RMNB

Wayne Gretzky calls Devante Smith-Pelly the ‘unlikely hero’ of the Capitals’ Stanley Cup ...

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 21:43:07 GMT

Devante Smith-Pelly was honored by the greatest hockey player in NHL history, Wayne Gretzky, on Thursday.

In a video for the NHL, Gretzky described DSP as the “unlikely hero” of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Video

The 2018 @Capitals featured plenty of stars, but Devante Smith-Pelly's (@smithpelly23) performance will never be forgotten.

Wayne Gretzky breaks down this Unlikely Hero of the #StanleyCup Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/0O5HATaoTC

— NHL (@NHL) September 17, 2020

Here are Gretzky’s full comments on DSP.

Wayne Gretzky: Today’s unlikely hero of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a role player on who proved pivotal when the Washington Capitals won their franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2018. When you have a superstar like Alex Ovechkin on your team, you know he’ll usually get the headlines. But winning in the National Hockey League requires contributions from up and down the roster and Devante Smith-Pelly delivered.

Washington became Smith-Pelly’s fourth organization when he signed a one-year contract in July of 2017. Playing primarily on the Capitals’ fourth line, Smith-Pelly’s seven playoff goals matched his regular-season total. His trio of tallies in the Final included the tying-goal in the Game Five series clincher.

Smith-Pelly’s seven goals that year in the playoffs were fourth-most on the Capitals, tying him with another unlikely hero, Lars Eller, who scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game Five. Only Alex Ovechkin (15), Evgeny Kuznetsov (12), and TJ Oshie (8) scored more goals than the Scarborough, Ontario native.

Smith-Pelly rejoined the Capitals for one more year in 2018-19 before spending the 2019-20 season with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star.

He will never have to buy a drink in this town ever again.

Screenshot courtesy of @NHL

NHL announces date and time for 2020 NHL Awards

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 18:58:37 GMT

John Carlson will learn if he won the Norris Trophy on Monday, September 21.

The NHL will be holding the 2020 NHL Awards in a 30-minute presentation format on NBCSN ahead of Game Two of the Stanley Cup Final. The broadcast will be co-hosted by Kenny Albert and Scott Oake from Edmonton’s Rogers Place.

During the telecast we’ll also learn who won the Hart, Vezina, Lindsay, and Calder trophies.

Former greats Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr, and Paul Coffey, all from the Oilers’ dynasty in the 80s, will announce the winners.

Washington Capitals re-sign Daniel Sprong to two-year, one-way contract

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 17:24:42 GMT

The Washington Capitals announced their second signing of the offseason on Friday.

Depth forward Daniel Sprong, who was acquired in trade from the Anaheim Ducks for Christian Djoos, has signed a two-year, one-way contract worth an average annual salary of $725k.

Sprong registered a point in four of his five games with AHL Hershey after the deal, including a game-winning goal against his former team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

During Phase 3 Training Camp, Sprong was one of the most impressive players as evidenced by his two goals in the team’s final scrimmage.

.@sprong97 with not one but sweet goals in today's Phase 3 scrimmage pic.twitter.com/7RxnQrBAHK

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 18, 2020

But Sprong did not suit up during the playoffs.

Jeff Halpern advances to Stanley Cup Final for first time with Tampa Bay Lightning

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:58:55 GMT

When the Tampa Bay Lightning punched their ticket to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, one local athlete finally realized a childhood dream – albeit in a different form than he imagined as a kid.

Potomac, MD native Jeff Halpern will be competing for his first Stanley Cup. Halpern is as an assistant coach for Bolts forwards on Jon Cooper’s staff.

Video

Tampa clinched its spot in the championship series after Anthony Cirelli scored at 13:18 of overtime of Game Six. It’s the third time in franchise history (2004, 2015, 2020) they’ve advanced. They previously won the Cup in 2004.

Sportsnet zeroed in on Tampa’s bench as Cirelli’s shot banked off Semyon Varlamov and slowly went over the goal line. Halpern (right) can be seen jumping high into the air before hugging Cooper and fellow assistant Todd Richards.

Was really hoping for another Game 2-esque reaction from Jon Cooper tonight but I guess this will do #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/wegDkb140r

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 18, 2020

The Lightning

Halpern, of course, is a former Capital and member of its Little Capitals youth hockey system. He is the first youth hockey player from the Washington DC area to ever make the team.

More than two decades after making his NHL debut and after more than 1200 games as a player and assistant coach, Maryland native (and @LittleCapitals alum!) Jeff Halpern is heading to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time as an assistant coach with #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/GsJR2kjLbQ

— Ben Raby (@BenRaby31) September 18, 2020

Halpern played 976 games over 14 seasons in the NHL. Halpy had two separate stints as a player for the Capitals, appearing in 507 games and notching 220 points (91 goals, 129 assists). During the 2005-06 season, Alex Ovechkin’s first in the NHL, Halpern was named captain of the team. He also did Very Important TV ads.

The 44-year-old also serves as a co-owner of Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken.

View this post on Instagram

Good morning DC-it's GAME DAY! Our World Series dough-nats are available today for online pre-order & in limited quantities at our G Street location ONLY You doo doo doo not want to miss out on our delicious raspberry & white chocolate @nationals special ⁠ ⁠ : @thejenchase⁠ ⁠ #doughnuts #donut #astrodoughnuts #dcfoodie #eatthedistrict #eaterdc #districteats #madeindc #mydccool #bythings #feedfeed #bonappetit #foodporn #dcfoodporn #acreativedc #dcdining #202creates #igdc #nattitude #nationals #worldseries #finishthefight #stayinthefight #washingtonianmag #babyshark #nats #gameday #doodoodoo

A post shared by Astro Doughnuts (@astrodoughnuts) on Oct 22, 2019 at 6:05am PDT

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#ALLCAPS doughnut available today in DC and VA! #rockthered Also available Monday!

