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Washington Capitals Will Explore Trading Philipp Grubauer

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The Washington Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history on the back of star goaltender Braden Holtby, but it was actually Philipp Grubauer who started the playoff run for the team after an outstanding regular season. Grubauer has now posted three consecutive excellent seasons as Holtby’s backup, and heads into this offseason as a restricted free agent. To that end, GM Brian MacLellan admitted to reporters today including Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, that the team will explore trade options to try and give Grubauer his shot at being a starting goaltender elsewhere.

That’s big news for teams who are looking to upgrade their goaltending situation this summer. The Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers all could use an immediate upgrade in net, while the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and many others could decide that Grubauer could be the answer on a more long-term basis than their current options. MacLellan will have no shortage of calls on his backup goaltender, but faces a tough negotiation with whoever is on the other end of the line.

Though his comments seem as though MacLellan is doing it out of the goodness of his heart, the Capitals are in a tough cap situation and may not have the resources required to re-sign Grubauer themselves. The restricted free agent will obviously be looking for a healthy raise on his one-year $1.5MM deal signed last summer, and with John Carlson and other to sign this summer the Capitals may not have the salary. Don’t think other teams are ignorant of that fact, or of the recent example of Scott Darling who went from star backup to failed starter in the matter of a few months. Darling had posted almost identical numbers as Grubauer through his three years as the main backup to Corey Crawford, only to struggle immensely after being traded and signing a four-year $16MM contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Any team acquiring Grubauer has to take into account the fact that he has only started 79 games in his career, and never more than 28 in a single season. The workload of a starter is a much different assignment, and though he clearly has solid talent and is still just 26, there’s no guarantee that he’ll find success in his next stop. Darling cost the Hurricanes just a third-round pick because he was a pending unrestricted free agent, but Cam Talbot cost the Edmonton Oilers a second and third when he was acquired in 2015 with a single year left on his deal. Grubauer would become an unrestricted free agent after just one more year under contract, meaning he may be in a more similar situation to Talbot this summer.

Still, this presents an opportunity for a team to take a big swing at what could be a huge upgrade in goal. If everything works out for Grubauer and he turns into a perennial .920+ goaltender, a second and third round pick is a small price to pay. If he signs a long-term contract and struggles the way Darling—or even Talbot this season—has, we could be talking about him as another cautionary tale in a year’s time.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Washington Capitals Win 2018 Stanley Cup Championship

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For the first time in 44 years, the Washington Capitals are Stanley Cup champions. The 1974 expansion team won the first title in franchise history with a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five. The long-suffering fan base that has seen more President’s Trophies than Conference Championships in the team’s history can finally breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate their team getting over the hump. The Stanley Cup belongs to the Capitals in 2018.

Leading the charge for Washington in the postseason and in the deciding game was of course Alex Ovechkin. The franchise leader in scoring fittingly led the team in playoff goal scoring and set the franchise record for goals in a playoff by notching his 15th en route to a win the first title in franchise history. Evgeny Kuznetsov led the team with 32 points in the postseason, adding an assist in Game Five and leading all forwards in ice time. Lars Eller potted the game-winning goal mid-way through the third period to cap off an excellent postseason in which he took his game to the next level and was a clutch presence for the Capitals. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the play of goaltender Braden Holtby, who won back the starter’s job early in the postseason after a tough regular season and went on to make brilliant save after brilliant save these past month, especially in the Final. Not to be forgotten are key contributors like long-time Capitals Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and Jay Beagle, T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen, and Brooks Orpik among others. Head coach Barry Trotz should also be commended for his excellent work and on a career that, like his superstar forward, has always lacked one thing: a title. Not anymore, as Trotz and the Caps are champs.

However, this win is also about the players that came before this team who have long waited for a title to come to Washington. Peter Bondra, Mike Gartner, Dale Hunter, Olaf Kolzig and others can all enjoy what this team has accomplished and what the last four decades have led to.

The achievements of George McPhee, Gerard Gallant, and Vegas Golden Knights, an expansion team in their inaugural season, cannot possibly be overstated. Yet, this franchise has a bright future and is unlikely to have a long wait for their own title. Washington fans had waited long enough. After 44 years, the Washington Capitals are champs and D.C. is a title town once again after 26 years.

