This is a fun time for bloggers, for pundits and for fans. Everyone can speculate and think through what they think we need to add to our team; discuss who we should trade; and demand how much or how little we should change up our team. Every pundit always believes a team is just one additional player away from winning a Stanley Cup, guaranteed. That is what is so exciting.
That is all healthy that is all good. There are no issues with speculation and there are no ramifications to the pundits at all with voicing opinions. Even if it hurts someone’s state of play this week or makes a player nervous about trade speculation or if the pundit is just dead wrong. That is the beauty of self expression. Throw it out there and see what sticks.
But there is a human element to all of this, isn’t there? I can’t name a player on our team who would like to be traded. THAT is an amazing comment. We have a happy group. I believe happy teams win.
We have constructed a pretty good team to date by adhering to a plan and by having sound cap management. We have generated good results to date. We have good team chemistry. Our best players are our young players. We are well positioned to compete for a Cup this year but also for many out years as well. And for that I am grateful. A “generationally” great team was one of our promised deliverables to our fan base.
We do have a plan. I see no reason to deviate dramatically from the plan this coming week. We need to keep our core group of young players together.We need to reward young players for their hard work and loyalty.
I don’t see us doing anything dramatic this week. I want to temper folk’s expectations.
We want to improve the team but NOT take risk of trading young assets now for older players with big ongoing contracts that would hinder us from keeping our core together. That would take us off our plan. It is ironic that many players being offered around the NHL in trades are older vet players who recently signed huge contracts. Many deals being discussed around the league are what I call “sucker’s bets” - trade a very good young player in the lineup today, a prospect and a first round pick for an aging veteran. In essence, do to us what we did to teams during our rebuild before the lockout.
We do have a lot of depth. We do have a lot of picks. We do have great young prospects still waiting to make our team. We have lots of optionality.
I would be hopeful we can add to our team without hurting our team chemistry and without crushing our salary cap management. That will be a tall order.
Plan for the best, play to win but manage expectations. We want to improve NOW. We want to win in the short term and the medium term and the long term.
We won’t do anything dumb. We won’t get too far off our plan.
Get excited. No one knows what will happen by Wednesday but I threw out our “stupid pills” a couple of years ago. 
I believe in George and our scouts. We will do the right thing the right way. Go Caps!
Ted,
I have to disagree with you a little here.
The Caps organization has a lot of really promising young talent not playing on the NHL roster right now. It’s tough to deal away promising young players for a rental or two but the NHL is different now than in years past. With the salary cap, there are few windows to “win it all” now.
Last year, I felt the Caps had a shot to win it all if they would’ve made a sacrifice to get Pronger. IMO, with Pronger playing 30 minutes a game in the playoffs, Crosby doesn’t score all those goals standing in front of Varlamov. It just wouldn’t have happened and the Caps win that series and go on to play Detroit and have just as great a shot to beat them as the Pens did.
This year is a bit different. There really aren’t any standout defensive defenseman available. Volchenkov is likely off of the market due to Ottawa’s record.
The Caps are going to have a heck of a team for the next several years but you also have the window of opportunity to win it now. You had it last year also. This year, the Caps have better depth up front but could still use some defensive depth. It’s not going to be every year where you run into the trade deadline with all the cap space you guys currently have.
Teddy, Team Chemistry is important, it can take time and once in a while it happens instantly. Tweak what you must but don’t flip the apple cart. Tell Coach Bruceee Conditioning is key. Warm up and Lets Go Caps!
I think the Caps have great team in the offensive zone, and a lot of young sold defensive guys. The team is also really deep with good goaltending (not great yet, a lot of young guys who could be great). I think most people agree the team could use another strong shutdown defenseman. The last three games before the break Ove was almost taken out of the game. The Caps need someone like that to help take out the big forwards on the opposing teams.
Because of how much depth the team already has, I wouldn’t mind seeing the team get rid of draft picks, or players that they don’t think they can or don’t want to resign next year (though I don’t know of many players in that category). The other spot the team could be willing to trade is in net. The team has 3 young good goalies, and 1 vet that is up for contract. If the plan is to get rid of Theo at the end of the year, then I say trade him if you can. If the plan is to try and keep Theo, I think there is a lot the team could get for one of the young guys.
Though I wouldn’t want to see any of the players go, I do want to see a Cup in DC. If GMGM thinks he will be able to make a move that puts the team over the edge to win the Cup I say do it… even if means loosing one my favorite players.
