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Best defenseman in the playoffs? Or best playoff defenseman?

Created by: Eli
Team: 2018-19 Washington Capitals
Initial Creation Date: Jun. 6, 2018
Published: Jun. 6, 2018
Salary Cap Mode: Basic
Description
Stat. Rank among playoff defensemen in 2018.
Hits 1st
Blocks 3rd
SCF GWG 1st
Consecutive years making at least the 2nd round: 1st (tied with Niskanen at a half dozen).

I'm talking about 4.5M dollar man, Brooks Orpik, whose first two-point night of the year eliminated Columbus, and whose first goal of this year won the first Finals game in Capitals history. That might sound like a fluke if you didn't know that Orpik's only overtime game seven GWG, six years ago, was also his first goal of a season. He just doesn't get out of position to try to score unless his team really needs a goal.

If the Caps want to keep John Carlson, who led all defensemen in points through both the regular season and the playoffs, they'll have a hard time holding onto Orpik's cap hit, which is 1M more than his salary, at 5.5M. So... whom do the Caps keep? Is there a trade in the works for Carlson or for Orpik? If so, what teams are likely to make strong offers?
DraftRound 1Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Round 6Round 7
2018
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2019
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2020
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ROSTER SIZESALARY CAPCAP HITOVERAGES TooltipBONUSESCAP SPACE
19$80,101,202$53,158,045$82,500$1,600,000$26,943,157
Left WingCentreRight Wing
$9,538,462$9,538,462
LW
M-NTC
UFA - 3
$3,900,000$3,900,000
C
UFA - 7
$5,750,000$5,750,000
RW
M-NTC
UFA - 7
$3,000,000$3,000,000
RW, LW
UFA - 1
$6,700,000$6,700,000
C
M-NTC
UFA - 2
$1,500,000$1,500,000
RW, LW
UFA - 1
$863,333$863,333 (Performance Bonus$600,000$600K)
LW
UFA - 1
$2,415,000$2,415,000
C
UFA - 5
$650,000$650,000
LW
UFA - 1
$925,000$925,000
C, LW
UFA - 1
$833,750$833,750
C, RW
UFA - 1
$650,000$650,000
C, LW
UFA - 1
Left DefenseRight DefenseGoaltender
$1,000,000$1,000,000 (Performance Bonus$500,000$500K)
LD
NTC
UFA - 1
$5,750,000$5,750,000
RD
M-NTC
UFA - 3
$6,100,000$6,100,000
G
M-NTC
UFA - 2
$1,275,000$1,275,000
LD
UFA - 5
$925,000$925,000 (Performance Bonus$500,000$500K)
G
UFA - 3
$650,000$650,000
LD
UFA - 1
$650,000$650,000
G
UFA - 1

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Jun. 6, 2018 at 1:24 p.m.
#1
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CorsiFor%: 46.48%
Scoring Chances%: 47.80%
High Danger Chances%: 40.50%

Horrific horrific stats. O and he does this with 54.55% starts in the offensive zone. So not only is he getting favorable starts, he doing absolutely terrible at it. Only reason he looks good is because he has the 2nd highest PDO on the team with 106.9, he's been incredibly lucky. Holtby has been bailing him out with a .955sv% behind him, again 2nd best on the team. He's such a bad defensemen, but I hope some team is stupid enough to look at shot blocks and hits as something important and trades for him.
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Jun. 6, 2018 at 1:31 p.m.
#2
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Quoting: ClockReads2113
CorsiFor%: 46.48%
Scoring Chances%: 47.80%
High Danger Chances%: 40.50%

Horrific horrific stats. O and he does this with 54.55% starts in the offensive zone. So not only is he getting favorable starts, he doing absolutely terrible at it. Only reason he looks good is because he has the 2nd highest PDO on the team with 106.9, he's been incredibly lucky. Holtby has been bailing him out with a .955sv% behind him, again 2nd best on the team. He's such a bad defensemen, but I hope some team is stupid enough to look at shot blocks and hits as something important and trades for him.


Thanks for weighing in with some deep analysis. I agree with half of it, except for suggesting his pdo and Holtby's spct when Orpik is on the ice are both "luck." When I tried playing defense, you were supposed to limit where opponents could shoot from, and make sure the goalie could see them coming, so that the shots would be easier to stop. They still do that? Because it seems possible that, if Holtby is consistently better at stopping pucks when Orpik is on the ice, then maybe Holty is less likely to be screened when Orpik is on the ice? Is that reasonable?

