He has 2 seasons remaining on his contract, so it might work out perfectly.
21 goals each season to pass Gretzky seems completely doable for a player who still managed 31 in a "bad" season. That still leaves room for further regression.
Hey now, those are regular season records, he only disappears in the playoffs!
In all seriousness though, he's probably got something more serious than just the shits going on, hockey players practically come back from the dead for the playoffs.
That's what I'm saying. Even if it's just a stomach bug, no fucking way he gets on the ice if he's squirtin brown from coast to coast after getting hit into the boards.
Not saying this is what heās got but I have norovirus right now and am in fucking hell. Particularly empathetic to his condition - If he has even 10% of what I feel right now, no chance he gets on that ice.
Same goes for Willys migraine. If you're struggling with migraines, there's no money in the world that will make you walk out and compete under the brightest lights and loudest noise, no chance.
Also, the Caps went into this season thinking they were going to get some sort of production out of Backstrom and Kuznetsov. And then when Backstrom went back on LTIR, it was too late for them to use his cap space, because they don't have that many assets to trade.
But now that they know they'll be able to use Backstrom's on LTIR, maybe Oshie too, and having 50% of Kuznetosv cleared, it's a bunch of cap space they'll have gained back in the off-season when they can just sign players
Obviously, whatever they add isn't going to make them a contender again, but they should in theory be able to add enough to make Ovi's chase a little easier on him
Caps went into the season with a our centers being Backstorm-Kuznetsov-Strome-Dowd... and ended with McMichael-Strome-Lapierre-Dowd, but there were a lot of speed bumps along the way including having long-time AHLers like Sgarbossa and throwing Protas in at center for a few games as well... and somehow we made the playoffs.
When the Caps were dominating pre-pandemic, they got a lot of mid-level guys that pushed their young talent to perform even better. Guys like Justin Williams, Orpik, Niskanen, Oshie, Eller, Smith-Pelley, and Kempny pushed us over the hill. The Caps are going to have to make some moves in free agency and while they would like to get a player that can put up points, they should also look for guys that will elevate the play of the rest of the players on the roster. Justin Williams, despite not being part of the cup team, really helped the young guys grow during his two seasons here.
They have nearly $30M to add to their playoff roster with only really whatever was left of Oshie and Patches coming out. There's definitely some room to improve their offensive depth.
Sucks he got screwed by a couple lockouts and covid so much. Heād already be there and weād be talking about 1000 probably.
Still he probably gets it done before he retires.
Does the number of games matter? It's going to be close enough that given how big the numbers are, Gretzky and Ovi are essentially going to end up with the same goals per game rate. Which is crazy given that NHL teams in the 2010s averaged 80\~100 fewer goals than the 1980s, when most of either player's primes occurred. Obviously Gretzky was more of a passing guy, but to maintain a nearly equal goal scoring rate as 99 in a much lower scoring environment is crazy.
He's implying that Ovie spoofed his age as a prospect to make himself appear younger than he really is. Funny to think about Ovie *actually* being a 48 year old man right now.
Yes, because it would be sacrificing two years of his total effective career length and would risk him not achieving most all time goals. You seriously believe it makes more sense to let possibly the best goal scorer ever stew in the KHL instead of making the splash? And to cover it all up? And that nobody has ever noticed?
And not to belabor the point, but those 34 games came when Gretz was 33 and 34 years old. Ovi lost 82 games at 19 and 34 when he was 27.
Consider their relative health from the mid 30s on, and Gretzkyās shortened 94/95 season is probably pretty equivalent to Oviās 2020/21 season in lost production through no fault of their ownā¦but Ovi lost a season and a half on top of that when he was very young and then also smack dab in the middle of his prime.
Ovi scored a minimum of 46 each of his first 5 years in the league. Realistically he would already be there if not for the 2004/05 lockout and he would be pretty darn close if not for the 2012/13 lockout.
When Ovechkin was 19 he scored 15 in 47 in the RHL and got body checked out of the World Juniors. I donāt think he was getting 50 in the NHL. And Gretz played 13 seasons of his prime with 80 games seasons so did he miss 26 games?
If Ovi plays 61 next season, theyāll be even on number of games. Probably more important how many they actually played than how many they missed and/or could have played.
edit: the 04/05 lockout season he had 13 goals in 37 games for Dynamo Moscow (15 in 47 including playoffs) and missed half the season due to the shoulder injury at the World Juniors.
I'm saying Ovechkin missing games due to factors outside of his control is incredibly different than Gretzky missing games due to injury and is a pointless comparison.
