The Washington Capitals and General Manager George McPhee decided not to make any moves before yesterday's trade deadline, choosing instead to keep this roster intact with an eye on the future. While I understand McPhee's caution and desire to keep this core together, there were a few players who really needed to be traded. Hopefully, we don't look back on this and wish McPhee had been more open to talks.
Let me first clarify my previous article on how the team should approach the deadline. I realize now it may have appeared I was saying "sell sell sell!!!" That was not my point. My point was that there were several players that were not going to be part of this team's future and, with the team struggling and not poised for a deep postseason run, McPhee should be open to possibly moving those players if there was interest. I certainly did NOT want a giant wholesale (at least not until the offseason). This would signal to a team only 1 point out of the playoffs, that the organization was moving on. Not the message you want to send to a team that needs motivation.
Having said that, there are 3 players that McPhee needed to trade. Both Mike Knuble and Roman Hamrlik seem to have fallen out of favor with head coach Dale Hunter and have become regular scratches. Sure, they are older (39 and 37 respectively) and may have lost a step in their game, but they still can provide leadership and solid play. They certainly would have generated a lot of interest from around the league.
Their leadership may ultimately be why McPhee elected to keep them. Hunter's plan might be to save the two veterans and rest them for the playoffs. Then, they will be reinserted into the lineup at a time when their veteran leadership would be most needed. This, however, seems unlikely given the war of words Hunter and Hamrlik have had since Hamrlik's latest struggles. Also, this team is not coasting to a playoff spot, they need every point they can get. Rested players aren't very useful if the team doesn't make the playoffs.
And then there's Alex Semin. Craig Custance of ESPN reported yesterday that Semin would not return to DC when his contract expires at the end of the season. Why oh why didn't we trade him then? Semin's struggles and inconsistencies have been well documented over the years. If chemistry is an issue for the Caps, which it certainly appears to be, then Semin will not be part of the solution. Semin is extremely talented and, with an expiring contract, there's no real risk to a team looking to add an extra offensive boost. If Semin really is on his way out the door, then that's probably known around the locker room. Trading him, therefore, is not a signal that we're throwing in the towel. Admittedly, this team has struggled offensively without Nicklas Backstrom so perhaps McPhee was worried about losing another offensive weapon, but who says you have to trade Semin for draft picks only? Maybe he could have added another offensive player. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he did his due diligence and asked around to find out what he could possibly get in return for the other Ale. My problem is that you don't want to see someone with Semin's value walk away for nothing, which, if the reports are true, McPhee may now have done.
I have taken some shots from people who disagree with me over this, especially in regards to Knuble and Hamrlik. Who says teams have to swap healthy scratches? What's the point? Ask yourself this, if you had both Henrik Lundqvist and Tim Thomas as your goalies, you would trade one. If you had both Tom Brady and Drew Brees as your quarterbacks, you would trade one. Why? Because it is stupid to have someone with that much value warming the bench. Look, there's a difference between Jon Erskine and Hamrlike. Erskine does not have the talent level to consistently give him a spot on the bench. He is a 6 or a 7. Hamrlik has top 4 defensive talent. Erskine is expected to be a healthy scratch, Hamrlik is not. A top 4 man sitting in the press box is a waste, it's not good for anyone. The same goes for Knuble. He's not a fourth line player, he has value. If you don't want to use them, then trade them. Yesterday was one of the quietest deadlines in years because teams complained there were too many buyers and not enough sellers. If McPhee had come out with Knuble, Hamrlik, and Semin, he would have been able to sell very high. Now, while Hamrlik is still under contract, Semin and Knuble will both be free agents at the end of the season. Semin is as good as gone and Knuble has no reason to re-sign here just to be a healthy scratch.
For the most part, I applaud McPhee's caution. There are numerous examples of deadline deals for rental players that just haven't panned out. I'm not arguing that we should have traded all of our prospects or draft picks for a few rentals and I'm not arguing we should have sold everyone for peanuts. All I'm saying is we have two players rotting on the bench who certainly could have generated interest. We have a player with incredible offensive talent who reportedly has one foot out the door. There were plenty of teams desperate to make a move. How many draft picks/prospects/players did we miss out on by not trading players we aren't using? Are we going to watch Knuble and Semin walk away for nothing? I hope these are not questions that will end up haunting McPhee.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
With Trade Deadline Approaching, Where do the Caps go From Here?
