164 replies to this topic

[You Play to Win the Game]

That was a great, fierce comeback. Ovi is such a leader these days. Blocking shots. Going after their best player in a fight. Scoring the tying and go ahead goal. Says a ton to be down 2-0 in an elimination game and finish it that way.

[Dupin]

Sigh.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Holtby will be missed. Vezina Trophy winner. William M Jennings Trophy winner. Stanley Cup Winner, in part thanks to "The Save". This from a guy who for years was 3rd on the goalie prospect depth chart behind Neuvirth and Varlomov. It's going to be sad to see him sign with another team.

Also, maybe he can take Reirdon with him? That would help ease the sting.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Two first round exits for the new coach after the old coach won us a Cup ain't a good look.

 

Ovie only has so many seasons left.  This next hire needs to be a home run.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Although, to be honest, with the amount of coaching firings in the NHL, I am not necessarily convinced that a new coach would be some elixir. 

[You Play to Win the Game]

I'd hit up Rod Brind'Amour and see if he wants to come coach a team with actual talent.

Samsonov is far from proven though. I like him a lot, but we'll see.

[JeremyStrain]

Although, to be honest, with the amount of coaching firings in the NHL, I am not necessarily convinced that a new coach would be some elixir.

I lean this way.

Coaching schemes can really affect teams, and the teams feelings about the coach can get them to play harder or not play (see Bodreau). But it’s more on the players out there than coaches. You see it all the time when a team gets a new coach who barely changes anything and all of the sudden they are winning. We were the best team in hockey for a couple months. Then played like crap before the stoppage. Then didn’t even seem to want to be there in the playoffs. Just really seems more on the players than Todd. Now if you don’t see them back at the top of the standings next year then I’m on board with a change but between the expansion draft and Holtby leaving there’s already gonna be a lot of change.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Jeremy, you loved the Oates hire at the time. And were seemingly perfectly fine with letting Trotz walk and hiring Reirdon. I respect your hockey knowledge, but firmly disagree that it doesn't matter. It does. Pens changed coaches twice mid season in years that led to Cups for them. It's not just about scheme, it's about messaging and getting through to them, getting their full buy in. Which Trotz did for Ovi.

Unless you just don't care about trying to win another Cup, I see no justification for keeping Reirdon. He has to go IMO.

[JeremyStrain]

Jeremy, you loved the Oates hire at the time. And were seemingly perfectly fine with letting Trotz walk and hiring Reirdon. I respect your hockey knowledge, but firmly disagree that it doesn't matter. It does. Pens changed coaches twice mid season in years that led to Cups for them. It's not just about scheme, it's about messaging and getting through to them, getting their full buy in. Which Trotz did for Ovi.

Unless you just don't care about trying to win another Cup, I see no justification for keeping Reirdon. He has to go IMO.

I did. We had a young team at the time that I thought needed someone they all watched play and looked up to. Someone like Craig Berube would have been a good one at the same time. Turns out Adam's scheme was WAY too offensive focused and we were giving up way too many shots, but coming off Hunter and his complete LACK of offense, it seemed like a good idea at the time...you just never know.

 

There's no bigger Reirdon fan than Trotz ironically. If he was good with it, and they had him pegged as being NHL ready (some other team WAS going to hire him) it was go with a younger guy our boys already know that runs the same scheme (and it is almost the exact same system) it makes sense vs an older, more expensive guy.

 

Remember like I said before, you and many others, were calling for Trotz to be fired going into 2018. The only reason you are looking at him so reverently is because you weight that cup win heavier than all the missteps. If Reirdon were to win it next year, you'd feel exactly the same way. I get it...really, it's why I try not to give you crap about it. The issue both of them tend to have is in the playoffs it's not about running your system as much as it is planning for the other team's system. It's short term and changing things up especially to counter the other guys. When you are going against a team with the same system, it comes down to individual players and execution. Penalties killed us all year. We led the NHL in the regular season, and again in the playoffs. Just minors, mind you, which means sloppy play in the neutral zone (which is often on the Center) and the D not being mobile enough to stop rushes. Tom Wilson is his own force for minors, but that's part of his game, and without all the others it's not a terrible minus.

 

These are grown men, if they aren't listening to their coach, it's on them, not the coach. You saw that here with BB, when Ovi had a stick up his butt about him and basically had all the young guys stop listening to him.

