Washington Capitals
Key Additions
Key Departures
Placing the Washington Capitals as a top Divisional contender feels odd considering the summer they have had. Andre Burakovsky was inconsistent but still provided plenty of promise as a 23-year-old NHL’er with five full seasons under his belt. Matt Niskanen was a veteran defender who is clearly on the wrong side of 30, and Brooks Orpik’s retirement shows that he was playing on a declining track.
Where this offseason hurts the most is Brett Connolly. 2018 saw Conolly produce his best goal scoring numbers of his career, and at 26, it seemed as though this was a sign of his development reaching its apex. Losing a 20-goal scorer is always a loss, but Washington is still, more or less, the same team that won the division last season.
Alex Ovechkin is still as productive as ever. With his 51-goal clinic, the 33-year-old captain shows no signs of slowing down. The Caps had four players produce over 70 points and all of them are returning to the nation’s capital. The top end talent is still intact for this team, and the depth seems to still be present as well.
T.J Oshie, Jakub Vrana, and Tom Wilson are all 20+ goal scorers, and that kind of depth is what Stanley Cup contenders are made of. This forward group is an elite collection of workers, and they know what it takes to win it all.
Their defensive group lost two veteran pieces, and that kind of experience and locker room presence is difficult to replicate. Radko Gudas is a good attempt but the chemistry in Washington is so strong, there is the potential that the blueline group will struggle, especially early in the year.
Braden Holtby didn’t have an elite season, but he is still one of the better goaltenders in the league; his load is getting heavy, starting 58 games in 2018, but if the Caps can get backup duties to be more consistent, he should have a better year.
X-Factor’s
What can Panik and Hathaway bring to the table?
Carl Hagelin was important to the Capitals success after being a mid-season acquisition. With production still needed from the forward group, what kind of support could these offseason acquisitions supply?
Backup Goaltending
This is something that I believe will be an important development. Holtby can only do so much, and if this team wants to compete later in the year, they cannot ride him the way they did this season; a decision that left the Carolina Hurricanes facing a worn down netminder.
Alexander the Great’s Quest to Surpass the Great One
Ovechkin has been the premier, generational, goal scorer of my lifetime. How long can he keep up this rabid pace? It isn’t out of the question to see the Russian sniper follow a 50-goal season with a mark just as high
Best Case
Divisional Champions
Worst Case
Third Place in the Division