 

Metro Notes: Grubauer, Trotz, Alzner, Hurricanes

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Although he eventually gave the starter’s job back to Braden Holtby this postseason, Washington Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer has more than proven himself to be a top option in 2017-18. The 26-year-old won over the leading role in net late in the regular season for the Caps and finished with a .923 save percentage and 2.35 GAA; both marks were substantially better than Holtby’s for the year albeit in 35 appearances versus 54 for Holtby. Entering restricted free agency this summer, Grubauer has shown the potential to be a starter in the NHL and will use that to cash in on his next contract. As such, that contract likely won’t be with Washington. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that there is already considerable trade interest across the league in Grubauer, as the cap-strapped Capitals cannot afford an expensive backup goalie, especially since they hope to re-sign one of the top names on the free agent market in defenseman John Carlson. According to LeBrun, the leading suitors thus far, for obvious reasons, have been the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes. Both teams have underwhelming veteran starters heading to free agency – Jaroslav Halak and Cam Ward – with the disappointing backups that lost their jobs now slated to return to starting in Thomas Greiss and Scott Darling respectively. Grubauer would likely be an upgrade to either and at the very least would create some competition in net. LeBrun doubts that those two teams will be the only major contenders for Grubauer this off-season, citing that interest may increase once Washington wraps up the Stanley Cup final. It is also fair to be skeptical of the Capitals trading him within the division if they truly believe in his ability. Don’t rule out a Martin Jones scenario wherein the San Jose Sharks acquired Jones from the Los Angeles Kings through the Boston Bruins a few years back, much to the chagrin of the division rival Kings. One way or another, it seems likely that Grubauer’s time in Washington is over. At least it appears he could end his stay with a title.

  • A more surprising name who could also end his stay in D.C. with a Stanley Cup is head coach Barry Trotz. Trotz still does not have a contract for next season and LeBrun reports that the team has not had any talks with their bench boss during the postseason so as to remain focused. As a result, Trotz is able to consider his options once the season comes to an end. Assuming the Capitals extend an offer to their coach, who has always been a title away from being considered one of the best in the game, Trotz could simply choose to stay and defend his championship with a team that won’t change much this off-season. However, he could opt for more money or a new challenge with another franchise. Again, LeBrun adds that the Islanders are rumored to be in the running. After firing Doug Weight on Tuesday, the Isles are the only team in the league that currently has a vacancy at head coach and Lou Lamoriello could be intrigued by adding a proven winner to lead the team he is trying to turn around. If the offer was overwhelming, the Capitals may be content to give the job to assistant Todd Reirden, who LeBrun notes has long been considered the heir apparent. Only time will tell what Trotz’ decision is, but LeBrun reports that he and agent Gil Scott will meet to map out their plans as soon as the season ends.
  • One player upset at missing out on the Capitals’ current cap run is former defenseman Karl Alzner. Alzner, who was drafted by Washington with the 5th overall pick in 2007 and played nine seasons with the team, departed in free agency last summer, joining the Montreal Canadiens to the tune of five years and $23MM. While the contract was enticing for the stay-at-home defender, his desire to win was also one of the main reasons he left after repeated playoff collapses by the Caps. This makes the cruel irony of this season that much worse, as Washington seems poised to win its first ever Stanley Cup title while Alzner’s first year in Montreal was nothing short of a disaster by both individual and team performance standards. Unsurprisingly, when Alzner spoke on 960 The Fan in Calgary today he said he was “super jealous”. He goes on to say that he will be excited for his good friends on the team if they lift the Cup later in the series, but it’s hard to believe that Alzner won’t feel discouraged by the championship win as well. Unfortunately, a player who wanted so badly to win missed out by one season and chose to sign with a team that is quite far away from being a legitimate contender.
  • There has been a lot made already about the new administration in Carolina and the changes coming to the Hurricanes, but it seems unlikely that the news will stop anytime soon. LeBrun confirmed that new GM Don Waddell has been taking a lot of calls on his players and that a major move could be imminent. LeBrun says that scoring winger Jeff Skinner is the most likely to move and that a trade could be made in the next week or so. The price on Skinner is currently a first-round pick and prospect, which LeBrun says has soured some teams, but without pressure to make a deal, Waddell can hold on his asking prices and let the suitors budge. The same goes for his efforts to deal a defenseman. The Hurricanes are bursting at the seems with talented defenders, but that doesn’t mean that they have to make a trade. Instead, Waddell seems more likely to wait until he gets blown away by an offer, likely for veteran leader Justin Faulk or promising RFA Noah Hanifin, before he pulls the trigger. LeBrun also speculates that Elias Lindholm, another restricted free agent, could become available later this summer if the two sides can’t work out a long-term extension.

