GM: John Charles
Coach: Mike Babcock
Last season: 19th overall. Missed the playoffs.
Ins and Outs
(Season 15 to Season 16)
In: John Klingberg (free agent), Anthony DeAngelo (free agent), Zach Benson (draft),
Out: Alexander Weiss (free agent), Matt Grzelcyk (free agent), Tobias Brighenti (free agent), Leon Draisaitl (free agent), Kasperi Kapanen (free agent)
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/John Klingberg
Anthony DeAngelo/Shea Theodore
Cody Ceci/Dmitry Kulikov
Jakub Kovar/Jeremy Swayman
A Question
What will the Capitals look like this season? An awful lot like how they looked last season, when they moved 11 points and 4 places up the league standings. If you look at the forward lines Coach Mike Babcock has penciled in, they are totally unchanged. Exactly the same. All four of them. Kirill Kaprizov and Sam Reinhart, the wings on the top line, are both 97-rating shooters and the center Scott Conway is a 97 passer, so that makes a lot of sense. The addition of offense-minded John Klingberg should increase the chances Conway & Co. get in the opposition end as long as the Caps don’t get stuck in their own zone for long periods. On the second line, LW Albert Sjoberg didn’t win Rookie of the Year with his 51-point league debut, but he is smooth as silk – buttery silk, if you will – with the puck and his ceiling is very high. And like Klingberg will do for the top line, Defenseman Anthony DeAngelo was signed to work pucks up to Sjoberg, Dylan Strome and sharpshooter Tomas Hyka on the second line. Making the playoffs in the tough Northern Conference is difficult, but the Caps seem settled and on course for a good season. And with their stockpile of high potential forwards – including Zach Benson who will graduate to Websim in April, a month ahead of his 19th birthday – they have an undeniably bright future.
Rose’s Focus
“I have been to Edinburgh, Scotland, and I’ve been to Edinboro, Pennsylvania, and I’m here to tell you I don’t understand the attraction to either. Both places have dismal, cold weather most of the year, and both places are loaded with loaded people. Beer drinking isn’t the most important thing in the world, people. I’ve worn skirts most of my life, just like the men in Scotland do. It’s not that great. Still, Edinburgh General Manager John Charles seemed to have no trouble getting his free agents to re-up for more time with the team. Thirty-year-old Czech forward Tomas Hyka had the highest shooting percentage on the team last year, scored 28 goals, and was a good two-way player. He decided to stay in Scotland. So did his 32-year-old countryman Jakub Kovar, fresh off 10 seasons as the team’s number one goalie. He will be back for at least two more seasons. On top of that, Charles was able to pick up two good offensive defensemen as free agents in the off season. So there must be something enjoyable about the Capitals and Scotland. Maybe I’ll use that desperate Choiniere guy to take me there for a weekend so I can try to figure out what’s what.”
