SAN JOSE, CA – MAY 28: Doug Wilson addresses the media after naming Peter DeBoer the new head coach of the San Jose Sharks at SAP center on May 28, 2015 in San Jose, California.(Photo by Rocky W. Widner/Getty Images)
NHLBy Dave Lozo on

The Washington Capitals won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2015-16 by amassing 120 points during the regular season. Despite this impressive achievement, the Capitals again failed to reach the conference finals with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the roster when they lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

What should Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan do to remedy his team’s shortcomings this summer? It’s fair to say the Capitals are a very good team, but they lost to a better one in the second round. When that happens, a certain level of change can be expected.

But where should MacLellan go for guidance? Who can be his inspiration?

How about the San Jose Sharks and general manager Doug Wilson?

The Sharks squandered a 3-0 first-round series lead to the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, losing four straight in a historic collapse. But two years later, the Sharks are one win from the conference finals, thanks to Wilson’s moves in the wake of a demoralizing defeat to an archrival.

The Wilson playbook could give hope to the Caps and their fans during what should be a long, difficult summer. Read closely, Mr. MacLellan.

  1. Panic — Your franchise has fallen woefully for short for years. Your fan base is angry. You should feel all the pressure in the world because your team lost a very close series against a slightly better team. Everyone is looking to you to fix this. Now is the time to consider going against everything you’ve ever done and a knee-jerk reaction to a six-game loss is the only thing you can do that makes sense.
  1. Scapegoat your best players — Admittedly, Ovechkin and Backstrom aren’t as old as Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, but if you’re going to shame people, go big or go home. Ovechkin and Backstrom don’t have complete no-trade clauses but try to send them places they don’t want to go. When that doesn’t work, take the ‘C’ from Ovechkin and give it to Marcus Johansson. Before you know it, free agency will have come and gone and you will have missed out on any helpful players for next season.
  1. Let an old, not good defenseman leave — Dan Boyle was a free agent so it was easier than what you’ve got in Washington. If you’re looking for any sort of insight on how to get out of the final three years of Brooks Orpik’s contract without buying it out, I suggest talking with Dean Lombardi and Mike Richards.
  2.  Sign the two worst players you can — Mike Brown and John Scott were no-brainers in San Jose and are available this offseason if you want them. A 35-year-old Scott Hannan was also brought into the fold, so maybe re-sign Orpik after you release him? That’s a tough call. But any time you can add face-punchers to a 100-point team a few steps short of greatness, you have to do it.
  3. Kiss the 2016-17 season goodbye — You won’t believe this but if you sabotage your roster, it will get worse and you will miss the playoffs. This will probably drive your quality head coach insane and he will beg you to fire him. Now you’ve got everyone right where you want them.
  4. Hire Peter DeBoer — There’s a good chance after three years in San Jose, he will want a new job again. Year One Peter DeBoer is a force of nature. You might say it was a stroke of luck he was available when Todd McLellan left the building but … umm … moving along…
  5. Fortify your roster for 2017-18 — Add a solid veteran forward like Joel Ward and a steady defenseman like Paul Martin. Do all the things you should have done with your team 365 days earlier when you barely lost to a great team that went on to win the Stanley Cup that season.
  6. Sit back and enjoy your great plan — The conference finals are now within your grasp! You may think, “But won’t people remember how I submarined a Cup contender for a year and it would have been longer if one or both of my stars accepted a trade?” You’d think so, but then again:

Your local media will forget about all that.

https://twitter.com/dnzmum/status/728528205087313921

Maybe even some national media too.

This job is about 70 percent luck anyway, so you may as well go with a system that works and has a proven track record.

About Dave Lozo

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