CAPS 1st half thread.

[allstar1579]

When are they going to make any moves to try and right the ship? If they wait much longer, this team may be hopeless...

That's what has me worried. They are playing well at home, but their stats GA, GS are reversed on the road. I still think that Nash or E. Staal are the answer, but that's just me.

[WietersOvechkin]

That's what has me worried. They are playing well at home, but their stats GA, GS are reversed on the road. I still think that Nash or E. Staal are the answer, but that's just me.

I can't see Nash as a fit. He is a winger and we are clearly in need of another C. I do agree that E Staal would be a great guy to target but fitting him under the salary cap will be a little difficult. I suppose moving Green to the LTIR might help and probably trading Schultz would also help part of that problem and the obvious answer would be to trade Semin but I am not sure how much the canes would value him.

Perhaps something like Eakin/1st round pick (ours)/3rd round pick and Schultz for Staal would work assuming green went to LTIR.

I do agree something needs to change or this team will have issues in the playoffs again.

[allstar1579]

I can't see Nash as a fit. He is a winger and we are clearly in need of another C. I do agree that E Staal would be a great guy to target but fitting him under the salary cap will be a little difficult. I suppose moving Green to the LTIR might help and probably trading Schultz would also help part of that problem and the obvious answer would be to trade Semin but I am not sure how much the canes would value him.

Perhaps something like Eakin/1st round pick (ours)/3rd round pick and Schultz for Staal would work assuming green went to LTIR.

I do agree something needs to change or this team will have issues in the playoffs again.

Nash on the right side of Ovi and Nick would make that top line pretty untouchable. The problem is that like you said trading Semin is the more workable way to make that happen, and without him in the deal it's just more we'd have to give up for him or Staal. With the realignment scrapped I think that kills the Staal deal though, no way they want to play him in division all year next year. Nash will cost a ton, but say if we could swap Semin for a C somewhere (a contender with an underperforming C would make sense), or maybe we could find a way to steal Getzlaf from ANA. I feel like some guys would have extra value to them with BB being there (Schultz especially).

[WietersOvechkin]

Nash on the right side of Ovi and Nick would make that top line pretty untouchable. The problem is that like you said trading Semin is the more workable way to make that happen, and without him in the deal it's just more we'd have to give up for him or Staal. With the realignment scrapped I think that kills the Staal deal though, no way they want to play him in division all year next year. Nash will cost a ton, but say if we could swap Semin for a C somewhere (a contender with an underperforming C would make sense), or maybe we could find a way to steal Getzlaf from ANA. I feel like some guys would have extra value to them with BB being there (Schultz especially).

I would love to get Getzlaf but he'll end up costing as an arm and a leg to acquire but it would be kinda cool to bring him in since he was taken the pick after Eric Fehr.

It's a shame Jeff Carter got hurt again because he pretty much fits all the criteria we want. He's on a bad team that might be going in a different direction, he plays center, his contract isn't as difficult to fit under the cap (5.2M). I think I also read somewhere that GMGM was at the Ducks Blue Jackets game the other night (same night Carter got hurt).

In other news the caps recalled Tomas Kundratek (dman) when we currently have 7 healthy bodies (Wideman, Hamrlik, Carlson, Alzner, Erskine, Orlov and Schultz) not to mention Mike Green who clearly isn't healthy. Maybe Schultz is getting moved soon?

[allstar1579]

I would love to get Getzlaf but he'll end up costing as an arm and a leg to acquire but it would be kinda cool to bring him in since he was taken the pick after Eric Fehr.

It's a shame Jeff Carter got hurt again because he pretty much fits all the criteria we want. He's on a bad team that might be going in a different direction, he plays center, his contract isn't as difficult to fit under the cap (5.2M). I think I also read somewhere that GMGM was at the Ducks Blue Jackets game the other night (same night Carter got hurt).

In other news the caps recalled Tomas Kundratek (dman) when we currently have 7 healthy bodies (Wideman, Hamrlik, Carlson, Alzner, Erskine, Orlov and Schultz) not to mention Mike Green who clearly isn't healthy. Maybe Schultz is getting moved soon?

I was on the Carter thing for a while, but I'm nervous about being locked into that $6m per year for 10 more years. I probably would have taken a chance but I worry he's playing like garbage because he's not happy there, and at a certain point with that contract you have to be a professional even if you hate it.

Schultz is definitely on his way out it's just a matter of when. It's a shame they didn't deal Semin last year when he had another year left on his deal. Being a FA at the end of the season takes teams like ANA and CBS out of the equation because they can't compete this year.

[DuffMan]

Much better effort last night. I was pretty disgusted with how flat and lifeless they looked at home on Tuesday night against a lousy Islanders team playing its 2nd game in a row. Much better effort last night and got scoring from all the lines. I'll be curious to see who gets the nod in goal in the next game. Hunter's been riding the Vokoun train lately (10 straight starts) and Vokoun has been playing better. But then Neuvirth comes in and gets the shutout last night. So will Dale reward him with another start or go back to Vokoun?