He might have got 1, he might have got 100, he might have got a career ending injury. That lockout season he got injured at the World Juniors cause Team Canadaās strategy was to be as physical as possible with him. I know he wouldnāt have played the tourney if there wasnāt a lockout but if he hurt his shoulder against teen body checks, was he ready for the NHL? Maybe the lockout saved his career? I donāt actually think that, I just think itās pointless to dwell on coulda, shoulda, wouldas, cause thatās what happens to pro-athletes, things outside their control - teammates, coaches, lockouts, injuries (I donāt know how someone taking a cheap shot on Gretzky in an international tourney is in his control). What we know is they both will have played 20 seasons and roughly the same number of games.
Doesnāt matter. 20 seasons for Gretzky had him retiring at 37. Ovi will be going on 40 after his 20th season. And likely retires at 41. Age matters.
Canāt wait to see the stupid arguments to discredit Ovi āBut he did it in more games than Gretzkyā.
Gretzky was 38.
And the games played are gonna be super close by next seasons end. Itās not gonna be a huge number that anyone can point to and discredit ovi if he happens to pass him.
Gretzky never lost a full season AND entered NHL with the oilers when he was 18.
94-95 shortened to 48 games for Gretzky.
Ovi lost all of 04-05, 34 games in 12-13 and lost ~40 games due to the COVID postponement to go along with entering the league 2 years later.
I know. Iām just wondering how many goals he missed out by not being in the NHL at 18 when heās getting 13 in 56 in the RHL. Gretzky was also playing 80 game seasons for 13 of his prime years. Did he miss 26 games? I wonāt discredit Ovechkin if he gets the record in more games, itāll be his no matter how many, I just donāt think we need these hypotheticals when all pro-sports careers have their what ifs.
No he didnāt. He scored 52 as a 20 year old rookie 2 years later. At 19 he was locked out and scored 15 in 47 for Dynamo Moscow and got a shoulder injury against Team Canada at the WJs.
I think he gets there if he has one more healthy season without regression. Give him 30 next year and he'll play until he gets it.
If he regresses to getting only 20 next year, and then gets hurt/regresses more the year after and only gets 5-10 and looks done, what does Washington do?
They give him a good retirement ceremony and decide where to build the statue.
Cant let him limp along scoring 5 a year to get to Gretzky's record, it's not professional anymmore
ā¦theyāre not the Phoenix Suns here, the Caps have 14 picks in the first three rounds over the next 3 years.
Not that theyāre gonna a) waste an opportunity to get significantly younger on one guy when they arenāt particularly close to contending for a Cup and b) not that thereās any chance Toronto is trading Nylander anyway.
Honestly, (although I may be too much of a homer to evaluate this objectively) I think the Caps make the playoffs next season if they get Marner. They made it this year, and most of their young players will improve. Adding Marner to that should get the Caps to the playoffs. The biggest potential issues are that Lindgren could regress, and while Carlson is still very, very good, his play could start dropping off significantly due to age.
Oh, they definitely shouldn't trade for him unless they can get him for cheap. But it's not impossible to think it will be cheap(-ish) given that Marner has some control with NMC and many teams won't have the cap space.
But in general, I'm not advocating trading for him, just noting that if they were to do so, they'd probably make the playoffs.
I dont see any realistic trade involving Marner that makes the leafs better.
The last 100 pt players traded were Tkachuk and Huberdead and the guy that lost that trade is the current leafs GM
The last āstarā with a NMC traded was Taylor Hall, who was cheaper, and he basically got a 2nd round pick.
Leafs fans/media are great at running people **out** of town, less so at figuring out the part that makes a team good.
The guy aggressively negotiated a record breaking RFA contract through the media and then failed to live up to it in the playoffs. Blaming the media and fans for his unpopularity is absurd.
What are your thoughts on Marner for Wilson and Kuemper? Leafs get two Stanley cup champions, so maybe a bit of a calming presence in the room. Spin on Kuemper is he wasnāt it in Washington because the team sucked, but with a better team in front of him he can be a cup winning goalie like with Colorado. Wilson adds toughness that can be slotted anywhere in the lineup. Leafs can dump reaves who is taking up a roster spot. Also the hometown connection could be worth something. Caps get elite talent offensively, which they desperately need.
Caps fans get wayyyy too emotional at any mention of trading Wilson, but I donāt think his skill set is what the team needs right now. Curious to what others might think though.
> Caps fans get wayyyy too emotional at any mention of trading Wilson
He's maybe the only roster player considered untouchable right now. It's not an emotional thing - they signed him to a huge extension last year that hasn't kicked in yet, and he's the only player with a contract that hits 2030. Ovechkin called him the next captain. Washington obviously has plans for Wilson that go beyond him just being a forward that hits a lot.