Vegas GM McPhee Has Had A Hand In Building Both Stanley Cup Teams

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While much of the attention to this year’s Stanley Cup will go towards the players, especially Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and Vegas Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury, much of the spotlight should be shining on the Golden Knights’ general manager, George McPhee. The GM, who also worked as the general manager from 1997 to 2014 of the Washington Capitals, has had a hand in more than 75 percent of the players that will be on the ice on Monday.

McPhee is already responsible for putting together the Golden Knights roster from Fleury to William Karlsson to Jon Marchessault, to the often criticized deadline moves of acquiring Tomas Tatar and Ryan Reaves, both who have scored critical goals in the postseason. According to NBC Sports Tarik El-Bashir, not only has he had a hand in every player the Golden Knights have on their roster from Day 1, McPhee also is responsible for 13 of the team’s 25 players on their roster who have played in this year’s playoffs.

As the Capitals general manager, McPhee was responsible for drafting Alex Ovechkin (first overall in 2004), Nicklas Backstrom (fourth overall in 2006), Jay Beagle (signed as a free agent in 2008), John Carlson (24th overall in 2008), Braden Holtby (93rd overall in 2008), Dmitry Orlov (55th overall in 2009), Evgeny Kuznetsov (26th overall in 2010), Philipp Grubauer (112th in 2010), Travis Boyd (177th overall in 2011), Tom Wilson (16th overall in 2012), Chandler Stephenson (77th overall, 2012), Christian Djoos (195th in 2012), and Andre Burakovsky (23rd overall, 2013).

McPhee also has a close relationship with Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. They played junior hockey together, were teammates at Bowling Green and worked together in Washington for 14 years, making this a very strange Stanley Cup Finals.

“It’s kind of a weird experience. We’ve been texting back-and-forth how strange it feels,” said McLellan on facing Vegas GM George McPhee.

Capitals’ Barry Trotz Likely To Cash In On Big Pay Day

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Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz might be the ultimate free agent. With many thinking early on that the Capitals planned to move on from their long-time coach after this season, Trotz instead has bet on himself and taken the Capitals for a long playoff ride, taking a once dejected and weakened Washington team this season and leading them to a surprising Stanley Cup Finals berth.

And despite the fact that Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said Friday that Trotz’ contract extension will not be addressed until the end of the season, Trotz looks to be in a great position to get a big raise from the $1.5MM that the 55-year-old coach is making this season, according to The Washington Times’ Matthew Paras.

The team had a two-year window which ended last season after two straight playoff losses to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. With the window closed, the team lost multiple players in the offseason as defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner along with winger Justin Williams all walked in free agency. The team even traded winger Marcus Johansson to the New Jersey Devils to free up cap room and then lost defenseman Nate Schmidt to the Vegas Golden Knights. Yet, the Capitals have made an unlikely Stanley Cup run and now have a chance to win the title under Trotz’ direction.

“He’s probably going to benefit from this too,” MacLellan said. “It’s not all not good for him. I think he’s done a good job managing it. To come in this year with so many questions — not from my point of view, the lineup questions were that big a deal — but just the emotional state of our team coming in to start the year and how to handle that, I think he’s done an outstanding job.”

Trotz admits that he’s made changes, including being more loose and relaxed during the playoffs and has made some key strategic moves that seems to have motivated the team, including the key decision to turn the goaltending reigns back to Braden Holtby in the playoffs after initially taking his starting job away. Another key decision was when the coach scratched a struggling Andre Burakovsky and then re-inserting him into the lineup where he notched two goals in Game 7 against Tampa Bay.

Trotz said he isn’t worried about his contract status and didn’t have much to say when asked what he would do if he wasn’t brought back.

“I’ll move on. So be it,” Trotz said.

 

Injury Notes: Versteeg, Brodie, Tkachuk, Kuznetsov, Holtby, Bernier

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Not long after the Calgary Flames shut down center Sean Monahan for the season, the Flames lost another player for the remainder of the season in winger Kris Versteeg, according to Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson.

Versteeg had been out with a hip injury for a large chunk of the season this year. He has been out since Nov. 24, but came back last week for two games. Yet two scratches in a row in the team’s two most recent games suggests he wasn’t at full strength. With the Flames quickly bottoming out in the final stretch of games, it probably makes sense for the team to allow Versteeg to sit and heal for next season, allowing them to look at some younger options.

