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Tag: Devante Smith-Pelly

  • TXHT Opinion – The Impact of the Loss of TJ Oshie

    TXHT Opinion – The Impact of the Loss of TJ Oshie

    Tonight when the Washington Capitals hit the ice to take on the Carolina Hurricanes for Game Five of the First Round of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Capitals will be doing so without the services of forward TJ Oshie who was injured the other night in Game Four in Carolina by forward Warren Foegele.

     

    Now we can debate the hit that Foegele put on Oshie that caused the injury, but there is no point of doing that because what’s done is done and it’s time to move on and look forward to what the Capitals will need to do without their heart and soul player.

     

    Going into Game Five the Capitals will have to do some line juggling, and have also called up Devante Smith-Pelly from Hershey of the AHL to fill in for Oshie. Here is the Capitals projected lineup for tonight:

    Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – Tom Wilson
    Jakub Vrana – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Carl Hagelin
    Andre Burakovsky – Lars Eller – Brett Connolly
    Chandler Stephenson – Nic Dowd – Devante Smith-Pelly

    Jonas Siegenthaler – John Carlson
    Dmitry Orlov – Matt Niskanen
    Brooks Orpik – Nick Jensen

    Braden Holtby

     

    The reuniting of Tom Wilson with the first line of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom will bring back some of the size and snarl that Wilson brings to the line after being on the second line in game four, and moving Carl Hagelin to Oshie’s normal spot on the second line will add some more speed to the line to compliment Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jakub Vrana. Plus with Hagelin, the second line will gain a player who will play a similar style to that of Oshie’s and will help establish net presence and create some space.

     

    For the bottom six however, the Capitals will need more from them. The line of Andre Burakovsky, Lars Eller, and Brett Connolly were stellar last season in the playoffs and so far in these playoffs have not done a whole lot to help the Capitals this series. Inserting Smith-Pelly back into the lineup on the fourth line with Chandler Stephenson and Nic Dowd will bring back some grit and some needed playoff experience.

     

    On the powerplay it’s time to let Wilson loose and put him in Oshie’s spot. Wilson is a magnet for attention and by putting him in Oshie’s spot in the slot area will force the Hurricanes and other teams to change their focus on how they will penalty kill to adjust for Wilson being in that spot instead of Oshie.

     

    Now with all of this said, there is one thing that needs to be done by the Capitals, and that’s not seek retribution by going after Foegele, but seek retribution by going out and winning thes next two games and winning the series. Next season Foegele can atone for his hit on Oshie that took him out of the playoffs due to injury, but the Capitals need to remain focused on the prize at hand, and that is the Stanley Cup and doing what Oshie said they could do last summer at the parade, and that is “Back to Back.”

     

    Make sure to follow TXHT’s extensive Playoffs coverage on our 2019 NHL Playoffs page.

     

    *Feature Graphic courtesy of the Washington Capitals

  • TXHT Opinions – The Case of Not Going to the White House

    TXHT Opinions – The Case of Not Going to the White House

    With great accomplishments comes great acknowledgments.

     

    With the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup victory last season they earned the greatest accomplishment in their franchise’s 44 year history, however, they won the Stanley Cup during a time that everything around us is very politically charged. For those that try to stay out of politics like we do, you can’t help but know what is going on in the world today thanks to social media and the reach it has. Unfortunately here in the United States we have a President who has been very divisive and hateful and has churned up the political angst around us.

     

    During the Stanley Cup Finals the press asked Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly, now with the Hershey Bears, if he would visit the White House to which said he would decline the opportunity to go if given the invitation to attend. After the Stanley Cup was won forward Brett Connolly made it known that he would not attend either as he stood behind Smith-Pelly and respected the decision to not attend the White House if/when invited.

