The 2013-2014 Washington Capitals will be a very interesting
team to watch. Sophomore coach Adam
Oates will attempt to add another division title to his resume, Alex Ovechkin
will be eager to replicate his performance from last season that saw him win
the Hart Trophy (league MVP), and Mike Green will try to show the league that
he is back to his old form as a Norris Trophy candidate. Although this team is full of potential, the
division switch could spell trouble to this squad.
HIGH FLYING OFFENSE
The Capitals top six forwards are among the league’s
best. Star forwards Alex Ovechkin and
Nicklas Backstrom have played together for years and will be fixtures on the top
line. They will most likely be joined by
the freshly signed Marcus Johansson. The
loss of Mike Ribeiro as the second line center was nearly offset by the
addition of Mikhail Grabovski.
Grabovski, who’s offensive numbers were far below those of Ribeiro last
season, will be eager to prove himself to the Capitals brass. He will most
likely be flanked by Troy Brouwer and Martin Erat. The bottom six is filled out with solid players
like Broooks Laich, Joel Ward, and 2012 first round pick, Tom Wilson.
This forward crop is similar to the one this team put on the
ice last year. They are quality players
who have shown an ability to score.
Ovechkin is their leader, but players like Backstrom, Grabovski and Erat
will be expected to chip in as well. The
players trust Adam Oates, and he trusts them.
When players buy into a coach’s system, the results can be amazing. This principle was evident at the end of last
season as the Capitals went on a tear over their last 19 games (15-2-2), averaging
3.84 goals per game. However, for much
of the season the Capitals seemed to be streaky and inconsistent. There is no doubt that this team can put up a
lot of goals, the only question is, can they do it consistently?
TOP-HEAVY DEFENSE
The Capitals have one of the better groups of top defensemen
in the division. Their bottom pairing
may be an issue, but their strength at the top of the depth chart is undeniable. Mike Green re-emerged last season to lead all
defensemen in goals (12), while youngsters John Carlson and Karl Alzner
continued to develop into very solid defensemen. These three represent the core of the Capitals
defense and will make up the top pairing (most likely Alzner-Green) and the
better half of the second pairing.
The bottom 3 defensemen are a question mark going into the
season. There is no doubt that Green,
ALzner, and Carlson are top-four defensemen.
However, the defensemen in competition for the final three spots are all
best suited to be either bottom pairing or seventh-man defenders. The competition for these final spots is
between Dmitry Orlov, John Erskine, Jack Hillen, and Steve Olesky. Who gets those final spots is a toss-up. I like Orlov and Erskine’s chances to make
the final cut, but where in the line-up they fall depends on their performance
in training camp. On the offensive side
of the puck, this Capitals defense will be solid. Green will help the power play unit stay at
the top the league, while Alzner and Carlson will chip in a modest amount
offensively. Defensively, this group is
about average and their success could depend on the performance of Braden
Holtby.
SOLID GOALTENDING
Braden Holtby had a breakout performance in the 2012 playoffs. In 14 games he went 7-7 with a GAA of 1.95
and a .935 SV%. Last season, his first
as the Capitals starter, he played well, going 23-12 with a GAA of 2.58 and
a.920 SV%. This season he will need to
continue to play well in order for the Capitals to be successful. He will have his hands full with the superstars
in the Metropolitan Division. As a
whole, the talent that Holtby will face on a game-to-game basis will be tougher
than last year. Whether or not Holtby,
and his back-up Michal Neuvirth, can withstand the pressure will go a long way
in determining this team’s fate.
X-FACTOR: THE DIVISION SWITCH
Last year, the Capitals went 15-3 against divisional opponents. Their record against the members of their new
division was a combined 8-12. They lost
2 out of 3 meetings against each of the Flyers, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils,
while losing all 3 of their games against the Penguins. This happened in a year in which the Flyers
and Devils missed the playoffs. Although
the Capitals looked like a great team at times last season, many of those games
were played against the likes of the Panthers and Lightning. Can the Capitals be successful it in a
division against tougher competition?
Did they look better than they actually were last year because of their easy
schedule?
My prediction for the Capitals is that they will fall
somewhere in the middle of the division.
They will be better than teams like the Devils and Hurricanes, but not
at the same level as a team like the Penguins.
They will fall in the middle and be fighting for a playoff berth with
teams like the Flyers, Blue Jackets, and Islanders. Ultimately, I see them finishing about 4th
or 5th in the division and being either the last team in or the last
team out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Capitals will soon find out that this
division is much tougher than the old Southeast Division, and how they handle
that adversity will show us all that we need to know about these Capitals.
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