I’m looking forward to the rest of this season for the Caps, I think it could be the year. I really liked your interview with Ivan Carter on CSN and really look forward to your leadership of the Wizards! I know nothing in life is promised, but having you own the team is what lifelong Bullets/Wizards fans like myself need! Good luck with the Caps and the pursuit of the Cup!
Pittsburgh manages to add players every season at the deadline, win a cup, and still have a bright future. It makes me sick! lol
We need GMGM to be as talented as that GM at the deadlines and the rest of the time as well. I am sure it is hard for a player to deal with trades but it’s also hard to feel sorry for someone that gets to make a million bucks or more to play a sport we all love.
The fans in this town who pay deserve a cup. Feel sorry for us not a traded player. I am not sure this Caps team could be much better up front so it seems like now is the time to go for a cup. Pittsburgh proves it’s possible to make trades and not kill the future.
Plus we hear all the time about how deep this organization is. Since that is true there are plenty of parts that could be traded without hurting the roster and it’s future.
LETS GO CAPS!!
It would have been alot better if you’d just not bothered saying anything. Frankly Ted, between you and George, most of the fanbase doesn’t believe anything the two of you say anymore.
This line about “not mortgaging the future” for today is really more irritating than it is anything at this point. You said it yourself in the above posts, lots of depth, lots of picks, therefore, lets put the pieces in place to get the team where it wants to go NOW.
If those kids down there are so deserving of getting NHL playing time as you suggest. Lets send them to teams where they have an honest to goodness shot of getting on the roster.
Get ourselves the one or two missing ingredients we need to get to the Stanley Cup and hold us over for the remainder of this, and maybe next season until the rest of the kids are ready to play full time NHL.
The FUTURE that you and George speak so prophetically of is here NOW, don’t waste your “core” players prime years preparing for something that’s within your reach today. The FUTURE should be about winning multiple Stanley Cup Championships, not one, and you have to start someplace, so why not NOW?
Perfectly stated Ted! Thanks for not mortgaging the future on a chance. Thanks for keeping options open if if makes sense in all aspects of the word! If it will make the team better and it doesn’t limit future decisions then pull the trigger.
A philosophy that should be followed by more successful owners! Although it’s easy for me to say since I’m just a fan!
Just upgrade the defense already.
I have a few comments I’d like to leave here, but they are never published, so why bother.
Sounds like the right way to go about it to me. I’m relieved that is your philosophy. Go Caps!
I have a couple of reactions to this. It is a rational plan. The counter agrument, however, is that when you think you think you have a got shot at a deep Cup run, you do everything you can to make it happen. If that means trading youth for vets, you do it. Sure, the Caps have young players and could be good for many years. On the other hand, with injuries, free agency, labor issues, etc., you never know if the Caps will be set up for another deep run any time soon. You just never know. So I would hope that there wouldn’t be blind adherence to a plan. I would also add that the Caps have a unique opportunity this season and maybe next. The Redskins, Wizards and Nationals all stink and the Caps have the spotlight. If they can capitalize, the sky is the limit. If that window closes without a Cup, they are back to being the third or fourth team in DC. That is something to think about.
Ted –
The “plan” seems clearly to be solid. My question is this: with SO much young talent in Hershey and South Carolina how does the team contemplate clearly career pathways to NHL for all? Surely ALL of these players deserve a shot…but it seems like a few folks have to get traded in order the likes of, say, Messrs. Alzner, Carlson, Holtby, Gordon, Bourque, Perreault, Kane, Osala, Bouchrard to have career paths. (You DO realize THAT’s 1/2 a roster!)
Here’s my suggestion: rest the A team Caps and just call up ALL of Hershey to play 1/2 the remaining NHL games. They’d do fine.
TY Ted! I trust GMGM. Just do us fans a favor and sign Backy for a good 5 year deal so we don’t have to worry any longer!
Go CAPS! Can’t wait for the season to start again!
I personally am very happy with our Caps. Are there weak spots? Yep, every team has “weak spots”. But happy, proud players can and do work together to address and mitigate those “weak spots”.
Stanley Cup this year? Let’s hope so. But not if it costs losing anymore of the guys that got us this far.
“Rent-a-players” leave a bad taste in my mouth. Sure, win a cup with a couple of blockbuster deals. But wouldn’t it feel better if we win it with the guys that have been busting their butts the last couple of years? I can even wait until next year.
Nothing happens at trade deadline? I will be a very happy Caps fan!
I hope the team stays pat on trades, but I’ll take $5 for every “rugged defenseman” mentioned. Bet I could buy some pretty sweet season tix with those earnings
Let it been called the “Caps Way”…like the old old Orioles way.