[Signing] Caps sign Chiasson to PTO

[sureLoss]

CapitalsPR
@CapitalsPR
NEWS: Alex Chiasson will join the Capitals this week for training camp on a professional tryout agreement.

[Par]

Good for him.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Iggy_12

I was also told that Chaisson has signed in Washington, so lets see if that comes true in the coming days and i will feel very confident about this information as well HAHA!

[bigrangy]

Chiasson is too good of a player to have to sign a PTO

Good add by Washington here

[Gaskal]

Lol, I guess that means Iggy turned us down after all.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by bigrangy

Chiasson is too good of a player to have to sign a PTO

Good add by Washington here

Chiasson is the furthest thing from "too good for a PTO."

He's a 4th liner who can contribute when he's playing his best. He was great when he was moved to that role for us, but it's not the type of player that is above having to tryout for a spot in camp.

[Strange Brew]

Chiasson is not that good. He pretty much exemplifies replacement level IMO.

[Huntingwhale]

I didn't think he was terrible here. But him playing in the top 6 was a travesty and did him no favors with the fan base. That's on the coach. Otherwise best of luck to him.

[GranteedEV]

Good for Chiasson. He far from played himself out of the league last year, in fact he probably earned himself a raise. We just didn't have a roster spot we could reserve for him. The idea of replacing him with Jankowski, Mangiapane, Poirier, Foo, or Klimchuk excites me.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Good for Chiasson. He far from played himself out of the league last year, in fact he probably earned himself a raise. We just didn't have a roster spot we could reserve for him. The idea of replacing him with Jankowski, Mangiapane, Poirier, Foo, or Klimchuk excites me.

Maybe, but it seems the Caps may not quite feel this way since they only signed him to a PTO and not a full NHL contract right now.

Just goes to show how tough it now is to now prolong your NHL career these days unless you're actually genuinely really good. Cody Franson can also speak to this, since he's only on a PTO with the Blackhawks.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

I didn't think he was terrible here. But him playing in the top 6 was a travesty and did him no favors with the fan base. That's on the coach. Otherwise best of luck to him.

Maybe. But also speaks to our forward depth too.

[dustygoon]

So iggy12 was legit. What did he predict again? That Iggy was interested or flames were interested?

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

So iggy12 was legit. What did he predict again? That Iggy was interested or flames were interested?

That we had reached out to Iginla but he turned us down. Think he probably just wants to stay in the Boston area and settle down with his family.

[Karl]

Said it before but I will say it again. I find it rather hilarious that Bouma has a full on NHL contract with the Blackhawks but Franson only got a PTO with that same team, and Chiasson only has a PTO with the Caps.

It's not that Franson & Chiasson are good NHL players (they're not), but they are better than Bouma.

[Enoch Root]

Chiasson has tools. He has good size, decent skating, some hands, and can make plays. He had a terrible year in Ottawa, but there was reason to think there is still a good player there.

So the Flames gave him a chance, which I was all for. In fact they gave him a pretty huge opportunity in the top 6. And he couldn't handle it.

He looked better in the bottom 6 for sure, but IMO, he showed that he has a pretty low hockey IQ. That was blatant when he was on the top line, but it still showed when he was on the 4th line.

Can he play in the NHL? Sure, as a bottom 6 guy. But I don't want him on my team with that IQ. And again, I was all for them bringing him in. But watching him for a year was enough for me.

[djsFlames]

Chase-on, bro.

Chase-on.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Karl

Said it before but I will say it again. I find it rather hilarious that Bouma has a full on NHL contract with the Blackhawks but Franson only got a PTO with that same team, and Chiasson only has a PTO with the Caps.

It's not that Franson & Chiasson are good NHL players (they're not), but they are better than Bouma.

Bouma was overpaid here and I think that tainted people's views of him. Also he's either injured or coming back from injury half the time and its foolish to think those injuries didn't affect his game and his performance. Obviously the way he plays the game means those injuries are likely. But when Bouma is healthy he's a fantastic 4th line grinder. Heck Backlund and Frolik made him look like a 3rd liner one year even. He works hard, keeps the opposition's head on a swivel, sacrifices his body. We don't need him because we have a younger, cheaper version of him with less miles on him in Hathaway. Coaches want their 4th line to be energetic and hard to play against and Bouma helps that.

Chiasson isn't really the same type of player. He lacks the intensity, energy and crazy shot blocking that Bouma brings. He does have more skill obviously. But overall I don't think they fit the same role. Fans may not want to have grinders on the 4th line but I think coaches and GMs feel differently. I understand why Bouma has a contract. He plays a role that fans may not appreciate as much but its a clearly defined role that many NHL teams employ. He's a grinding, energetic, shot blocking player. He's a guy you can play on the PK because he knows how to block shot lanes really well. Low skill? Yeah but teams aren't asking him to be a skilled guy.

What is Chiasson? Not really energetic, physical enough or enough of a shot blocking specialist or defensive specialist to be an ideal 4th liner. Not skilled or smart enough to play on the top 2-3 lines of a deep team. The sum of his parts just adds up to a fringe NHLer because he isn't elite at anything. He leaves you wanting in some areas. If he was just a little faster, smarter, a little more consistent physically he'd be a valuable NHLer.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by s_procee

toodles

Cut it out.