Brian Maclellan’s promise to Alex Ovechkin. Nic Dowd’s importance to the Caps.

Brian Maclellan’s promise to Alex Ovechkin. Nic Dowd’s importance to the Caps.

on today’s show we know the capitals didn’t get the results that they were looking for but according to one NHL Insider don’t expect any big moves from the [Music] capitals your locked on capitals your daily podcast on the Washington Capitals part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day well hello and welcome into this edition of lockdown capitals I’m so glad you decided to join me today as always this podcast is free and available on all the major platforms including the Sirius XM app and on YouTube and I want to thank you for making this your first listen each and every day my name is Dan homy I’ve covered the capitals for the last three seasons for lock on and various other outlets before that I’m also the host of the weekly show called the capitals minute cast available wherever you get your podcasts you can find me on Twitter it’s dcaps 218 you can find the show on Twitter it’s at lockon caps and the best way that you can help grow the show is to subscribe to lockon capitals on YouTube and comment anything down below today’s episode is brought to you by game time down download the game time app create an account and use code lockon NHL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply so in this edition of lockdown capitals we talk about the capitals and how they got eliminated in four games and I think it’s the belief of a lot of capitals fans that Brian mlen is going to go out there and make some big big moves but according to one NHL Insider don’t expect it we’ll talk about that a little bit later we will talk about Nick Dow and his many contributions for this team and what he will mean for the team going forward and then in the closing segment we will talk about the next round of the NHL playoffs but just to get it going here talking about what can we expect from the capitals this summer and how much different will this team be before next fall uh is there the possibility that Brian Ken does in fact go out there and get that top six forward maybe uh is there the chance that he goes out there and totally changes this lineup before the fall highly unlikely and you know oftentimes I I hear about the promises that were made to Alex vetka if it’s not from tck elbashir it’s from this guy it’s from that guy that there were promises made to Alex oetkin that he wouldn’t face a complete tear down rebuild while he’s still on the team and that appears to be the case as more and more I’m hearing those stories and in this segment we’ll talk about Frank Sarah Vol and what he said in the daily faceof and what to expect from the capitals we do know that the capital secured a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs with 91 points but faced Swift a swift exit after being swept by the Rangers in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals despite a slow start Alex oetkin 31 goals played a pivotal role in the team’s return to the postseason although he did not register a point against the Rangers and it’s one of the things and it’s a bit frustrating I guess I’m going to say as a capitals fan is this promise that was made to Alex oetkin that he must play on this quote unquote competitive team whatever that means would you call what you saw on the ice last season from the capitals competitive um or should that all be re phrased in that Alex oetkin wants to play with familiar faces he was really upset of course when Nick bom stepped away he was upset when kozi got dealt he’s upset about the possibility of Oshi listen Alex oetkin is going to have to come to terms with the fact that this team needs to make big big changes and those promises that were made um I I guess Bri mlen has to honor them but was that the right thing to make that promise to Alex sekin that he must stay on whatever this quote unquote competitive team is with a roster featuring a few remnants from the 2018 Stanley Cup winning team in a new wave of emerging Talent such as Ryan Leonard hendrik sloppier Conor McMichael the capitals appear to be on the cusp of a significant transformation at least a youth infusion however the team’s strategic Direction may not fully embrace the future until oetkin retires that’s a bit difficult that’s a tough pill to swallow uh that you know the cap expect this what we saw this last season from the capitals until Alex oetkin hangs up the skates as capitals fans how do you how do you feel about that do you how do you feel positive about those remarks do you feel positive that this team is going to be playing some lackluster mediocre hockey until Alex oetkin hangs up the skates just because those promises were made to him for for me uh I’m going to go ahead and say that makes me pretty frustrated as I want to see competitive hockey back in DC during a recent discussion on daily face off Frank saravali and Tyler deliberated on the upcoming challenges and plans for the evolving capitals Tyler said this offseason presents an intriguing scenario for the team given the limited number of key free agents and the Aging core players despite securing a playoff spot the roster depth and cap constraints pose significant challenges what are the team’s priorities for the upcoming summer and they talked about uh Conor McMichael