The Washington Capitals spent the offseason looking like the team that won the shopping spree. Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais all came in, and on paper the roster suddenly has a much different feel. It was enough to keep Alex Ovechkin from walking away, too, with the veteran choosing to return for another year rather than retire.
That was the point from the start for Ovechkin: he wanted to see whether Washington was going to stay competitive. GM Chris Patrick answered that question by reworking the club on the fly and keeping the Capitals in the mix in the Eastern Conference.
That’s why there’s real belief that Washington can be a Stanley Cup contender this season. At the same time, the league has seen plenty of offseason champions come up empty once the games start, with the Nashville Predators serving as a recent reminder that summer buzz doesn’t guarantee anything.
On Sirius XM NHL Network Radio, Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com and Full Press NHL was asked where the Capitals fit in the Metropolitan Division picture. His answer was clear.
“Yes, I do. I like what they did, the Kyrou edition, the Tuch addition, Desharnais, Jenner, and obviously Cole Hutson, full season, full season out of him.
Chris Patrick has really retooled this team on the fly, like changed this thing on the fly. I like their goaltending.
Logan Thompson, Lindgren back there, and now Ovi is not the focal point of the offense. That’s right.
It’s the other guys.”
When the host pointed out that Ovechkin could still add another 30 goals if healthy, Biringer didn’t push back.
“ I would too. I mean, even if it’s 25, if you have Tuch and Kyrou leading the way offensively, the Protas brothers (Aliaksei and Ilya) up there as well.
Tom Wilson doing his thing. This a big physical mean team that is just right below the Carolina Hurricanes in terms of tiers.
If we’re looking at it’s like an A- minus tier. If we’re grading like these tiers, they’re right below them because Carolina, to me, is still the class of that division.”
The Capitals still have to turn all that talent into actual chemistry, and that’s the real test. Washington only missed the playoffs by a couple of points last season, and the pieces now in place make them a threat again. Cole Hutson is also in position to take another step, adding to the sense that this group has more upside than it did a year ago.
The roster looks deeper, heavier and more balanced than it did before the offseason began. The question now is whether it all clicks fast enough to match the hype.
In Other News...
Protas Brothers Add Intrigue To Capitals Early Camp Picture
The Capitals informal skates ahead of camp at MedStar Capitals Iceplex have offered an early look at a pair of familiar names, with Aliaksei and Ilya Protas both on the ice as Washington starts piecing together its roster picture. Aliaksei arrives after a productive season that turned him into a more important part of the lineup, while Ilyas rise has been just as notable after a standout year in the AHL that put him on the organizations radar.
Ilyas next step is one of the more interesting camp storylines because his development has moved quickly, from league honors in the minors to a brief NHL look that showed why the Capitals are eager to see what comes next. Seeing both brothers in the same early sessions only adds to the sense that Washington has some intriguing internal options to monitor as camp gets closer, even if the exact shape of their roles is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]