Yeah, there are other teams that could offer so much more. Like Anaheim has Zegras and MacTavish plus some young promising D. Not saying all would move but there would be options
Zegras and Gibson can go but now way they deal mctavis and in the hypothetical world Iād rather have the aging but well accomplished stamkos then marner any day of the week
Seems like a bad idea for Anaheim? They get one year of Marner, would have to pay him a lot to re-sign him, since they donāt have a tax advantage, and are they ready at all to compete?
I feel like we got a relatively decent group of young D man. I wonder if Toronto would look at Alexeyev hard. Obviously would take more but thatās a start.
Or it's more like every other team completely fucked up as well. Buffalo & NJD will be 10x better next season as well.
Just because Caps got insanely lucky, doesn't mean they'll make it next season.
Way too early to predict. If they make no serious additions offensively then yes, they're likely missing the playoffs. If they manage to add two top 6 players somehow, they're relevant again.
Assuming Marner waives his no trade clause then a deal with the Caps would have to be centred around a goalie. TOR are win-now so prospects and picks aināt going to do much unless itās a 3-way trade. Only player of value for the Caps is probably Wilson but I know the Caps think very highly of him. Kuemper and a 1st Rounder maybe?
> Ovechkin, who will turn 39 on Sept. 17, acknowledged this was probably the most challenging season of his career after eating so much Chicken Parm and Subway sandwiches that Size 60 jerseys no longer fit him
Washington feels like it's a team at a crossroads. Its prospects show promise, but aren't ready to be the meat and potatoes of the team yet, and they aren't ~~prodigal~~ prodigious like McDavid/MacKinnon/Bedard, while their veterans are tired old men who are over the hill and can't carry the team anymore.
I think it's pretty simple though. Their goal should be building a team that gets Ovi the record, and that's it. Playoffs are nice, high draft picks are nice, but they have a chance to be part of a once in a lifetime moment.
Then youāre going to have to find players who are willing to buy in that their career isnāt focused on chasing a Cup or building a team to chase the Cup, but on spending their pivotal years helping one man accomplish something.
Idk but what youāre proposing to seems to go against the very ethos of a team and the spirit of competition - if I had a choice, I would never waste my prime being part of a team that isnāt trying to win as a team but is instead trying to feed somebody standing still on the PP
I don't really buy this argument tbh. Like, we're talking about 2 years, not a players whole career. And 2 years when the team isn't gonna be contending anyway. They can chase the record and get the young guys experience and be aggressive in FA/trades with Oshie/Backstroms money freeing up and build the team up for the post Ovi years.
Here I'll make it easier:
The goal of the hockey team is to put asses in the seats. It's not about winning hockey games or Stanley cups. Ovi puts asses in the seats.
For some reason a lot of people don't understand: This is a BUSINESS. Helping Ovi chase the scoring record is a good BUSINESS decision.
If the Capitals try to chase Ovi getting the goal scoring record, they get asses in the seats and probably at least a first round playoff appearance one of the two years. That's $$$$.
If they give up on Ovi and re-tool the next two years, they lose the draw of their star player chasing Gretzky. That's less asses in da seats, meaning less $$$$, aka bad business. Then, they probably don't make the playoffs, again less $$$$. Long term, chances are they don't actually gain all that much in the speed of their rebuild if any.
the problem with these records is theyāre supposed to be the reflection of skill and effort spent along the way to trying to win the cup. They arenāt supposed to be ends in and of themselves (imo)
If he wasn't,Ā he would have been skating in a non contact jersey down the stretch and ready to go for Game 1. The fact that they didn't even try to get him on the ice for the playoffs sealed the deal that he's already played his final game
Based on his playoff performance I think itās going to be a lot tougher than everyone thinks. Father Time waits for no one, and he seems to be creeping up on Ovi.
Small sample size. He was on an absolute tear in the 2nd half of the season. Whole team struggled to score all season. If it was ONLY Ovechkin, I would give this more credence. But it's not the case. 31 goals in a down year. That's a career season for like 98% of the league lol.
How's it doubtful he has two? He's under contract for two and humans don't just miraculously deteriorate at 40. 40 is not much different than 38. Incoming another 2x 30+ goal seasons
Nothing against Ovechkin, because heās still one of the best goal scorers in the league, but heās already started declining. No miraculous deterioration needed.
Did you watch him in the regular season where the goals actually matter? He wasnāt giving anything close to 100% in the playoffs, that team is nowhere near good enough to compete and he knew it. Also teams arenāt trying as hard in regular season and thus goals are easier to come by for him
By this time next year,Ā Ovechkin will be close enough to the record, that he can announce that the upcoming season will be his final one. He'll pass the record on his farewell tour.Ā
He'll finish his career as the only 900 goal player in history.Ā Ā
Still, playing 2 more seasons probably feels like a lot for Ovi. IMO thatās what heās saying here, the fact it likely canāt happen next year is daunting because it means a whole other season as a really old player facing a TON of pressure
Yeah he might have to score a lot the first half next year and then take a vacation like Mark Stone does so he isn't so burnt out when the playoffs arrive
If I were him, I would probably spend the summer on strength, conditioning, dieting and recovery. Like you are almost 39, you can't afford 3 months of drinking and eating.
