How are the Caps doing so well this season?

[senseimike]

Hey guys,

Sens fan here- I come in peace! - So forgive me if I am a bit out of the loop- For the last few years, I remember thinking how the Caps seemed to be fine treading on being quasi competitive to support Ovie beat Gretzky and seemed to be the case coming into this season too. So I was wondering, what has been the secret to the team's success this year? Is it repeatable next season assuming the key roster pieces are back? Would def be cool to see Ovie beat the record and win another cup!

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[Fred22406Capsfan]

The old 'sum is greater than the parts' applies. The chemistry is insane. The team seems to look at it as "D is struggling? Let's score 5." or "O is struggling? Shutout or 1 goal game" happens. Tightly dialed in. Not perfect (who is) but this team can make a DEEP run as constructed.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Great coaching and locker room chemistry. Excellent leadership up and down the roster.

Their defense is terrific 1 thru 6, and their goaltending has been really good (especially Thompson).

Very deep team with very little true weakness.

All that said, no one expected this from them.

 

[43sfriends]

The weakness is a lot of good, effective role players but no one truly elite anywhere, with the possible exception of LT's recent play. We are so reliant on that good chemistry, camaraderie, and Carbery to continue to pull the right strings.

Way different team from 2018 and the President trophy teams the years before.

 

[stephenball]

It’s a rare case of having a lot of turnover in the offseason and every new piece somehow fitting in extremely well, both on the ice and in the room.

 

[DWGie26]

As others have mentioned, the biggest thing is culture from the top down. the room is incredibly tight and that translates to play.

In terms of players… i think the defense has completely pivoted. Chychrun coming in, Roy coming in, and Sandin really finding his game in the system. All those additions mean Carlson doesn’t have to play 25 minutes a game and carry all of the scoring. And he has looked great this year.

 

[Roshi]

Buying capfriendly. All the contracts in the books added value after the purchase.

 

[Kuz]

Hey guys,

Sens fan here- I come in peace! - So forgive me if I am a bit out of the loop- For the last few years, I remember thinking how the Caps seemed to be fine treading on being quasi competitive to support Ovie beat Gretzky and seemed to be the case coming into this season too. So I was wondering, what has been the secret to the team's success this year? Is it repeatable next season assuming the key roster pieces are back? Would def be cool to see Ovie beat the record and win another cup!

Chychrun and PLD who didnt fit on their last teams are perfect fits here. PLD might be the Caps best forward this year. Chychrun and Roy in have made the defence one of the best in the NHL. Sandin also taking a step up helps aswell.

Protas and McM have both taken a big leap in their development and Wilson is finally looking more like he did before the injury. So the top 6 is overall very good and hard to play against (A lot of size in PLD, Protas, Wilson and Ovi. Protas, McM, Wilson and PLD also plays very good defence and can win the puck back).

The 4th line led by Dowd is also one of the best in the League. The third line have been more average and where most Caps fan see potential for inprovement.

Then you have Thompson who have been one of the best goalies in the league.

 

[Random schmoe]

As far as their ability to sustain it into next season, some of that depends on whether they re-sign Chychrun and Thompson who are both major positive contributors. And then the question of what they can get out of prospects like Leonard and Cristall.

 

[qc14]

Their group on defense is probably the best 1-6 in the league or at minimum in the top 5. This was bolstered by really smart pickups in the summer in Chychrun and Roy but also there was a lot of good already there to work with -- Carlson is for my money one of the most underrated players of this generation and a borderline HoFer, Sandin took a massive step forward, and Fehervary and TvR are perfect complimentary guys. Both their goalies have been great as well, and the forward group has had just enough guys with really good seasons -- Wilson, PLD, and Protas leading the way -- to push them out of the WC chasers into really good.

 

[Devil Dancer]

There are some similarities to the 2018 Golden Knights team.

• No superstars, but solid contributions throughout the lineup.
• Good coaching, structure and buy-in.
• Cast-offs motivated to perform.
• A few players making the jump from marginal NHLers to strong contributors.
• Great goaltending.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Literally every move they've made has worked out beautifully. It's a master class in general managing.

Free agents in order of impact:

1. Chychrun
2. Pierre Luc-Dubois
3. Thompson
4. Roy
5. Mangiapane
6. Vrana
7. Duhaime
8. Raddysh

^^^Every single one of them is playing well. Some are playing like all stars.

Young players taking big steps forward:

1. Protas
2. Sandin
3. McMichael
4. Frank

Core players from before playing well:

1. John Carlson
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Tom Wilson
4. Strome
5. Dowd
6. TVR

Coaching has been great.

