You've given up contract security at defense and goal to gain cap space. This could save money next year, or Bernier and Barberio could combine for as much of a cap hit as Grubauer and Orpik, say, 4+3=2+7, or the Caps could just be left high and dry at both spots, in which case they're okay to try out Johansen at left D, but kind of in a spot at goalie, because Samsonov should ideally be starting sixty games in Hershey next year and building confidence and endurance, rather than starting ten games in the NHL and becoming a bust, or, knock on wood, if Holtby is out for a long stretch, playing fifty games int he NHL and getting shell shocked by the workload after not yet playing 30 pro games in a season, let alone all in a new language/country (http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=180628).

Trading Grubauer is a bad move for Samsonov, and it's a bad move for the Caps in this Spring's playoffs, unless you overpay to get another team's 1b level goalie, like Bernier, and then overpay to keep him around next year, or someone like him. There isn't an internal candidate whose numbers in Hershey are as good as Grubauer's numbers in washington.

the reason for the low stars, though, is that this team still needs an upgrade at left defense, just as badly as it does before this trade. I like the addition of Yakupov, though.

orpik sucks.............Barberio is a major upgrade to him....you are the only person that thinks hes good....literally the only person
.
grub is getting traded regaudless this offseason if not he'll make 3.25 million or close to that

and security orpik isnt security and can be replaced for fractions of that price and a nhl back can be had for 1.5million

I remember being the last person in MCI Center cheering for Sergei Gonchar, too. Look how well getting rid of him turned out. Cup in Pittsburgh.

I was one of the last who thought Jeff Schultz was good. Look how that turned out. Cup in LA.

I was one of the last who thought George McPhee was good. Look how that's turning out.

Caps fan groupthink is simply not more valuable than objective statistical data when it comes to evaluating defensemen.

all the players you named had very little to do with why the team won

pens....malkin was a monster

la quick was crazy

mcphee forsberg trade maybe cost the caps the last 2 stanley cup......having him would of put them over the edge

Yeah. With 20/20 hindsight, that trade was awful. But at the time, nobody knew. Here's the top prospect he traded for Fedorov, in what looked like just as risky a move at the time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Godfrey

Never heard from again.

Brouwer came out okay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_DYJr6HS90

The Hawks picked Phillip Danault, who spent forever in the minors, and finally broke ten goals this year in Montreal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Danault How did McPhee know that pick would bust, while Brouwer would break out as a top line winger with Ovechkin and Backstrom, and then eventually be good enough that MacLellan could trade him for TJ Oshie? Is he magical?

So he got one wrong. That's the game. The Washington football team makes terrible deals every year,fires their GM every couple years, and never gets better. At a certain point, in any business, consistency has some advantages.

Poile got a couple wrong, too, but has shown that he still knows a lot more about evaluating defensemen than the Montreal Canadiens.

If the best you can say about all the guys Caps fans have groupthunk onto winning Cups with other teams is that they weren't major players then (a) you'rereaching and (b) in Gonchar's case, you're wrong. He played like thirty minutes a night for them in the playoffs.

if you wanna live in the past and not accept that caps let go a few players that played minor roles on cup winning teams that's fine.....but comparing orrpik to gonch in this case seems silly

mcphee made the worst trade in nhl history...............history

Gretzky? Langway? Joe Thornton? P.K. Subban? Not hardly.

The year before that trade, Erat scored 58 points was +12, and got a couple votes each for the Lady Byng and the Selke Trophy. https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/e/eratma01.html

The year of the trade, Filip Forsberg was on his way to scoring 33 points in Sweden, and Caps fans were calling for McPhee's job over his lack of playoff success and overreliance on "soft" European players.

gretz was a cap dump....or money issue and yeah trading a top 20 players for a guy not in the nhl 2 years after that trade is awful

good stuff. they accept. these teams seem to be on pace to be very compatible trade partners. Colorado can probably even retain on Bernier if needed.

So, Jagr for Jared Aulin (yes, plus picks, with a delayed flip in the middle)? I kinda liked that one, actually. Sure, it was annoying when Jagr returned to form in New York, but without that trade, the Caps wouldn't have been in the lottery for Ovehkin or Crosby, I think it worked out pretty well.