Nice little subplot last night as Bourque was recently traded to the Habs giving the Caps a chance to get some revenge for that hit he put on Backstrom. Would've preferred to see Erskine take him on, but Hendricks did an admirable job fighting a much bigger opponent. Speaking of Backstrom it was finally confirmed that he had a concussion, my guess is we won't see him until after the all star break at the earliest.

In other news Green goes to the LTIR and is out until at least the end of Feb, no surprise there.

One other gripe/observation about the team and I'm sure part of it is due to the system Hunter is putting in. The shot total. Obviously we aren't the run and gun style team we used to be, but in the past 2 nights we've put up 33 shots combined. The Caps haven't even put up 30 shots since the San Jose game. I know it's more about quality chances, but you can't score if you don't shoot the puck. Hopefully these numbers come up a bit in the 2nd half.

[allstar1579]

Much better effort last night. I was pretty disgusted with how flat and lifeless they looked at home on Tuesday night against a lousy Islanders team playing its 2nd game in a row. Much better effort last night and got scoring from all the lines. I'll be curious to see who gets the nod in goal in the next game. Hunter's been riding the Vokoun train lately (10 straight starts) and Vokoun has been playing better. But then Neuvirth comes in and gets the shutout last night. So will Dale reward him with another start or go back to Vokoun?

Nice little subplot last night as Bourque was recently traded to the Habs giving the Caps a chance to get some revenge for that hit he put on Backstrom. Would've preferred to see Erskine take him on, but Hendricks did an admirable job fighting a much bigger opponent. Speaking of Backstrom it was finally confirmed that he had a concussion, my guess is we won't see him until after the all star break at the earliest.

In other news Green goes to the LTIR and is out until at least the end of Feb, no surprise there.

One other gripe/observation about the team and I'm sure part of it is due to the system Hunter is putting in. The shot total. Obviously we aren't the run and gun style team we used to be, but in the past 2 nights we've put up 33 shots combined. The Caps haven't even put up 30 shots since the San Jose game. I know it's more about quality chances, but you can't score if you don't shoot the puck. Hopefully these numbers come up a bit in the 2nd half.

Yeah it's getting a little old. What kills me is the home/road splits though. Neuvy will get the next start, this is how a lot of old school coaches handle goalies. Ride them til they have a rough game, then play the other guy and do the same. If they come in and get rocked in that first game, you go back to the other guy. It's fairly simple and it will let performance decide the starter, not rep.

Bourque knew it was coming before he got to the arena, 1:15 is all it took. That's just code of the game for you. They've known all along there was a concussion, but it's not as bad as most. I heard he COULD be back before the break, that he's not far off.

Nah, Green I saw coming a mile away, it's just complicated by him being a RFA this offseason.

Yeah the shots are definitely a drawback. I'm afraid that this area (and the 1000's of bandwagon fans) aren't going to be a fan of this system and are going to stop going. That exciting offensive system is what got the fans here. One bad offseason shouldn't have been an excuse to scrap it honestly. They should have just tried to fine-tune to pick up the defense a little bit instead of reinventing the wheel like they did.

[Bosibus]

Yeah it's getting a little old. What kills me is the home/road splits though. Neuvy will get the next start, this is how a lot of old school coaches handle goalies. Ride them til they have a rough game, then play the other guy and do the same. If they come in and get rocked in that first game, you go back to the other guy. It's fairly simple and it will let performance decide the starter, not rep.

Bourque knew it was coming before he got to the arena, 1:15 is all it took. That's just code of the game for you. They've known all along there was a concussion, but it's not as bad as most. I heard he COULD be back before the break, that he's not far off.

Nah, Green I saw coming a mile away, it's just complicated by him being a RFA this offseason.

Yeah the shots are definitely a drawback. I'm afraid that this area (and the 1000's of bandwagon fans) aren't going to be a fan of this system and are going to stop going. That exciting offensive system is what got the fans here. One bad offseason shouldn't have been an excuse to scrap it honestly. They should have just tried to fine-tune to pick up the defense a little bit instead of reinventing the wheel like they did.

But maybe ticket prices will finally go down.

[Dr. FLK]

Ovie won't attend AS game because of suspension.

[allstar1579]

Ovie won't attend AS game because of suspension.

I love this move actually. The NHL has gotten a little suspension happy this year, trying to almost take contact out of hockey. I GET the protecting against head shots, there have been a LOT of concussions this year, but ask why suddenly there are so many now, when for YEARS you hardly saw any? Punish the elbows to the head MORE severely, punish clean checks where a guy leaves his feet LESS severely.

Now the NHL is without both of it's poster children for the all-star game, and can't fix it. I think it's a great learning experience for them.

[allstar1579]

Matt Hendricks is the toughest guy in hockey. Period.

First, he gets hit in the side of the head by an Ovi slapshot that tears his ear in half. Literally...there are pics in the link.

Then he gets stitched up like Frankenstein, and plays the next night on the checking line all night, where he takes an elbow to the head from Michalek. He returns to the game and plays 17 minutes.

THEN he plays last night in BOS where he gets hit with another puck in the head, which splits his ear BACK open. He gets more stitches and comes BACK into the game and plays a career high almost 18 min.

TOUGH SOB.

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2...-pretty-gross/

Warning!!! Gross pictures in link.