In a thrilling end to the 2023-24 season, the Capitals claimed the last playoff spot with a win in game 82 against the Flyers. Not only did the Caps clinch a playoff spot in the last game of the regular season, they simultaneously stole a playoff spot away from the Flyers, Penguins and Red Wings on the 7th tiebreaker.
Sadly, the Caps were swept in the first round by the New York Rangers. Although if you followed that series, then you know that those were all questionable games.
Heading into the off-season, the Capitals had a few major priorities to deal with.
- Offense. Getting into the playoffs with a win in game 82 is exciting, but not ideal. The Capitals had the lowest season goal differential (-37) for a playoff team since 1990. Only three players (Strome, Ovi & Mantha) scored 20 or more goals, compared to 7 players with 20+ goals in 2018-19. and x 20+ goal scorers on the year. While the defense was strong, scoring more goals in the regular season would’ve resulted in more wins, which leads me to the next offseason priority.
- Competitive playoff record. The Capitals made the playoffs for 8 consecutive years, until Peter Laviolette’s final year with the Capitals in 2022-23. They barely squeaked in last year in Carbery’s first year as head coach. To make a competitive playoff run, you have to be a well-rounded team. Think about the 2024 Cup Winning Florida Panthers – they had offense, defense, a working power play and efficient penalty kill. Maybe they sometimes took too many penalties, but they had a confident PK unit to rely on. That’s what the Capitals need to focus on: not just defense, but everything else, too. Much easier said than done.
- Ovi’s goals record. Ovechkin is only 41 goals away from achieving the most goals scored in the NHL all-time. This was once considered an unbreakable record. Not only would achieving the record be monumental for Ovechkin, but it’s also a big deal for the Capitals and hockey in general. There’s only so much Ovi can do on the ice, and he needs some critical support pieces to help him get to 894 goals all-time.
Over the off-season, the Caps made a lot of trades and acquisitions to enhance their offense, increase their playoff competitiveness, and advance Ovi’s goals record. In essence, the Caps look quite different than they did a year ago.
Forwards
We can expect the forward lines at the start of the season to look something like this:
Ovechkin-Strome-Mangiapane
McMichael-Dubois-Wilson
Milano/Vrána-Lapierre-Protas
The Caps acquired four new forwards over the off-season in Mangiapane, Dubois, Raddysh and Duhaime. We also saw the departures of Anthony Mantha (CGY), Max Pacioretty (TOR), Beck Malenstyn (BUF), Matthew Phillips (COL) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (KHL).
Last season, Ovi and Strome did well together as linemates. Strome assisted on 14 of Ovechkin’s 31 goals. McMichael, Dubois and Wilson are a new line, but have seen offensive success in preseason. In case you missed it, Vrána is back on a 1-year $775k contract after a successful training camp. He’ll likely slide into Milano’s spot on the third line when needed, playing beside former Hershey Bears Hendrix Lapierre and Aliaksei Protas. Dowd got himself some new linemates in Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh. They’ve already established themselves as the grittiest, most hard-working, get-it-done fourth line out there during preseason.
The lines also provide some flexibility for future changes. Dubois and Strome should be able to flip-flop easily, and several players can adapt to different positions. For example, McMichael can play both wing and center. Though more comfortable at wing, Protas saw some good minutes at center last season.
The Oshie/Backstrom/Kuznetsov situation
This part of the story is so not fun. Three veterans that were critical to the 2018 Cup run have more or less parted ways. Kuznetsov, after finishing the season with the Carolina Hurricanes, went back to the KHL, an international league in Europe. He now plays for SKA St Petersburg. Kuznetsov had some ups and down in the NHL, and after lingering rheumatoid arthritis issues, decided to return home to play in Russia. While it wasn’t the fairytale ending we all wanted, we wish Kuzy the best success in the KHL.
Backstrom decided to step away from the team shortly after the start of the 2023-24 season, and since then, we have not had much update. It’s unlikely he will return in a Caps sweater, though he is still on the team on LTIR. He remains somewhat involved, traveling occasionally with his teammates and making appearances for Oshie and Carlson’s 1K game celebrations.