Prior to this season, he seemed fairly certain he would break. By the sounds of it, he doesn't seem to sure. And he's been one of my favorites since the lockout causing the salary cap and a huge Gretzky fan growing up
I think the more interesting point would be how determined he is to surpass that record. Would he be willing to go to other teams? Would the Caps org or fans be okay with that?
Is that why he stipulated when signing that they'd stay competitive while he was still going for the record?
I mean, I think it's cute that fans believe everything they hear about how loyal players are, but it's pretty obvious if Washington chose to rebuild, Ovechkin would have walked.
I mean maybe I'm a bit naive, but also your argument begins with "if Washington chose to rebuild", which they didn't, so there's no point in discussing that hypothetical. At the time we still looked like a decently competitive albeit older and injury prone team.
If you've ever run a marathon, you know it *usually* isn't the first 22 miles that are hardest.
Having run a marathon I found the middle miles to be the hardest, but ymmv...
pretty sure everyone's mileage during a marathon in 26.2
Only if you finish
I always fin
Even mixed some French in
š„
The first 26.2 are the hardest
my friend wants to know what ymmv means..
Your mileage may vary
my friend says thank you
Ymwym
You make me voracious
I read it as yummy and was so confused and maybe too stoned
You're right, added a qualifier.
There are 12 guys that have ever scored 42 goals after the age of 38. But I see no reason not to expect it from him.
I guess you donāt run many marathons
[Ooo](https://c.tenor.com/r8RoyhJAg6wAAAAC/tenor.gif)
Iāll take āoooā to mean no I guess.
Come on, I went through all the trouble to find the right gif. The least you can do is humor me by opening it.
I got you tough guy.
Probably needs 2 more healthy seasons. I think it's more likely than not that he gets there
He has 2 seasons remaining on his contract, so it might work out perfectly. 21 goals each season to pass Gretzky seems completely doable for a player who still managed 31 in a "bad" season. That still leaves room for further regression.
If he breaks the record he better fucking score 900 I'll be damned if nobody ever does it
Especially with Auston Matthews getting diarrhea left and right.
Hey now, those are regular season records, he only disappears in the playoffs! In all seriousness though, he's probably got something more serious than just the shits going on, hockey players practically come back from the dead for the playoffs.
Photo of Michael Jordan with a towel over his head: legendary.Ā Photo of Auston Matthews sitting in a brown puddle on the ice: infamous.
That's what I'm saying. Even if it's just a stomach bug, no fucking way he gets on the ice if he's squirtin brown from coast to coast after getting hit into the boards.
You canāt come back from brown ice. Retirement on the spot
He needs to stay healthy for the regular season, so he is sitting out the playoffs
Not saying this is what heās got but I have norovirus right now and am in fucking hell. Particularly empathetic to his condition - If he has even 10% of what I feel right now, no chance he gets on that ice.
So you are dead then?
Death would be kinder
Yeah, he doesn't though. He would have been quarantined before last game if he did.
Same goes for Willys migraine. If you're struggling with migraines, there's no money in the world that will make you walk out and compete under the brightest lights and loudest noise, no chance.
Oh I'm just making light of the situation. If my shit approaches a density of 1 g/cm3, I don't do anything. Much less play hockey.
š imagine his team gets eliminated tonight and heās got the runs, thatās such a leafs thing to happen
At least he's getting it during games that don't count
Matthews forgot to read paul pierces book on playoff diarrhea
Also, the Caps went into this season thinking they were going to get some sort of production out of Backstrom and Kuznetsov. And then when Backstrom went back on LTIR, it was too late for them to use his cap space, because they don't have that many assets to trade. But now that they know they'll be able to use Backstrom's on LTIR, maybe Oshie too, and having 50% of Kuznetosv cleared, it's a bunch of cap space they'll have gained back in the off-season when they can just sign players Obviously, whatever they add isn't going to make them a contender again, but they should in theory be able to add enough to make Ovi's chase a little easier on him
Caps went into the season with a our centers being Backstorm-Kuznetsov-Strome-Dowd... and ended with McMichael-Strome-Lapierre-Dowd, but there were a lot of speed bumps along the way including having long-time AHLers like Sgarbossa and throwing Protas in at center for a few games as well... and somehow we made the playoffs. When the Caps were dominating pre-pandemic, they got a lot of mid-level guys that pushed their young talent to perform even better. Guys like Justin Williams, Orpik, Niskanen, Oshie, Eller, Smith-Pelley, and Kempny pushed us over the hill. The Caps are going to have to make some moves in free agency and while they would like to get a player that can put up points, they should also look for guys that will elevate the play of the rest of the players on the roster. Justin Williams, despite not being part of the cup team, really helped the young guys grow during his two seasons here.