     

    Then late last week it was announced that the Capitals would attend a private ceremony at the White House hosted by President Donald Trump on Monday, March 25th. Many have questioned why so late into the season for this with the Capitals getting ready to start the playoffs in two weeks. Some conspiracy theories have stated because of Smith-Pelly being on the team and because of what has happened with the NFL, NBA, and WNBA these past two years in dealing with this current Presidency that he was the source of the issue, and that the timing of Smith-Pelly’s demotion to Hershey paved the way for this to happen.

     

    However, something that no one expected was on Friday Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby, who is the team’s LGBT-Inclusion Ambassador, announced that he would not be attending the White House ceremony citing that he needs to stick to his moral values, which is something we can all respect.

     

    Now with the knowledge that both Connolly, who doubled down and stated that he will not attend, and Holtby that they will not be attending the White House with the team many on social media have gone on the attack with tweets and Facebook posts lambasting the two. Critizing them for not being American, both Connolly and Holtby are Canadian, or for not wanting to use the opportunity to discuss their differences with the President, which is not the time nor the place to do it when in a push for the playoffs.

     

    Should these issues be discussed and done in an open forum so we can bridge a gap and make progress to a better society? 100% yes we should, but we must always remember that there is a time and a place to do so. Also we must always remember that we live in a country that we have the right to choose what is best for us, no matter whether you agree or disagree with the decision or opinion of the other person.

     

    Both Brett Connolly and Braden Holtby decided that they would not attend the White House ceremony for the Capitals 2018 Stanley Cup victory, and we here at The Xperience: Hockey Talk support both Connolly and Holtby for decision, just as we support the rest of the team for their decision to attend the White House ceremony despite our personal opinions on the matter.

     

    **We will be keeping the comments open for this article, however, if we feel things are getting too toxic we will shut comments down on this specific article.

  • Trade Deadline Prospecting: A Possible Deal Between the Capitals and Kings?

    Trade Deadline Prospecting: A Possible Deal Between the Capitals and Kings?

    Oh NHL Trade Deadline how you keep us on our toes. For those who didn’t know, earlier this afternoon the Washington Capitals placed forward Devante Smith-Pelly on waivers, albeit with some confusion because the original plan was for forward Dmitrij Jaskin to be placed on waivers, but obviously it became Smith-Pelly instead to be placed on waivers.

     

    Now with that said, we did speculate in our last post that this is most likely the beginnings of some other moves based off of the comments that Head Coach Todd Reirden made at the Capitals practice.

     

    Knowing what we know now, some more news, more like speculation, has come out about a potential trade in the works between the Capitals and the Los Angeles Kings thanks to a series of tweets from TSN Insider Bob McKenzie.

     

    In McKenzie’s tweets he mentions three names and they are all veteran depth forwards Carl Hagelin, Trevor Lewis, and Kyle Clifford. Of the three Hagelin is the only one that will be a pure rental (Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of this season), whereas both Clifford and Lewis both have one year left on their current deals. In regards to Cap hits, Hagelin has a $3.5mil Cap hit for the remainder of this season, while Lewis is at $2mil a season, and Clifford is at $1.6mil per season. So looking at the Cap hits alone, space needs to be made because the Capitals are really tight on the Cap.

    Capitals Cap 2-20-2019
    Per CapFriendly

     

    As we can see in the graphic above the Capitals are really tight on the Cap and need to shed some salary in order to make a trade possible. Hence putting Smith-Pelly on waivers, and also the possibility that Jaskin will be a part of whatever trade may take place.

     

    Now let’s get back to the three players Bob McKenzie named and take a closer look at them. Key things that the Capitals will most likely be looking at is who will be the best fit, and can help the Capitals as they try to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

     

    Kings Blues Hockey
    The Kings’ Carl Hagelin (62) looks to pass during a game against the St. Louis Blues Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Carl Hagelin:

    Hagelin, who is in his 8th NHL season and first with the Los Angeles Kings, was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Stanley Cup teams in 2016 and 2017, and was traded to the Kings by the Penguins earlier this season. This season Hagelin has struggled to produce. In 16 games with the Penguins he scored one goal and two assists for three points, then after being traded to the Kings he would have a rough start and get injured, but in 22 games with the Kings he has scored one goal and four assists for five points. So Hagelin has been struggling this season. One thing I will say about Hagelin is that he is a much better player in the Eastern Conference. His style of play is much better suited for it. We saw him be successful with the New York Rangers, then struggle with the Anaheim Ducks only to be traded to the Penguins and then find success with them. I think that’s what Hagelin needs, and that is to come back to the East, and the Capitals could be a good fit for him.

