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- Remarkably successful 2046-'47 season. With a homegrown roster built on key attributes and chemistry, we went further than almost everyone had predicted for us (shout-out to doubters Timmy and Thayner
who I beat on the way there ^_^). Losing to an extremely talented Minnesota group, the Caps put together their first Stanley Cup Finals trip in twelve-years! Ironically, the last time they won (with Rahim, the fool!) they steamrolled my Cinderella-story Devils 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Final before going on to win it all against Matt's timeless Kings. - Despite all that, numerous knocks against the Caps remain. Overly-reliant on St. Pierre, they fell to a powerhouse Minnesota team with a whimper when he went out on injury (a 4-3 loss in the final game without him, but with him that could've been a win). The Caps defense was slow and ineffective, with pylons Barrett Lawson and Eric Gooch exemplifying this trend- while also being overly reliant on two unproven rookies (who performed admirably but not outstandingly) and lacking a real offensive threat. The Caps bottom-six had too many low-end Hershey vets producing and providing little, exacerbating the team's scoring problems even further. Most of all however, the Caps second line had spotty production; in order for them to succeed, that would have to pick up, which is something GM Midas weighed heavily going into the 2047-'48 offseason.
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- Caps are going all-in this year and aspire to win the Cup.
- Caps saw considerable turnover this year, with former star winger Jaromír Duben (37/30/67/7.37) and bottom-six Hershey Bears graduates Jan Haueter (13/15/28/7.00), Gennady Yakutsenya (0/0/0/0), and Gage Schaefer (2/2/4/6.65), as well as two firsts and a 2nd moving to division rivals Florida in exchange for former Norris candidate Jean-Louis Adams (10/44/54/7.38) and steady right-winger sniper Ivo Suchý (28/27/55/7.20). Caps also acquired defenseman veteran Kamil Augusta (9/38/47/7.47) from the Los Angeles Kings for a 1st round pick, and signed ex-San Jose speedster Roope Jortikka (29/42/71/7.41) to a three year contract at 6 mil (2 each).
- Caps core remains intact, with all-star center Paul St. Pierre (63/57/128/7.93) leading a diverse squad that includes speedy Swedish left-winger Bobby Claesson (45/69/114/7.87), defensive Czech winger Patrik Kverka (6/21/27/7.44), all-round Czech sophomore Petr Brendl (16/31/47/7.36), misfit Czech winger Petr Štefl (50/47/97/7.67), steady Caps lifer Kamil Moravec (25/26/51/7.37) and third-line two-way center Rémy Lemay (9/15/24/6.74). On D, veteran Czech defender Robin Míka (14/49/63/7.55) and Russian bruiser Roman Yakutsenya (8/36/44/7.46) remain in key positions, while rookies Tristan Sauer (7/14/24/7.27) and Laine Bellefleur (0/34/34/7.21) have earned themselves permanent spots on the roster. Finnish stalwart Jari Ronkainen (239/3.20/0.900/7.15) will remain the primary goaltender.
- Caps prospect cupboard lacks top-end talent, as it's either on our roster or has been moved in trades, but it is not bare. Josef Neckar (41/38/79/7.74, AHL), possible depth center Milloš Čech (7/9/16/6.98 in Czech Extraliga), and possible depth center Barry Magee (28/25/53/7.32 in AHL) all show some future promise, and Neckar especially is likely to bounce back between leagues. Center Christian Bordeleau (6/8/14/7.12 in AHL) will get a start on the Caps fourth-line this year as well.
- Caps strengths going into 2047-'48 will be experience (having added loads of veteran talent), depth (can handle temporary injuries in most positions without huge shock to team quality), and top-end talent (can boast having one of the tightest d-cores in the league and a world-class center). Their weaknesses will be injury risk (age is a factor) and offensive uncertainty (new acquisitions unproven, may still be reliant on St. Pierre for production).
- Long-term, the Caps will likely need to reinvigorate the franchise within two-to-three years (by 2050-'51 at the latest). A lack of rookie talent for the next two drafts and a dearth of goaltending talent likely means that this time's life is as long as Ronk's. St. Pierre and Adams will always keep this franchise from falling through the basement, but "win-now, lose-later" remains the team mantra.
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- Caps will top their division with all four of the other Southeast teams in the midst of rebuilds new and old. Expect to see us competing for 1st or 2nd place in the East, with shout outs to Thayner's revamped New York Islanders, Timmy's New York Rangers, and Tom's Toronto Maple Leafs. Also shout outs to dark-horses with Keith's Philadelphia Flyers, Kyle's Buffalo Sabres and Vic's Montreal Canadiens- who look good coming into next season.
- St. Pierre and his linemates will be in the league's top-ten for scoring, while a very strong defensive core (lead by Mika and Adams) will help keep this team competitive in the lowest goals-against category. I expect very strong special-teams, more so on powerplay than the penalty kill (though that should improve too) that will elevate our play and make us a definite threat in the East.
- Big question marks are: (1) can the Caps stay healthy? and (2) how will they fare against front-heavy offensive teams (who they barely held-off against last year). The first is up to luck, but we will likely see at least one two-month hit to one of our top players (Adams has a history of injury, though not in recent years, and St. Pierre has been known to go down during the stretch- but never for very long). The second is all up to the Caps' second and third lines and whether they'll be able to put points on the board. If they can, this team should be very competitive for the cup.
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- TBD, as we still have some offseason moves yet to make, but at the moment this is the plan.
- 1st line: (LW) Claesson - (C) St. Pierre - (RW) Jortikka / (LD) Mika - (RD) Adams
- 2nd line: (LW) Kverka - (C) Brendl - (RW) Suchý / (LD) Yakutsenya - (RD) Augusta
- 3rd line: (LW) Moravec - (C) Neckar - (RW) Stefl / (LD) Sauer - (RD) Bellefleur
- 4th line: (LW) Robitaille - (C) Bordeleau - (RW) Lemay