With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Washington Capitals.
Last Season: 55-19-8 record (118 points), first in Metropolitan Division (lost in the second round to Pittsburgh)
Remaining Cap Space: $4.09MM per CapFriendly
Key Newcomers: F Tyler Graovac (trade with Minnesota), F Devante Smith-Pelly (free agency, New Jersey)
Key Departures: D Karl Alzner (free agency, Montreal), F Marcus Johansson (trade with New Jersey), D Kevin Shattenkirk (free agency, NY Rangers), F Justin Williams (free agency, Carolina), F Daniel Winnik (free agency, unsigned)
[Related: Capitals Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Player To Watch: F Alex Ovechkin – Last season was a down one for the Russian sniper, whose 33 goals were his second lowest total in a full season in his career, same for his 69 points. By no means is that bad production but since Ovechkin is the focal point of their attack with one of the highest cap hits in the league, the extra pressure is certainly there.
The 31-year-old has reportedly slimmed down a bit over the offseason in an effort to gain a bit of speed which is an area that he would like to improve on. While playing a bit slower hasn’t stopped him from getting plenty of shots off as he leads the league in shots on goal over the past five seasons (and it’s not particularly close), getting quicker should potentially open up even more opportunities for him.
The pressure is always on Ovechkin. He’s their highest paid player, their captain, and one of the faces of the league. But with a big chunk of the supporting cast gone now, that level of pressure is going to be even higher this season; the team needs him to get closer to the 50 goals he has routinely produced in the past and to help get them over the hump in the playoffs. That’s a lot to put on any player.
Key Storyline: Even though they currently have over $4MM in cap space, they still have a few players to sign to fill out the rest of their roster. They’re basically going to be very tight to the cap without much flexibility all season long.
As a result, they’ll be forced to turn to some of their youngsters to try to not only fill out their roster but deepen their depth which has taken a beating over the summer. If their prospects are able to get the job done, the Caps will be a top team again as long as they stay healthy. If not, they’re going to have very limited cap room to improve their roster and not the deepest of prospect groups to deal from either.
Everyone knew this was coming after a season where they went all-in. GM Brian MacLellan has managed to get the team in at least a manageable situation heading into training camp but if more needs to be done either in terms of cutting money or trying to add another piece, it will be worth watching to see what type of manoeuvring will need to be done to accomplish that.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.