GM: John Charles
Coach: Mike Babcock
Last season: 23rd overall. Missed the playoffs.
Ins and Outs
(Season 14 to Season 15)
In: Albert Sjoberg (draft), Cody Ceci (free agent), Adam Pelech (free agent);
Out: Gurkan Cetinkaya (free agent), Jason Zucker (free agent), Josh Anderson (free agent), Jake Bean (buy out)
Potential Lineup
Kirill Kaprizov/Scott Conway/Sam Reinhart
Albert Sjoberg/Dylan Strome/Tomas Hyka
Dominik Kubalik/Nolan Patrick/Jesse Puljujarvi
Joel Farabee/Kirby Dach/Filip Zadina
Jamie Drysdale/Dmitry Kulikov
Alexander Weiss/Shea Theodore
Cody Ceci/Andong Song
Jakub Kovar/Jeremy Swayman
Three Questions
1. What difference will a year make? The Capitals’ roster won’t change much from last year, but if you look at the ages and attributes of the players, you will see that as a whole, they got more experienced and better overall than the Season 14 version of the team. Edinburgh could provide a surprise this season in the league because if you look up and down the roster, the Caps have great depth from top to bottom. Not a player on the list – farm club included – has an OV rating under 71 and most are 74 or higher. Injuries won’t bother this team as much as they will for most of the teams in the league. And an almost imperceptible change that could make a big difference is a change of coaches. Bob Boughner was loved by the players, the city and management, and he was in charge in Edinburgh for years. But he had to go. What he was saying wasn’t resonating with the players anymore. Mike Babcock is a much better X’s and O’s coach and he should provide a structure this young team needs.
2. Where is improvement needed? Edinburgh is strong in goal but needs to improve everywhere, apparently. They were last in the league in shots per game and last in shots against per game. While the best of the forward lines and defense corps will be good, they could probably use a star or two to push them to a few more wins. Sam Reinhart and Kirill Kaprizov have skill and smarts and both could benefit from a center with top-class ability. Dylan Strome is getting there, but both he and Scott Conway seem more like excellent second-line centers and struggling top liners right now. On defense, the addition of free agent Cody Ceci makes up for the loss of the league’s top shot blocker, Gurkan Cetinkaya, who left via free agency and Andong Song will get a chance to start with the big club again after playing just 16 games last season.
3. What is most exciting about the Capitals? We predict Scottish fans are going to gladly pay the ticket price to see the flashy youngsters that have been brought into the team this season. Jamie Drysdale gave them a glimpse of his offensive talents last season and he could start the season on the top defensive pairing with veteran Dmitry Kulikov. Among the forwards, Albert Sjoberg, the 24-year-old Swede taken 3rd overall in the draft, has offensive talent like few we’ve see before. Sjoberg jerseys have been flying off store shelves in Scotland and throughout Europe. Sjoberg knows he is expected to provide a jolt of production to the Caps squad from Day One. Kirill Kaprizov, who is ahead of Sjoberg on the depth chart, scored 59 points as a 24-year-old last season, and Sjoberg’s passing rating is even higher than “The Thrill’s.” And then there’s a forward line with a very bright future in Kirby Dach, Filip Zadina and Joel Farabee, not to mention young gunners Dominik Kubalik, Jesse Puljujarvi and Nolan Patrick. All eight aforementioned forwards are 25 or younger with PO ratings of 82 or higher. Hang in their Edinburgh fans, your time is coming.
Rose’s Focus
“Edinburgh’s defense was on their heels most of the season and being a hockey genius, I can tell you why. The Capitals finished last in the league in goals scored and – more importantly as far as the defense was concerned – last in shots per game. And their powerplay was, well, I think the Scottish word for dismal is “Aaaacchhhh!” That hurt my throat a little. I plan to put on some of my best plaid outfits and approach new coach Mike Babcock about giving center Dylan Strome more ice time. I think he is just about to mature into a strong offensive player. And my niece likes his cute eyes, she said. “
