Équipe: 2022-23 Capitals de Washington

Date de création initiale: 15 mai 2022

Publié: 15 mai 2022

Mode - plafond salarial: Basique

I honestly thought they would pull it off and upset the Panthers. They were so close to hitting the empty net in Game 4. Yeah not hitting the empty net and losing in OT stings, but they were up 3-0 in Game 5 with a solid chance to win and go back to DC for Game 6 with a chance to move on to the second round for the first time since 2018. They just blew it. I know the Panthers are known for comebacks but they just blew it. They were also leading 1-0 and 2-1 in Game 6. They fell behind 3-2 late, but managed to tie it with like a minute to go only to lose in overtime. They didn't have Tom Wilson and they still had a good chance of advancing. Samsonov played well after taking over in the middle of Game 2.
Their goaltending situation is iffy. Both Samsonov and Vanacek are RFAs. Neither of them put up great numbers. Do you keep that duo or try to sign a UFA. Fleury ain't coming to Washington and I bet Kuemper and Campbell resign with their current teams. The best UFA choice is Ville Husso. Husso outplayed Binnington and was the starter entering the playoffs but Binnington took the starting position back. Binnington is also on a large contract that would be hard to move. Unfortunately it looks like Husso probably not returning to St Louis because he'll likely cost too much.
Kuznetsov had his best season since the Cup winning season. Ovi put up the most points in a season since 2009-2010. (Remember he missed some games with injury/Covid protocol). John Carlson continues to rack up points. Tom Wilson had a career high in points. However Nick Backstrom, TJ Oshie, and Anthony Mantha all missed significant time in the regular season with injury. Lars Eller's point production is disappointing considering Backstrom missed more than 30 games. Eller could be traded especially if they pull the plug and decide to rebuilid. Mantha might be the easiest Top 6 F to trade because Oshie has a M-NTC and is way older.

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