I hadn't seen his playoff ozsp. That is a bit of a concern. I'm still pretty amazed at how well he's doing.
Jun. 6, 2018 at 2:15 p.m.
#3
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Orpik definitely has made himself look a lot better these playoffs. He’s been extremely physical, but CLEAN. He has made very few errors since the first round against Columbus, where I recall a few blunders in the first couple games. If he was 2m cheaper, there would be 0 issue keeping him. It’s just gonna be tough to keep him and re-sign Carlson. However, at 8M, they can do it and likely re-sign Orpik to a 1 year 1.5m deal after his current contract ends if he keeps this level of physicality and defensive play up. He only has negative value because he’s overpaid.
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Jun. 6, 2018 at 2:31 p.m.
#4
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Quoting: brady_t12
Orpik definitely has made himself look a lot better these playoffs. He’s been extremely physical, but CLEAN. He has made very few errors since the first round against Columbus, where I recall a few blunders in the first couple games. If he was 2m cheaper, there would be 0 issue keeping him. It’s just gonna be tough to keep him and re-sign Carlson. However, at 8M, they can do it and likely re-sign Orpik to a 1 year 1.5m deal after his current contract ends if he keeps this level of physicality and defensive play up. He only has negative value because he’s overpaid.


Yeah. He's been good. He's only getting 4.5M next year, which is about comparable to people who got as many hits as him in the regular season... It's his cap hit, at 5.5M from averaging with other years, that's way out of line. I think his value is negative to any team that is up against the cap, but positive to a team with over 6M in cap space, hoping to make the playoffs, and looking for a #5 defenseman who can mentor a good rookie.

Since this upcoming draft has at least two defensemen who might play in the NHl next year, I could whichever teams draft them giving up something for the guy who mentored Carlson and Schmidt, but they'll know all about Washington's salary cap situation, so I doubt anyone pays more than a 3rd round pick for Orpik.

And I guess we've gone over and over the obstacles to trading Carlson for anyone but Tavares, who's in an equally nebulous situation. I think I'd throw in one of Burakovsky or Grubauer to make that swap, if both star players are fine with it, or both and a 3rd, if Pulock comes back.
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Jun. 6, 2018 at 2:37 p.m.
#5
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Quoting: Eli
Yeah. He's been good. He's only getting 4.5M next year, which is about comparable to people who got as many hits as him in the regular season... It's his cap hit, at 5.5M from averaging with other years, that's way out of line. I think his value is negative to any team that is up against the cap, but positive to a team with over 6M in cap space, hoping to make the playoffs, and looking for a #5 defenseman who can mentor a good rookie.

Since this upcoming draft has at least two defensemen who might play in the NHl next year, I could whichever teams draft them giving up something for the guy who mentored Carlson and Schmidt, but they'll know all about Washington's salary cap situation, so I doubt anyone pays more than a 3rd round pick for Orpik.

And I guess we've gone over and over the obstacles to trading Carlson for anyone but Tavares, who's in an equally nebulous situation. I think I'd throw in one of Burakovsky or Grubauer to make that swap, if both star players are fine with it, or both and a 3rd, if Pulock comes back.


Interesting trade proposal. I’d do Carlson and Grubauer for Tavares and Pulock, 2 for 2. Star defenseman and upcoming potential starting goalie for a middle pair defenseman and a star center. But you’d have to look at trading Bäckström in that situation or moving Kuz to wing while possibly trading Burakovsky and Orpik elsewhere for cap space
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Jun. 6, 2018 at 2:43 p.m.
#6
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Okay, some of them are cheaper, especially the RFAs, and Schenn but in the same ballpark of 200+ hits, you've got Ristolainen making 5M, Komarov at 3M, Larsson (Edm) at 4M, Borowiecki finishing up a bridge deal signed as an RFA, MDZ around 3M, and Lucic at 6M? Add in Orpik's having helped two teams reach the finals andby 37 and the only trade comparable I can see is Chelios, who got three little pieces back from Detroit, and then went on to play until he was 47.
Jun. 6, 2018 at 2:49 p.m.
#7
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Who adds what?
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Quoting: brady_t12
Interesting trade proposal. I’d do Carlson and Grubauer for Tavares and Pulock, 2 for 2. Star defenseman and upcoming potential starting goalie for a middle pair defenseman and a star center. But you’d have to look at trading Bäckström in that situation or moving Kuz to wing while possibly trading Burakovsky and Orpik elsewhere for cap space


I wonder if the Islanders would take a chance on Orpik as a part of that. They certainly need to reduce Leddy's minutes at left defense, and Orpik's not a big minute eater, but for the first half of this past year he played only 40% offensive zone starts and was - a little, but not half as bad as Leddy's -40. Orpik on third pair could get Leddy's workload a tiny bit more manageable?

Pulock may be just a 2nd pair defenseman, turning 24 in the fall, but NYI fans treat him like he's the 2nd coming. I've suggested Carlson for Tavares or Grubauer for Pulock separately on Isles builds and been roundly told off. Maybe Carlson replaces the need for Pulock, intellectually, but to Isles fans who saw the kid as the only bright spot of an awful season (because they apparently haven't heard of Matt Barzal, their new #1 center), each of those deals needs more. As badly as they need defense, though, maybe Orpik counts as more?
 
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