After an up-and-down couple of seasons, the expectations for this year’s Washington Capitals are probably the highest they’ve been in at least a decade.
Two years after finishing atop the Eastern Conference standings and missing the playoffs last season with a disappointing campaign that still yielded 95 points, an offensive makeover that brought some of the top talent available this summer has raises the stakes in the nation’s capital.
Between the additions of Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner, the Capitals intend to roll out four lines that can do damage. And it’s a lineup that is one of the biggest in recent NHL history, particularly with the 6-foot-7 Vincent Desjarnais on defense that towers over his already sizeable teammates.
Washington hopes the offensive upgrade can help Logan Thompson, who has turned in two seasons worthy of Vezina Trophy consideration, achieve even more success this season. Thompson, who took the starting role and ran with it last season, now comes in looking to take the Capitals the next step.
Clearly, the offensive upgrade was to take pressure off their 41-year-old captain Alex Ovechkin, who, despite not quite passing the eye test, still contributed 32 goals and 32 assists last year.
Tuch comes in after a 33-goal season with the Buffalo Sabres, and figures to help the power play that has punched above its weight class the last few seasons, as he had 7 extra-man tallies last season.
Kyrou is also expected to rebound after a down year with the St. Louis Blues, and had been linked to trade rumors with Washington for months before the deal was actually done this summer. A flashy player, he notched an overtime tally in Washington’s lone preseason game at home, and with the upgrades the expectation that the rising tide will lift all boats rather than relying on just one player for offense.
Ryan Leonard, who signed a contract extension during camp, is expected to make steps forward as well. While the 21-year-old notched a 20-goal campaign in his first full campaign, his rookie campaign was sidetracked a bit with an injury in December as he came off the best game of his young NHL career, and Washington hopes for progression this year.
Washington’s Calder candidate this season is defenseman Cole Hutson, who seeks to follow his brother’s footsteps into one of the most productive blueliners in the game. Hutson, who loves to play as a fourth forward, was paired with Desjarnais in practice to serve as a counterbalance to the attack mode of his partner.
With the departure of John Carlson last season, the offensive torch on the roster will also be put at the feet of Jakob Chychrun, who is coming off a 26-goal campaign and has 46 total since his trade from the Ottawa Senators. Washington’s two top pairs will have an offensive threat and further make the Capitals a lot more dangerous offensively than they have been in recent years.
With all the changes, the stakes have been raised in Washington, and the players are aware the retooling of the last few years is expected to move forward and try to seriously contend for the team’s second Stanley Cup title.
Just Ovechkin and Tom Wilson are left from the 2018 club, and with a complete overhaul over the last few seasons, Washington will be expected not only to contend for the Metropolitan Division title, but also a deep run in the postseason. And with the depth and size that can wear out opponents in a seven-game series, on paper at least, the Capitals should put themselves in that conversation this season.
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