The crazy thing is, they have some serious prospects that haven't even come up yet (Leonard, Cristall, Miroshnichenko, Cole Hutson, Mateiko, Ilya Protas, Parascak, etc.). So they're doing all of this while maintaining a very healthy pipeline of future talent.

 

[DWGie26]

Literally every move they've made has worked out beautifully. It's a master class in general managing.

Free agents in order of impact:

1. Chychrun
2. Pierre Luc-Dubois
3. Thompson
4. Roy
5. Mangiapane
6. Vrana
7. Duhaime
8. Raddysh

^^^Every single one of them is playing well. Some are playing like all stars.

Good summary and pretty much spot on except i rank the additions differently:

1. PLD
2. Chychrun
3. Thompson
4. Raddysh
5. Duhaime
6. Roy
7. mangiapane
8. Vrana

I would say the top 6 are meeting or exceeding expectations. 7 and 8 have been fine adds. Don’t hate any of them.

 

[AllAlphas]

Literally every move they've made has worked out beautifully. It's a master class in general managing.

Free agents in order of impact:

1. Chychrun
2. Pierre Luc-Dubois
3. Thompson
4. Roy
5. Mangiapane
6. Vrana
7. Duhaime
8. Raddysh

^^^Every single one of them is playing well. Some are playing like all stars.

Young players taking big steps forward:

1. Protas
2. Sandin
3. McMichael
4. Frank

Core players from before playing well:

1. John Carlson
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Tom Wilson
4. Strome
5. Dowd
6. TVR

Coaching has been great.

The crazy thing is, they have some serious prospects that haven't even come up yet (Leonard, Cristall, Miroshnichenko, Cole Hutson, Mateiko, Ilya Protas, Parascak, etc.). So they're doing all of this while maintaining a very healthy pipeline of future talent.

I'd throw Fehervary and Lindgren onto the "core players playing well" list above Dowd and TVR, and move Vrana down below Duhaime and Raddysh on the free agents list. Probably put Eller on there just above Raddysh as well.
The top three on your free agents list are a toss up for me as they have all been playing at an All Star level and each has had major impacts on games where they have taken over and put the team on their backs. It's been incredibly fun to watch each of these guys step up!
Otherwise nice rankings.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Good summary and pretty much spot on except i rank the additions differently:

1. PLD
2. Chychrun
3. Thompson
4. Raddysh
5. Duhaime
6. Roy
7. mangiapane
8. Vrana

I would say the top 6 are meeting or exceeding expectations. 7 and 8 have been fine adds. Don’t hate any of them.

I'm higher on Roy than most.

His stats don't jump out but he's taking the hardest defensive assignments, taking the most defensive zone starts (along with Fehervary and TVR), and he's a PITA for opponents to deal with in the crease and along the boards. Roy is playing an important role IMO. The Caps are #3 in the NHL in GA/GP. This is a common indicator for Stanley cup champions.

Carlson and Chychrun are getting the points and the glory, but you need a guy like Roy too who can play low event hockey and win.

 

[Ridley Simon]

I'd throw Fehervary and Lindgren onto the "core players playing well" list above Dowd and TVR, and move Vrana down below Duhaime and Raddysh on the free agents list. Probably put Eller on there just above Raddysh as well.
The top three on your free agents list are a toss up for me as they have all been playing at an All Star level and each has had major impacts on games where they have taken over and put the team on their backs. It's been incredibly fun to watch each of these guys step up!
Otherwise nice rankings

Literally every move they've made has worked out beautifully. It's a master class in general managing.

Free agents in order of impact:

1. Chychrun
2. Pierre Luc-Dubois
3. Thompson
4. Roy
5. Mangiapane
6. Vrana
7. Duhaime
8. Raddysh

^^^Every single one of them is playing well. Some are playing like all stars.

Young players taking big steps forward:

1. Protas
2. Sandin
3. McMichael
4. Frank

Core players from before playing well:

1. John Carlson
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Tom Wilson
4. Strome
5. Dowd
6. TVR

Coaching has been great.

The crazy thing is, they have some serious prospects that haven't even come up yet (Leonard, Cristall, Miroshnichenko, Cole Hutson, Mateiko, Ilya Protas, Parascak, etc.). So they're doing all of this while maintaining a very healthy pipeline of future talent.

Only thing I’d say, and it being picky — but here goes:

PLD
Chychrun
Thompson
Mangiapane
Eller

None were free agents. All were traded for - which I honestly think in many ways is a lot MORE impressive an accomplishment than just signing FA’s.