A post shared by Astro Doughnuts (@astrodoughnuts) on Jun 2, 2018 at 7:37am PDT

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That feeling when local DC hero @skrooops28 stops by with a few of her friends. Thanks for visiting #usahockey! Congrats on the GOLD by @amandakessel28

A post shared by Astro Doughnuts (@astrodoughnuts) on Mar 4, 2018 at 8:40am PST

Halpern first joined the Bolts as a player development coach in 2015 and was later hired as an assistant for their AHL squad, the Syracuse Crunch, in 2016. Halpern helped lead the Crunch to an 84-46 record over two seasons, guiding them to the Calder Cup Finals in 2017. Halpern was promoted to the NHL club in June 2018 where he’s been ever since.

the pride of the potomac
jeff halpern pic.twitter.com/SVDrW4dwoU

— Peter Hassett (@peterhassett) September 12, 2020

“I think the things I haven’t expected are the things that people clearly say is what’s going to be different, whether it’s the hours or even the feel of playing versus coaching,” Halpern said to NHL.com after being hired. “There are those differences. I think at this time, it’s been about four years of not playing, that chapter in my life is over… I think my playing experience helped me identify a little bit with the players at times, but I tried to limit that experience as much as I could and still kind of keep a coaching relationship at the same time.”

Before the important games started this playoff year, Halpern also served as a referee…

#Bolts assistant coach Jeff Halpern is the referee for today’s scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/fZFogXkSZn

— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) July 20, 2020

And a fortune-teller.

Brayden Point scores off rush to beat Vasilevskiy to open scoring in scrimmage. I know Point is known for skating but assistant Jeff Halpern said the center is at “another level” this camp. #TBLightning pic.twitter.com/9ZbCg79Vky

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) July 24, 2020

When ⁦@YanniGourde⁩ was going through worst slump of his life, assistant coach Jeff Halpern offered an example of how you can re-write your story in playoffs. Our look at how Gourde is doing just that on ⁦@TBLightning⁩ best line – the “gnats” https://t.co/mhumrTR3c0

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) August 18, 2020

Good luck in the Finals, Halpy!

The schedule for the Stanley Cup Final is out pic.twitter.com/4b5tobq1jq

— RMNB (@russianmachine) September 18, 2020

Screenshot: Sportsnet/Little Caps

Evgeny Kuznetsov: 2019-20 season review

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 14:25:35 GMT

You’re probably sick of hearing my takes on Evgeny Kuznetsov by now. Here’s another one of those.

By the Numbers

63	games played
17.8	time on ice per game
19	goals
33	assists
45.4	5-on-5 shot-attempt percentage, adjusted
45.2	5-on-5 expected goal percentage, adjusted
49.9	5-on-5 goal percentage, adjusted

Visualization by HockeyViz

About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows lots of information for the player over the season. A short description of each chart:

Most common teammates during 5-on-5
Ice time per game, split up by game state
5-on-5 adjusted shot attempts by the team (black) and opponents (red)
5-on-5 adjusted shooting percentage by the team (black) and opponents (red)
Individual scoring events by the player
5-on-5 adjusted offensive (black) and defensive (red) zone starts

Peter’s Take

Honestly, Kuznetsov scored two goals and two assists in the Islanders series. He had trouble with shot quality, but the Caps owned the puck more than the Isles during his shifts, and he was only outscored by one goal. As much as his regular-season stats sucked, Kuznetsov genuinely improved in the playoffs.

	Rego	Loffs
Shot attempt%	45.1	52.0
Expected goal%	45.1	47.8

The Caps sucked overall in the postseason, but Kuznetsov was one of those lonely forces pushing in the other direction. I find that encouraging. The rest of Kuznetsov’s season, and really his whole three-year trend, is a sharp and despairing downward decline in which a formerly elite-tier player has become a distinct liability, wasting $7.8 million in salary cap space and top-line minutes next to the world’s best goal-scorer.

Of 300 forwards with at least 600 minutes of ice time, Kuznetsov allowed opponents more high-danger chances than 283 of them.

Here is a Hockey Viz heatmap of opponent shots when Kuzy’s on the ice. I superimposed a picture of one of the Cenobites from Hellraiser on top of it for some reason.

In Kuznetsov’s defense (rimshot), he actually improved his defensive numbers slightly from 2018-19. And at the other end of this ice, he kept his offensive contributions roughly even.

That last part is so important and so impressive. As bad as Kuznetsov has been, especially in his own end, he remains a gifted player in those last forty feet or so. It’s the getting there that’s the problem, and Kuznetsov is just not capable of doing it on his own. Just look at this comparison of Caps skaters when they’re with Backstrom versus when they’re with Kuznetsov. I wrestled with how to visualize this, but then I just color-coded the shot-attempt and expected goal percentages, and it read pretty clear to me.

