will mcphee get fired?

[Godric]

Will he?

[bhaw]

If the team plays bad enough that attendance also suffers, yes.

[Pitts]

Well, something needs to change, and he is the only thing that hasn't recently.

[Rylan]

Unfortunately, I don't think he is the problem per se. When your 2 star players are pedestrian at best, mixed in with the rapid decline of Mike Green, and goaltending that can labeled shaky at best all adds up to a formula where your team will fail. But, I do think think he will be fired here in the next year or so if things don't turn around.

[DocEmrick]

I agree with Rylan, if not this summer, then definitely next season if things continue to go south.

[Idoit40fans]

Unfortunately, I don't think he is the problem per se. When your 2 star players are pedestrian at best, mixed in with the rapid decline of Mike Green, and goaltending that can labeled shaky at best all adds up to a formula where your team will fail. But, I do think think he will be fired here in the next year or so if things don't turn around.

If those problems aren't caused by him, who caused them?

[littlemoonboot]

Gee, I hope not. That would mean them really changing...

The team has a problematic franchise culture that stems from ownership on down as well. Having "arrived" when you really haven't, telling your star to just be free and himself thus letting the inmates run the asylum, and the Penguin complex -- "Pittsburgh has their Cup..." just waiting in line with this sense of entitlement like one is naturally meant to fall into your lap, too.

[Rylan]

I don't think he decided for Ovie, Backstrom, and Mike Green to have rapid and severe declines in play.

Based on the play of Holtby and Neuvirth I would also be encouraged and feel that goaltending was going to be fine heading into this season.

Looking over their roster and I don't find too many places on paper that show major weakness. This should be a well rounded team capable of scoring significantly more than they do. They could probably go for another defenseman or winger, but many teams can say that.

[Idoit40fans]

The GM signs the players, they and they alone are responsible for those contracts. Boudreau didn't sign Ovechkin and his leach to decade long deals.

[Rylan]

what?

[Idoit40fans]

The GM is responsible for the players' play declining. He's also responsible for trading away the team's best goalie without having a viable replacement. If personnel is the issue, its on the GM.

[mikey287]

I don't think he decided for Ovie, Backstrom, and Mike Green to have rapid and severe declines in play.

Based on the play of Holtby and Neuvirth I would also be encouraged and feel that goaltending was going to be fine heading into this season.

Looking over their roster and I don't find too many places on paper that show major weakness. This should be a well rounded team capable of scoring significantly more than they do. They could probably go for another defenseman or winger, but many teams can say that.

Out of this thread, this is the post that's closest to saving me from typing all that much. It's pretty much on the money.

[canaan]

There is a perfect storm of underwhelming in Washington. Semin regressed to the point of not being re-signed. Backstrom regressed. Ovechkin regressed. Green regressed. The young D (Carlson, Alzner, etc) haven't been consistent. Fleischmann wasn't replaced. Varlamov wasn't replaced. Perrault/Johanssen are inconsistent. Chimera hasn't contributed. Joel Ward has been the only player that has been a bright spot.

[PensFanInDC]

Joel Ward has been the only player that has been a bright spot.

Ribero would like a word

But yeah, the team just isn't playing to their peak ability.

[canaan]

yeah, i forgot him. oops.

[Pitt87]

Unfortunately, I don't think he is the problem per se. When your 2 star players are pedestrian at best, mixed in with the rapid decline of Mike Green, and goaltending that can labeled shaky at best all adds up to a formula where your team will fail. But, I do think think he will be fired here in the next year or so if things don't turn around.

If those problems aren't caused by him, who caused them?

This... his cap space is overweight on 8 and 19, and has little room to make any adjustment that could be meaningful. He's reliant on the system producing NHL talent, and that takes time. They seem to have squandered their best opportunity and are in the middle of a complete rebuild. To rebuild, sometimes you need to move key guys to shake things up.

What hurts is that all his major pieces have NMC, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Green or Backstrom moved over the summer.

[brwi]

Going from BB to Dale Hunter and now Oates rather quickly sure doesn't help either.

I don't know what is up with Backstrom because he's got a lot of talent but can't seem to do a helluva lot any more. Green starts to try and be more defensively responsible and then can't do anything offensively. AO isn't the same guy from the past. Their young goaltenders that looked very promising are showing some real flaws.

Doubt McPhee gets fired but there are some real problems in DC.

[Idoit40fans]

Going from BB to Dale Hunter and now Oates rather quickly sure doesn't help either.

I don't know what is up with Backstrom because he's got a lot of talent but can't seem to do a helluva lot any more. Green starts to try and be more defensively responsible and then can't do anything offensively. AO isn't the same guy from the past. Their young goaltenders that looked very promising are showing some real flaws.

Doubt McPhee gets fired but there are some real problems in DC.

The coach shuffle is another McPhee problem, not sure why I forgot that. Should have hired someone who actually wanted to coach in the NHL.

[shmenguin]

the contract they gave ovechkin never made any sense. if you commit to that many years, you typically get a discount in price. they got the worst of both worlds.

[PensFanInDC]

OV isn't on a line with Backstrom anymore either. That's an Oates mistake though.

[shafnutz05]

Every time I visit Capgeek and see Ovechkin signed until I am 38 years old and Backstrom to a similar length I lulz wholeheartedly

[Pitts]

Every time I visit Capgeek and see Ovechkin signed until I am 38 years old and Backstrom to a similar length I lulz wholeheartedly

Ovechkin wasn't even draft eligible when I was 38.

[MarioLives]

When backstrom signed that deal most people on here thought it was a great home town discount for the Caps. Not sure what happened to him

[Durbano]

When backstrom signed that deal most people on here thought it was a great home town discount for the Caps. Not sure what happened to him

He got a concussion and hasn't been the same player since then.

[shmenguin]

When backstrom signed that deal most people on here thought it was a great home town discount for the Caps. Not sure what happened to him

He got a concussion and hasn't been the same player since then.

Also, there's that thing about the caps playing a recklessly offensive game, and how their players stopped producing once they abandoned that strategy.