Washington Capitals

Capitals Loss Bad for Fans and Team - Great for Rest of the League
May 21, 2017, 11:27 AM ET [38 Comments]
James Tanner
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The post playoff let down has been tough for the Capitals and their fans.

They were the President's Trophy winner for the second time in a row, and the third time in Ovechkin's tenure. They hadn't made it past the second round before (during this iteration of the team) and this year was supposed to be different.

Not only was the team the best in hockey, at the trade deadline, they added the best player available in Kevin Shattenkirk.



In a salary cap league, the Capitals put together one of the best teams it's possible to put together. Sure, Orpik and Beagle and Alzner could be improved upon, but top-to-bottom, it's a team with no weaknesses and an incredible amount of offensive fire power.

They have an elite goalie and, apologies to the Ducks (Cam Fowler? Please!) and the Predators, the Capitals also have the best group of defenseman in the NHL and are the best defensive team.

Now, considering it's impossible for the team to come back the same next year - Williams, Oshie and Shattenkirk are almost certainly gone and re-signing Burakovsky and Kuznetsov will eat up most of what cap space there is.

So it seems like the end of the line. In some ways it is, but beyond the emotional letdown for the Capitals and their fans, there are some very important things to remember:

- The Penguins just happening to be in their division, and the NHL scheduling their two best teams in the second round, in a defacto SCF, is unfortunate. People saying the Capitals are chokers because they can't get past the second round must ask themselves this question: which of the Final Four teams still playing is as good as the Capitals?

The answer is none and also, none of them are close. Sometimes the breaks just don't go your way.

- The Capitals did all they could, and they lost to a hot goalie and some bad luck. There is nothing else they really could have done. They should remember that they were the significantly better team in six out of seven games against the Penguins.

- Next season is going to feature them being the best team in the NHL, despite some obvious changes. OV, Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Orlov, Niskanen, Carlson, Burakovsky, Johansson and Holtby is still probably the single best core of players in the NHL.


So the Capitals didn't win. The SC Playoffs feature a ton of volatility and variance. The best team doesn't always win, and that's a good thing, despite what Capitals fans will tell you.



The NBA Final was a forgone conclusion before the Playoffs started and despite mad ratings, the NBA Playoffs are a joke. It's way better that hockey is a bit random.

The Capitals are a great team, and they haven't won a championship. That might not be good for them, but it is good for the NHL. It's great that Ottawa might win the Cup. It actually gives some meaning to the regular season, since anyone can make it.

The Caps won the President's Trophy and they should be more happy about that. They can come back next year - when everyone's written them off - and win the Cup, maybe.

Or maybe the Knights will.

That's the glory of the NHL.