Everyone puts up good-to-great numbers when with Backstrom. Everyone puts up bad-to-unplayable numbers with Kuznetsov. It’s not a subtle effect. If you take a shift with Kuznetsov at center, you’re more likely to be playing defense. He’s just not able to get the puck back and get across the ice anymore, and that’s been the downfall during those unwise Ovechkin-Kuznetsov shifts as well as during the power play. Barring a radical turnaround in Kuznetsov’s approach to the game, the Caps will remain a bottom-third team when it comes to defensive and transition play.

For Peter Laviolette, Kuznetsov is problem A1. He either needs his game rebuilt from the ground-up, or he needs someone else to take responsibility for the 160 feet where he’s terrible. To continue to pretend like he’s a top-line center can no longer be an individual failing; it’s now an organizational one.

Kuzy on RMNB

Kuznetsov missed the first three games of the season due to a suspension for cocaine use.
Kuznetsov on his suspension: “It was a pretty hard summer for me. I want to move forward, and the one thing I can do best is play hockey. I feel bad for my friends, for my teammates, for the organization, for the fans that they have to deal with this news.”
Kuznetsov had a hot start upon returning, racking up points and highlights.
An upper-body injury in February kept Kuznetsov out of a few games. Looked like it was his shoulder.
Here’s Alex and Nicky crashing Kuznetsov’s interview to do the bird celly

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A post shared by RMNB (@rmnb_blog) on Nov 7, 2019 at 10:48am PST

Kuznetsov actually took a while off from doing the bird celly, but it came back on New Years.
And then Barry Trotz’s boy, Devon Toews, mocked Kuznetsov with it.
January 5: one of the worst clips of the season:

Another angle pic.twitter.com/jP6JCuksJ7

— Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 5, 2020

Todd Reirden was politely restrained in discussing that stupid, stupid move.
In lighter news, Kuznetsov also did this, which was delightful if unsuccessful.

To try and avoid a too many men on the ice penalty, Evgeny Kuznetsov tried to hide in the Penguin bench. pic.twitter.com/FQneyyKPBW

— #StanleyCup Playoffs on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) February 2, 2020

Todd seemed to be more okay with that.
Though in January, Kuznetsov got kicked off the top power-play unit for a bit.
During the pause, Kuzy got into gaming. Never mind, he quit because he got too emotional.
After the pause, Kuznetsov debuted his new stick: a Bauer with a hole in the blade.
Kuznetsov got benched for part of a round-robin game. Woof.
Okay that was a lot of drama. I’ll leave you with a work of art:

Your Turn

How can Kuzy improve in his own end, and how can the team help Kuzy improve in his own end? Who would you like to see him play with? Should we even talk about moving him to the wing… or the dreaded T-word?

Read more: Japers Rink

Okay, hear me out: Bruce Boudreau for assistant coach

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 01:30:12 GMT

Elliotte Friedman broke the news today. The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Manny Malhotra as their assistant coach, thereby denying ex-Caps bench boss Bruce Boudreau of getting job with his old favorite team.

Losing his chance at the Leafs job plus the Caps position going to Peter Laviolette. That’s a bummer… but also an opportunity!

The Capitals should hire Bruce Boudreau to be their new assistant coach.

Which assistant coach? Don’t know! Haven’t thought that hard about this yet! I just had the idea a minute ago and I started typing and I didn’t stop until you right before you started reading this.

Boudreau and his lovely wife Crystal recently moved back to Hershey, Pennsylvania, so he’s basically local. And we know he’s hungry for a job.

“I don’t like sitting on my ass,” Boudreau told The Athletic back in February. “I need to work.”

Quick point of order: Bruce Boudreau is one of the most successful coaches in NHL history. The chart below shows every coach from worst-ish (Adam Oates) to consensus best-ever (Scotty Bowman, so far at top-right you cannot see his name).

Boudreau is a good distance above the gray-line crowd here, meaning he’s won a lot more (567) of the games he’s coached (984). A points percentage of 64 puts him just 0.7 points behind Todd Reir– okay, never mind.

Let me start over.

I’m not even advocating for Bruce Boudreau as head coach. Job’s taken. I think he should just be an assistant. It’s a perfect match for his skill set.

Boudreau obviously excels at being a good hockey coach and being avuncular. Where he falls short is doing angry hockey yelling convincingly.

That’s fine though. The Capitals have already hired their disciplinarian in Peter Laviolette, who is so very good at hockey yelling. (Warning: Lavs does cusses here.)

That makes me want to run into a goddamn wall. The way he uses glottal compression on the F-bombs. Immaculate. Boudreau could never touch that. He doesn’t want to. He doesn’t need to. He just needs to be the cool uncle who sneaks an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream into Jakub’s dish because he’s been such a good nephew on this road trip.

Again: I have no idea what he’d actually do. I’m just making this up. Maybe they should keep Blaine Forsythe around to remain a fire tornado of sexual charisma behind the bench, and Bruce can take on defensive responsibilities. He actually pulled off some excellent defensive play with the Wild.

Friends: in these uncertain times, now more than ever, we all are reaching out for something familiar and comforting. Bruce Boudreau is both of those things, plus he’s good at coaching and he lives nearby and he needs a job. Bruce wins (job), the Caps win (wins), and we win (fun). This is a win-win-win. The only way this could possibly go wrong — and I’m reaching here — would be if Boudreau holds out for a head coach somewhere else to get fired.

Bruce Boudreau was informed this morning that the Leafs were going in a different direx. Former #mnwild coach talked to Sheldon Keefe twice.

Boudreau still wants to be a head coach, so if there are coaching changes next season, he’ll be hoping to go somewhere and provide a jolt https://t.co/werCgfQm9n

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) September 17, 2020

But when has that ever happened.