 

Now you can make the argument that Trotz/Reirdon's system is a great regular season system that sucks in the playoffs, and you may not be wrong. Trotz resume in Nash would probably match that too. BUT I still really believe if these guys were actually motivated and trying they would have done better. They could use more defense on defense, Kuzy is pretty terrible defensively, so you have to be able to overcome that and Gudas and Kempny both were pretty bad back there turnover wise. Carlson, Orlov and Jensen are giveaway machines...a lot are in the neutral zone, so that happens, BUT with that many giveaways a lot are in our own zone too.

 

I dunno. I just don't think the NHL is one where coaching is that much of a change. Great coaches get fired all the time for having a couple bad seasons, go somewhere else and are great again, and so on and so on.

[DuffMan]

I was in the keep Trotz camp as well.  Not exactly the biggest fan of Reirdon but I'm not cutting bait with him just yet.  Yes this was another first round exit, but circumstances were a bit different from year one.  Give him a few months at least into the next season then move on if you need to.

[Mike in STL]

Feel like the Caps made their bed when they didn’t keep Trotz. Guys who are on the short list of winningest coaches of all time don’t grow on trees. All-time boneheaded move not doing what I took to keep him. He had leverage having just won the cup. Oh well.

[JeremyStrain]

I was in the keep Trotz camp as well.  Not exactly the biggest fan of Reirdon but I'm not cutting bait with him just yet.  Yes this was another first round exit, but circumstances were a bit different from year one.  Give him a few months at least into the next season then move on if you need to.

Yeah I think this is fair. It's not like I WANTED Trotz gone, but faced with the choice they had I understand why they went all in on Reirdon, they were hoping to get Trotz 2.0 and have him for much longer than they would have had Barry.

 

I think they have some cleaning up to do, defensively they need to evaluate and figure some things out. Started making that transition getting MF some time. AA is down in the minors tearing things up offensively, and I think they have another defense first kid hanging around too if I remember correctly. They've got some young pieces they could trade. They've got some veteran pieces they could trade. There's some pieces I think if we lose it's addition by subtraction. Goal is going to be a huge problem, Holtby was a star here...but we've said it before, he hasn't looked like one recently, and if someone is going to overpay and get a part time starter, do you want that to be us? I said it was going to be on him to carry us in this round...he started out that way for about 2 periods...and collapsed. If we take game 1 2-0 how does that change the series?

 

I think they've gotta figure out who they are protecting and who they are trying to get SEA to take. Then they've gotta make a trade or two and free up some room for some of the young kids.

[JeremyStrain]

Reirdon fired today.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Good. Glad they're still committed to figuring a way to win again while they still can. Wish him luck. Was in over his head here. No adjustments. No fire. He needs better assistants or something.

Go beg Rod Brind'Amour to come coach some real talent. That's my dream choice.

[Mike in STL]

Yay!

[You Play to Win the Game]

Jer - any word on a short list yet? Or will they wait til after the playoffs?

[JeremyStrain]

Jer - any word on a short list yet? Or will they wait til after the playoffs?

Veteran. Expensive. Very distinct style and system. The last part could be tough cause then you are going to try to fit the pieces we have into that system HS building your roster for the system you wanna run. But who knows. No specific names yet but it will be a strong personality.

[JeremyStrain]

Good. Glad they're still committed to figuring a way to win again while they still can. Wish him luck. Was in over his head here. No adjustments. No fire. He needs better assistants or something.

Go beg Rod Brind'Amour to come coach some real talent. That's my dream choice.

I still want Konowalchuck. But don’t think that is what they are looking for here.

[FlavaDave10]

So who does everyone like from TSN's latest Trade Bait column? I think Ehlers and Dunn are the most significant names mentioned for Capitals fans. Ehlers would give the Caps a top-notch forward who excels in transition, which is where the Capitals are very weak. Dunn is a lot like Nate Schmidt, in that he's had a lot of success in a somewhat limited role and I think he's ready to take a huge step forward. Would require the Caps to move out a defenseman, but Dunn would be worth the trouble of doing that. 

 

If Josh Anderson could be had for a reasonable price, I'd take a flyer on him because he's a year removed from being a 47 point guy. But teams gush over any big forward who has skill, so the price to trade for him will likely be higher than it should be. 

 

https://www.tsn.ca/t...board-1.1517697

[Old Man]

Feel like the Caps made their bed when they didn’t keep Trotz. Guys who are on the short list of winningest coaches of all time don’t grow on trees. All-time boneheaded move not doing what I took to keep him. He had leverage having just won the cup. Oh well.

I didnt get that move either, the owner is a pretty smart guy, there has to be background stuff that never made public. I dont think Ovie is a diva. He just wants to play and win.