After a long battle with a back injury, TJ Oshie is likely to remain on LTIR for the foreseeable future. Last season, he took numerous injury breaks to deal with his back, and had his personal chiropractor make a few emergency flights out to DC. After searching for a permanent fix over the off-season, he will remain on LTIR to start the season as he continues looking for a solution. He is still involved with the team, and traveled with them during preseason team building activities this season. Often described as the “heart-and-soul” guy, TJ’s presence with the team off the ice is still a huge boost.
Defense
We can expect the Capitals defensive pairings to look like this:
- Chychrun-Carlson
- Fehérváry-Roy (pronounced “Roy” not “wah”)
- Sandin-T. van Riemsdyk
- Alexeyev-McIlrath (extra)
Chychrun was acquired from the Senators in exchange for Nick Jensen and a draft pick. Throughout preseason, Chychrun has played like a more offensive defensemen, similar to Carlson. Hopefully, this will help the Caps keep their scoring on track this year. Roy signed with the Capitals during free agency, and has been extremely solid on the back end. He’s not flashy, but he’s dependable and a great penalty killer.
Compared to last year, only three defensemen parted ways with the team. Nick Jensen is now with the Ottawa Senators, Joel Edmundson plays for LA Kings, and Lucas Johansen is still an unrestricted free agent.
Let’s not forget about Alex Alexeyev and Dylan McIlrath. Alexeyev made the team out of camp last season after spending time developing with the Hershey Bears. He played 39 games last season with the Capitals, and seamlessly stepped into a huge role when the injury bug bit the Caps defensemen. He easily took on 20+ minutes of ice time towards the end of April. He will likely have a more manageable and fair role this year, but it’s reassuring to know he can take on big minutes if needed.
McIlrath, 32, has captained the Hershey Bears in consecutive Calder Cup victories. For the first time in eight years, he has made the team roster coming out of training camp. McIlrath is highly experienced, not afraid to mix it up on the ice, and has great leadership skills. Last season, during the Caps defensive injuries, McIlrath set up Ovechkin’s goal in game 82 which was a win-or-no-playoffs situation. He, like Alexeyev, was able to successfully fit into the lineup with little notice in high-pressure games.
Goalies
Charlie Lindgren
Logan Thompson
Darcy Kuemper left the Capitals in a one-for-one trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Then, the Caps signed backup goalie Logan Thompson from Vegas for an absolute steal. The deal was announced while Thompson was still signing autographs at the Draft for Golden Knights fans, and VGK fans were not happy. Sorry, Vegas, but as the saying goes, you snooze you lose.
Together, the total cap hit for Thompson and Lindgren combined is $1.867M. That’s the lowest among NHL goalie tandems. The Caps are getting Thompson and Chucky for a total steal, and they’re both great goalies.
Thompson and Lindgren’s combined GAA from last season is 2.7. To give you an idea what that means across the league, the Rangers are dishing out over $6M cap hit for their two goalies (Igor Shesterkin and Johnathan Quick), but their combined GAA last year was 2.6. Not that much better for a lot more money. Likewise, the Florida Panthers goalie tandem is costing them over $14M in cap space this year, for a combined average GAA of 2.8.
So the Caps are in pretty good shape this year for goaltending. Not to mention, Thompson looked great in preseason and Chuckie’s so good with his glove that announcer JoeB even nicknamed it Josie. Plus, our goalies don’t wear headbands. Ahem. Igor.
Special Teams
Finally, we have an exciting first power play unit after years of predictability that stunted the Capitals’ PPG efficiency. Most likely, the first power play unit to be Ovechkin, Strome, Carlson, Dubois and Mangiapane/Wilson. A power play unit full of dangerous shooters should help create time and space for more high danger chances, which the Capitals have been lacking for a while on the PP.
On penalty killing duties, the first unit will likely consist of Fehérváry, Dowd, Wilson and Roy/Carlson. Hopefully we won’t have to see the PK’ers on the ice too much this season, but they’re dependable players when the time comes.
Could the Caps Have Done Anything Different?