Please bring Uncle Bruce back to DC.

Thanks for reading. You can go now.

Nick Jensen makes new forest friend ????️

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 22:11:29 GMT

Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen and wife Jenner Jensen are back home in their native Minnesota. Earlier in the week, the couple had a chance encounter with a baby squirrel at a park. They documented it on their Instagram accounts.

[Editor’s note: I will be hereby referring to the squirrel as Sam because every squirrel my three-year-old son sees he calls Sam. Like dad, Ethan’s a big fan of alliteration!]

Sam The Squirrel was friendly, but a bit clingy with his new friends.

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The Jensens made a new friend at the park today (: @nick_jensen3 @jennerjensen12 )

A post shared by RMNB (@rmnb_blog) on Sep 16, 2020 at 5:01pm PDT

Nick and Jenner gave Sam some grub and some head rubs. Nick is giving off some strong Snow White vibes here.

By the end of their chance encounter, Sam either thought Nick was Mommy Squirrel or was just a big fan of his foot tattoos because it would not let him leave.

The couple contacted the local wildlife center so they could help Sam reunite with its family or get help to become a more functional squirrel again, which is really kind of them to do.

If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, the Wildlife Center of Virginia has some good step-by-step advice on how to help a baby squirrel in need.

Photos: @nick_jensen3 and @jennerjensen12

Report: Mike Babcock was a finalist for Capitals head coaching job, but ‘noise’ around him ...

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 18:26:30 GMT

Elliotte Friedman wrote about the Capitals’ coaching search and the eventual hiring of Peter Laviolette in his latest 31 Thoughts column. While Friedman believes Laviolette was the team’s ultimate first choice, he reports that Mike Babcock, who won the Stanley Cup in 2008, got a lot of consideration from the Capitals because his interview went so well.

MacLellan only interviewed Laviolette and Babcock face-to-face due to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

Friedman writes:

7. The moment the Capitals committed to a coaching change, word filtered that Laviolette was the favourite. During the hiring’s media conference, GM Brian MacLellan said there were two in-person interviews. Those were Laviolette and Mike Babcock. There was a conversation with Bruce Boudreau, but it didn’t go far. There was a zoom connection with Gerard Gallant, but border quarantines affected his candidacy. Because MacLellan was in the U.S. and Gallant in Atlantic Canada, face-to-face meetings were logistically challenging.

Babcock’s interview apparently came during some kind of socially distanced family dinner/cookout, and there was some buzz it went so well it tightened the race. (MacLellan would not comment.)

In the end, I think Laviolette was the choice anyway. However, another coach told me that he believed Washington was a little concerned about the “noise” around Babcock, especially since we don’t know when next year will begin. Without games, the focus is on the past, not the present or future. To be honest, I’m not sure Babcock would be crazy about that reality either. For the time being, he remains a guest coach at NCAA Vermont, helping the Catamounts prepare for their season.

In 2019, Johan Franzen, who played under Babock in Detroit, called his former coach “the worst person I have ever met” in a Swedish language interview.

“Some of the things he (Babcock) said to him (Franzen) on the bench, I don’t know what he said to him behind closed doors one-on-one, but he blatantly verbally assaulted him during the game on the bench,” Chris Chelios, a former teammate, said in a podcast interview. “It got to the point where poor Johan, no one really knowing he was suffering with the concussion thing and the depression thing, he just broke down and had a nervous breakdown, not only on the bench but after the game in one of the rooms in Nashville.

“It was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.”

Franzen said the mental and emotional abuse made him “terrified” of going to the rink and that Babcock layed into other teammates too. “That incident occurred against Nashville in the playoffs. It was coarse, nasty, and shocking. But that was just one out of a hundred things he did. The tip of the iceberg.”

Babcock also humiliated Mitch Marner and betrayed his trust during his rookie season with Toronto. Babcock asked Marner to confidentially fill out a list of who was the hardest and laziest workers on the team and then shared that list with the entire team. It left Marner in tears. Players were furious that Babcock would do that to a 19-year-old rookie.

The “noise” Friedman is referring to is likely Capitals fans who consistently voiced their displeasure on social media about Babcock’s potential hiring.

RT this tweet if you're like
"babcock ew nope"

— RMNB (@russianmachine) September 6, 2020

Friedman also reported that Laviolette spoke to Ovechkin on Wednesday for 30 minutes and that the team’s defense just didn’t jive well last year.

One thing I heard Washington wanted to address: Their defence corps was “off” last season. The group just didn’t work well together. That unit flourished under Laviolette in Nashville. The Capitals watched Andre Burakovsy and Chandler Stephenson blossom elsewhere, so trying a new approach was the preference.

Brian Pinho signs two-year contract extension with Capitals

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 15:11:25 GMT

The Washington Capitals announced their first signing of the 2020 offseason.

Brian Pinho has agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Caps worth an annual average value of $725k. In the first year, Pinho will earn $700k at the NHL level and $125k at the AHL level, with a guaranteed salary of $150k. In 2021-22, Pinho’s contract will become one-way and worth $750k, meaning he’ll make a minimum of $900k through the life of this deal.

NEWS | The Washington Capitals have re-signed forward Brian Pinho to a two-year contract, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.https://t.co/O1dgKg4d76

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 17, 2020

Pinho played his first NHL game in the 2020 playoffs, suiting up in Game Three against the New York Islanders. During the season, he was with the Hershey Bears all year and scored 20 goals and registered 37 points in 62 AHL games.