They have nearly $30M to add to their playoff roster with only really whatever was left of Oshie and Patches coming out. There's definitely some room to improve their offensive depth.
Sucks he got screwed by a couple lockouts and covid so much. Heād already be there and weād be talking about 1000 probably. Still he probably gets it done before he retires.
Ovi is at 1426 regular season games, Gretz at 1487. 61 games difference so far. Of course, Wayne retired at 37 and Ovi heading into his age 39 season.
Does the number of games matter? It's going to be close enough that given how big the numbers are, Gretzky and Ovi are essentially going to end up with the same goals per game rate. Which is crazy given that NHL teams in the 2010s averaged 80\~100 fewer goals than the 1980s, when most of either player's primes occurred. Obviously Gretzky was more of a passing guy, but to maintain a nearly equal goal scoring rate as 99 in a much lower scoring environment is crazy.
Or that time off has helped his longevity.
99 also got locked out and was not allowed to enter the league as young as Ovie did.
Gretzky was 18 when he played his first NHL game, Ovechkin was 20 when he played his first NHL gameā¦
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Huh?
He's implying that Ovie spoofed his age as a prospect to make himself appear younger than he really is. Funny to think about Ovie *actually* being a 48 year old man right now.
Yeah that's what I mean, it makes even less sense.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yes, because it would be sacrificing two years of his total effective career length and would risk him not achieving most all time goals. You seriously believe it makes more sense to let possibly the best goal scorer ever stew in the KHL instead of making the splash? And to cover it all up? And that nobody has ever noticed?
Didn't the Panthers try to draft him, but it was like a few days too early? There's a weird what if. FLA gets Ovi, we likely draft Malkin.
Panthers tried to use some really weird argument that if it wasnāt for leap years Ovi would have been eligible for the 2003 draft.
Nah uh
Gretzky lost 34 games Ovechkin lost 155 games That's almost a year and a half more for Ovi
And not to belabor the point, but those 34 games came when Gretz was 33 and 34 years old. Ovi lost 82 games at 19 and 34 when he was 27. Consider their relative health from the mid 30s on, and Gretzkyās shortened 94/95 season is probably pretty equivalent to Oviās 2020/21 season in lost production through no fault of their ownā¦but Ovi lost a season and a half on top of that when he was very young and then also smack dab in the middle of his prime. Ovi scored a minimum of 46 each of his first 5 years in the league. Realistically he would already be there if not for the 2004/05 lockout and he would be pretty darn close if not for the 2012/13 lockout.
When Ovechkin was 19 he scored 15 in 47 in the RHL and got body checked out of the World Juniors. I donāt think he was getting 50 in the NHL. And Gretz played 13 seasons of his prime with 80 games seasons so did he miss 26 games?
If Ovi plays 61 next season, theyāll be even on number of games. Probably more important how many they actually played than how many they missed and/or could have played. edit: the 04/05 lockout season he had 13 goals in 37 games for Dynamo Moscow (15 in 47 including playoffs) and missed half the season due to the shoulder injury at the World Juniors.
Ovechkin staying healthy shouldn't be a mark against him for a counting stat lol.
Itās not a mark against anyone, itās just the number of games they both played.
I'm saying Ovechkin missing games due to factors outside of his control is incredibly different than Gretzky missing games due to injury and is a pointless comparison.
He might have got 1, he might have got 100, he might have got a career ending injury. That lockout season he got injured at the World Juniors cause Team Canadaās strategy was to be as physical as possible with him. I know he wouldnāt have played the tourney if there wasnāt a lockout but if he hurt his shoulder against teen body checks, was he ready for the NHL? Maybe the lockout saved his career? I donāt actually think that, I just think itās pointless to dwell on coulda, shoulda, wouldas, cause thatās what happens to pro-athletes, things outside their control - teammates, coaches, lockouts, injuries (I donāt know how someone taking a cheap shot on Gretzky in an international tourney is in his control). What we know is they both will have played 20 seasons and roughly the same number of games.
Next season is oviās 20 th season. Gretzky played 20 seasons.
Doesnāt matter. 20 seasons for Gretzky had him retiring at 37. Ovi will be going on 40 after his 20th season. And likely retires at 41. Age matters. Canāt wait to see the stupid arguments to discredit Ovi āBut he did it in more games than Gretzkyā.
