2011-12 NHL Team Preview: Washington Capitals
OK, Washington. I’m finally ready to take you seriously. For years under coach Bruce Boudreau, you’ve had the league’s most exciting offense. But, for years, you’ve failed to address glaring needs at goaltender and defense.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Stanley Cup odds: +700
Finally, you stepped up in the 2011 offseason. Does that mean it’s time to plan a Stanley Cup parade in D.C.?
By and large, the 2010-11 season was considered a failure for the Washington Capitals. Expected to make a deep playoff run, they were tossed aside like nothing in a four-game sweep against Tampa Bay in the second round.
But hope is not lost. I believe Caps fans will look back at 2010-11 as a year of growing pains for the Caps, the year they realized that reinventing themselves was not the answer, the year they finally added the personnel needed for them to flourish.
Under Bruce Boudreau, the Capitals were a run-and-gun team for several seasons. Why not? With Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Semin, three of the best offensive hockey players on Earth, you take the shackles off. You let them run wild and watch the 50-goal, 100-point seasons pile up.
But last year was different. The Caps struggled early in the season (perhaps distracted by appearing on the HBO series 24/7 Penguins/Capitals) and Boudreau decided to reinvent the team as more defensive-minded. As a result, they allowed the fourth-fewest goals in the NHL.
But this explosive offensive team also slipped to 19th in scoring and 16th on the power-play. Ovechkin slipped from 50 to 32 goals; Backstrom slipped from 101 to 65 points; Semin slipped from 40 to 28 goals; and dynamic offensive defenseman Mike Green disappeared off the map, tumbling from a 76-point season to just 24 points in 49 games. [ad-4437448]
Boudreau put shackles on his snipers, not letting them do what they do best. It messed up the team chemistry. When the goaltending from Michael Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov didn’t deliver in crunch time in the playoffs, the Caps were left with nothing.
The 2011-12 blueprint, however, suggests the Caps will return to their bread and butter. The biggest offseason move was nabbing goaltender Tomas Vokoun for next to nothing. He’s as underrated as any goalie in the game, having posted a save percentage of .922 or better three straight seasons.
Vokoun is good enough that he can bail out any Washington forwards who fail to backcheck. He essentially gives the team more freedom to play aggressive offensive hockey.
It also helps that the Caps’ blueline looks improved for 2011-12. Youngsters John Carlson and Karl Alzner will keep developing; Dennis Wideman will add depth playing a full season with the team; and offseason acquisition Roman Hamrlik will eat minutes and contribute a bit of physicality. Better support will let Green freewheel more. This defense corps may not be the toughest in the league but it’s deep.
With the back end of the ice looking much stronger, Washington’s offense should bounce back in a big way this season. The Caps also have the goalie they need to steal games and take them deep in the playoffs. A No. 1 seed in the East and a trip to the Cup final are well within reach.
Prediction: 1st, Southeast Division
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