Carolina Hurricanes Division Rivals: Washington Capitals in Stanley Cup Contention
By Zeke Lukow
Leading up to the season we are going to have a Metropolitan Division Season projection series. We will be starting with the last place team and finish with the Hurricanes. Today we will be covering the Washington Capitals
Head Coach: Barry Trotz (2nd year with the team)
2014-2015 Record: 45-26-11
2014-2015 Result: 2nd in the Metro, 9th overall (lost in 2nd round)
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The Caps bounced back from missing the playoffs in 2013-2014,and finished 2nd in the Metro division in 2014-2015. The improved finish most likely came from the improvement of the defense.
Before the season started the Caps signed defensemen Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik from the Penguins. These defensemen added 2 top 4 defensemen and took pressure off of the offense to have to win every game.
The Caps were also deadly on the power play last year, they finished the season with a 35.3 pp%, the closest team to them was the Red Wings with 23.8%. Ovechkin was the power play quarterback, and led the team with 34 power play points (25g, 9a).
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These improvements turned the Caps back into a playoff team. The Caps defeated the Islanders in the first round in a tough fought 7 game series. Washington was defeated in the next round by the Presidents Trophy winners, the New York Rangers, in 7 games.
The Caps will look to improve their finish this year and try to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
Key Additions: TJ Oshie (Trade), Justin Williams (Free Agency)
TJ Oshie was acquired from the St. Louis Blues for winger Troy Brouwer, AHL goalie Pheonix Copley, and a 3rd round pick. Oshie will provide secondary scoring which the Capitals have desperately been needing for the past couple of seasons.
Oshie is a top six forward who can immediately plug into one of the top two lines and bring a dynamic scoring threat. During the 2015-2105 season Oshie accumulated 55 points (19g, 36a) in 72 games played. I wouldn’t be surprised to see these number improve next year if he as used in the top 6.
Justin Williams was signed this off season by the Caps to a 2 year $6.5 mil contract. Justin Williams adds a top 6 forward to the team, and playoff experience to the roster. Williams is a 3 time Stanley Cup winning forward who has also won the Conn Smythe trophy with the Los Angeles Kings
Williams is the type of player that will help with the issues that the Caps have run into in the playoffs. In recent years, they haven’t had high production in series, and often fail to come through in crucial games. Williams will make the players around him better, and will help develop the younger players on the roster.
Key Losses: Mike Green (Free Agency), Joel Ward (Free Agency), Eric Fehr (Free Agency)
Mike Green was looked at as the top defenseman in the free agent pool this year, but this loss will not be as important as many think. Green hasn’t been an incredible performer for Washington over the past couple of years, and does not contribute a lot defensively. He most likely would have been playing in the bottom pairing this year for Barry Trotz
Joel Ward was the leading performer in the playoffs for the Caps with 9 points (3g 6a). He was most likely going to slide down the depth chart this year and play as a bottom 6 forward. Overall this loss will not be felt by the caps with the acquisitions of Williams and Oshie.
Feb 27, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin (31) stops the shot by the Washington Capitals forward Jason Chimera (25) during the 1st period at PNC Arena. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals 3-0. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Fehr was one of the better bottom 6 forwards in the free agent pool this off season. He played on the 3rd line but was 5th on the team in points with 19 goals and 14 assists.
It will be interesting to see who will take his place in the bottom 6. With the improvements that the Caps made this off season,I don’t think his loss will be as impactful as it would be with other teams.
Depth Chart
Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – TJ Oshie
Marcus Johansson – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Justin Williams
Jason Chimera – Andre Burakovsky – Tom Wilson
Brooks Laich – Jay Beagle – Chris Brown
John Carlson – Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik – Karl Alzner
Dmitry Orlov – Nate Schmidt
Braden Holtby
Justin Peters
2015-2016 Outlook
On paper the improvements that the Caps made this off season make them a lot stronger. They addressed their production issues (outside of Backstrom and Ovechkin) and added more playoff experience. If Washington is able to make the playoffs this year, they will be able to perform at a higher level.
This may be one of the most exciting times to be a Washington Capitals fan. They are coming off of a good year, and have only improved during the off season. They have finally made signings that make sense for the team and system, and it will be interesting to see what they are able to do this year.
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They are now able to not just rely on Ovechkin to win all of their games for them. Just think that either Williams or Ohsie won’t make the top line. They are going to be able to have a more balanced attack across multiple lines this year.
There are 2 main issues with the Washington Capitals coming into the year. The first being the power play, and the second being goaltending depth.
The power play unit for the caps was amazing last year, butt will they be able to maintain those numbers next year? 5 on 5 numbers for the Caps weren’t great last year, they ranked 14th in the league in CF% and 11th in GF%. If they see a drop in their power play numbers it could mean a drop in the standings for the caps.
Braden Holtby has proved to be a workhorse goaltender for the Caps, but as Carolina Hurricanes fans know, it doesn’t always work out great to have a goalie start 73 games a year. This leaves teams very vulnerable to injury problems and goaltender fatigue.
The Caps are currently using 2 former Carolina Hurricanes goalies, Justin Peters and Dan Ellis, to back up Holtby. The Caps have to hope that Holtby can play a significant amount of games and stay healthy next year or they can have a rough year.
With the improvements that the Caps and GM Brian MacLellan have made this off season, the Caps will come in second place in the Metropolitan Division. I would expect the Caps to improve on last year’s performance, and go to the Eastern Conference Finals this year.