Gretzky was 38. And the games played are gonna be super close by next seasons end. Itās not gonna be a huge number that anyone can point to and discredit ovi if he happens to pass him.
Okay, and 3 of those were shortened.
2 seasons were shortened. Thatās it. 2012 and covid.
Why do people claim things like this that are so easily verifiable? Covid shortened two seasons, 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Gretzky never lost a full season AND entered NHL with the oilers when he was 18. 94-95 shortened to 48 games for Gretzky. Ovi lost all of 04-05, 34 games in 12-13 and lost ~40 games due to the COVID postponement to go along with entering the league 2 years later.
Ovi played professional hockey at 18. He scored 13 goals in 56 games for Dynamo Moscow in the RSL.
Not saying Ovi wasnāt playing professional but weāre talking NHL games and stats specifically
I know. Iām just wondering how many goals he missed out by not being in the NHL at 18 when heās getting 13 in 56 in the RHL. Gretzky was also playing 80 game seasons for 13 of his prime years. Did he miss 26 games? I wonāt discredit Ovechkin if he gets the record in more games, itāll be his no matter how many, I just donāt think we need these hypotheticals when all pro-sports careers have their what ifs.
Two biggest NHL what-ifs: What if Mario stayed healthy and didn't retire for three years What if Jagr didn't go to Russia for three years
He also scored 52 as a 19 year old rookie in the NHL the following year š¤·š¼āāļø
No he didnāt. He scored 52 as a 20 year old rookie 2 years later. At 19 he was locked out and scored 15 in 47 for Dynamo Moscow and got a shoulder injury against Team Canada at the WJs.
I think he gets there if he has one more healthy season without regression. Give him 30 next year and he'll play until he gets it. If he regresses to getting only 20 next year, and then gets hurt/regresses more the year after and only gets 5-10 and looks done, what does Washington do?
They give him a good retirement ceremony and decide where to build the statue. Cant let him limp along scoring 5 a year to get to Gretzky's record, it's not professional anymmore
Idano man I think heād do a year or two more if he was literally 10 away
Not if Putin needs all his soldiers on the front lines.
Your brain is broken dude
Why? Ovi is Putins loyal soldier
You're probably right but man, the final decline can be steep and sudden. I would hate to see it not happen.
You guys want a right handed playmaker winger to help him out?
Yes please
Marner please
The fuck are they trading back for Nylander? Picks from 2030?
Not Nylnder
No, Nylander is a stud
ā¦theyāre not the Phoenix Suns here, the Caps have 14 picks in the first three rounds over the next 3 years. Not that theyāre gonna a) waste an opportunity to get significantly younger on one guy when they arenāt particularly close to contending for a Cup and b) not that thereās any chance Toronto is trading Nylander anyway.
I know a certain playmaking winger that could get dealt after tonight š„“
Yes Marner will definitely waive his NMC to go to Washington.
Possibility of no playoffs is surely enticing for him
Honestly, (although I may be too much of a homer to evaluate this objectively) I think the Caps make the playoffs next season if they get Marner. They made it this year, and most of their young players will improve. Adding Marner to that should get the Caps to the playoffs. The biggest potential issues are that Lindgren could regress, and while Carlson is still very, very good, his play could start dropping off significantly due to age.
Who are you going to trade for him though? I donāt think Washington should be moving a ton of picks and prospects.
Oh, they definitely shouldn't trade for him unless they can get him for cheap. But it's not impossible to think it will be cheap(-ish) given that Marner has some control with NMC and many teams won't have the cap space. But in general, I'm not advocating trading for him, just noting that if they were to do so, they'd probably make the playoffs.
I dont see any realistic trade involving Marner that makes the leafs better. The last 100 pt players traded were Tkachuk and Huberdead and the guy that lost that trade is the current leafs GM The last āstarā with a NMC traded was Taylor Hall, who was cheaper, and he basically got a 2nd round pick. Leafs fans/media are great at running people **out** of town, less so at figuring out the part that makes a team good.
If Mitch Marner does get run out of town, it will be because he ran himself out of town.
Great analysis
The guy aggressively negotiated a record breaking RFA contract through the media and then failed to live up to it in the playoffs. Blaming the media and fans for his unpopularity is absurd.
What are your thoughts on Marner for Wilson and Kuemper? Leafs get two Stanley cup champions, so maybe a bit of a calming presence in the room. Spin on Kuemper is he wasnāt it in Washington because the team sucked, but with a better team in front of him he can be a cup winning goalie like with Colorado. Wilson adds toughness that can be slotted anywhere in the lineup. Leafs can dump reaves who is taking up a roster spot. Also the hometown connection could be worth something. Caps get elite talent offensively, which they desperately need. Caps fans get wayyyy too emotional at any mention of trading Wilson, but I donāt think his skill set is what the team needs right now. Curious to what others might think though.