being an RFA coming up here and that there’s not a lot of flexibility Max Patch ready uh probably played his last game of hockey with the capitals but nothing uh too Earth chattering uh you know it’s not like this player’s going to move and that player’s going to come in uh it just kind of seems like it is going to be business as usual so Frank saravali the NHL Insider from the daily phas Hoff said the focus remains on maintaining competitiveness while adopting a sustainable approach the intention is to avoid sacrificing young talent for short-term gains Mack emphasized a forward-looking strategy at the trade deadline acknowledging the team’s commitment to transitioning towards the future remarkably the late season push to secure a playoff birth despite initial doubts FS the team’s resilience and determination and Spencer carberry’s inaugural season as the head coach the Resurgence also underscores the ongoing significance of Alex oetkin whose pursuit of the goalscoring record remains a compelling storyline the question now revolves around the duration of this Pursuit um and you know that is the thing that has been said and I’ve I’ve gone over that again and again is this that Alex soetkin doesn’t want to face a rebuild um and I guess that’s kind of open to interpretation we talk about that the good job that Spencer carbury did and that these young players did better than many people had thought but is what we saw on the ice in the fall going to be good enough uh to get a different result next season so in the interim the team aims to remain competitive and honor its commitment to oetkin Legacy however there is a pressing need to revamp the defensive lineup although John Carlson’s returned significantly sign ific L bolstered the team’s performance additionally depth and players that align with strategic age profiles such as rasma sandine are essential to fortify the roster and sustain longterm competitiveness uh so it does sound like there will be moves you know hopefully similar to the Rasmus sandine thing we do know that the capitals do have draft Capital that they could use to acquire different players similar to how the capitals got rasma sandine uh can they go out and use some of that draft Capital to get that top six forward that’s been kind of hung in front of us uh like bait in front of a bear for years that yes it’s going to happen just just do this and do that uh potentially uh but uh I mean seeing is believing for me and until I see that top six forward Color Me skep skeptical ultimately let’s take a look at it the capitals are more than one top six forward away from being competitive I would say that if the capitals got you know a really upper echelon uh Center to work with Alex oetkin that could be a game changer uh Alex oetkin did speak to the fact that he lacked chemistry with the constantly changing lines uh whether it was ketov or Backstrom or stro or McMichael or Dow or ler that he had a hard time gaining a rapport and a chemistry with a center that he had for years uh with Nick Backstrom and at points if gen kets off so I think that ultimately that would be something that could help you know change things for the capitals the team scoring struggles notwithstanding the primary focus should revolve around fortifying the defensive core um that is the assessment of the daily Faceoff again we cannot have John Carlson playing 30 minutes a night it’s just not sustainable can he do it in a pinch sure is it ideal absolutely not and were you know we saw how the capital struggled when uh John Carlson got injured uh versus the Winnipeg Jets when he got hit in the head and missed a substantial amount of time that the the Blue Line does need to be uh something that needs to be looked at but I don’t even think that’s the primary focus right now I think the capitals Blue Line All Things Considered is not too bad not too bad is the operative words there it could be better but I think the scoring is more of a cause of concern for me what can we expect back from Alex oetkin uh we know he got off to a very slow start turned it on what will he do next year Lord only knows we know that we are minus Anthony mantha a guy that despite his bumpy ride with the capitals over the duration was a key contributor last season surprising as that is to say where are the Capitals going to be minus all his goals that he scored and what player is going to pick up uh and score the goals that Anthony mantha scored KZ net off uh was clutch at times um it is going to be difficult you know and not to mention you know the other players that might move out Nicolas a cubel Max patre those players that are going to be money so there is a lot of questions but if I’m going to prioritize if I was the GM right now I would prioritize goal scorers over the blue line again to reiterate I think the blue line is pretty good it could it could you know stand to be improved I think that goal scoring is something that Brian mlen needs to put on the front burner as it has been something that has been spoke about for quite some time hopefully it’s something that happens uh during free agency uh July 1 or if not then before the start of the season in the fall because if we think that the capitals are going to be any better next season uh than they were this last season that is the definition of insanity so let’s hope that Brian mlen can pull pull