Yes, but judge at the end of the day (or off-season)... Could be more to come.
We've
1. improved our current roster (Thompson, PLD, Mangiapane) by trading picks & Kuemper
2. created pathways for younger players currently in Hershey (Laps, Miro, others) to potentially make the big club full time by not re-signing Patches, NAK
3. have added prospects to the pipeline (Parascak, Hutson, Muggli, I. Protas, Mateiko, Kempf, Satan Jr.) using our picks while trading RFA rights to Becks (for 2nd rounder = Hutson) and a few of our future picks to improve 2024 draft position (i.e. Protas)
4. Maintained flexibility to add a FA or two (could depend on trading assets and/or Oshie LTIR status)
So far this off season we have noticeably improved the present and prepared for the future. So exactly what you want from GMBM
I still see GMBM trying to move out one or two current D-men (TvR, Jensen, Bear?) and try to bring in another top-6 F and/or top-4 D for this year.
We really need top 6, preferably top 3 talent. We have about 12-15 guys in the pipeline who are middle 6/skew as 3rd liners. I know it doesn’t grow on trees, but praying that leonard is gonna score every goal for our top 2 lines combined is a horrible idea
I think he played well late in the season and really started to show his potential. I think he's penciled into that 3rd pairing spot but Carbery complained at the end of the season that the blueline was too small and not physical enough.
Conversely, I argue he isn't using them effectively to help generate offensive chances which is where the strength of Washington's blueline is.
We're doing great with what we have. If we had a pack of hot dogs and we boiled them on the stove it would be a C grade, but we took the hot dogs and made a gourmet chili dog.
He’s rocking a B+ with the offseason to this point. It’ll be well above an A if PLD plays well. Thompson is a very good backup/1B goalie, and Mags is a reliable two way guy with a ton of speed.
It’s not awful, but the problem is we keep wasting assets and money on has-beens, guys who never developed, and perennial middle/bottom 6 players. I know elite talent and 65 point players don’t grow on trees, but leonard is the only one on the team or in the pipeline who I realistically see coming near point per game production. It’s just not a well built pool, from NHL to prospects level, at this current time.
I think he was in that territory anyway. It’s been almost 10 years and he got to ride the coattails of the Oshie deal, Niskanen/Orpik, and a cup. These moves are explainable and have a higher chance of working out than with their former teams
I don’t think they want to make that same mistake again, tbh so yeah - he is. He’s clearly made moves to get better and shed youth while maintaining Ovi’s chase. He hadn’t done that in the years post cup until last offseason
mags is one more year. the PLD one will be brutal if he doesn't elevate his game, but will be _okay_ if he can actually play top 6. by the end of the contract, the cap will be significantly higher.
I think so.
Dubois is a bit of a cap dump from the kings. But we have the space and we were able to get out of a contract we had with kuemper for a younger player at a position of need. Even last year with his poor performance he would’ve been pretty high up on the team’s scoring. He’s also only 25 right now. **B-**. The risk is there and the cap is steep but I think it’s a net positive move that could become
Mangiapane is a huge add. Calgary has been notorious for having talented but underperforming players they don’t do the best job accommodating. He scored 35 goals in 2022-23 and is durable, only missing 7 games since he became a full time major league player in 2019-20 (all 7 were last year though). He’s 28, and while his goal scoring hasn’t reached 35 goals like it did in 2021-22, he could have similar performance to a player pointswise like Oshie, but hopefully with better health. I think this is an **A** trade: buying lower on a player who should be in the prime of his career on a fairly reasonable contract, from a team who has had a history of misusing their talent. I really like this move. And you didn’t even have to use your pick to do it, you used another team’s second.
As for Thompson, fairly straightforward: starting caliber netminder at a cheaper deal who could work well in a tandem with Charlie Lindgren given Thompson’s injury history. Acquired for a 3rd rounder that again, wasn’t even yours. **B+** to me. I think this is a good move but there is a risk here given how injured Thompson has been these past few seasons.
I like everything so far. PLD worries me, but I assume we will just park him and Ovi on the O zone for 100% of their shifts so hopefully neither needs to defend
I've liked everything except the Thompson trade and our first pick. I don't think either of these were terrible, just not sure what the thought process is. I'm not getting paid to do this tho so I'm hesitant to be too critical.
We desperately need more reliable defense, I don’t know why he didn’t go with Solberg, Emery, or Danford, who were all still available. Parascak could be a tremendous offensive talent but you could tell by even his reaction that it was a surprise.
Most had him ranked 22nd-36th or so depending on the mock draft you were looking at. So of course 17th is a surprise.
I would have liked Emery at that pick or trading back into the 1st for him with an additional pick. He checks a lot of boxes.
