2016-17 NHL season running thread

Interesting read about Shea Theodore, who has been up and down between the Ducks and AHL 13 times this season

Shea Theodore living a life of limbo between NHL, AHL

 

So I discovered a dirty little secret this morning:

Zdeno Chara can't dunk.

I'm covering the Pelicans-Mavericks game tonight so I was at the AAC for the Pelicans' morning shootaround. Turns out the Bruins had already set up shop in the hockey visitors locker room in advance of tomorrow morning's (11:30 a.m. faceoff) game against the Stars, and the players were coming in for a "dress and drive," as their equipment guy put it -- getting into their gear at the arena, then getting on a bus for practice at a nearby rink.

The players started trickling in just as the Pels were leaving the court. Chara was one of the early ones, and while he was waiting around, he wandered onto the court, grabbed a ball and started shooting along with a member of the support staff (a trainer, maybe?). My first question was obvious -- I mean, the guy's 6-9: Can you dunk it? Some other players/staffers were sitting around watching, and a couple started encouraging him to throw one down.

After a few minutes of shooting (as well as showing off a couple of decent inside moves and sinking a short left-handed hook) , he took a shot at it. Looked like he almost had the height, but flat-out missed. His second attempt wasn't even close. He was way short and got rejected badly by the rim. One of the players* sitting near where I was standing laughed and said, "We don't really train for jumping in hockey. If you're jumping you've probably got a problem." Chara said, "It's harder than it looks," though in fairness, he actually said that after shooting an air ball from 3.

*Edit: I had no idea who it was at the time, but watching the game today, I can now say with a rather high degree of confidence it was Kevan Miller.

 

Honestly, I don't think the price was big at all. That first-round pick will be No. 31. The second round pick next year, who knows? Even before this trade, this was a Cup or bust year in D.C. So yes, you have to go for it. And as good as Washington has been defensively this year, the Caps are one injury away from being average on that end, as recent nicks to Niskanen have shown.

Carlson has been fantastic.

Alzner has lost a step, which is why I don't want Washington overpaying for him in the offseason. If you look at the CF% of all Capitals' D men, Alzner is the worst. I don't count Chorney, who has only played 17 games. His expected plus/minus is -5.3. For comparison's sake, Niskanen is at +3.5 and Orpik (!) is at +7.2, second best on the team overall. Alzner has blocked more shots than anyone on the team by far, so that's a big positive for him.

Orlov has made a huge leap this year, but I won't trust him in the playoffs until I see it.

Orpik is Orpik. He's big. He's physical. And teams like the Rangers and Penguins will skate circles around him because he's so damn slow. Third pairing D with hopefully limited ice time come April, contract be damned.

Nate Schmidt has been a pretty pleasant surprise, and his speed should come into play in the playoffs.

Niskanen was 100 percent worth the money Washington paid.

I'd envision a scenario where Carlson and Alzner stay together; Shattenkirk and Niskanen work together; and Orlov teams with Schmidt or Orpik. Schmidt will probably be the one that sits, but that's fine, because the Orpik/Orlov pairing has been surprisingly effective. I'm not in that dressing room, but my sense is that Schmidt is a lot less surly than Orpik and will handle being a scratch much better than Brooks. But I can also see Trotz playing matchups in the postseason and sitting guys depending on the opponent. If Orlov is overmatched like last year, he'll wear a suit.

It's probably going to be a year or two before Samsonov comes over from Russia, so that's why the need at AHL1 G was so pressing, because the other guys haven't been very good. Washington didn't have to give up Vrana or Bowey, so this isn't another Forsberg situation. Sanford is a nice player but his ceiling is a second-line wing, and that's being generous.

Yes, this should be a fun game tonight. That Nashville game was the classic schedule loss, just like the Carolina game in November was. Nice back-to-backs in different time zones. Only two more back-to-backs left for the Caps (at MIN-COL in March, at TOR-vs. NYR in April).

 

Should add that the need for a top AHL netminder is because Washington feels pretty certain it is going to lose Grubauer in the expansion draft. Need someone close to NHL ready to spell Holtby in 17-18.