And those top 3 have that the largest impact, IMO (I’d put Roy 4th, Raddysh 5th — only due to usage rates; Mangiapane 6th, Duhaime 7th, Eller 8th, and Vrana 9th.

But that’s just me

 

[DWGie26]

I'm higher on Roy than most.

His stats don't jump out but he's taking the hardest defensive assignments, taking the most defensive zone starts (along with Fehervary and TVR), and he's a PITA for opponents to deal with in the crease and along the boards. Roy is playing an important role IMO. The Caps are #3 in the NHL in GA/GP. This is a common indicator for Stanley cup champions.

Carlson and Chychrun are getting the points and the glory, but you need a guy like Roy too who can play low event hockey and win.

I like Roy as well. He is meeting expectations (which were high) and he is part of the renewed defense. Not the same defense if Ethan Bear, McIlrath, or Iorio is in the top 6. But i have loved how Duhaime and Raddysh have stepped in. Raddysh has been up the lineup quite a bit as well.

 

[The Consiglieri]

Hey guys,

Sens fan here- I come in peace! - So forgive me if I am a bit out of the loop- For the last few years, I remember thinking how the Caps seemed to be fine treading on being quasi competitive to support Ovie beat Gretzky and seemed to be the case coming into this season too. So I was wondering, what has been the secret to the team's success this year? Is it repeatable next season assuming the key roster pieces are back? Would def be cool to see Ovie beat the record and win another cup!

Honestly, as a Caps Fan out on the West Coast, I only slowly began to realize in December that this team was actually good, and not some kind of short sample size trap squad. I've been calling for the Gm to blow up the team since the summer of '17 (need to be honest, I called for it starting after the failed "all in in '17 trade fest that failed), and I accelerated the hell out of that in '19 after conceding that they had to give a season over to defending their title and had been growing ever more frustrated starting in '20 as they clearly seemed to prioritize Ovy's Goals record, over the long term health of the franchise, when they badly needed to reboot, trade the vets for picks and prospects like they did after the post '98 run collapse (which admittedly failed, just about all the assets acquired for guys like Oates and others all flamed out 20+ years ago, only the team totally imploding from '04-'07 really allowed it to rebuild with primo picks, and a likely dynasty was wrecked by the '04-'05 lockout, which screwed us out of the most lottery balls in the Sidney Crosby draft). I've been incredibly frustrated until they seemed to take the recent deadlines as an opportunity to acquire picks in piles to help reboot.

This offseason I was 1000% confused by what they were doing, I didn't really understand retooling a roster that wasn't good enough to begin with, even if I did like the Strome signing to some degree (solid player), and loved the PLD trade (trading an ancient goalie for an interesting former elite to very good prospect with 60-80 points capability seemed a no brainer), but I still was baffled. We'd been dragging around a bottom 10 farm system for more than a decade, we'd added handfuls of good prospects but never enough to reboot properly so I assumed we'd be another 8 seed or fold team at the deadline and I hated it. If you're gonna suck, go full suck, if you're a legit contender, contend, that's always been my philosophy in all sports that have drafts. The one thing you can't be is .500ish (unless you've already done the tanking years, and are starting to move forward, and that .500 caliber season is a part of the rise from rock bottom) and it felt like this offseason was an attempt to give Ovy enough tools to be able to beat the record by the end of this season or early in '25, and the long term health, again, was not a concern.

And this has happened? The team has been flat out ridiculous watching from afar (I haven't seen it close up), win after win after win, we haven't had a loss that wasn't an OT loss in ages, and indeed since freaking Thanksgiving we have 4 total regulation losses in our past 26 games, so essentially when we do lose, we're peeling a point out of the encounter to ameliorate whatever negatives might have come (18 wins, 4 OT losses, and 4 regulation losses). Its just amazing, anyway, I just wanted to post this before reading it, because essentially, I'd been ignoring this run until by late December, early January, when they started another run (after 4 losses in 7 games, I think all of them OT losses, in mid to late December), even the NHL covering media seemed to spend December waving away this run assuming it was a fiction, but at this point, holy ----, they're just legit good. Nobody is within 6 points that's played as many games as us (46), and it seems like its not any superstar carrying us, it's just a team effort, period, nobody is a superstar, its just commitment. Admittedly, the Stanley Cup seems to usually be dominated by hot goalies and attacking players, rather than balanced teams like ours, but maybe Ovy has another run left in him, he's certainly had superb #'s when healthy this year. It's been a great lesson in humility for me. I still believe in my process, but its a good reminder that in sports, anything can happen.