Ilya Kovalchuk: 2019-20 season review

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:25:24 GMT

In case you missed it, Ilya Kovalchuk played for the Washington Capitals for a minute there.

By the Numbers

7	games played
14.7	time on ice per game
1	goals
3	assists
55.7	5-on-5 shot-attempt percentage, adjusted
61.9	5-on-5 expected goal percentage, adjusted
44.3	5-on-5 goal percentage, adjusted

Visualization by HockeyViz

About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows lots of information for the player over the season. A short description of each chart:

Most common teammates during 5-on-5
Ice time per game, split up by game state
5-on-5 adjusted shot attempts by the team (black) and opponents (red)
5-on-5 adjusted shooting percentage by the team (black) and opponents (red)
Individual scoring events by the player
5-on-5 adjusted offensive (black) and defensive (red) zone starts

Peter’s Take

In Washington’s five-game series against the Islanders, forward Ilya Kovalchuk put one shot on goal in sixty minutes of ice-time.

(It did not go in.)

Kovalchuk returned to the NHL last season. In January he signed a one-year deal with Montreal for $700k. The Habs retained half of that when they traded Kovalchuk to Washington at the deadline.

Hmm. I usually do some kind of research here and make a data visualization. But I’ve got nothing. So, um, here’s a picture of Leonard Nimoy with some garlic.

I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say here. This was an extremely low-risk experiment by Brian MacLellan, and it extremely did not work.

Kovalchuk spent much of the playoffs with Hagelin and Boyd. I tried to pull up their combined stats, but my monitor started gushing blood. That can’t be good.

The following forwards got fewer shots than Kovalchuk in the playoffs: Oskar Lindblom. That’s the entire list.

We’re told Kovalchuk is going back to Montreal next season. Cool.

Kovy on RMNB

New guy fought for other new guy.
Here is Kovy’s goal song. You did not hear it.
Because his lone goal came on the road at MSG.
One time he hit a guy.
Kovalchuk on the Caps: They have “a great chance to win something special.” (Reader: they did not.)
A good picture of the Russian Caps:

Finally, here are a bunch of stories that made it seem like Kovy would be in shape for the loffs: family workout I, family workout II, punching bag, whatever this is.

Your Turn

So, uh, sup?

Read more: Japers Rink

Source: Alex Ovechkin’s likely asking price believed to be Connor McDavid money

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 01:41:28 GMT

On Tuesday Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan discussed negotiations with Alex Ovechkin and other upcoming free agents after he introduced Peter Laviolette as the team’s new head coach. Ovechkin, who will enter the final year of a 13-year, $124 million contract he signed in 2008, will hit the free-agent market after the 2020-21 season if he doesn’t sign an extension first.

“I think conversations have been ongoing with all of them,” MacLellan said. “I think we had a good conversation at the end of the year with Ovi, just to have both parties communicate what they’re thinking and kind of set the table for what could happen next year as far as keeping him around and moving forward with a contract with him.”

Video

MacLellan and Ovechkin spoke shortly after the Capitals were eliminated from the 2020 playoffs by the New York Islanders. The two sides agreed to table talks until training camp started next season.

A report unconfirmed by RMNB but widely shared on Russian sports sites suggested that the Capitals offered Ovechkin a contract extension from three to five years worth around $9.5 to $10 million per season. That deal would be a raise from Ovechkin’s current $9.54 AAV as he enters his age-35 season. A source close to the Capitals tells RMNB that Ovechkin may seek around $12 million per season, after he outperformed expectations in his 13-year contract and has consistently been one of the top players in NHL. A salary at or near that number would make Ovechkin the second-highest player in the league, trailing only Connor McDavid’s $12.5 AAV.

The source added that Ovechkin unexpectedly lost money due to the NHL lockout in 2012 that introduced escrow in the new CBA.

“He had no idea when he signed that he would lose so much money,” the source said.

It is uncertain, according to the source, if Ovechkin will negotiate a new deal on his own, like teammate Nicklas Backstrom did, or if the agency that does his marketing deals will represent him. Messages to Ovechkin’s agent, David Abrutyn, were not returned.

Alex Ovechkin’s mother Tatyana helped negotiate her son’s record 13-year, $124 million contract after The Great 8 fired his original agent Don Meehan in 2006 while still signed to an entry-level contract.

“I wouldn’t call her uncompromising because she did, in fact, compromise,” McPhee said to Sports Illustrated in 2008. “But Alex’s mother is very strong, very protective. And she knows what she wants.”

As far as the Capitals’ free agents, MacLellan said the team is staying in touch.

“With the UFAs, we keep in contact with their representatives and try to get a good feel for what they’re trying to accomplish and what the market might be looking into free agency,” MacLellan said.

The Capitals have been open about their interest in re-upping Brenden Dillon, while longtime goaltender Braden Holtby will likely test the free agent market.

“I think it’s going to be difficult,” MacLellan said when asked how to make moves with a flat salary cap. “I think GMs are looking to be creative and it’s going to be hard to accomplish. We’ll see how it pans out here. There’s a lot of uncertainty.”

Headline photo: Amanda Bowen/RMNB

Marcus Johansson traded from Buffalo Sabres to Minnesota Wild

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 21:52:40 GMT

Ex-Caps forward and current gentle sweetheart, Marcus Johansson, is now a Minnesota Wild… err, a member of the Wild. A Wildling? I don’t know. Anyway, now he’s wilding out.

