Yesterday wasn’t a landscape altering day in the NHL. In the past, the NHL trading deadline was a Wild West show with teams desperate to alter their lineup; teams desperate to shed payroll; teams desperate to start rebuilding; and some teams desperate to try to win the Stanley Cup “right now” by adding that one key player to “allegedly” get them over the top.
Trade deadline day in the past has been a fan and media favorite, very exciting with lots to talk about.
Yesterday was different. Why?
To start, we are well into the new CBA and its ramifications have started to take root. There are only 50 contracts that a team can take on. There is a hard cap and as folks have noticed, the cap will be flat to down over the next few years. Hence there was a lot of trading player for player and salary for salary. It reminds me a bit of the NBA trading dollar for dollar and contract for contract.
The economic landscape has changed too. Teams aren’t looking to add to payroll. They want to shed payroll. Many teams that had high-priced veteran players were looking to exchange those contracts for younger players with lower-priced contracts. And banks won’t allow teams to increase their losses by tucking older players in the minors or doing magical contract buyouts. Cash is king in business today and the big spending teams don’t have the money to spend like they used to and can’t cover lots of payroll mistakes. There is also a plethora of no trade contracts out there in the NHL, more than you can imagine. In fact, as a team, we score very low in the NHL on that score. Many teams are handcuffed because they have so many players on their roster with no movement clauses.
We were in the mix for a great vet player. The ask was for four of our young assets. We all had to chuckle in that this team was asking us to rebuild their team for them all in one fell swoop. Take one great player at the end of his career with a big contract in exchange for three player/prospects and a first round pick that could all join their lineup in the next two years and be in their lineup for a decade. As our GM said, “A sucker’s bet.” We had to pass. We want to add those players/prospects into OUR lineup over the next few years and continue our progression of improvement and stick to our plan. Also with our inability to make some trades, we couldn’t fit the player into our payroll structure in the out years.
Managing the salary cap and contracts in the out years is vital to keeping a core team together. Every move has a ramification down the road. The knife will cut both ways. Sometimes prudence is better than risk. Sometimes the best moves you make are the moves you don’t make.
There were also some deals to be had right now that perhaps would improve our team in a small increment in the short term but remove a young player out of the lineup in exchange. We decided NOT to make that kind of trade out of belief in our team today and to show some loyalty to our current roster. We have played well over the last year and last 100 games and wanted to see what the current roster could do as a team. Shaking it up for change’s sake would make great copy and generate great buzz but at this time could have altered some of the chemistry we think we have in the locker room. Also, as noted, why not reward a Brian Pothier or a Karl Alzner or a Chris Clark if he can come back in the playoffs? Or a Brent Johnson if he can come back from injury?
For the most part, we will err on the side of being loyal to our own players and believe in the folks that we know instead of coveting the unknown as the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Time will tell if we were smart or dumb. Time will tell if the plan was right and we executed it well. There was lots of talk yesterday; lots of noise but very little signal for us and for most of the NHL.
The NHL has changed. The economy is different. The salary cap and 50 contract rule has taken root. Mistakes of the past trading days are haunting everyone. Welcome to the new NHL.
Hi Ted:
I spent Wednesday with fingers crossed and hoping that George would continue to make great decisions. I was not dissapointed. What you said about other teams wanting you guys to rebuild their teams is so true. Last years trades were excellent. It really gave a push at the right time with very little lost for the Caps. This year there was too much to lose for too little to gain. Great decision! Guess I have to go shoot another crow.
Thanks goodness the Caps didn’t sell their future to buy Chris Pronger. Hey, if Pronger were 26 years old… perhaps. But not at 34 with his best days behind him, not for what the Ducks wanted in return.
This team (and its development system) is built for long-haul competition, not a one-and-done run at the Cup. Thank you Ted, GMGM, and all for not losing sight of the plan.
I was a little upset the Caps didnt make a trade for one of the two players we were interested in: Derek Morris & Chris Pronger.
Then I saw what the Ducks were asking, which was absolutely ridiculous. I also saw what the Rangers traded for a small upgrade to an underachieving defensive core.
While people like me were a little upset at the deadline I think we ALL came to realize it wasnt worth it for either of those guys. At least we all understand that we are in need of a defensive player with skill and experience. Maybe even a little nastiness.
Im glad the Caps didnt make a move because I mean we are in 3rd place and still in the hunt for 2nd. Thats pretty good if you ask me. Also this year isnt just a ONE year opportunity for a shot at the Cup. We have a few and to trade away players than can help us win MANY Cups it was a smart play.
I also realize that with some players going into free agency at the end of the year we may be able to sign a guy who can help us in the defensive end. Feds and Johnson being 2 guys I dont see coming back which frees up some space to sign another key player. Hopefully in the defensive area.
Dan snyder could learn a thing or two from the best owner in professional sports!
What a great response.
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Ted,
I for one would like to thank you and George for not destroying such a promising future for the lure of “now.” While you take your lumps for not making that “blockbuster” deal, please keep in mind that if most fans truly gave it some honest thought they would gladly take playoff appearances year-after-year over one shot at the cup this year.
You guys should be commended for the job you’ve done in ensuring the future of the organization is solid and hopeful. You can rest easy knowing this strategy will surely bring continued success throughout the foreseeable future.
