I'd personally be in favor of an Elvis-Keumper swap, but we don't really want a reunion with Milano. One for one, send us the 5th since Keumper's older and his buyout is much worse, if it comes to that.

Utah doesn't want your cap dump.

These trades are bad for every team not named WSH.

“There's a lot of pressure on him,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. “[That] he's expected to carry us offensively at 38 is probably not fair.”

the excuses.... he gets paid 9.5 million but don't have expectations. what a joke.

There is no other 38+ year old in this league with the expectations (to carry the offense) like Washington has lol. It is, in fact, the definition of expectations. I get you're a premium Ovechkin hater being a Pens fan and all but please think about that for a second, asking one player for any team save for Connor McDavid or maybe Auston Matthews to carry a team offensively is unrealistic.

Not a huge fan of this. I think the Caps likely keep Dowd since they didn't sell high on him at the deadline, and you could get more for Van Riemsdyk than a couple low picks and a depth defenseman. Elvis-Kuemper swap is interesting but I feel there may still be some beef there, if they can't swing a deal Kuemper can play veteran to Stevenson for the next year.

For Free agents, I don't really see Debrusk or Patches as targets. Patches was fine on a 1 year deal but Milano is more useful in that 3LW role and the Caps have Miroshnichenko who could also potentially slot in at 3LW. Debrusk I don't truly see as a 1st line guy, pretty good playoff performer but his regular season stats make me feel he'll likely be just about what McMichael is, which isn't worthy of 1st line time at this point.

Don't think Carolina would part with KK either, regardless of league view on his contract as a negative or positive, I think Waddell's made his bed and now intends to lay in it regarding KK.

dude Crosby carried the pens on his back this year.

Don't get me wrong, I get it. But you asked for 9.5 mil and you got it.... stop complaining when you get the expectations of 9.5 mil too!
Maybe if the selfish one took a pay cut in his older years he'd have helped the team actually have that help. But it was all about him.
Which is why I'm not cutting him a break on it. You didn't see Malkin or Letang ask for 9.5 million.
But it's all about him, his record, and his salary.
So nah, he gets no break.

Did you see Ovi complaining? didn't think so! Dude took the entire responsibility of failing offense while leading the team in goals, though it was clear as day most of the rest of the team was either not up to task like Patches or injured like Oshie. If we want to compare the two teams, Crosby was Guentzel at a point per game before being traded, Malkin at 67 points, Letang and Karlsson both over 50 points as defensemen. Washington had a 50 point defenseman in Carlson and Dylan Strome. Ovi's second half changed pretty much willed the capitals into a playoff spot, and you don't see him complaining about "expectations", so frankly I'm not quite sure what MacLellan's quote has you all bent out of shape about...

I didn't say he did. I simply pointed out, he's paid 9.5 mil and the attitude is don't have expectationts.
that's what this team has going on.
You seem to be a ripe bit bent on it though.

Reading "[That] he's expected to carry us offensively at 38 is probably not fair" as no expectations is just willful ignorance lmao. I know you hate Ovi but going into every Caps ACGM to say things that just blatantly aren't true is just sad. Cheer up though, I hear Jeff Carter's gone this year!

We could definitely get a better return for Dowd lmao

cool story bro, pretty clear that's a no expectations statement.
And I know , everyone is happy Carter is gone.

Not expected to carry the team offensively ≠ no expectations. Pretty simple premise

I hate to break it to you, when you get paid 9.5 million, you are expected to carry the team offensively. That's why you are paid 9.5 million.

You mean how he lead the team in goals and was 2nd in points? MacLellan is clear that expecting 38 year old Ovi to single-handedly make the offense tick isn’t fair, and he’s absolutely right. Every player has to have a supporting cast, you don’t see the expectation from, say Tage Thompson in Buffalo to carry the entire offense. Using money as an argument is just foolish, since it’s not like the Caps are lacking it and it has no bearing on on-ice performance.

right because teams pay 9.5 mil for 29 5v5 points from a guy who barely skates 500 feet a whole game.
but go on, even other caps fans are calling him out at this point.
to say money has no bearing on performance is just nonsense. It's why guys are labeled cap dumps. No one wants to pay their bust players.

Money does not have any bearing on on-ice performance. Getting paid 5 million does not magically make you better than you are at 800k. that is simple. Ovi lead an offensively inept team in goals and was 2nd in points. Asking any 38 year old, being paid 15 mil or 15 cents to be a 100 point guy is absurd, and that was the expectations placed upon him. Not that hard to comprehend.

you wouldn't be getting paid 5 million as opposed to a guy on a non ELC making 800k if you hadn't out performed him to begin with.
So yeah you're kind of wrong on that. Sure there are some guys who don't live up to their contracts, but that isn't the majority.

Yeah I didn’t know his value