Before I get started, let me start by saying that yes, I know the NHL offseason is still young. But, I also know that the NHL offseason will be brief.
Now that that's noted, what the actual hell are the Washington Capitals doing?! Their roster needs a complete overhaul and they're just not doing anything. The biggest question is what we'll do with Alex Ovechkin, but that aside there's so many things they need to do.
The Capitals spent this past season right up on the salary cap, and halfway to a retirement home. This team is old, expensive and needs a complete refresh. The only piece that can't be moved is Ovi, who is untouchable in my eyes, and I hate saying that because I love Nicklas Backstrom for a number of reasons, but everyone else is expendable right now.
Watching the Caps in the playoffs and comparing them to other teams, particularly Vegas and Colorado when they played each other, Washington just looks old and slow. Our pace of play was atrocious, and had they gotten out of the first round they would've gotten smoked by every other team in the playoffs. Now, I'm used to playoff disappointments and heartbreak from this team. But I'm used to that coming in the form of mental gaffs, pressing too hard and making mistakes, missing out on opportunities. What I'm not getting used to is seeing my team get beating in a track meet.
The defense had holes bigger than Swiss cheese, the offense was disjointed and easily broken down, and our goalie situation was... less than stellar. I know Zdeno Chara has the respect of every hockey player in existence, but the dude isn't who he once once, not by a long shot. I love Jon Carlson on our back line just as much as anyone, but he's got some miles on his odometer that need to be accounted for. Yes, the Capitals spent the majority of their draft picks on defensemen, and fans need to be reassured that these kids will be able to play at a high level sooner rather than later.
As for the offense, lets start by giving the boot to Evgeny Kuznetzov. Which, hand up, I'll be the first to admit that I thought this guy could be a top tier scoring machine in the NHL when I first saw him play. But add a growing list of mental mistakes on the ice, and a suspension for nose beers, and it's just time for him to go. Maybe he'll have success elsewhere, and I hope he does, but he's done in Washington. And let's not grow too attached to anyone else on the roster (besides Ovi).
Backstrom, whom I mentioned earlier, is old, yes he's probably still the team's smartest player, but I saw too many moments this season where he didn't have control of the game flow when he would have in years past. TJ Oshie and Lars Eller are solid in their roles, but Oshie is in the same position as Carlson and Backstrom where there seems to be only so much tread left on the tires, and not enough to justify his price tag. Eller has the issue of just not being a game breaker. He gets goals, but it never feels like he has a big impact on games. All of these guys are fan favorites, but this is a business, and we need to be in the business of recognizing when a product is obsolete and bringing in some new toys.
The goalie situation is probably the worst spot of all. Vitek Vanecek was taken in the expansion draft. He played solidly for us, but already has some years on him, and wasn't anywhere near the NHL's top tier. I frankly have no idea what to expect from Ilya Samsonov moving forward, and what I've seen so far hasn't given me much room for hope. Maybe Henrik Lundqvist can come back and play next season, but that's ultimately going to be putting a band aid on a gash. The team needs youth, like Samsonov, but something that can be a more polished product. Where the solution to this is... I do not know.
So I ask this again, what the hell are the Washington Capitals doing? Fans deserve answers, and more importantly they deserve action. And they deserve it fast.
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