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March 8th was a turning point day for the 2023-2024 Washington Capitals team.
The trade deadline saw the departure of both Joel Edmonson and Anthony Mantha to their respective playoff teams in Toronto and Las Vegas. But Washington’s move on March 8th struck a different note for Caps fans, one that brought a sad goodbye to a Stanley Cup hero. It came in the form of an Evgeny Kuznetsov trade that sent the former Caps star to the Carolina Hurricanes, and the move sent a clear message that significant changes were ahead for the Capitals.
It was a trade that most in the building saw coming and felt was a necessary change of environment for both parties. But more importantly, it signaled to fans and the broader NHL that Washington’s priorities had changed. GM Brian MacLellan and first-year Head Coach Spencer Carbery had officially pivoted their resources for future value and redirected its strategic vision to the coming seasons ahead. Of course, that meant the rest of the 2023-2024 campaign for the Capitals would involve a lot of losing en route to a high-value draft pick. The future was all that mattered for Washington, and with just over a month to play in the regular season, the playoffs were just out of the question.
Somehow, that memo failed to reach the locker room.
Against all odds, Washington would win 7 of the next ten games. Alex Ovechkin’s early season goal-scoring slump was long forgotten as the “Great 8” scored ten goals in the month of March alone, including eight goals over a five-game stretch. Washington’s goal tender Charlie Lindgren ripped the starting role away from the Capital’s star free-agent goalie Darcy Kuemper. Furthermore, Lindgren posted a .962 save percentage in the final three-game stretch of the season, all of which were must-win games, including a season finale road victory against the Philadelphia Flyers. His efforts helped Washington seal a date with the New York Rangers in round one and get back in the postseason for the 15th time in the last 17 years.
But just four games later, the Capitals are in locker clean-out mode, and the Rangers are on to a round two showdown with the Carolina Hurricanes.
While watching Capitals fans quietly file out of Capital One Arena following the team’s Game 4 loss, it was easy to understand the frustration of watching their team get swept out of the first round by a highly disliked Metro Division Rival. Sure, it’s any given day in the Stanley Cup Playoffs; who knows what can happen? Just get in the dance, right? That may be true for some years, but at the end of the day, Washington couldn’t get out of its own way with special team mistakes. They weren’t getting production from their best scorers, namely Alex Ovechkin, who couldn’t tally a single score in four games despite his recent success lighting the lamp. At the same time, injuries on the defensive front left them lacking the manpower to keep pace with New York’s electric goal-scorers.
But as time passes and the sting of defeat begins to wear off, let this be a reminder of what a success this season has been for hockey in Washington, DC, and remember that this series was never supposed to happen in the first place.
When Capitals Head Coach Spencer Carbery was hired last May, it was clear that this season would be a new challenge. Compared to his predecessors, Carbery wasn’t just handed the keys to win with the horses they had. It’s been six years since the Stanley Cup came to Washington DC, so Carbery and MacLellan are tasked with finding a bridge between the old and the new. Moves like the Kuznetsov trade are only one of several tough decisions this front office has to make in the weeks ahead, including the future of Capitals such as TJ Oshie and Nick Backstrom.
This season was about something other than competing for a Stanley Cup. This year’s mission was about development and evaluation at all levels of the organization, including most of the team’s available reinforcements at the AHL level. Those early returns are in, and they are more than promising. Forwards Ivan Miroshnichenko and Hendrix Lapierre played prominent roles in critical points for the Capitals, while Lapierre showcased his skill and speed in a Game 4 goal against the Rangers. Defensemen Vincent Iorio, Lucas Johansen, and Dylan McIlrath saw playing time, including extended time in the tight race for the final playoff spot, including time against the Rangers.
Even with the promising young talent stepping up to bat, the numbers for the Capitals certainly didn’t lie. Washington entered the playoffs as the 16th of 16th teams. They were by far the worst team in the goal differential category at -37, and the roster to start the season was radically different by the time it finished. So, how did the playoffs even begin?
Character.
It was a word that would seem like a crutch phrase when the Capitals’ first-year head coach would routinely turn to it. You wouldn’t have to wait long after a post-game victory press conference to hear Carbery talk about his team’s character. Because there was character and resilience to this team that gave hope to what’s ahead for hockey in Washington, D.C. Every time the Capitals found themselves against the wall, they found a way to respond. When they needed to beat three consecutive high-caliber teams to make a playoff spot in the final three games of the year, they did. When there was an injury to a critical place on the roster, someone stepped in to fill it. Defensively, offensively, between the pipes. It didn’t matter. Someone was there to step up to bat, reflecting a culture worthy of building on.
Sports belong on a short list of things where throwing money at a problem can usually fix it, on or off the field. You can always get the highest caliber free agents or pay top dollar for the decorated, proven veteran coach or fancy new arena to generate money and energy in a fanbase. However, a locker room of character players and coaches willing to pull the rope in the same direction takes work to find and work to preserve.
In the months ahead, Washington will need to get faster. They will need more goal-scorers. They will need to clean up some more cap space and find some reinforcements on the defensive line. But as we await those changes, it’s important to remember that while the dream of this season may have fallen short, the mission was accomplished.
For now, it’s onwards and upwards to the offseason to see what the Washington Capitals have in store for us this fall.
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