Technically Robert Lang for Tomas Fleischmann and a 2nd counts, too, since Lang was leading the NHL in scoring at the time, and Flash took about four more years and an epic calder cup run to get promoted to Washington. But now I'm just being a literalist.,

On the bright side, McPhee also traded FOR Jagr, which by your definition was a horrible trade for Pittsburgh, even though it was also just a salary dump.

But you're right: the Caps should have been scouting their prospects better. If they let Forsberg get away for an average veteran at the trade deadline, who knows who else slipped through the cracks after they drafted them.

No thanks from an Avs fan. Barberio is better than Orpik now, regardless of how good he was in the past. He isn't Ray Bourque, and the Avs aren't at the point to make that kind of trade to push them over the top, even if Orpik was that good.

Grubauer is the Capitals' career leader in save percentage and goals against average. https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/grubaph01.html

Bernier was supposed to be pretty good when he was drafted, three teams ago. Really got it going this year,might cost 4M next year. Nothing wrong with either of them, but other than Kuznetsov,don't RFAs usually sign at lower prices?

Mc David eichel Matthews orlov tarasenko ekblad no Rfa that r good don’t sign low. Esp if the 3rd rfa contract

Yeah you do the trade to get grub aka the goalie of the future for the avs plus u get 2 picks and a great d prospect

Also baberio isn’t Barrie relax that’s a great deal esp when u get a Martin jones like talent in net grub is prob better imo

Technically Robert Lang for Tomas Fleischmann and a 2nd counts, too, since Lang was leading the NHL in scoring at the time, and Flash took about four more years and an epic calder cup run to get promoted to Washington. But now I'm just being a literalist.,

That pick....Mike Green

Barberio is about equal to Orpik at playing defense. Orpik has a Cup ring and can teach rookies a lot. He's also still an effective enforcer.

The trade is mostly about Washington fitting more pieces under the salary cap as it attempts to load up for the playoffs, and giving up picks, prospects, and two RFA NHLers for one RFA and two UFAs.

Zadorov would be just as good as Barberio, actually,for the Caps,but since he's signed long term and Barberio isn't, Barberio looks like a more likely rental.

Good analogy on Martin Jones, who had better stats than Quick, but whose trade value was depressed by how few games played he had, in line behind Quick. Grubauer is in the same position, with career spct and GAA that are better than Holtby or Kolzig.

That's why this Caps fan doesn't trade him for even this reallly good trio of NHLers. What if Holtby gets hurt in the playoffs. Why not keep Grubauer and still win?

Grubauer isn't the goalie of the future. Better trades could be made. Pass for me.

Quote 'orpik sucks.............Barberio is a major upgrade to him' unquote. You said it!

Even with a cup ring I still wouldn't want Orpik. The Avs are trying to get younger and rebuild in spite of their current position in the standings. They aren't ready to challenge yet and I wouldn't want to waste salary on Orpik even if there is cap space. Much rather give Barberio 1 mil per as an insurance Dman.

Most of the trade is bits and pieces. The trades help Washington but not the Avs. Bernier is the top goalie this year for wins. The Avs will keep him thanks.

You won't get Zadorov in that trade. He's just starting to show he's going to be capable of being minimum top 4 D. Possibly top 2. He's only signed for one more season not long term but is RFA at the end of it and will get a big money deal then.

You can keep Grubauer et al and fail in the second round as is their wont of late!

Grubauer isn't the Caps' weakness. He's their all time leader in GAA an SPCT.

They really could use Barberio or Zadorov: a cheap left handed defenseman who helps their left side add up to sixty minutes of endurance.

Rookie Christian Djoos is sixth in scoring among rookie D, but the team is .500 in games when he plays 15+ minutes. He plays 3/5 of his shifts in the offensive zone,so his plus minus and corsi look good, but the flip side is that Orpik hasto play 3/5 of his shifts in the defensive zone, so his stats look bad. The Caps are undefeated in games when Orpik plays 23 minutes or more, so I don't think they're trading him.

Behind them on the depth chart they have Johansen and Siegenthaler, solid prospects who could each be traded for a left defenseman who can play right now, to a team looking to get younger and add some talent.

I think Siegenthaler is worth Barberio, but the Caps probably throw in a late pick to get it done.

As I said, they work for the Caps, not the Avs.