Capital Overhaul

[tfrizz]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=450491" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Caps have fired Adam Oates and will not renew George McPhee's contract.

[Idoit40fans]

Now they just need a new owner and maybe they have a chance to actually try a new direction.

[columbia]

Change is possible.

[Idoit40fans]

I just wentto twitter to make a joke about oates as the new president...then realized they had just tried him as a coach for real and it failed...and that part of the reason for the joke was that he was fired. Sleep deprivation.

[shmenguin]

Somewhere in DC, an elevator and an emo scarf are getting some serious action.

[SolidSnake]

Botteril and Bylsma will soon be capitals

[blurryhaze312]

As much as it may be time for Bylsma to go...I'd hate to see what he might do with Washington, even if only for a time.

All it takes is the right voice to step in. Yikes.

[mikey287]

I definitely think that McPhee is due to go. I'm unsure about Adam Oates. I think he's a good coach, though, it might end up being at a lower level where he can be a control freak with impunity. I know he's not an alum...but man, could I see him taking over for Red Berenson in Ann Arbor...

[tifosi77]

The comments on the THN Facebook post of the story are hilarious; they're running about 98-2 in the vein of "Oates and McPhee are not the problem" and "get rid of Ovechkin".

[blurryhaze312]

The comments on the THN Facebook post of the story are hilarious; they're running about 98-2 in the vein of "Oates and McPhee are not the problem" and "get rid of Ovechkin".

Huh....well, if they really want to I'm quite open to them cleaning house on him as well.

[mikey287]

I think Peter Laviolette probably makes a lot of sense here for Washington...a rah-rah guy that does a lot of work with offensive skill...

As for GM, that's always tough because there is a lot less spoken about them and their commitments...so, I'll look at what the Capitals have trouble finding maybe and that's defensemen. Mike Green is probably going to leave sooner rather than later...Carlson-Alzner is a great shutdown pairing, like a Staal-Girardi of a few years ago in New York. I like Orlov, but his handedness held him back...and they end up with total scrubs and players that weren't ripe yet like Connor Carrick...

So, I look at a team with a mature assistant GM that can draft pretty well, especially on the backline and in net...Paul Fenton from the Nashville Predators might get a strong look...

[neophool]

I can almost guarantee that if the Pens can Bylsma, he goes to washington and then beats us in the playoffs.

#pessimismposts

[brwi]

As a person who dislikes the Caps, this is not good news.

I agree with Mikey that Fenton may get a long look. He had a couple of courtesy interviews last summer and it might be his time. Now, Trotz following along to Washington is one place I don't see happening as long as AO is on the team.

[columbia]

I question whether one could build a team around AO as the captain.
He != win.

[mikey287]

Yeah, I don't see Trotz being a fit. Ya know, it's kinda funny, but you look at the Capitals who were an offensive juggernaut. A 30-goal scoring defenseman, a 100-point center, a 60-goal scoring winger...then they saddle themselves up with some "heavy" guys, some playoff players, and the whole thing and then fail to make the playoffs...I mean, that's rough...it's like drafting a kid that's really fast and skilled and saying, "ok, you just gotta get stronger, and you'll be fine" and then he puts on so much upper body weight that he loses some of his hand skills and is too top heavy to be nearly as fast anymore...self-bustification...

Who is the last coach to get them to the Eastern Conference Final? Is it Ron Wilson? If so, he's available and he loves not running a system and just picking "Hail Mary" on every play of Madden...Hanta Yo!

[darkstar57]

Doesn't matter who goes in wash, as long as they have Ovie they will be losers, his comments at the end of the year prove it how he is paid to score goals, a ballsy move would be to strip him of the captainancy

[Southern Fan]

Caps fall victim to not having those extra games with Florida, Winnipeg and Carolina this year. They were the most affected by the new division alignment.

[the wicked child]

Well, Carolina is still in the same division...

[Pitt87]

Caps fall victim to not having those extra games with Florida, Winnipeg and Carolina this year. They were the most affected by the new division alignment.

Their regular season record was affected, yes. Hard to describe them as victims, though, because they knew realignment was coming for 2 years and did nothing about it and got destroyed for 6 straight years in the playoffs when they played good teams.

[DocEmrick]

Caps fall victim to not having those extra games with Florida, Winnipeg and Carolina this year. They were the most affected by the new division alignment.

Thank freaking god someone else finally brought this up. A lot of us used to say this about the Caps. They had 16+ guaranteed wins in that dreadful SE Division.

[PghSkins]

Semi related, it puts a smile on my face that they are still showing the Capitals #FOMOH commercial.

Apparently they had #FOMOG, fear of missing out on golf.

[sniper]

Doesn't matter who goes in wash, as long as they have Ovie they will be losers, his comments at the end of the year prove it how he is paid to score goals, a ballsy move would be to strip him of the captainancy

This...OV is a lazy POS, but when he looks in the mirror he doesn't see it. Until he changes it's not going to matter. All he sees is I scored 50 goals. I did my part. When the reality is yeah he scored 50 goals, but he didn't do any work to get them besides shoot. He doesn't win a battle for the puck. He doesn't back check to break up a scoring chance. He just stands around in the left circle waiting for a teammate to pass him the puck so he can shoot. The man has one hell of a shot, but anyone can stand there and wait for a pass to shoot. I'd love to see him with Therrien or Torts. Torts would kill him. Therrien would just bench him. Both would rip on him in the media. It would be a good show. They need someone who is going to force him to play defense and put forth effort offensively. In that respect Hunter was the best coach they had recently.

[columbia]

Teddy:

“I’ll just say we were left with the overall impression that the team wasn’t trending towards competing for a Stanley Cup championship”

Indeed.

[murphydump55]

I'm watching Hockey Central at Noon right now on Sportsnet and they were throwing around the idea of Fat Teddy bringing in Wayne Gretzky as President of Hockey Operations and that if the possibility is there, Teddy should be all over it.

They think Wayne would be able to get Ovy under control because of the respect factor. Doug McLean said he was talking to someone that plays for the Caps and he mentioned that Ovy goes into the weight room and does bicep curls and walks out. He started yelling "this is your captain? this is your leader?" Millard mentioned that those work in the offensive zone and McLean snapped back saying "no they work on the beach, the beach!".

It was quite a hackfest at Ovechkin by everyone.

Oh, and Kypreos also said that Toews has now passed Crosby as the best player. Called him a gamer many times.

[Idoit40fans]

Ovechkin is a symptom of the problem that comes down from ownership. They are going to change until that guy dies.