"Capital" Punishment

For the first time in 18 years, the Washington Capitals have a legitimate chance to get to the Stanley Cup Final, and a even better chance of winning it this time around. Since being swept by the Detroit Red Wings in four games, the Caps, despite having a prolific offense, have never found their footing in the playoffs, having poor showing after poor showing, and often exiting the playoffs after the first or second round. For some reason, this year feels different, and for fans like myself, there is a certain buzz around the regular season dominance or punishment as I have called it in the title. But why and how have the Capitals been springboarded to the forefront this season, and kept their foot on the gas, with just about 5 weeks left in the season?

First of all, the Capitals made smart moves in the offseason. For the first time in what seemed like an age, the Capitals traded role players and draft picks for a solid player. The signing of T.J. Oshie from the St. Louis Blues was huge. The American Hero (see his exploits for the USA here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fyqsFXRiBI) The 29 year old American forward had an exceptional career with the Blues, but has blossomed into something even more this year with the Caps. With 2 other top 3 Elite forwards in Alex Ovechkin at Left Wing and Niklas Backstrom at Center, Oshie has the appropriate cast around him to really show off his skills.

The other smart move was picking up Justin Williams from the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have seen a resurgence in their playoff prowess that gave Kings fans a glimpse at the greatness "The Great One" Wayne Gretzky showed them when he wore the crown on his sweater. The Kings took the Stanley Cup in 2011 and 2013, and Williams was a part of both teams, and he brings the winning experience the Caps need to reach higher. While trades can help complete a team, developing players within your organization can galvanize an organization, and thats exactly what Washington did.

Braden Holtby and Evgeny Kuznetsov were both high draft picks, and quick to ascend to the NHL, and so far, the prowess of the Caps farm system, and particularly the Hershey Bears, has shown through in these two stars. Holtby played significant minutes for the Capitals in the past two playoff years, the first due to injury, and last year, after he won the job. He showed flashes of greatness, and "Held by Holtby" was a popular hashtag for the young net-minder during the playoffs. This year, Holtby isn't chasing a job, he's chasing records, and could be the first NHL goalie to win 50 games in a season, a feat that has never been done. Before this year, Holtby was consistently making crazy saves, but this year, he hasn't had to, you can see he has made an effort to be better, and not have to rely and raw talent to stop pucks.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, or Kuzy, has been the major offensive story this year. Alex Ovechkin will always be the focal point of the offense, and with good reason, as the Russian superstar reached the 500 career goal mark this year. But Kuzy has shown a talent for something more than offensive talent. Kuzy has become a critical piece of the offense, not just through his scoring ability, but through his passing and vision. Kuzy has become known for making ridicolous passes and make them look easy. See some of his crazy looks here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb-EzDtVklw

True success in the NHL is only found in the playoffs. You can win all the President's Trophy's you want, but it means nothing next to Stanley Cups. Only time will tell whether or not the changes I talked about will pay off for the Caps, but as fans we can only watch and hope that this year really is the year.

Cheers