300 days since Alexander Ovechkin was shorted a chance at another 50 goal season, with 8 meaningful games played since (during which the Capitals scored a total of a whopping 13 goals), your Washington Hockey Team is finally back, and better than ever. Or at least better than last year. Which might be good enough to get a shot at the semi-finals. And that should count for something. Right?
Let's cut right to the chase. 21 bold predictions for 2021:
1. Ovechkin will not win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the leading goal scorer in the regular season. With David Pastrnak on the shelf to begin the season, most pundits are predicting that Auston Matthews will be crowned top shooter. But the smart money is on Leon Draisatl, who just keeps getting better, and now has even more tools around him. Don't worry, Caps fans, Ovie will still dominate, pot 30 or so goals, and move up the ladder in a few all-time categories. But he won't lead the team in goals scored for the first time in his career. That's because...
2. Jakub Vrana will lead the Capitals in goals scored. A compact schedule will necessitate more rest for the Capitals grey beards. Ovie will still play a ton, but Oshie will probably get scaled back a bit, possibly giving Vrana some chances on the first power play unit, but more importantly also giving him some more time with Tom Wilson on his opposite wing. Wilson is a better skater, and is better in transition, which is Vrana's bread and butter. Further, Vrana who has scored exactly 1 power play goal in each of his full NHL seasons, will be the focal point of the second unit, which will have a few more weapons to work with. One of those weapons, who will quarterback the second unit, will earn Vrana a huge pay increase. That weapon is none other than...
3. Justin Schultz will make a big comeback. After three seasons of diminishing returns, Justin Schultz returns to form, scoring 35+ points and giving the Capitals much needed goal scoring support from the back end. New Head Coach Peter Laviolette is notorious for operating with an aggressive defense corps, which should help with zone entry, one of the Capitals weak points last season. Speaking of zone entry...
4. The Capitals will eliminate the slingshot zone entry on the power play. Haha, just kidding.
But the power play will improve, as there are now two legitimate waves of attackers. The second wave will get a higher percentage of power play time too, as Ovechkin's ice time will scale back a bit (see: point 2). But the real change on special teams will be...
5. The Capitals will sport the best penalty killing in the NHL. Washington finished with the 11st best PK on the circuit last season, but with some obvious regression from teams ahead of them (Pittsburgh, Boston, Arizona, and Carolina), and a shored up left side of the defense, the Capitals will improve markedly with a man down. However, they will still...
6. Take way too many penalties. This might not be the worst thing in the world, since with the compressed schedule against (mostly) rivals, the Capitals are the bully on the block. But the team will lose some winnable games because of dumb penalties, causing...
7. The Capitals will not win the division. In the regular season, at least. But they will win the divisional bracket when it matters most, the playoffs. Speaking of the playoffs...
8. The Penguins will miss the playoffs. And it will be joyous. Although we would rather see another Caps/Pens series, it won't be this year.
9. Taylor Hall will sign a long-term deal to stay in Buffalo. Debuting against the Capitals on opening night, he will gel with centerman Jack Eichel, who doesn't just make players around him better, he makes them elite. In the same vein, Eichel picks up the Art Ross and the Hart Trophy, after leading the Sabres back to the playoffs. Speaking of awards...
10. John Carlson will win the Norris Trophy. He shouldn't, since he is not good defensively, but after back to back seasons scoring north of a point per game, the neophyte corsi-crunchers will have their way and Carlson will earn some hardware. He'll have no one to thank more than...
11. Ilya Samsonov will be a Vezina Trophy finalist. Oddly, since he will finish somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 games, which will be a great transition for someone who has never played more than 37 games in a season. However, due to Hank Lundqvist's unexpected surgery, the Capitals had to scramble to figure out the backup situation, and were left standing when the music stopped. But have no fear...
12. The Capitals will trade for a backup goaltender. It will be expensive, though, costing one of Jonas Siegenthaler, Martin Fehevary, or Dmitry Orlov. Given what we are expecting about Vrana's playing himself into a Braden Point like deal, we are expecting one of the younger guys to be out the door. Also leaving, after the season, will be...
12. TJ Oshie will be selected in the Expansion Draft and will become the Seattle Kraken's inaugural captain. We'll all cry a little on the inside, but it is a good fit for both teams and the player. And it will only cost a mid-round draft pick to guarantee they take the American hockey hero. Also gone will be...
13. Richard Panik, who never quite fit, will be traded during the season. Daniel Sprong will take his spot on the fourth, line, forcing the Capitals' hand. Sprong, and fellow newcomer Conor Sheary, will both have strong seasons, further highlighting the team's ability to sniff out bargain talent. Speaking of bargains...
14. Nicklas Backstrom, after another strong two-way season, will still not be a Selke candidate. That belongs to Ryan O'Reilly, who snatches the trophy back from Sean Couturier. But that's no match for...
15. Evgeny Kuznetsov will not be suck on faceoffs this year. He will just be bad, but not as bad as before, as Vrana rounds out his game and learns to help out at the dot. It doesn't hurt that the only three teams with worse faceoff numbers than the Caps are all part of the realigned division. Speaking of realignment...
16. With 8 chances, Brad Marchand finally gets what's coming. The Capitals have long memories, and with more opportunities to pick apart that disgusting face-licker, Tom Wilson will lay the beatdown on the dirtiest player in the game today, causing...
17. Tom Wilson will be suspended. This is probably not a bold prediction, but he will get a one-gamer for instigating a fight in the last five minutes. Better make it worth it.
18. Tom Wilson will lead the league in penalty minutes. After finishing top ten in each of his previous NHL seasons, Top Line Tommy will finally be the champ. We'll be able to thank Brendan Lemieux for this. Joining Wilson will be...
19. Garnet Hathaway and Brendan Dillon will finish top 10 in penalty minutes. Dillon loves minor penalties more than anything else in the world, and Hathaway is going to grow into more of a pest as he tries to cling onto his roster spot.
20. Lars Eller will continue his playoff heroics. One of the heroes of the 2018 Cup run, Eller will build his legend even more while leading the team in game-winning goals in the 'loffs. The second season will...
21. The Capitals will reach the Stanley Cup Final, but lose. Edmonton is this blog's pick to win it all, as an improved McDavid and returning MVP Draisatl lead a team that can score its way out of any problems.