While Versteeg’s loss isn’t as devastating a loss as Monahan, Versteeg was considered a key to the team’s back-six. He has averaged close to 15 goals per season over the previous three years, but only managed to appear in 24 games this season, posting just three goals and five assists.

  • In other injury news in Calgary, the Calgary Sun’s Kristen Anderson writes that defenseman T. J. Brodie and winger Matthew Tkachuk are both still considered day-to-day and will not travel with the team to San Jose or Los Angeles for their upcoming road trip. Brodie has missed two games after taking a hit from Vegas Golden Knights enforcer Ryan Reaves on Mar. 18, while Tkachuk has missed five games after taking a hit from the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal on Mar. 11.
  • The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan tweets that center Evgeny Kuznetsov will return to the Capitals’ lineup today after missing three games with an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old center has never missed a game with an injury and as the Capitals fight for a better seeding in the playoffs, the team will be happy to get him back. Kuznetsov is heading for a career year as he already has a career-high 21 goals and his 71 points is six short of his career high.
  • Khurshudyan also notes that Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz will continue to hold goaltender Braden Holtby out of games as he doesn’t want to risk further injury. The veteran goaltender remains day-to-day with a lower body injury.
  • Adrian Dater of BSN Denver tweets that Colorado Avalanche goaltender Jonathan Bernier is out again, this time with an upper-body injury. He came in to replace Semyon Varlamov Thursday in their 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and allowed two goals.

Snapshots: Smith, Schenn, Laine, Holtby

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Brendan Smith signed a four-year, $17.4MM contract in the offseason with the New York Rangers after an impressive run last season, but hasn’t been anything close to what the team had hoped for. After struggling through 44 games with the team, he was eventually waived and sent to the minor leagues to toil with the Hartford Wolf Pack despite his huge salary.

That might have built some frustration in the 29-year old, who according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post has broken his hand while fighting teammate Vinni Lettieri in practice on Sunday. That puts an end to Smith’s season, and perhaps his career in New York if the team decides a buyout is the only course of action.

  • Brayden Schenn will not face any supplementary discipline for his hit last night on Boston Bruins forward David Krejci, despite his history of charging in the league. Schenn was given a two-minute minor penalty for the hit which had substantial—but according to the league unavoidable—contact to the head. The St. Louis Blues forward has been suspended twice in the past for charging, but escaped without further penalty this time.
  • Patrik Laine suffered just a bruise to his foot after blocking a shot, but the Jets are still going to be precaucious with their superstar teenager. Laine isn’t expected to play for at least the next two games, and Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun gives a rough estimate of 4-14 days before he’ll be back in the lineup. Laine is in a race for the Maurice Richard trophy as the league’s leading goal scorer, but is a key part of the Jets chances to take home the Stanley Cup.
  • Braden Holtby has tweaked something and is dealing with a minor injury, meaning the Washington Capitals have called up Pheonix Copley to back up Philip Grubauer tonight. Holtby isn’t expected to miss much time though, as he didn’t even leave practice today according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. Copley was re-acquired as part of the Kevin Shattenkirk deal last season, but hasn’t played for the Capitals yet this year.

Washington To Temporarily Bench Braden Holtby

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A Vezina Trophy winner is about to take a backseat, at least for a little while. “He hasn’t had a real good stretch,” Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said of starting goaltender Braden Holtby, speaking to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. The reigning Jennings Trophy winner allowed three goals on just nine shots before getting chased in last night’s 4-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, capping off what has indeed been a bad stretch of games. Holtby has just one win in his last eight games, allowing three or more goals and recording a save percentage of .909 or worse in those other seven losses.

For Trotz and the Capitals, the time has come to give Holtby a break and let backup Philipp Grubauer take over for a while. Trotz told Khurshudyan “Because (Holtby) is No. 1 doesn’t mean you don’t go with Grubi for a bit just so (Holtby) can settle his game. We’ll sit down with (goaltending coach Scott Murray) just to see what the best thing for the long haul is…He’s going to work with our goaltending coaches and get his game in order.” It seems that the plan is to let Holtby rest his body and get his head on straight, as the Capitals try to hold on to their top seed in the Metropolitan Division. In his stead, Grubauer looks ready to step up. The 26-year-old has been one of the league’s best backups for a few years and hasn’t slowed down in 2017-18. He’ll try to improve on his .922 save percentage and 2.36 goals against average in his stint as starter.

