the day after a very pitiful elimination. But this club gets no pass from me. The 2018 Cup win made me think this team knew how to match another team's intensity, was willing to do whatever it takes to win, and above all finally stop taking periods - and sometimes entire games - off like they had been doing for the previous decade. For 9 weeks in 2018, they did all this, unfortunately it seemed to stop there and it's becoming clear that this current club has it's best days behind it.  Winning the Cup is so hard and depends on a lot of intangibles, but for a group this talented to not even make it out of the first round for 2 years in a row, and only advance past the 2nd round ONCE over the 13 year Rock the Red era, is completely unacceptable. 

Edited by capcrunch98
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13 hours ago, capcrunch98 said:

Every fan is entitled to their opinion, and it's nice to hear silver linings the day after a very pitiful elimination. But this club gets no pass from me. The 2018 Cup win made me think this team knew how to match another team's intensity, was willing to do whatever it takes to win, and above all finally stop taking periods - and sometimes entire games - off like they had been doing for the previous decade. For 9 weeks in 2018, they did all this, unfortunately it seemed to stop there and it's becoming clear that this current club has it's best days behind it.  Winning the Cup is so hard and depends on a lot of intangibles, but for a group this talented to not even make it out of the first round for 2 years in a row, and only advance past the 2nd round ONCE over the 13 year Rock the Red era, is completely unacceptable. 

You are 100% correct. The fact Backstrom and Ovi have only made it past the second round once is pretty unreal, especially with those mega teams they had. They were destroying the league in the regular season. I still convince myself that the 2016 2017 teams win the cup if they pass Pittsburgh, unfortunately they didn’t. After we lost in 2017 to Pittsburgh again I was legit convinced we would never see the great 8 lift the cup in a Caps sweater and I only just wanted to see it ONCE. They did it so now really I’m not as upset as I used to be, they SHOULD have one more during those presidents trophy teams but that’s how NHL playoffs go. 

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Entertaining watching some of the Blues fan reactions last night.. reminded me so much of us last year when we were eliminated in the 1st round after winning the cup. I bet some of the posts are verbatim to ours last year. Glad someone else can share the disappointment :)

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