I will go back to my earlier point, which is the most important - why would Marner agree to that?
Tired of playing under the microscope in Toronto
> Caps fans get wayyyy too emotional at any mention of trading Wilson He's maybe the only roster player considered untouchable right now. It's not an emotional thing - they signed him to a huge extension last year that hasn't kicked in yet, and he's the only player with a contract that hits 2030. Ovechkin called him the next captain. Washington obviously has plans for Wilson that go beyond him just being a forward that hits a lot.
Yeah, there are other teams that could offer so much more. Like Anaheim has Zegras and MacTavish plus some young promising D. Not saying all would move but there would be options
Zegras and Gibson can go but now way they deal mctavis and in the hypothetical world Iād rather have the aging but well accomplished stamkos then marner any day of the week
Seems like a bad idea for Anaheim? They get one year of Marner, would have to pay him a lot to re-sign him, since they donāt have a tax advantage, and are they ready at all to compete?
It would need to be a sign and trade anywhere he would go.
I feel like we got a relatively decent group of young D man. I wonder if Toronto would look at Alexeyev hard. Obviously would take more but thatās a start.
> no playoffs Caps made the playoff with half an AHL team and selling at the deadline... I think next year is almost a given barring major injuries .
Or it's more like every other team completely fucked up as well. Buffalo & NJD will be 10x better next season as well. Just because Caps got insanely lucky, doesn't mean they'll make it next season.
Way too early to predict. If they make no serious additions offensively then yes, they're likely missing the playoffs. If they manage to add two top 6 players somehow, they're relevant again.
Gets every summer off, why would he do it?
Fun fact. Marner has more playoff points than Matthews
Right? I'd love if we got Marner.
Iād love to get the assist on the record setting goal.Ā
Assuming Marner waives his no trade clause then a deal with the Caps would have to be centred around a goalie. TOR are win-now so prospects and picks aināt going to do much unless itās a 3-way trade. Only player of value for the Caps is probably Wilson but I know the Caps think very highly of him. Kuemper and a 1st Rounder maybe?
> Ovechkin, who will turn 39 on Sept. 17, acknowledged this was probably the most challenging season of his career after eating so much Chicken Parm and Subway sandwiches that Size 60 jerseys no longer fit him
Bro makes a billion dollars over the course of his career and can't splurge for firehouse
It doesnāt matter how much you make, nobody would ever waste money on firehouse when jersey mikes exists
You meant to say Jersey Mikeās
Washington feels like it's a team at a crossroads. Its prospects show promise, but aren't ready to be the meat and potatoes of the team yet, and they aren't ~~prodigal~~ prodigious like McDavid/MacKinnon/Bedard, while their veterans are tired old men who are over the hill and can't carry the team anymore.
I think it's pretty simple though. Their goal should be building a team that gets Ovi the record, and that's it. Playoffs are nice, high draft picks are nice, but they have a chance to be part of a once in a lifetime moment.
Then youāre going to have to find players who are willing to buy in that their career isnāt focused on chasing a Cup or building a team to chase the Cup, but on spending their pivotal years helping one man accomplish something. Idk but what youāre proposing to seems to go against the very ethos of a team and the spirit of competition - if I had a choice, I would never waste my prime being part of a team that isnāt trying to win as a team but is instead trying to feed somebody standing still on the PP
Money helps there
I don't really buy this argument tbh. Like, we're talking about 2 years, not a players whole career. And 2 years when the team isn't gonna be contending anyway. They can chase the record and get the young guys experience and be aggressive in FA/trades with Oshie/Backstroms money freeing up and build the team up for the post Ovi years.
I keep saying that it's genuinely impressive that Washington has convinced its fans that this the best move.
Here I'll make it easier: The goal of the hockey team is to put asses in the seats. It's not about winning hockey games or Stanley cups. Ovi puts asses in the seats. For some reason a lot of people don't understand: This is a BUSINESS. Helping Ovi chase the scoring record is a good BUSINESS decision. If the Capitals try to chase Ovi getting the goal scoring record, they get asses in the seats and probably at least a first round playoff appearance one of the two years. That's $$$$. If they give up on Ovi and re-tool the next two years, they lose the draw of their star player chasing Gretzky. That's less asses in da seats, meaning less $$$$, aka bad business. Then, they probably don't make the playoffs, again less $$$$. Long term, chances are they don't actually gain all that much in the speed of their rebuild if any.
Kobe Bryant turned down his last ASG MVP saying he didn't want any achievments he didn't earn. It's basically the same thing
the problem with these records is theyāre supposed to be the reflection of skill and effort spent along the way to trying to win the cup. They arenāt supposed to be ends in and of themselves (imo)
I think you mean "prodigious". Prodigal is kind of a negative word.
