Throughout the month of August, PHT will be dedicating a day to all 30 NHL clubs. Today’s team? The Washington Capitals.
If ever there was an accurate way to describe the Capitals season last year it was a roller coaster ride. At one point they were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and looking like a team that made a mistake hiring Adam Oates as their new head coach.
That’s when the team finally got comfortable in his new system and Alex Ovechkin took over on his way to a Hart Trophy-winning season. Scoring a league-leading 32 goals in a shortened season and looking like the Ovi of old had fans in Washington believing whatever Oates was selling.
While the team took down a very weak Southeast Division on their way to another division title, they bowed out yet again to the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. With a full season to work with, Oates has a real test ahead of him in a new division.
Offseason recap
Things were shaping up to be yet another quiet summer in D.C. until recently when GM George McPhee made, arguably, the best signing of the summer landing recently bought out centerman Mikhail Grabovski. The Capitals’ glaring weakness was at their second center spot after Mike Ribeiro grumpily bolted to Phoenix. Grabovski gives them a guy who will push their offense and score goals as well.
The team had a buyout of their own in defenseman Jeff Schultz who moved on to Los Angeles. Free agents Ribeiro, Matt Hendricks (Nashville), and Joey Crabb (Florida) all landed elsewhere while the team made some depth signings to help fill out their AHL roster in Hershey.
Here’s to hoping new blue liner Tyson Strachan (signed from Florida) doesn’t have an awkward first day on the job with Jason Chimera.
The Capitals are sticking to their guns with the roster the way they had it, for the most part, last season. That’s not a new strategy in Washington, but maybe this time it can prove to be successful.
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