(P.S. he was on the Buffalo Sabres before, in case you, like me, forgot.)

Going to Buffalo will be forward Eric Staal, who has never played for the Capitals as far as I can tell.

From Star Tribune Sports reporter Sarah McLellan:

#mnwild is trading Eric Staal to the #Sabres for Marcus Johansson, per source.

— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) September 16, 2020

Staal, 35, has played most of his career for Carolina, but recently was with the Rangers and Wild. Despite his age, he’s still playing top-six minutes and enters the final year of his deal next season. Johansson, 29, also has one year left on his $4.5 M contract and scored 30 points in 60 games for Buffalo last season.

This is a curious trade. Micah Blake McCurdy of HockeyViz chimes in:

Marcus Johansson (to Minnesota) is an above average forward at 5v5 with a good penalty differential who should probably be kept away from the power-play. Eric Staal (to Buffalo in return) is a better shooter with some PP upside, with shot impacts closer to average. pic.twitter.com/eRoXYFI7Qj

— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) September 16, 2020

Update, 5:57 PM: Staal, just like us, is stunned by this trade.

Staal found out about the trade 10 minutes ago. Said to be stunned.

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) September 16, 2020

Headline photo: NHL

The Dallas Stars think Anton Khudobin is a Russian machine too: ‘We are not going home!’

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 16:45:00 GMT

The Dallas Stars improbably punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime of Game Five.

Inside the Stars’ locker room afterward, defenseman Andrej Sekera presented the game chain, an oversized Dallas Stars-branded necklace, to backup goaltender Anton Khudobin, who backstopped his team to the NHL’s championship round with starter Ben Bishop out with injury since August 31.

For Caps fans, Khudobin received a familiar nickname.

Video

WHAT HE SAID! pic.twitter.com/qLP69lqUHi

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) September 15, 2020

“In this series, in this game, (we got) big goals from [several players],” Sekara said, “but I gotta give it to the f*cking Russian machine!!”

The Stars raucously cheer for their hero goaltender, Dobby, as Sekara hands over the giant chain.

Khudobin walks back to his stall. Then he slowly turns his head around back at his teammates.

“WE ARE NOT GOING KHOME!”

The Stars cheered even louder.

The We’re Not Going Home line started after Joel Kiviranta scored a hat trick in Game Seven to send the Stars to the Western Conference Final. Kivi got the same chain and when pressed to give a speech, the 24-year-old proclaimed, “F*cking right! We’re not going home!”

“WE’RE NOT GOING HOME!” pic.twitter.com/EH7Y8hTGSG

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) September 5, 2020

One Dallas Stars fan edited the movies into a montage that included a scene from The Wolf Of Wall Street.

The phrase, at least for me, doesn’t have the same panache as Alex Ovechkin’s “We’re not going to be suck this year,” but it’s still a great rallying cry.

The Stars and all their silliness now sit four wins away from winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in team history.

“There it is, boys! Four more to go!” pic.twitter.com/83eVK00l0m

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) September 15, 2020

Screenshot courtesy of the @DallasStars

Michal Kempny: 2019-20 season review

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 14:25:41 GMT

Michal Kempny hasn’t looked 100 percent since that hamstring injury back in 2019.

By the Numbers

58	games played
18.6	time on ice per game
3	goals
15	assists
50.7	5-on-5 shot-attempt percentage, adjusted
49.9	5-on-5 expected goal percentage, adjusted
57.7	5-on-5 goal percentage, adjusted

Visualization by HockeyViz

About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows lots of information for the player over the season. A short description of each chart:

Most common teammates during 5-on-5
Ice time per game, split up by game state
5-on-5 adjusted shot attempts by the team (black) and opponents (red)
5-on-5 adjusted shooting percentage by the team (black) and opponents (red)
Individual scoring events by the player
5-on-5 adjusted offensive (black) and defensive (red) zone starts

Peter’s Take

Everything changed for Michal Kempny on March 20, 2019. His hamstring injury required surgery and months of recovery. Once he came back for 2019-20, he didn’t look quite as spritely as he did before. He stopped taking top-pairing minutes and started dragging his team’s performance down. The line graph below shows what percentage of total expected goals were generated by Kempny’s team when he was on the ice (solid blue line) and on the bench (light blue dashed line).

I held out hope for a long time that all Kempny needed was sufficient time to rest and recover, and then we’d seen his performance improved. But over time I became less confident that would happen. Todd Reirden apparently felt the same way, as Kempny’s ice time plummeted late in the season, as illustrated by Hockey Viz, with my annotation in pink.

But that downturn coincided with Kempny being paired more with Radko Gudas, which was a bad idea.

Kempny-Gudas is literally the only "avoid at all costs" pairing on the Caps roster pic.twitter.com/YSfJfgGtEE

— Peter Hassett (@peterhassett) February 21, 2020

So again I held out hope that the pandemic pause would give Kempny more time for recuperation, and maybe we’d see a renaissance in the bubble. That did not happen. During 5v5 play in the postseason, the Caps controlled 40 percent of expected goals and 42 percent of shot attempts when Kempny was on the ice.

Kempny has another year on his $2.5 million AAV contract. I’m not sure he’s capable of anything beyond third-pairing minutes anymore, but I’d be so happy to be wrong about that.