     

    Trevor-Lewis-22.jpg
    Trevor Lewis (www.calisportsnews.com)

    Trevor Lewis:

    Lewis, who is in his 11th NHL season with the Kings, has only played in 21 games this season scoring two goals and three assists for five points. He was on both of the Kings’ Stanley Cup teams in 2012 and 2014. However, Lewis has not been utilized much this season, and a change of scenery could be very beneficial for him. Lewis does have a Cap hit of $2mil and has one year remaining on his deal. Honest opinion, I wouldn’t trade for Trevor Lewis.

     

    Kyle Clifford - Kings
    Kyle Clifford (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)

    Kyle Clifford:

    Clifford, who is in his ninth NHL season with the Los Angeles Kings, has played in 49 games where he has 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points this season. Clifford is also a member of both Stanley Cup teams in 2012 and 2014 so he knows how to win in the playoffs. He is primarily a bottom six forward who you can move around to mix things up. Carrying a Cap hit of $1.6mil, Clifford is  a more economical choice with Smith-Pelly clearing or being claimed via waivers, but he does have one year left on his contract.

     

    Now of course this is all speculation and we won’t know truly what will happen until maybe as early as tomorrow afternoon once 12p hits and we learn Devante Smith-Pelly’s fate. Personally if the Capitals make a trade with the Kings does happen I would like to see Carl Hagelin come to the Capitals. He is someone that can play in our Top 9 when needed to, and he has had recent playoff success winning back to back Cups with Pittsburgh, but that’s me though.

     

    What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

  • Capitals Waive Smith-Pelly

    Capitals Waive Smith-Pelly

    The Washington Capitals placed forward Devante Smith Pelly on waivers this afternoon in what was a confusing time for the Capitals. Earlier reports stated that it would be forward Dmitrij Jaskin would be put on waivers as he was not going to practice with the team this morning. However midway through practice Smith-Pelly would leave the ice and then placed on waivers instead as first reported by Elliotte Friedman.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1098268240197967873

     

    When asked for the reasoning for the change, Head Coach Todd Reirden stated that it was an “organizational decision” to make the switch, and that other things behind the scenes are in play.

    https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1098278991855841280

     

    This begs the question with the NHL Trade Deadline this upcoming Monday what moves General Manager Brian MacLellan could be making. Was an offer given to MacLellan for Jaskin, or could this be a move to free up some Salary Cap space to make another move. Only time will tell as teams have until noon tomorrow to put in a claim on Smith-Pelly before he clears waivers and be eligible to be sent down to Hershey in the AHL.

     

    *Feature photo courtesy of the Washington Capitals Twitter.

  • CSA Shows brings Cup Champions on October 12th for Autograph Signings

    WAS Champions

     

    Yesterday on the CSA Shows Facebook page they announced that on Friday October 12th, 2018 in Chantilly, VA that they will be having four members of the 2018 Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals.

     

    The Capitals that will be signing autographs at CSA will be Tom Wilson, Devante Smith-Pelly, the Cup Clinching Goal Scorer Lars Eller, and captain and Conn Smythe Winner Alex Ovechkin.

     

    For more information on the Capitals appearance at CSA Shows on October 12th, please read their Facebook post below or visit their website today.

     

    https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FCSASSHOWS%2Fposts%2F2036713989718162&width=500

     

    Also don’t forget to visit our friend Donald of Just Hockey Cards at the CSA Show in Chantilly, VA for amazing deals on Capitals cards and more.

     

    You can watch TXHT Live every Wednesday at 8p EST on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

     

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