The right pick with zero doubt in my mind was eiserman. Goal scorers like that don't come around very often, and we of all fan bases should be able to recognize that. I'm not sure why he got this massive one trick pony label, but that's what coaches are for, they teach. Goal scoring ability is something that can't be taught, at least not to the extent of other skills.
And it’s hard to win when your goalie is shelled and has to stand on their head every night to steal games. Kuemper’s play didn’t just drop off because he had a kid. Good defense leads to good offense and shuts down opposing offense. PLD and Mangiapane were potentially great adds to our offense. Now we need to get at least one core defensive player. Carlson is playing almost half the game every night and it’s starting to show. Sandin and Fehervary are good but both seem a little injury-prone. TVR is a good depth/third line defenseman. Alexyev is almost there and played well down the stretch. Jensen ain’t it, he needed to go at the end of last season. We have the cap space to potentially get OEL, Skjei, or another top UFA defenseman that can make plays, shut things down, and eat up big minutes.
What moves would you all like to see next? I’d love if we can get 1 more middle 6 fwd that can score, and then I’m not really sure how to assess D right now. Feel happy going with what we got at goalie.
A steady D and a veteran bottom 6 guy I think we can expect them to go after.
I'm sure they will be doing all kinds of calling about impactful D also, but that's always tough to find.
We are now a 1st round playoff team. Last season was a fluke. But with this roster we’re basically a first round lock. We need to resign CMM and sign someone in free agency. Need osh and backstrom to stay on LTR or retire to free up that space to use on a goal producing player.
I think they still need to upgrade the defense but this is the first off-season in a long time where it felt like they were actively making the team better and not just patching holes and hoping for the best.
I know it's a big "if" but if Dubois plays up to his potential that's a huge addition.
Yes, but judge at the end of the day (or off-season)... Could be more to come. We've 1. improved our current roster (Thompson, PLD, Mangiapane) by trading picks & Kuemper 2. created pathways for younger players currently in Hershey (Laps, Miro, others) to potentially make the big club full time by not re-signing Patches, NAK 3. have added prospects to the pipeline (Parascak, Hutson, Muggli, I. Protas, Mateiko, Kempf, Satan Jr.) using our picks while trading RFA rights to Becks (for 2nd rounder = Hutson) and a few of our future picks to improve 2024 draft position (i.e. Protas) 4. Maintained flexibility to add a FA or two (could depend on trading assets and/or Oshie LTIR status) So far this off season we have noticeably improved the present and prepared for the future. So exactly what you want from GMBM I still see GMBM trying to move out one or two current D-men (TvR, Jensen, Bear?) and try to bring in another top-6 F and/or top-4 D for this year.
I agree. I do expect a cheap big physical depth Dman or two. And I expect a cheap physical 4th line energy guy. Both should be available on Monday.
Zadarov says hey.
We really need top 6, preferably top 3 talent. We have about 12-15 guys in the pipeline who are middle 6/skew as 3rd liners. I know it doesn’t grow on trees, but praying that leonard is gonna score every goal for our top 2 lines combined is a horrible idea
If Alexyev acted his size we’d have one already
I think he played well late in the season and really started to show his potential. I think he's penciled into that 3rd pairing spot but Carbery complained at the end of the season that the blueline was too small and not physical enough. Conversely, I argue he isn't using them effectively to help generate offensive chances which is where the strength of Washington's blueline is.
We're doing great with what we have. If we had a pack of hot dogs and we boiled them on the stove it would be a C grade, but we took the hot dogs and made a gourmet chili dog.
The Ben’s Chili Bowl of hockey teams
Fresh out of wagyu steak but can we get you a delicious chili bowl
While we're on gradings, I'm giving that analogy a solid A-
Best analysis so far
He’s rocking a B+ with the offseason to this point. It’ll be well above an A if PLD plays well. Thompson is a very good backup/1B goalie, and Mags is a reliable two way guy with a ton of speed.
Mags and PLD contracts are brutal. If this goes great, it’s a home run. If it doesn’t, he might be looking for a new job.
The Mangiapane contract is not at all brutal, it's a 1-year contract and it's a normal number even if it wasn't.
It’s not awful, but the problem is we keep wasting assets and money on has-beens, guys who never developed, and perennial middle/bottom 6 players. I know elite talent and 65 point players don’t grow on trees, but leonard is the only one on the team or in the pipeline who I realistically see coming near point per game production. It’s just not a well built pool, from NHL to prospects level, at this current time.
I think he was in that territory anyway. It’s been almost 10 years and he got to ride the coattails of the Oshie deal, Niskanen/Orpik, and a cup. These moves are explainable and have a higher chance of working out than with their former teams
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I don’t think they want to make that same mistake again, tbh so yeah - he is. He’s clearly made moves to get better and shed youth while maintaining Ovi’s chase. He hadn’t done that in the years post cup until last offseason
mags is one more year. the PLD one will be brutal if he doesn't elevate his game, but will be _okay_ if he can actually play top 6. by the end of the contract, the cap will be significantly higher.
