Ladies and gentlemen, we have all come to that point in the season. Christmas has past, the season is almost halfway done, and things start to happen. Teams begin to separate themselves, contenders and pretenders appear, and teams start trading to build or win.
The defending Stanley Cup champions are currently sitting atop the Metropolitan Division (24-10-3 with 51 points), as they just went back-to-back.
IMPROVE DEFENSE
If you’ve watched the Caps play this year, it comes to no surprise that their defense is probably not the best right now. They have a bottom of the barrel PK at 76.4%, a subpar GA/PG at 32.2%, and allow almost 3 GPG (2.91). Now, those are not horrible numbers, but the offense has bailed the defense out multiple times this season, and it shows little signs of improvement. It hurts that Beagle is now a Canuck, Orpik has been injured half the season, and Wilson was suspended for a quarter of a season. The defensive side of the puck is not stellar for the Caps so improvement is a must.
MAKE SOME TRADES
Andre Burakovsky: Burky is the most obvious player that needs to go. He hasn’t produced much for us this season (5 Goals, 3 Assists, 8 Points, -3). And on the defensive side of the puck, he’s a liability. Now with the emergence of Boyd, Jaskin, and Dowd on the 4th line, and Connolly, DSP, and Eller playing solid on the 3rd line, Burky just doesn’t fit. However, he is young and has potential upside, he could be worth either some draft picks or a veteran defenseman on a somewhat depleted blue line
Dmitry Orlov: Orlov is tricky. He’s a lethal offensive player on the Caps blue line, but he is as big if not the biggest liability on defense. He turns the puck over quite a bit, and hasn’t become the two-way defenseman I thought he was going to be. He has cost the team so many untimely turnovers that now he’s become a question mark for the Caps. He’s not a top tier defenseman but even he could have some trade appeal come deadline time. Like Burky, he’s young, talented, and has lots of potential.
LET SHOOTERS SHOOT
When I say that, let Vrana, Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, and Carlson shoot the puck on net. Those guys can make some magic happen. Vrana is a star in the making, Ovechkin is as timeless as a fine wine, Kuznetsov dazzles, and Carlson can rip one in a flash. Stop playing this cute passing game for 60 mins and let the shooters have a lane and score some goals. They’ve always tried cute and unnecessary passes, and it can throw off a whole play or momentum in a game. Just shoot the puck or so help me.
GET SOME DEFENSIVE HELP
Obviously when Brooks Orpik returns, that will help the Capitals on defense, however, there have to be more than him on defense. I love Siegenthaler, Bowey, and Djoos, but they can use some help. Siegenthaler is a rookie and is blossoming well, but who knows what happens when they make the playoffs. Now that teams start to separate themselves from everyone to be pretender or contender, maybe some impactful names can sign with Washington to help their defense out.
Again this is just a look ahead of what the Caps need to do to become a threat once the new year starts. They have lots of tools and weapons, but how they will be used is another question. Lots of time to make some moves and make things happen, and I’m ready for it. Let’s bring Lord Stanley’s Cup home once again.