Kemps on RMNB

We’re just about one year since Kempny returned to the ice for the first time since his injury.
Kempny passed his conditioning test, but was held out of play for the first few games.
In his first game back:

Carlson to Kempny, without context: “Take your shirt off.”
Here’s a great story about Kempny going above and beyond for the fans.
Kempny was the team’s Masterton nominee.

I think, maybe we should just share some Kempny pics. I know my audience.

At the beach.

With beers

And at the lake

Your Turn

Can Kempny turn it around? Who would you pair him with?

Read more: Japers Rink

Meet Peter Laviolette and the Washington Lavitals

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 09:00:28 GMT

Peter Laviolette has taken the reins of the Washington Capitals, ushering in the era of the Washington Lavitals. In today’s episode, Peter and Ian try to figure out what that means.

Discussed in this episode:

Podcast

https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/lavcast.mp3

The RMNB Podcast is on Apple Podcasts and Google Play. We’re trying to get it back on Spotify also, but it’s hard. Please consider leaving a review. Thank you for listening, and thanks to all our patrons for making this possible.

Video

Ugh, we had all kinds of trouble with the video in this one. Sorry about that!

RMNB Podcast Theme

Thank you to Young Rising Sons for our theme song. You can find new music from the band, now under the name Camden Welles.

Semyon Varlamov epicly dives head-first into Islanders’ goal hug after Double OT win

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 04:32:01 GMT

New York goalie Semyon Varlamov saved 36 of 37 shots on Tuesday night to keep the Islanders alive long enough to force a Game Six.

But it was Varly’s epic postgame celebration that somehow managed to upstage Jordan Eberle’s double-overtime goal.

Video

VARLAMOV IS EVERYONE ON THE ISLAND!#Isles | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/R3NtPlDsnP

— #StanleyCup Playoffs on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) September 16, 2020

Check out Varly putting the New York Mets to shame with this textbook head-first dive into a figurative home plate.

Varlamov skates from the opposite goal and slides headfirst into the celebration pic.twitter.com/L3AnoQXmla

— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) September 16, 2020

“I don’t know (why I did it),” Varlamov said after the game laughing. “I just jump because I was like so excited for us. Our season was on the line today. When we scored that goal it was just a lot of emotions going through like in that moment because I was so happy for the guys and so happy for us like we extend the series and have chance to continue to play.”

Despite being outshot 37-24, the Islanders won after an unfortunate turnover by Kevin Shattenkirk. Anders Lee picked up Shatty’s whiff on a slap shot and connected with Eberle for a one-timer to end the game.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Lightning generated 3.34 expected goals in the double-overtime elimination game, but Varly allowed just one to get past him — this funky rebound from Victor Hedman.

That performance is a major reversal for Varlamov, 32, who had already allowed 12 goals this series.

Game Six will be Thursday at 8 PM.

Hey guys wait for me pic.twitter.com/KYJsoyYN5U

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) September 16, 2020

Screenshot courtesy of NBCSN

Brian MacLellan on Braden Holtby: ‘I would expect him to go to free agency’

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 18:32:43 GMT

The Washington Capitals introduced new head coach Peter Laviolette on Tuesday afternoon. General manager Brian MacLellan, who was also on the call, took the final question of the press conference and was asked about Braden Holtby’s future with the team.

Holtby, the greatest goaltender in Capitals’ history, is an unrestricted free agent and it appears more and more unlikely he will return.

Video

Join general manager Brian MacLellan and Peter Laviolette LIVE as Laviolette addresses the media for the first time as Washington Capitals head coach #ALLCAPS https://t.co/HP76bHo9Yv

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 15, 2020

“I would expect him to go to free agency,” MacLellan said. “I think the goalie market is probably a little unusually deep this year. I talked to his agent last week briefly about where he’s at and the kind of opportunities he’s looking for. I would assume he goes to free agency and we’ll keep in contact with him throughout the free agency and see if he’s getting what he wants.”

MacLellan appears to be signaling that unless the team can get a deal on Holtby, the team will run with Ilya Samsonov as the starter next season.

Previously, in late August, MacLellan said that bringing back Holtby “is going to be difficult” and that some “tough decisions” would be made in the offseason. Due to a flat salary cap, the Capitals will not have much wiggle room to improve their team through free agency.

“It’s gonna be tight,” MacLellan said then. “It’s gonna be hard for cap teams to complete their lineup, to create depth in their lineup. We do have a little room to make some signings. So we’re going to see what happens with the trade market at the draft and then proceed through free agency and try to do the best job we can.”

After the Capitals were eliminated by the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs, Holtby admitted that he might have played his final game with the team.

“Certainly a chance it is,” Holtby said. “But who knows. You live one day at a time and go from there. More right now it’s just, this [loss] is going to sting a little bit.”

Ted Leonsis praises GM Brian MacLellan for his ‘efficient’ coaching search

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 16:40:45 GMT

Capitals majority owner Ted Leonsis is very pleased with his general manager Brian MacLellan.

Tuesday, Leonsis welcomed new head coach Peter Laviolette on Twitter and also added a kind note for Mac on the hiring process.

“Very impressed with how efficient our GM conducted his search,” Leonsis said.

Proven winner to DC. Warm embrace and welcome from all to new @Capitals Head Coach Peter Laviolette. Very impressed with how efficient our GM conducted his search. #ALLCAPS https://t.co/vqLIin0osP

— Ted Leonsis (@TedLeonsis) September 15, 2020

I’m not completely sure why efficiency is important here as the Capitals were the only active NHL team to have a head coaching vacancy. So let’s try to talk this out and maybe we’ll make more sense of it.

