Modifié 21 mars 2023 à 13 h 59
TEB Mailbag notes:
Decision has not yet been made around Laviolette yet. Team may lean towards bringing him back due to: Winning when healthy, not a lot of better/more successful options, not wanting to risk ending Ovi's career with a 1st time coach without experience. Only 1st time candidate that may be an exception is Jeff Halpern, due to familiarity with the Caps and being a strong tactician.
Higher ups haven't agreed with everything Laviolette does (Mantha decisions throughout the year), but they are generally please with Laviolette over his entire tenure.
Player development is not a priority, it is taking a backseat to winning. Expect that to change this season after the Caps are mathematically (or about to be mathematically) eliminated. TEB specifically mentions Johansen.
Caps hope that Backstrom will fully return to form after an offseason of training while healthy to regain a step. No easy answers there, but seems like they expected a long road to recovery and that we're still on it.
Higher-ups are unhappy with Kuzy's season, seems that perhaps the trust management had is gone. To quote TEB, "I don't know where things go from here. But something's got to give."
Caps don't believe Iorio is fully ready, and thus extended TvR, but fans shouldn't expect him to be buried in Hershey for 3 years if he shows he's ready.
Protas is probably ahead of McMichael and Lapierre in the pipeline. Doesn't sound like Washington shopped either of them, though MacLellan keeps most info close to the chest. Sounds like the team is committed to developing them but could possibly consider a trade if it was for a Strome-esque player thats young and can contribute now.
Sounds like Mantha is most likely gone. Management thought he should have had a longer leash, but aren't happy his production has gone down since being scratched.
It does sound like Johnasen has slid from being considered a prospect to a call-up, but hasn't been written off entirely yet. Tough for him since he's stuck behind so many other players though.
The Caps are likely to do something for their 50th anniversary in terms of jerseys, but likely not an overhaul of the entire jersey/logo. Something to keep an eye on, though.
Unlikely Brown returns this year but Washington is definitely interested in bringing him back.