a rabbit out of his hat uh and the capitals can pick up those big key players so we can have competitive hockey back in the district again all right so coming up here Straight Ahead we will talk about Nick Dow’s many contributions to this team uh most notably playing on the fourth line and has been key in many different regards let’s discuss what he means to this team straight ahead game time is an 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your TV all day have to turn down the volume with all the shouting make the switch to lockon sports today a free 247 sports streaming Channel programmed for you every day to bring you the biggest stories without all the screaming locked on sports today brings you the can’t miss analysis opinions and news streaming 247 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day all right welcome back into this edition of locked on capitals part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day so Nick Dow is an important piece of the capitals I think that that is a safe thing to say and if you really want to know the value in a player uh just sprinkle their name out there as a potential Target to be traded and then all of a sudden and you see The Feeding Frenzy you understand how important a player is to a team listen I know uh that Nick Dow is huge for the capitals uh it’s been a couple season Seasons that his name has been circulated about being on the move and it really did seem very apparent that that was going to be the case uh during free agency or the trade deadline excuse me but it didn’t happen and uh and this has been something that’s been talked about the premier insiders I’m talking Elliot Freeman and Frank sahali these kind of guys that a lot of teams would like to obtain the services of Nick da just for what he means to this team and it’s good that he is getting that acknowledgement in a lot of different ways but ultimately did not win the award that he probably should have won the selki award if you’re not familiar the cki uh trophy is presented annually to the forward who demonstrates the greatest Proficiency in defensive play barov ended up getting it has achieved this honor for the second time in his NHL career making him a finalist for the award three times in the last four seasons he boasted an impressive 57.3 Faceoff win rate out of 1,100 attempts during the regular season and secured a plus 33 rating placing him fifth among NHL forwards so additionally barov recorded 104 hits and 50 block shots through 2023 24 regular season so let’s talk about the defensive impact of Nick Dow and take a closer look at what he means as he was a selky finalist so Cap Center Nick Dow received a fourth place vote for the selky award putting him in a tie for 30th Place the award is given annually to the forward who excels the most in defensive aspects of the game as selected by the professional hockey writers association Dow’s impressive performance includes 12 goals and 10 assists in 64 games a 48.1 Faceoff percentage 72 blocks and 118 hits earned him the recognition and a tip of the hat to a guy that is that he is the guy that wins more defensive Faceoff defensive Zone faceoffs than anyone else so that is why he is huge for the capitals and they need someone to do that and the interesting thing about Nick doubt is he is a guy that’s getting it done on the fourth line oftentimes you think of a fourth liner that are revered as this you know AHL callup or a guy that’s not good enough um you don’t generally think about a guy on the fourth line as a guy with a really great skill set but quite to the contraries it’s not just nicked out it’s the entire fourth line of the capitals but it’s good to see Nick Dow get that recognition Dow LED all Washington centers in defensive Zone starts and defensive Zone faceoffs at five on five showcasing his defensive capabilities additionally he played a crucial role in shutting down the opposing top lines while contributing to one of the NHL’s strongest fourth lines with Beck malen Stein and Nicholas AB cubel primarily uh we have seen players plugged and played throughout on the fourth line but that was primarily who was on the fourth line and just played a huge role for the capitals also in that mix is malen Stein was huge and Nicholas ABI cuell all key to the capitals fourth line success and uh that is ultimately what we’re hoping for next season and what is the long-term plans for Nick Dow on this team I guess we don’t know something could happen this summer um and you know I know what he means to this team that is important uh but I’m all about improving this team I don’t want to to kick him out the door I would like to know what the return is but I would be open to all things but as far as Nick dowed and uh I would love the perfect scenario for him toate with his team just based on who he is and if you take a look at him Beyond statistics it’s Dow’s reliability his hockey IQ and his consistency uh those are the big things making him a strong defensive forward uh his teammates his coaches everyone loves him and sings his praises his strong work ethic Dows impact and Leadership on and off the ice that is something that we hear more and more often it’s not just how you carry yourself on the ice with your hockey stick with your skates on it’s how you carry yourself off the ice and he’s been acknowledged for that as