Holtby was named an All-Star this season and each of the past two seasons, won the Vezina Trophy in 2015-16, and has finished among the top ten in the league in saves percentage and goals against average in each of the last three years. Yet, even the best keepers can hit a cold streak. That doesn’t mean they can’t bounce back. Case in point: Tuukka Rask. The Boston Bruins starter got off to a horrid start this season, allowing three or more goals in 11 of his first 14 starts and posting just three wins in that span, briefly loses his job to Anton Khudobin. Since December, he’s had only eight such 3+ goal games and three regulation losses and has not only firmly retake his job, but has worked his way into Vezina conversation. Like Rask, there’s no reason why Holtby can’t return from this benching and be elite for the Capitals by the playoffs. This is just a minor setback.

Capital Notes: Trade Deadline, Beagle, Grubauer, Burakovsky

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Don’t expect the Washington Capitals to be “all in” at the trade deadline like they have been in recent years. While the team sits atop the Metro Division once again, it is believed that general manager Brian MacLellan is taking a more measured approach to this season. A good, but not necessarily dominant team that has very little cap room to wiggle with, the Capitals are making a lot of key decision with next season in mind as well.

The extension of center Lars Eller Saturday was a critical move for MacLellan, who needed insurance the team wouldn’t have to replace a center next season, according to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. If they hadn’t made that move, then the team would have been looking for a future center via trade using more of the team’s assets. The team has now started contract negotiations with pending unrestricted free agent John Carlson, which is their top priority. Depending on how negotiations go will have an effect of whether they pursue a blueliner at the trade deadline if they feel they can’t sign Carlson to an extension.

  • In the same story, Khurshudyan writes that with Eller on board and if the team manages to extend Carlson, that could likely end the tenure of veteran center Jay Beagle. The 32-year-old fourth-line center has been with the Capitals for his entire career, but will be an unrestricted free agent next year. He has six goals and 11 assists in 54 games. He had a career best 13 goals and 30 points last year and currently makes $1.75MM.
  • Khurshuyan also adds that the team is likely to trade backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer this summer. With starting goaltender Braden Holtby still under contract for another two years after this one, Grubauer has become expendable. The 26-year-old is ready for an increased role, which the team cannot provide. The backup will be a restricted free agent next year and should make quite a bit more than the $1.5MM he makes currently.
  • NBC Sports’ Tarik El-Bashir writes that despite trade speculation surrounding youngster Andre Burakovsky, head coach Barry Trotz and MacLellan have given the 23-year-old votes of confidence. A winger with top-six potential, the former 2013 first-rounder has just four goals this year in an increased role and has spent some time in the press box as a healthy scratch. “[Burakovsky] got off track with his injury and missed some time and got out of sync,” MacLellan told reporters on Saturday. “I’m really confident that he’s going to be a good player here. He’ll find it down the stretch for us.”

2018 All-Star Rosters

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The NHL released the rosters for this year’s All-Star game in Tampa Bay, leading to an inevitable onslaught of discussion over who missed out and who didn’t deserve to go. The event will take place on January 27-28th. The full rosters can be found below:

Atlantic Division:

F Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning (captain)
F Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning
F Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs
F Aleksander Barkov – Florida Panthers
F Brad Marchand – Boston Bruins
F Jack Eichel – Buffalo Sabres
D Victor Hedman – Tampa Bay Lightning
D Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators
D Mike Green – Detroit Red Wings
G Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay Lightning
G Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens

Head Coach: Jon Cooper

Metropolitan Division:

F Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals (captain)
F Taylor Hall – New Jersey Devils
F Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
F Josh Bailey – New York Islanders
F John Tavares – New York Islanders
F Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
D Seth Jones – Columbus Blue Jackets
D Noah Hanifin – Carolina Hurricanes
D Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
G Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
G Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals

Head Coach: Barry Trotz

Central Division:

F Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado Avalanche
F Blake Wheeler – Winnipeg Jets
F Brayden Schenn – St. Louis Blues
F Eric Staal – Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars
D P.K. Subban – Nashville Predators (captain)
D Alex Pietrangelo – St. Louis Blues
D John Klingberg – Dallas Stars
G Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators
G Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets

Head Coach: Peter Laviolette

Pacific Division:

F Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers (captain)
F Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames
F Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
F James Neal – Vegas Golden Knights
F Rickard Rakell – Anaheim Ducks
F Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings
D Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings
D Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Arizona Coyotes
G Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings
G Marc-Andre Fleury – Vegas Golden Knights

Head Coach: Gerard Gallant

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