Of course, everyone wants a big fancy UFA to sign a massive contract like Seth Jarvis or Jacob Markstrom. But given the cap space and prospects available from Hershey, the Caps had a successful off-season. As long as they don’t swing too far into offense at the cost of defense, they should be very competitive. Last year, they had good defense but lackluster offense. Let’s not have minimal defense but good offense this year.
The Starting Lineup Off The Ice
Stats and line combinations aside, the 2024-25 Capitals have some big personalities off the ice. These stories are just a few examples.
Ovechkin’s “inspiring” diet
Numerous players have commented on Ovechkin’s “borderline inspiring” diet, for eating pretty much whatever he wants whenever he wants. A story from former player and current Caps Player Development staff Brooks Orpik illustrates the point seamlessly. “We have a chef here who prepares our pregame meals. Ovi always orders the same thing — Mamma Lucia, which is this pasta dish that’s like chicken parm with noodles, bread, cheese, the kind of thing you want to take a five-hour nap after eating. He makes a big display of it too. There’s no shame. It’ll be eleven in the morning, way before anyone is really thinking about eating lunch, and Ovi will walk into the dining area yelling, ‘Mamma Lucia! Mamma Lucia!’ I don’t know. It’s weird, but it seems normal now. Then, a few hours later, he’s outskating everyone on the ice, knocking guys on their asses and sniping pucks wherever he wants. Legend.”
Ovechkin’s take? “It’s a tradition from day one.”
Pregame snack time on the road isn’t much different, either. Ovi tends to bring along hot Cheetos and a Subway sub on the plane.
Judge Judy’s (aka Dowd’s) nickname
When not preoccupied with his bag of Cheetos, Ovi has also taken the time to come up with some pretty creative nicknames for the team.
Frequently before puck drop, the Capitals kick a soccer ball around outside the locker room. Ovechkin is famous for kicking the ball out but never admitting it. One time, Dowd had enough and called Ovi out for definitely going out of bounds. “Okay, Judge Judy,” Ovi begrudgingly responded. Thanks to some encouragement from former Cap Braden Holtby, the nickname stuck.
Duhaime’s antics with ex-Penguins
Though just beginning his time with the Capitals this year, Duhaime is already poking fun at ex-Penguins goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. Duhaime started it when he called Fleury old in an interview. Fleury didn’t really care for that comment, and stole Duhaime’s clothes at the rink one day. Things continued to escalate when Duhaime toilet papered Fleury’s car and replaced his goalie stick with a cane. Finally, Fleury stole the tires off Duhaime’s car and stuck a for sale sign on it. Duhaime finally gave in after that. But, if that’s how Duhaime responds to an ex-Penguin, who knows what he might cook up for a current Penguin like Sid Crosby.
Chucky’s off-season Turkey hunting
That goalie with the mustache that no one really knew much about a year ago turned into the ‘backbone’ of the Capitals playoff run. When asked about his off-season plans, Lindgren had an unusual answer. Originally declining to attend the IIHF 2024 World Championship, Chucky said he planned to go turkey hunting in Minnesota with his grandfather. (Lindgren did later decide to attend the World Championship, though.) Growing up in Minnesota, Lindgren is also a fan of duck hunting, chasing white tails, and fishing for muskies (which are by the way, the most terrifying prehistoric-looking fish ever).
Charitable Involvements
It’s not all just jokes, scary fish and Cheetos though. Many of the Capitals are involved in charities or have started their own. Chychrun helped found Do It For Daron, a charity aimed at mental health after Chychrun’s relative committed suicide. Dowd and his wife Paige started Dowd’s Crowd, which helps support children with sensory issues attend Capitals games. Tom Wilson and 43’s Friends helps Make A Wish kids attend Capitals games. TJ Oshie has long supported Alzheimer’s Disease foundations after his father passed away with the disease in 2021. Ovechkin supported more than 2600 children, soldiers and families to attend Capitals games, volunteered with orphanages in Russia, and helped raise money for cancer, among other initiatives. Carlson helped raise money for brain cancer with the DIPG foundation. Backstrom helped raise money for So Kids Can, and has his own charity aimed at helping families with travel hockey costs called the NB19 Assist Scholarship Fund.
