So that’s it.
It’s over. For the first
time since the spring of 2007, the Washington Capitals are not in the NHL
playoffs. It’s an odd feeling; one
that I felt was inevitable at some point over the last three seasons, and now
that it has, it’s quite empty. But
it’s here. And now, it’s time to
fix it.
Here are some (very early and preliminary) thoughts about this team and how to do just that.
I’m not going to go in to deep detail over what finally sunk
this team to the level they are at right now. I’ve written about their problems ad nauseam over the last
three years but especially this year and by now, you know what did them in: bad
possession, bad coaching, bad lineup decisions, and poor roster
construction. This is nothing new
if you’ve read anything I have written over the last 24 months.
In reality, this team should have counted itself very lucky
over the last two seasons, but particularly last year, to make the
playoffs. It was their failure to
realize this that has ultimately led us to this moment. Instead of being proactive and trying
to fix a flawed team with deep issues, the cracks were papered over with
rhetoric, public relations work, and t-shirts celebrating yet another Southeast
Division Championship.
Now that the team has finally missed the playoffs for the
first time since “the rebuild,” an opportunity has presented itself for real
change. This means several things,
including but not limited to new people in charge, up and down the totem
pole. It means a new coach/coaching staff and a new general manager.
Names I would consider for each position, respectively: Guy Boucher,
Peter Laviolette, Dan Bylsma/Barry Trotz (should they become available); Jason
Botterill, Al Macisaac, Wayne Thomas, Joe Will.
Central to the next regime and whoever runs it will be a
return to what made the Capitals successful between 2008 and 2011. What made them successful was a team
commitment to possession, constant attack, speed, and scoring. The roster was flush with offensive
talent and it had a coaching staff that believed in the elements of successful
hockey in today’s NHL. The results
were wonderful. Yes, I know – the
team didn’t get it done in the playoffs.
That doesn’t mean they weren’t successful, or their strategy didn’t have
merit. They were, and it did. It’s not a coincidence that the team
has gotten progressively worse – and alarmingly so – since Bruce Boudreau was
fired. And how about those Anaheim
Ducks?
On to personnel – the Brooks Laich situation is quite the
pickle. A beloved member of the
franchise and among its most marketable and personable, Laich has been a
mainstay on this team for the better part of a decade. But now he’s hurt, has been for most of
the last two seasons, and often struggles to produce even when he is healthy. If he’s healthy, the Capitals would be well served to
exercise their second compliance buyout on him. If not, they would be well served to try and find a trade
partner for a team trying to get to the cap floor (Laich has a no-trade clause,
but it is only five teams long).
His cap hit, even when healthy, far outweighs his value at this point
for a cap team. That $4.5 million off the cap for the next three seasons would be great.
Get rid of the right wing logjam. Tom Wilson shouldn’t have been on this team at all this
season, but in limited action this season he has proven to be a very talented
player with a lot of upside despite being historically buried to an almost comical level. That
means a right wing has got to go, likely in a trade. Glancing at the depth chart, I could see a player like Troy
Brouwer being flipped along with a prospect or a pick for defensive help. Teams are likely to see Brouwer’s 20-plus goals and jump at it, willing to give up something sizable, like a young
defenseman, in return. The same
could be said for Joel Ward. Sell
high, folks.
Re-sign Mikhail Grabovski. This is basic.
Grabo has been injured for a lot of this season but when healthy has
been as advertised by just about everyone outside of those in the Toronto
mainstream media. He could be a
big piece going forward and plays an important position. In conjunction with this, I’d also like
to get Eric Fehr playing wing again and bring in another center. If Toronto is still interested in
dumping Nazem Kadri…
In order to keep Grabovski, Dustin Penner has probably got
to go and Jaroslav Halak has definitely
got to go, simply because of numbers.
Penner is a fine player and deserved better here but I have a feeling
that GMs will pay up for him.
Halak just isn’t needed. He
will require a multi-year contract at a dollar figure north of $4m a season. No thank you.
In conclusion, this scratches only the surface. There are a lot of things that need to
be addressed here, and I didn’t even mention the biggest one in some new
defensive players. There is a lot
of work to be done, and the next few weeks will be very interesting.
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