Perhaps the Capitals not having a head coach simply made Ted’s tummy gurgle at night and he’s glad it’s over.
Maybe Ted is impressed by how few candidates Brian interviewed (only three serious contenders emerged according to reporting)
Maybe Brian was waffling on the decision and this is more of a reverse-psychology show of support
Or! The Seattle Kraken have not hired a head coach yet and Laviolette has a close relationship with Seattle GM Ron Francis from their time together previously in Carolina. Perhaps the Capitals identified Laviolette as their top choice early on and Ted was worried they might lose out on him to Seattle if they moved slowly.
While the Capitals were conducting their search, Dallas, San Jose, and Calgary all had interim head coaches. Since then, the Stars’ Rick Bowness led his team to the Stanley Cup Final and seems destined to become their new bench boss full time. Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames’ made Geoff Ward their permanent coach on Monday. It’s possible these teams reached out to several of the Capitals’ candidates as well and there was more competition for Laviolette’s services than we know.
Perhaps this coaching search went so fast that there was NO competition from other teams and the Capitals saved money or simply got their guy by not having to compete against another team for Laviolette’s services.

Who knows? What does seem clear is that Leonsis is happy that the Capitals got the best coach available due to this GMBM efficiency. Or maybe it’s the Pepto Bismal thing before bed. I really don’t know, but hopefully, we’ll find out more later.

Screenshot courtesy of @Capitals

Peter Laviolette raises Washington Capitals flag at New Hampshire lakehouse

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 15:39:31 GMT

Peter Laviolette was hired as the Washington Capitals’ new coach Tuesday morning. He’s the 19th coach in franchise history.

“I’m thankful and excited for the opportunity to lead this hockey club,” Laviolette said in a Capitals’ press release. “This is a winning organization with high expectations. I look forward to coaching this tremendous group of players and bringing my experience and vision to the team.”

Laviolette celebrated his new three-year, $12-plus million contract by raising a Washington Capitals flag in the backyard of his New Hampshire lakehouse.

From the Laviolettes at their lakehouse in New Hampshire

Looking good, Coach!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/9rd0nslWiT

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 15, 2020

I dig it.

Not only does Laviolette appear to be a flag guy, but he’s also a lake guy. During his time as head coach in Carolina, Laviolette lived near Lake Wheeler in south Raleigh.

Laviolette will meet with Capitals’ media for the first time at 1 PM.

Headline photo courtesy of the @Capitals

Nick Jensen: 2019-20 season review

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 14:25:34 GMT

People only notice Nick Jensen when he does something wrong, which isn’t often.

By the Numbers

68	games played
17.8	time on ice per game
0	goals
8	assists
51.3	5-on-5 shot-attempt percentage, adjusted
51.1	5-on-5 expected goal percentage, adjusted
49.2	5-on-5 goal percentage, adjusted

Visualization by HockeyViz

About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows lots of information for the player over the season. A short description of each chart:

Most common teammates during 5-on-5
Ice time per game, split up by game state
5-on-5 adjusted shot attempts by the team (black) and opponents (red)
5-on-5 adjusted shooting percentage by the team (black) and opponents (red)
Individual scoring events by the player
5-on-5 adjusted offensive (black) and defensive (red) zone starts

Peter’s Take

Nick Jensen is way too easy to overlook. He just doesn’t stand out much, except maybe when things go badly. That’s why he was such a whipping boy in the early part of 2019-20, and why he became such an underrated highlight later on. A big factor in his reputation might be the variation in results depending on who he skates with.

In a lot of minutes with Dmitry Orlov (aka still Washington’s best defender), Jensen did just fine. But Orlov did better away from Jensen, particularly with John Carlson (55.5 percent of expected goals in 216 minutes). Jensen’s numbers with Jonas Siegenthaler were not great and similarly depressed his partner’s numbers, but then there were those 100 sterling minutes with Michal Kempny.

That’s a messy jumble, and it only got messier in the postseason, where Jensen excelled with Orlov (69 percent of shot attempts and 62 percent of expected goals in 36 minutes) but below 50 percent in both in 52 minutes with Siegenthaler. It was that latter pairing that really had a hard time shifting into offense. The breakout passes the Caps needed and expected from Jensen simply did not come through. But while that was frustrating, it’s not like Jensen went minus-7 or minus-6 in on-ice goal differential like Carlson and Siegenthaler respectively.

All of which is to say that Jensen’s not here to be a star. His playing style makes him noticeable in just two circumstances: when he makes a mistake (not often) or when he’s getting stuck with bad saving percentages (kind of a lot, especially early last season). He’s clearly a top-six defender, and once the Caps get their neutral-zone mojo back he’s going to be integral. I just want that to happen soon please.

Jensen on RMNB

In February, Jensen and Jonas Siegenthaler practiced with the Fort Dupont Cannons. (Some great photos by Elizabeth Kong there)
Jensen got a towel stuck on his skate and looked like a goof.
Jensen was 50 percent of the worst fight of the year.
Jensen and John Carlson teamed up to get a fan a custom wheelchair.
There was some deadline buzz that the Caps might move Jensen. I’m glad they didn’t.
Peter was defending Jensen from you people all season. In February he became a Jensen-Kempny acolyte.
In March, Nick and Jenner Jensen welcomed Lorenzo Luck to the world. There were hijinx.

Your Turn

What are your ideal D pairings from the players coming back?

Read more: Japers Rink