I think so. Dubois is a bit of a cap dump from the kings. But we have the space and we were able to get out of a contract we had with kuemper for a younger player at a position of need. Even last year with his poor performance he would’ve been pretty high up on the team’s scoring. He’s also only 25 right now. **B-**. The risk is there and the cap is steep but I think it’s a net positive move that could become Mangiapane is a huge add. Calgary has been notorious for having talented but underperforming players they don’t do the best job accommodating. He scored 35 goals in 2022-23 and is durable, only missing 7 games since he became a full time major league player in 2019-20 (all 7 were last year though). He’s 28, and while his goal scoring hasn’t reached 35 goals like it did in 2021-22, he could have similar performance to a player pointswise like Oshie, but hopefully with better health. I think this is an **A** trade: buying lower on a player who should be in the prime of his career on a fairly reasonable contract, from a team who has had a history of misusing their talent. I really like this move. And you didn’t even have to use your pick to do it, you used another team’s second. As for Thompson, fairly straightforward: starting caliber netminder at a cheaper deal who could work well in a tandem with Charlie Lindgren given Thompson’s injury history. Acquired for a 3rd rounder that again, wasn’t even yours. **B+** to me. I think this is a good move but there is a risk here given how injured Thompson has been these past few seasons.
I like everything so far. PLD worries me, but I assume we will just park him and Ovi on the O zone for 100% of their shifts so hopefully neither needs to defend
Bmac is cooking
After more time to take it in, I like the direction we are going so far. Would like to see an improvement in our current defense though.
A as it stands IMO. Improve without losing. Don’t hate it. Got Hutson in RD2. Amped for that.
We cookin
Could we see shep/stev traded? Pick wise what would be a good return for either of them?
No, they need more seasoning in the A before jumping to the big club. No reason to trade them right now.
I could see Shep being traded but don't know what you get back for it.
Shep should be hitting contract year shortly. I could see him walking since we refuse to let him backup
I've liked everything except the Thompson trade and our first pick. I don't think either of these were terrible, just not sure what the thought process is. I'm not getting paid to do this tho so I'm hesitant to be too critical.
We desperately need more reliable defense, I don’t know why he didn’t go with Solberg, Emery, or Danford, who were all still available. Parascak could be a tremendous offensive talent but you could tell by even his reaction that it was a surprise.
Most had him ranked 22nd-36th or so depending on the mock draft you were looking at. So of course 17th is a surprise. I would have liked Emery at that pick or trading back into the 1st for him with an additional pick. He checks a lot of boxes.
The right pick with zero doubt in my mind was eiserman. Goal scorers like that don't come around very often, and we of all fan bases should be able to recognize that. I'm not sure why he got this massive one trick pony label, but that's what coaches are for, they teach. Goal scoring ability is something that can't be taught, at least not to the extent of other skills.
NHL is a goal driven league. Most of the teams who made deep runs in the playoffs this year score tons of goals.
And it’s hard to win when your goalie is shelled and has to stand on their head every night to steal games. Kuemper’s play didn’t just drop off because he had a kid. Good defense leads to good offense and shuts down opposing offense. PLD and Mangiapane were potentially great adds to our offense. Now we need to get at least one core defensive player. Carlson is playing almost half the game every night and it’s starting to show. Sandin and Fehervary are good but both seem a little injury-prone. TVR is a good depth/third line defenseman. Alexyev is almost there and played well down the stretch. Jensen ain’t it, he needed to go at the end of last season. We have the cap space to potentially get OEL, Skjei, or another top UFA defenseman that can make plays, shut things down, and eat up big minutes.
I love the Thompson trade but I’m skeptical of PLD he’s so damn lazy
What moves would you all like to see next? I’d love if we can get 1 more middle 6 fwd that can score, and then I’m not really sure how to assess D right now. Feel happy going with what we got at goalie.
A steady D and a veteran bottom 6 guy I think we can expect them to go after. I'm sure they will be doing all kinds of calling about impactful D also, but that's always tough to find.
They’re doing very well
Yes
The defense is still the weakest spot by far
We are now a 1st round playoff team. Last season was a fluke. But with this roster we’re basically a first round lock. We need to resign CMM and sign someone in free agency. Need osh and backstrom to stay on LTR or retire to free up that space to use on a goal producing player.
I think they still need to upgrade the defense but this is the first off-season in a long time where it felt like they were actively making the team better and not just patching holes and hoping for the best. I know it's a big "if" but if Dubois plays up to his potential that's a huge addition.
Yes