Can they repeat?

[Chris18]

Backstrom stepping away from the Caps due to injury issues.

https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2751418

[Pokecheque]

Backstrom stepping away from the Caps due to injury issues.

https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2751418

Enjoy Robidas Island, Nik.

Great player in his prime. Don't think a better center could have been found for Ovechkin, and there he was in the draft immediately following his rookie season. As I'm sure everyone remembers, #8 himself announced the pick.

[Pokecheque]

What a weird, crazy year in Washington. Basically faceplant to start the year and Ovechkin does absolutely nothing to start the season. But somehow, despite a goal differential near or right at minus-30, are right in the mix for a playoff spot, mostly due to 30-year-old backup goalie Charlie Lindgren usurping the starting role from Darcy Kuemper and running with it. They also now have a deadly power play again and slowly but surely, Ovechkin is back up to 20-plus goals again and only 50 away from the record. They have an insanely good record in one-goal games.

Basically, they're winning games 2-1 or losing them 7-3. There is no in between.

And of course, Tom Wilson just couldn't stay out of trouble. He's being offered an in-person hearing for this obviously intentional and vicious high-stick in last night's game. I don't buy his "You okay bro?" act after the fact for a second.

https://youtu.be/nlvo-UISTl8?si=N-HXzxuzCD9ogciq" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[E.L.]

TJ Oshie needs to retire. He said a broken hand was a hangnail compared to his chronic back pain, and that his back is so bad he's "usually on the floor peeing into water bottles.”

It sounds bad!

[Pokecheque]

TJ Oshie needs to retire. He said a broken hand was a hangnail compared to his chronic back pain, and that his back is so bad he's "usually on the floor peeing into water bottles.”

It sounds bad!

Yeah he needs to hang them up. There's literally nothing more to prove. He's got his ring and silver stick.

Caps will likely try and load up just enough to get Ovie his record and then blow it up. Gonna be very interesting to see how they handle the offseason, even Carbery in his exit interview was pretty honest that there's real uncertainty as to how to improve the team.

[E.L.]

TJ Oshie needs to retire. He said a broken hand was a hangnail compared to his chronic back pain, and that his back is so bad he's "usually on the floor peeing into water bottles.”

It sounds bad!

Yeah he needs to hang them up. There's literally nothing more to prove. He's got his ring and silver stick.

Caps will likely try and load up just enough to get Ovie his record and then blow it up. Gonna be very interesting to see how they handle the offseason, even Carbery in his exit interview was pretty honest that there's real uncertainty as to how to improve the team.

Dylan Strome was a nice add because he didn't break the bank, puts up points and is only 27. I'd mine the non-tenders and young UFAs for another guy like that. I could see Kotkaniemi landing here after he's bought out in Carolina.

They have some good young players to coincide with Backstrom and Oshie on Robidas Island: Lapierre, Protas, McMichael, Miroshnichenko, Sandin, Iorio with Leonard/Cristall coming in a year is a decent start before the inevitable lottery picks come in post-Ovi era.

[Pokecheque]

Meh, neither Strome brother does much for me. Dylan is a slow, perimeter guy who I suppose puts up some points but is pretty marginal. I suppose for a team that's clearly going for #8's record and literally nothing else, he's a decent guy to have on the roster.

Still can't believe a team THAT BAD made it to the postseason. But somehow Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia all managed to be worse, so...

[E.L.]

Caps are collecting underperforming centres to feed Ovi the biscuit: first Dylan Strome, now Pierre-Luc Dubois.

[E.L.]

Caps are collecting underperforming centres to feed Ovi the biscuit: first Dylan Strome, now Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Caps keep it up by adding Mangiapane from Calgary for a 2nd rounder. Easy to forget they did squeak into the playoffs last year. This makes them better, even if they still stink overall.

[Pokecheque]

Caps continue to retool, now acquiring Jakob Chychrun for Nick Jensen and a pick.

Chychrun had the unfortunate bad luck of liking a wackadoo conspiracy theorist post on Twitter/X before Elon made all likes private, that definitely soured his public rep a bit, fairly or unfairly.

[E.L.]

Every losing team is coming away from these playoffs thinking they need to get Tom Wilson tough, only the Caps are about to get bounced by the supposedly soft Canes. Go figure.