The Washington Capitals lost in the second round of the NHL playoffs to the eventual-champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Again. After consecutive seasons ended in this manner, changes were due. The Capitals continue to rely on head coach Barry Trotz, focusing on roster changes to get over this hump. General manager Brian MacLellan had some tough decisions to make, with many veterans finishing their contracts and younger players due for raises. The net result is a roster both familiar at its core, and novel, in that some of the younger players will be asked to fill new or bigger roles.
2016-4-18 NHL PHI vs WAS Game 3 – Playoffs
Right Wing Alex Ovechkin (#8)
The core of the team, winger Alex Ovechkin, center Nicklas Backstrom, and goalie Braden Holtby are some of the best in the world at their positions. The three are joined by newly re-signed winger T.J. Oshie, and center Evgeny Kuznetsov, whose lofty contracts come with high expectations. With the money spent on those two, the Caps were forced to dump the salary of young forward Marcus Johanson to the New Jersey Devils. Veteran winger Justin Williams was allowed to leave via free agency. And young defenseman Nate Schmidt was selected in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights. This roster turnover, coupled with Washington’s tight salary cap position, means that Washington could not be the major player in free agency that they had been the previous two summers. Any advancement will have to come from within the organization.
The top end of the forward corps is highly talented. Face-off specialist Jay Beagle returns as one of the stalwarts of the bottom six. Oshie, fresh off a season in which he scored a career high 33 goals, provides a goal scoring option to take the load off of Ovechkin’s shoulders. The loss of Johanson stings, but also provides an opportunity for Andre Burakovsky to flourish. Tom Wilson will be expected to spend less time in the penalty box and more time finding the back of the net. Expect Wilson to lead the team in penalty minutes anyway. The only player from outside the organization who may see a ton of ice time is winger Devante Smith-Pelly. Acquired from New Jersey in the Johanson deal, the 6′, 225 lb. Smith-Pelly should shine if given the opportunity to play on the right line. Though he has never notched double digit goals in the NHL, 15 goals is not out of the question. Washington’s offense should keep them in most games, as will the all-world goaltending of Holtby.
The loss of Schmidt to Vegas may prove the hardest to overcome. Veteran blueliner Brooks Orpik is on the back end of his career, and will be 37 when the season begins, but is still paid like a first pairing star. Matt Niskanen and John Carlson are solid, so long as they can stay on the ice. Dmitri Orlov will be asked to fill a bigger role, especially with the loss of Karl Alzner to Montreal in free agency. Washington’s blueline is a big question mark for the team entering the year. While the recent Capitals have never been a defensive juggernaut, the defensemen must hold their own to give the offense a chance to win games.
2016-4-20 NHL PHI vs WSH Game 4 playoffs
Defenseman Dmitry Orlov (#9)
The best case scenario for this year’s iteration of the Capitals involves a lot of moving pieces. Holtby must continue to be one of the best goalies in the game. Backstrom needs to be his usual stat line-filling self, challenging for the league lead in points. Ovechkin’s goal scoring touch needs to return after a down season. Washington needs to see Kuznetsov earn his new contract with a consistent season, pushing Backstrom for the first line center job. The defensive pairings must be healthy and consistent. Washington needs most, if not all, of these predictions to come to fruition in order to challenge the contenders at the top of the Eastern Conference. If not, another early playoff exit, and another summer of questions, may be in order.
Photos courtesy of Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com
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