30 years.
I've been a Washington Capitals fan for 30 years.
For at least 4 of the last 10 years, I've heard the same story:
"Capitals go into the playoffs at the favorite to win the Stanley Cup."
And every year it's been the same disappointing result.
With last night's loss, the Caps have not made it past the 2nd round of the playoffs since 1998. For 3 of the last 4, they have made it to game 7 of the 2nd round, only to lose. In two of those 4, they were shut out by their opponent.
The Capitals are now 1-9 all time vs Pittsburgh in the playoffs. On three of those previous occasions, Pittsburgh has gone on to win the Stanley Cup. I equate it to skinning your knee, getting punched in the stomach, and getting hit in the face with a baseball, all at the same time. It's quite possible it could happen again this year.
Nobody likes to lose. Yet the Capitals seem to find new ways to do it every year. They discover new ways to make the fan base depressed. The long term fans like myself have sadly gotten used to it.
To make it even more frustrating, I read this morning:
The Capitals have some decisions to make. Ovechkin will be 31 when next season begins. Backstrom will be 29. Both players still have 3 years remaining on their contracts. Oshie, Shattenkirk, Alzner, Winnik, and Williams are all UFAs. Kuznetsov, Orlov, Schmidt, Grubauer, and Burakovsky are RFAs. There will be an expansion draft this season.
My guess is Oshie, Shattenkirk, Winnik, and Williams do not return next season. Either Orlov, Schmidt, or Grubauer will most likely be taken in the expansion draft. Alzner will probably be in high demand as well. That's potentially 6 positions to fill.
The Caps at the moment have around $23 million in cap space. Kuznetsov and Burakovsky are coming off entry level contracts. They're going to command 3-4 million at least each. That drops down to $15 million in cap space. With only 11 players currently signed to the Caps for next season, one wonders how they are going to fill said holes.
This might have been the Caps last chance with this core group of players to win the Cup. And once again, they didn't get it done.
I've been a Washington Capitals fan for 30 years.
For at least 4 of the last 10 years, I've heard the same story:
"Capitals go into the playoffs at the favorite to win the Stanley Cup."
And every year it's been the same disappointing result.
With last night's loss, the Caps have not made it past the 2nd round of the playoffs since 1998. For 3 of the last 4, they have made it to game 7 of the 2nd round, only to lose. In two of those 4, they were shut out by their opponent.
The Capitals are now 1-9 all time vs Pittsburgh in the playoffs. On three of those previous occasions, Pittsburgh has gone on to win the Stanley Cup. I equate it to skinning your knee, getting punched in the stomach, and getting hit in the face with a baseball, all at the same time. It's quite possible it could happen again this year.
Nobody likes to lose. Yet the Capitals seem to find new ways to do it every year. They discover new ways to make the fan base depressed. The long term fans like myself have sadly gotten used to it.
To make it even more frustrating, I read this morning:
Capitals own the best record in the NHL since 2008-09. Chicago and Pittsburgh rank 2nd and 3rd, and have won 5 of the 8 titles in that span.— Paul Hembekides (@PaulHembo) May 11, 2017
The Capitals have some decisions to make. Ovechkin will be 31 when next season begins. Backstrom will be 29. Both players still have 3 years remaining on their contracts. Oshie, Shattenkirk, Alzner, Winnik, and Williams are all UFAs. Kuznetsov, Orlov, Schmidt, Grubauer, and Burakovsky are RFAs. There will be an expansion draft this season.
My guess is Oshie, Shattenkirk, Winnik, and Williams do not return next season. Either Orlov, Schmidt, or Grubauer will most likely be taken in the expansion draft. Alzner will probably be in high demand as well. That's potentially 6 positions to fill.
The Caps at the moment have around $23 million in cap space. Kuznetsov and Burakovsky are coming off entry level contracts. They're going to command 3-4 million at least each. That drops down to $15 million in cap space. With only 11 players currently signed to the Caps for next season, one wonders how they are going to fill said holes.
This might have been the Caps last chance with this core group of players to win the Cup. And once again, they didn't get it done.