If you mix in this continued success with the loyalty you’ve shown your players, it will also breed a reputation among players in the NHL that the Capitals are an organization worth playing for.
The Caps will be a force in the NHL this year, next year, and so on. Thanks Ted!
It doesn’t matter what the unnamed team asked for, it matters what we offered and they turned down. If it was Alzner, Shultz and a pick – I’d do it.
Not panicking over a three game slide but with Clark out I wonder if we could have used a Matt Cooke type pickup just to kick everyone in the butt heading into the playoffs. Maybe not but the team has certainly looked a little flat lately (and banged up to be fair).
I really like this team. While there are some parts I would like to see improved upon, now is not the time to do it. I believe I saw on TSN that there was only one (1) trade deadline deal that had an impact upon the Stanley Cup winner, and that was Carolina a few years ago.
Last year’s splash in the trade deadline was cheap. We were a saber rattling band of overachievers. Not so this year as many of our prospects saw the NHL ice, and all the GMs realized the depths of our farm system.
In business, long-term growth is key to survival and success, specially in these times. This was a great call. Like GM said, we’ll be knocking on the door for many years, not just one as a result of holding pat.
I think you and George did the right thing Ted. Your team is young, exciting and fun to watch and whether they win the Stanley Cup this year or not, they are certainly poised to be a force in the Eastern Conference for many years to come just as the Devils have been this past decade or so. Keeping a core of players together who are all out of the same system makes perfect sense and I for one as a long time caps fan am willing to watch this team just as they are.
P.S. IMHO, Karl Alzner is already a very good defenseman and will only get better!
This should be required reading for all fans and posters on the blogs that have taken the Caps to task for “doing nothing”. Maybe this is the year – maybe it isn’t. There is no point in trading away great young talent for a (probable) rental player and a shot at “now”. I think last year’s Penguins are the poster children for that course. I am glad we stood pat. It may not be “now”, but I am loving today AND tomorrow.
Makes sense Ted. My disappointment with the day was tempered completely when I learned the price. Hopefully we can go deep this year, but at very least it means my season ticket investment will be a good one for several years to come.
I agree not to give up the future for an aging vet on the downside of his career but to feel that Pothier can be the answer I think is the suckers bet. He may never play again if he has any ill effects while down in Hershey.
It is a gamble in many aspects. If the Caps are ousted in the first round like last year I don’t believe the city and fans will react in the same manner. The bar was set higher for this year and a one and done is going to lose all the Media hype and attention the Caps have finally been getting, not to mention the renewal and new ST sales will plumment. This is a town about winners and another year of one and done is gonna be a done for the Caps and this town on their bandwagon.
Let’s hoep the boys get a fire under there you know what and get this together.
So basically you wouldn’t get Pronger over unproven kids, being a cup contender will be cyclical under the cap, there’s a short windows and the caps wouldn’t do what’s necessary, in a few years not getting Pronger for Kids will look bad
“Time will tell if we were smart or dumb”.
How much do you direct George in his execution of his duties? Or by we did you mean George?
Great site you have here very refreshing to read some of your posts.
Japers’ Rink, not Jaspers.
I’m glad you did exactly what the Rangers didn’t. We were better staying with what we have than overpaying for Morris or Pronger. Job well done.
Here’s a good one on the Rangers.
http://capsfanpensfan.blogspot.com/2009/03/rangers-are-buyers-who-would-have.html
I think you guys did the right thing, Ted. The answers to the team’s “problems” are in the locker room now. The answers aren’t in another team’s room. The goaltending and the D is less capable than the O because that’s how you guys have drafted and built AND because OV is an out-of-this-world player who makes everyone around him that much better. Standing pat turned out to be the right thing. Good job. Way to hold your ground! (But do take care of the foul stuff going on the month of Feb and culminating over the last few days with two horrific games.)
I was more than happy we did not make a deal. Look at Pittsburgh. While they made the finals, this year they are a mess. The are constantly tinkering with the roster. That is no way to build a winner. As for us, if I have learned one thing playing and watching hockey for over forty ( UGH!) years, is goaltending wins cups. Unfortunatly, only one goalie comes close to a sure thing at playoff time, and I don’t think the Devils were trading MB. As with all other teams, we will see how our guy plays and hope we are the lucky ones who get the hot goalie.
It hasn’t changed that much. You still need defense to win championships…
I don’t follow the trade news that closely, so I don’t know what offers were made available to you. As a fan, THANK YOU for not trading away this team’s future for ONE run at a Cup. I am hoping we are going to make 5+ runs at the cup in the next decade. (Ok…actually, I’m hoping for 10 runs at the cup in the next decade…wow, we fans our demanding..;) Those of us who follow the Caps every game know what kind of talent you guys have been developing.
I would have been disappointed if the Caps DID do a deal. I like the plan, the plan is working. Nothing but entertaining and winning hockey this season. Let’s see if the Caps can shake their recent funk and get geared up for the playoffs. I bet they will.
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Ted catch this from Jaspers Rink.
“It’s up to the free agent goalie, the re-born Russian veteran, the future captain, the enigmatic sniper, the Norris hopeful and everyone else on that team, in D.C. and in Hershey, because there’s no help coming. Not this year. This year, they’re on their own.
Let’s see what they can do.”
This thought from Jasper was right on point. I wanted you to see it.
What are the chances you can put that on the back of every ticket sold?
I kid. And I wholeheartedly agree.