WASHINGTON, D.C. – Much like watching your favourite DVD for the hundredth time or flicking on the television to be greeted by yet another repeat of a program, the Washington Capitals’ season ended up heading down the same track as every other since the 2004 lockout.
Regular season domination, with the Capitals picking up their second Presidents Trophy, was swiftly and predictably followed by yet another playoff disappointment this time at the hands of the dreaded Pittsburgh Penguins.
Now attention turns to the upcoming season and yet another look at the next generation of Washington Capitals.
In sport a lot is made about the so-called golden generations. In soccer it is a term that has often been levelled at the England team given the depth of talent that they have. You could also be forgiven for hearing the odd whisper of something similar along the corridors of the Verizon Center in Washington DC.
Is it time to start dismantling this current side and begin the process of rebuilding?
Well maybe not yet. Alexander Ovechkin appears to still have goals in his sticks and Nicklas Backstrom still has the ability to find his captain on the ice seemingly at will. Couple with that the stellar form of Braden Holtby between the pipes and the emergence of Evgeny Kuznetsov and the future does seem bright.
Also looking at Washington’s farm system with the Hershey Bears suggests that maybe the next generation will be able to keep up the quest for the club’s first Stanley Cup for a few more years to come. Indeed the Bears made it all the way to the AHL’s Calder Cup final before eventually losing to the Lake Erie Monsters.
So what about this year and who will Washington select in the first round this time?
In previous years, the Caps have relied on their scouting network in Europe to try and unearth the next generation, however this time we think something closer to home but still with a slightly European flavour would be the way to go.
“With the 26th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals select Boris Katchouk.”
The 6’ 1”, 181lb left winger just completed his first full season in the OHL, recording 23 goals and 47 points for Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds but more than that we think he would give Washington the option to fill a hole that could appear in the not too distant future at left wing.
His size and weight may suggest the 18-year old would be best suited to a checking role on an NHL roster but along with his size he also has skill along the same sort of lines as a Tom Wilson or a third or fourth line version of Kuznetsov.
If Washington decide to go for Katchouk it would represent a big leap up in the rankings for the Vancouver native, who was born in British Colombia to Russian parents, with many predicting he would go in the mid-to-late second round but I disagree and think he would be a good addition to complement the next generation of Capitals when the time comes for them to graduate to the NHL.
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