well Washington retained him due to invaluable contributions let’s be clear here many people myself included thought it was a very fairly likely scenario that he would be on the move uh and during the trade deadline as it turns out it didn’t happen uh and it’s interesting that you at the time do you think that Brian mlen thought there was a chance a chance you’re telling me there’s a chance do you think there was a chance that Brian mclen saw this team going to the playoffs is that why he held on to Nick Dow and didn’t trade him there had to be a lot of suitors out there as we heard all the premier insiders talking about it why did he hold on to Dow if there’s so many people on paper that were looking for a guy just like him it’s very interesting Dow’s focus on maintaining cons consistency and improving his performance signifies his dedication to the game as he looks forward to his final year in DC and that’s an interesting thing and I think ultimately why it was kicked around about moving him is that you could get a return we don’t want to see a situation where his time in Washington is up and he walks and the capitals get nothing it’s always the difficult move to make to trade someone uh but if the the thought process is is that you’re not going to extend them to a new deal then why not do the right thing and you know move them on so they can get on with their NHL career and the capitals can get a good piece to help bolster their team all right so coming up here Straight Ahead we will talk about the NHL playoffs I know I know a lot of people probably don’t want to talk about it because the capitals are not in it but it has been some intriguing exciting fun hockey the ratings for the playoffs have been through the roof on the television on the podcast all of those things let’s talk about who will be playing in the next round Straight Ahead there is no I in team but there is one in indeed and that is the hiring platform you need to build yours when you’re hiring you need 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lockon podcast Network your team every day so the capitals did the unthinkable thing and they made it to the playoffs and they got eliminated in four games the EG of defeat I think of the guy falling down the ski lift on ABC’s Wide World of Sports if you’re old enough to remember that that is what the capitals were eliminated in four games and it has been a sore subject for a lot of capitals fans but if you can find a way to bring yourself and and and dig yourself out of the pit you know of Despair that you’ve been wallowing in there has been some really great playoff hockey by some really great NHL teams and who is going to be playing in the next round the Stanley Cup playoffs are heating up with four teams just four wins away from reaching the final the New York Rangers are focusing on their special teams and the quick striking opportunities while the Florida Panthers are baking banking on their pending unrestricted free agents and creating High danger scoring chances the Dallas Stars are concerned about the return of rope hins and the performance of Thomas Harley and the Edmonton Oilers are relying on their top heavy forward group and the performance of Conor McDavid so we are getting to some of the best of the best uh and if you are a fan of this and you’re watching this let me know your thoughts hit me up on Twitter at Dan caps 218 lockon Caps or on YouTube and let me hear your thoughts who is your favorite towin at all it seems like the New York Rangers have what it takes uh with that said it also seems like the stars are really good it seems like the Oilers are really good the again if you’re playing at this point you are really good but just kind of my hunch my knee-jerk reaction is that it is going to be the Rangers winning it all necessarily not in love with the idea of that uh but um that is just kind of the direction that it’s going so let’s talk about the Rangers and some specifics about the blue shirts last championship winners in 1994 and finalists in 2014 there’s concerns over proficiency on special teams there’s not a lot of causes of concern about the Rangers as they are a well-oiled machine All Things Considered Vincent troch cheek’s significant contributions and they must focus on capitalizing on quick striking opportunities through stretch passes as I do think that the Florida Panthers will be the toughest opponent that they face I make no mistake about it the capitals that wasn’t so tough on them the hurricanes on paper I thought would be able to take them down handily not the case but the Florida Panthers are pretty pretty good and I think will be a good test for the Rangers uh so what do the FL Florida Panthers have to do here they have to aim to secure a consecutive appearance in the Final Cup that’s something that is just Unknown about them impressive playoff run fueled by pending unrestricted free agents Gustaf forsling effective support for Aaron eblad Carter verg’s emergence as an E X Factor and strategy revolves around creating High danger scoring chances it is not going to be easy to get the puck past shesterkin it’s just not going to be an easy thing so that is one of the things uh that the Florida Panthers are going to have to do uh so let’s take a look out west and the Dallas star you know you take a look at the Dallas Stars and what they’ve had to to