To add to the team– you have to subtract from the team.
To get value you must trade value.
To add payroll you must subtract payroll.
That is the way it goes.
I believe in what we did yesterday. There is risk in changing up team chemistry a bit– there is upside in adding a veteran presence.
We added a veteran–poised - durable D man; he is a team player– he is a fantastic team mate– very dedicated to winning and to playing his role in a team schema; he wants to win a Cup badly– he wants to add value to our team and be integrated into a new culture.He waived his no trade clause to join our team; we are grateful.
When healthy– we think we now have lots of options and lots of depth on the blue line–we have puck movers– we have scoring; we have toughness and size– we have dynamic pairings. We have 8 D men now.
We lost some scoring and great skill in the process ; I wish Tomas well; he was a loyal and talented player — he was a very pleasant person in the locker room; very positive and great in our community. I believe he will have a long and productive NHL career and will flourish out in the West.
The fan reaction to the trade has been mixed.
It ranges from the pedantic …” I should be your GM; this is exactly what you should have done and what I told you to do last year”; to the emotional..” How could you?– Tomas is one of my favorite players–he was a part of your rebuild; he played in Hershey– you broke my heart;and I will never forgive you”; to the sanguine– ” I dont know about this one.. why change anything– you are first in the NHL; but you needed to do something– I just dont know if this is the right thing”; to the blunt–” Bravo”; to ” you still suck!”.
No pain–no gain.
No risk– no upside.
Wish us well.
A big trade has been made.
Game on tonight– Go Caps.
Love the trade, new player is what we need to win in the playoffs and Cup. Keep up the good moves, keep being BOLD.
Cheers.
Hey…no risk no reward. We needed a D, Flash while talented was expendable (best of luck to him…except against us)Hannan is solid, a veteran on a team of young D, and amazingly healthy…whether it works out or not…it was a good idea!
Go Ted! You and GM GM did what you had to. . .this will make our team better. This could be what pushes us to the next level!
Go Caps!
Another step the team has to take, Uncle Ted, with minimal risk. Well done.
I first met Scott Hannan when we launched Total Player Talent. In fact, I drove got a chance to hang out at his house and then grab breakfast with him and Kyle Quincey, asking them what it takes to be “great” as a hockey player. He is a sharp guy and I think will add a ton to the team–both on and off the ice. Great change, great decision…
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I guess by having the blog you invite/expect people to share their opinions – good or bad (opinions yes, personal insults are a bit immature). It’s amazing how many hockey experts there are out there that are not actually in the hockey business… As a fan of the Caps since day one, I am apprecaitive of everything you and your team (the actual hockey experts) have and continue to do to field the best team possible for our city. Thank you.
It isn’t exactly Julian Assange material that the Caps have a plethora of offense and a modicum of defense by comparison. By comparison is the part seemingly missed by those looking for any reason to be extreme in their reaction. Personally, I consider this an excellent trade as winning games only requires that a team allow one less goal than a team score. While watching the Caps win games 6-0, as they did recently is enjoyable, watching the Caps win a higher percentage of those one goal games is even more enjoyable. Scott Hannan is exactly the player to have in those situations. I wish Tomas Fleischmann well and suspect he will see far more “Top Six” ice time in Colorado, so it should work out well for his career as well as for Scott Hannan and the Capitals.
Great, great move, period.
Boy, the anonymity of the internet and the incivility it emboldens in people really gets to me sometimes… I guess that in this day and age, to be in your position, you have to put up with the yahoos and the people who say they could do your job better than you could and call you an idiot. But those same people would collapse in the fetal position with their thumbs in their mouths if they had to spend one day in your shoes as owner of multiple sports franchises, let alone your other interests.
Regardless, I like what I see in this trade. Flash is a great player (I’m in the camp that most of the time defends him), but I think Hannan could shake things up positively and be a great addition to the team. Looking forward to tonight’s game. LET’S GO CAPS!!
You mean someone complained about the trade? Dear God, there are some morons out there! How long have we been wanting a veteran D? We got it and only had to give up a spare part that half the fans hate anyway! I call that an awesome deal for all concerned. Hannah gets a shot at a Cup, Flash gets a new start on a team that isn’t as deep at LW, the Caps get a piece needed for a Cup run, and the Avs get a top-six forward at a bargain price.
Wow. Really, people? I like the trade better now than at the deadline – Hannan should have enough time to adjust to the system by spring. Go McPhee.
Go Caps!
Love Flash, but the writing has been on the wall. He has struggled this season and needed a change of venue. Listened to GMGM on EITM this morning talking about Flash’s response to the trade. He is a class guy, who will be missed, but is getting a chance to shine with the Avs.
GO CAPS!!!!
>>>to ” you still suck!”.
LOL. Please don’t think most of us Caps fans feel that way, or that most of us want to clutter your inbox with hate-filled diatribes. Most of us just love the Capitals and want them to make that playoff breakthrough this year.
Hannan seems like a great step towards that, and isn’t a multi-year, mega-million deal that’s going to hinder the team in future signings or re-signings.
Blues fan here – and have to say that’s a great trade for you guys. Scott Hannan is a great player.
haha… that’s fun to see, thanks for sharing