Inconsistency has plagued this Capitals' team all season. After starting 7-0, the team went 5-9-1, prompting the firing of head coach Bruce Boudreau. Now with the trade deadline fast approaching, the team's struggles have made it difficult to determine what exactly the Caps should do. Do they pack it in, sell, and rebuild around their core or make a move to try and make the playoffs and make a run?
As of today, the team is in 9th place, one point out of both 8th place and the division lead. After winning their last two games in convincing fashion, it would be easy to say this team is poised to finally achieve their potential and take the division. This would shoot them up to 3rd place in the conference and give them home-ice in the first round at least. Before this new two game winning streak, however, the team had a 4 game road trip in which they went 1-3 and were outscored 13-5. This inconsistency makes General Manager George McPhee's job incredibly difficult. What I think is clear is that this team has not gelled as McPhee had hoped when he assembled it in the offseason. Even if they can make the playoffs, I don't see them being able to make a deep run. This is not to say the Caps should not push for the playoffs, history has shown us that anything can happen. The organization cannot, however, mortgage the team's future by trading prospects in the hopes that perhaps the team can claw its way into the bottom seed of the playoffs.
The Caps find themselves right now in a gray area in which they are not quite sellers, but not quite buyers. What's most important is that McPhee must determine who makes up the core of this team. From there he can recognize what else is needed. Alexander Ovechkin, of course, is not going anywhere. Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, and Brooks Laich are also part of that forward core. Troy Brouwer, Jason Chimera, and Matt Hendricks are role players that seem to have thrived thus far in DC and should be kept. Defensively, Karl Alzner, John Carlson, and Dmitry Orlov are all valuable young members of the blue line. And of course, in goal is Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby. Difficult decisions must be made regarding everyone else. Everyone else on this roster should be available, but only at the right price of course.
Among the numerous question marks are Mike Green and Dennis Wideman. Both have similar playing styles and most likely, McPhee will keep one and sell the other. I personally believe Wideman is the better fit. Green has injury concerns as he has missed significant time over the past two seasons and sometimes presents a liability in the defensive zone. Wideman had an allstar season this year. The best thing to happen to Green in regards to his future in DC, however, has been his injury. As the team has struggled, many point to his abscence as the reason. Wideman is a valuable asset that McPhee may try to use to coax a significant trade, but I think Green should be more expendable. I don't think either will move until the offseason, but it is a significant question going forward.
In terms of this trade deadline, the Caps have many bigger name players they need to be open to trading including Alexander Semin, Roman Hamrlik, Mike Knuble, Joel Ward, Jeff Schultz, and Tomas Vokoun. Semin's struggles are well documented and I won't go too far in depth. Basically, if chemistry is an issue, Semin will not be part of the solution. He is a major trade asset on the last year of his contract that the Caps should use to obtain the big name center they have sought for several years now.
Hamrlik has fallen out of favor with coach Hunter and has even taken shots at him through the media. He needs to go. It makes zero sense for the team to keep Knuble, who is in the last year of his contract and who has become a consistent healthy scratch. He still has a lot of leadership value that other playoff hopefuls will want. Ward has not played well in DC. His contract here was due in large part to his success last season in the playoffs for Nashville, but his value will be moot if the Caps don't even make it into the postseason. Schultz may still have some value thanks to his performance in past seasons, but it is clear he does not have a real place on the team going forward.
As for Vokoun, he has struggled immensely as of late and has been pulled from both of his last 2 starts. Neuvirth, on the other hand, has played tremendously and led the Caps to their last two wins. As of right now, who would start for this team in the playoffs? If the answer is not Vokoun, there's no reason to keep him.
The bottom line is that several players were given shorter contracts as McPhee assembled this team to make a deep run into the playoffs. If this roster is not going to make that run, then it is not imperative that McPhee keep those short term players. In fact, wouldn't it be better for McPhee to put a playoff run on the shoulders of his young core? Wouldn't it bring those players closer together? It's time for McPhee to think more about his core's future than the implausible short term possibilities of a dysfunctional team.