overcome facing the Golden Knights and the Avalanche I think you know if you were asking me you know earlier let’s say a few months ago so it’s Dallas and they’re going to be playing the golden knights and the Avalanche who do you think is going to win those games I would have said the golden knights or the Avalanche I just did not see Dallas being this good but they are uh and that is why they are in the position that they’re in so Dallas Stars they’re striving to advance in the playoffs rope hints returned to the lineup performance of Thomas Harley as an unexpected X Factor so that is what they’re going to have to do is just find a way to to really take it to the Edmonton Oilers which is not going to be an easy out either uh if there’s one team I said who I think is going to to win it if there’s one team I’m kind of pulling for and I have no allegion to this team other than uh what I’m going to say next year is the Edmonton Oilers and you might say why the Edmonton Oilers because it is a Canadian hockey team and they have had they haven’t had a lot of great things happen uh in Canada for a while as far as the NHL is concerned as far as playoff success those kind of things and if there’s one thing I know for sure for sure is that the Canadians they love themselves some hockey so I think best case scenario for a Canadian would be for the Maple Leafs of course but the Edmonton Oilers are north of the United States and our Canadian and I think that that would be just a good thing for Canadians to Rally around I also do like Conor McDavid quite a player I think I’m not saying anything too crazy there so the Edmonton Oilers navigating a a critical juncture in the playoffs again this is a team that oftentimes lets their fans down uh either before the playoffs or in the playoffs oftentimes they are a team that is sketched out to be a favorite to win of the Stanley Cup of course it’s not something that happens relying on contributions from bottom six players Conor mcdavid’s performance as a decisive Factor he can be an absolute GameChanger and someone that can sneak at pass ainger protecting goenda Skinner is Paramount and seeking to maintain strong defensive performances and it’s interesting that the Oilers were finding a way to to fix I know there’s still been some questions about the Oilers net mining but it seems that if they at this point they must have addressed it I still think big picture it’s something they need to take care of after this season so if they can pull a rabbit out of their hat and win a Stanley Cup good but if not it’s something that they need long-term Solutions there’s a lot of teams like that and oftentimes why I talk about Dary camper I would say the the Oilers I would say the Canucks and I would say the Maple Leafs all need help in net all teams are facing significant challenges as they pursue success in the playoffs and these factors will be undoubtedly play a crucial role in determining the outcomes of course of course uh but those are the games ahead and already just looking at the lineups I like uh the you know the matchups and who’s it’s going to be I want to see the Rangers I want to see the panther square up I want to see Dallas and I want to see Edmonton it is getting to be an exciting time of year as a hockey fan and if you can find a way to watch it uh and if you like NHL hockey other than the capitals I think it is some must CV listen I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of lockon capitals your only daily yearround podcast covering the Washington Capitals and I want to thank all of you that listen on the audio side and watch this on YouTube you are ultimately what makes this show successful when you’re done here head on over to lockton’s 247 streaming channel available on the free Amazon Fire TV channels app and on YouTube all right once again I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of locked on capitals part of the locked on podcast netork work your team every day my name is Dan homy and I’ll talk to you again next time

The Washington Capitals secured a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 91 points but were swiftly eliminated by the New York Rangers. Alex Ovechkin’s 31 goals were crucial in the team’s return to the postseason, but he didn’t register a point against the Rangers.

The team is undergoing a significant transformation, with emerging talents such as Ryan Leonard, Hendrix Lapierre, and Connor McMichael. However, their strategic direction may not fully embrace the future until Ovechkin retires.

During a discussion on Daily Faceoff Live, it was highlighted that the team aims to remain competitive while adopting a sustainable approach. They intend to revamp the defensive lineup and focus on fortifying the defensive core to sustain long-term competitiveness.

Additionally, the text discusses the performances of Nic Dowd and his recognition as a strong defensive forward. It also provides insights into the strategies and key players of teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers.

Overall, the text covers the Washington Capitals’ postseason, their future plans, Nic Dowd’s performance, and updates on various teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Follow Dan on Twitter: @dancaps218
Follow Locked on Capitals on Twitter: @lockedoncaps

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