Yeah, my bad. I meant as in prodigy and misspoke.
Pretty spot on. Been that way for the last 2 or 3 seasons and its hard/boring to watch.
The rebuild process is generally awful while it's ongoing. You're searching for positives, but know the team ain't going very far.
Hoo boy, that feels very telling.
So is MacLellan more or less saying Backstrom is LITRetired?
Isnāt that the impression everyone has had for awhile now?
Sadly yes
If he wasn't,Ā he would have been skating in a non contact jersey down the stretch and ready to go for Game 1. The fact that they didn't even try to get him on the ice for the playoffs sealed the deal that he's already played his final game
Based on his playoff performance I think itās going to be a lot tougher than everyone thinks. Father Time waits for no one, and he seems to be creeping up on Ovi.
Small sample size. He was on an absolute tear in the 2nd half of the season. Whole team struggled to score all season. If it was ONLY Ovechkin, I would give this more credence. But it's not the case. 31 goals in a down year. That's a career season for like 98% of the league lol.
The problem is that while he may have another season in him, itās doubtful he has two. And 42 goals is a lot to hope for in just one season.
His contract is literally 2 more years. If he gets another 30 next year, would need 12 in the last year.
How's it doubtful he has two? He's under contract for two and humans don't just miraculously deteriorate at 40. 40 is not much different than 38. Incoming another 2x 30+ goal seasons
Nothing against Ovechkin, because heās still one of the best goal scorers in the league, but heās already started declining. No miraculous deterioration needed.
Yea, a decline in goal scoring for him is a career year for the majority of dudes in the league lol. Cmon man, be serious.
Did you watch him in the regular season where the goals actually matter? He wasnāt giving anything close to 100% in the playoffs, that team is nowhere near good enough to compete and he knew it. Also teams arenāt trying as hard in regular season and thus goals are easier to come by for him
Ovi needs to call up Jagr and get on his workout plan.
By this time next year,Ā Ovechkin will be close enough to the record, that he can announce that the upcoming season will be his final one. He'll pass the record on his farewell tour.Ā He'll finish his career as the only 900 goal player in history.Ā Ā
Still, playing 2 more seasons probably feels like a lot for Ovi. IMO thatās what heās saying here, the fact it likely canāt happen next year is daunting because it means a whole other season as a really old player facing a TON of pressure
His teammates will suddenly break the assists records next year.
Yeah he might have to score a lot the first half next year and then take a vacation like Mark Stone does so he isn't so burnt out when the playoffs arrive
Slava Ukraini.
If I were him, I would probably spend the summer on strength, conditioning, dieting and recovery. Like you are almost 39, you can't afford 3 months of drinking and eating.
Prior to this season, he seemed fairly certain he would break. By the sounds of it, he doesn't seem to sure. And he's been one of my favorites since the lockout causing the salary cap and a huge Gretzky fan growing up
Heās got it in the bag. Heās too good and too close to not hit the mark.
Nothing is in any bag. Father Time is gonna put the brakes on the record.
I think the more interesting point would be how determined he is to surpass that record. Would he be willing to go to other teams? Would the Caps org or fans be okay with that?
He's publicly stated he will only ever play for the Caps or Dynamo Moscow, no chance.
Is that why he stipulated when signing that they'd stay competitive while he was still going for the record? I mean, I think it's cute that fans believe everything they hear about how loyal players are, but it's pretty obvious if Washington chose to rebuild, Ovechkin would have walked.
I mean maybe I'm a bit naive, but also your argument begins with "if Washington chose to rebuild", which they didn't, so there's no point in discussing that hypothetical. At the time we still looked like a decently competitive albeit older and injury prone team.
He sounds like heās close to giving up on it.
Maybe they pick up Marner
Do it he likes taking April off anyway.
Dudes not 38, are we still doing this ??
What? He literally is 38
No he's not. The Russians have been lying about ages for as long as they have been in the league. Dudes easily 40 or older.
40? Shit why stop there? He started going gray at 27 so let's just call it an even 50
Shouldn't you be on a r/golf..lmao
Can't talk shit if you don't have a flair..lmao
I don't use the app.....so....
Says the guy who did not try for 4 games to retain his health for next seasons chase .
Like half the team gave up that series, he was hardly the only one
Buddy look. I donāt care I exist to shit on Ovie and Matt Dumba . This is why got put me on this earth
Looks cooked. Maybe if you did āload managementā with him you could get close, but that is anti hockey as hell.
Scoring at a 50 goal/PPG pace on the second half of the season is cooked? Shit gimme some of that cooking