As of today, the team is in 9th place, one point out of both 8th place and the division lead. After winning their last two games in convincing fashion, it would be easy to say this team is poised to finally achieve their potential and take the division. This would shoot them up to 3rd place in the conference and give them home-ice in the first round at least. Before this new two game winning streak, however, the team had a 4 game road trip in which they went 1-3 and were outscored 13-5. This inconsistency makes General Manager George McPhee's job incredibly difficult. What I think is clear is that this team has not gelled as McPhee had hoped when he assembled it in the offseason. Even if they can make the playoffs, I don't see them being able to make a deep run. This is not to say the Caps should not push for the playoffs, history has shown us that anything can happen. The organization cannot, however, mortgage the team's future by trading prospects in the hopes that perhaps the team can claw its way into the bottom seed of the playoffs.
The Caps find themselves right now in a gray area in which they are not quite sellers, but not quite buyers. What's most important is that McPhee must determine who makes up the core of this team. From there he can recognize what else is needed. Alexander Ovechkin, of course, is not going anywhere. Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, and Brooks Laich are also part of that forward core. Troy Brouwer, Jason Chimera, and Matt Hendricks are role players that seem to have thrived thus far in DC and should be kept. Defensively, Karl Alzner, John Carlson, and Dmitry Orlov are all valuable young members of the blue line. And of course, in goal is Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby. Difficult decisions must be made regarding everyone else. Everyone else on this roster should be available, but only at the right price of course.
Among the numerous question marks are Mike Green and Dennis Wideman. Both have similar playing styles and most likely, McPhee will keep one and sell the other. I personally believe Wideman is the better fit. Green has injury concerns as he has missed significant time over the past two seasons and sometimes presents a liability in the defensive zone. Wideman had an allstar season this year. The best thing to happen to Green in regards to his future in DC, however, has been his injury. As the team has struggled, many point to his abscence as the reason. Wideman is a valuable asset that McPhee may try to use to coax a significant trade, but I think Green should be more expendable. I don't think either will move until the offseason, but it is a significant question going forward.
In terms of this trade deadline, the Caps have many bigger name players they need to be open to trading including Alexander Semin, Roman Hamrlik, Mike Knuble, Joel Ward, Jeff Schultz, and Tomas Vokoun. Semin's struggles are well documented and I won't go too far in depth. Basically, if chemistry is an issue, Semin will not be part of the solution. He is a major trade asset on the last year of his contract that the Caps should use to obtain the big name center they have sought for several years now.
Hamrlik has fallen out of favor with coach Hunter and has even taken shots at him through the media. He needs to go. It makes zero sense for the team to keep Knuble, who is in the last year of his contract and who has become a consistent healthy scratch. He still has a lot of leadership value that other playoff hopefuls will want. Ward has not played well in DC. His contract here was due in large part to his success last season in the playoffs for Nashville, but his value will be moot if the Caps don't even make it into the postseason. Schultz may still have some value thanks to his performance in past seasons, but it is clear he does not have a real place on the team going forward.
As for Vokoun, he has struggled immensely as of late and has been pulled from both of his last 2 starts. Neuvirth, on the other hand, has played tremendously and led the Caps to their last two wins. As of right now, who would start for this team in the playoffs? If the answer is not Vokoun, there's no reason to keep him.
The bottom line is that several players were given shorter contracts as McPhee assembled this team to make a deep run into the playoffs. If this roster is not going to make that run, then it is not imperative that McPhee keep those short term players. In fact, wouldn't it be better for McPhee to put a playoff run on the shoulders of his young core? Wouldn't it bring those players closer together? It's time for McPhee to think more about his core's future than the implausible short term possibilities of a dysfunctional team.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Restarting the Blog!
Hey everybody, I'm restarting my blog! Check back here for the latest analysis of all things DC Sports! For the latest news updates, check out my twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy
Hope you enjoy, first blog to be coming soon.
Hope you enjoy, first blog to be coming soon.
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