Washington Capitals: Takeaways From Stanley Cup Teams

Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

What can the Washington Capitals learn from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks?

The Washington Capitals are currently in a bit of a state of transition. They have several free agents who they must make decisions on. Barry Trotz and Brian MacLellan must continue to build the Washington Capitals to be a better team that can contend for the Stanley Cup on a yearly basis. Where should the Washington Capitals look to for advice? How about the two teams that will be playing in the Stanley Cup Finals?

What Can The Washington Capitals Learn From The Lightning?

Pick up the pace, win the race. The Washington Capitals were a slow pace team this season. They played well with that slow pace, but the Lightning play at a much better pace. How can they do so? With a very deep blue line, a system that encourages fast-paced offense and a relentless defense that gets the puck back quickly. The Capitals should look to the Lightning because the Lightning dictate the pace of the game. The Washington Capitals have a Vezina caliber goaltender in Braden Holtby. I highly recommend that the Caps trust him by quickening their pace.
The more active your defensemen are, the better off you are. One encouraging similarity that I see between the Washington Capitals and Lightning is how active their defensemen are. The Lightning’s defensemen are more active than the Capitals’ defensemen, but then again, Tampa Bay has five puck movers on their blue line. The Caps did a lot better this year partly because of how active their defensemen were in their offense. If that’s a trend that keeps on happening, that’s a good sign for the Washington Capitals. I think there’s a good chance that even with Mike Green most likely departing, that will continue. Having started charting zone exits and entries, Nate Schmidt is extremely efficient. Especially in the defensive zone. Also, his breakout passes are great. The Washington Capitals should take advantage of that. Dmitry Orlov has never been a part of a Washington Capitals system that allowed him to be what he has: an aggressive puck mover. Even considering his one year break from hockey thanks to injuries, I’m pretty optimistic that if Orlov can stay healthy, he’ll be great next season.
Skilled forwards are better than gritty forwards. Probably the biggest difference between the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay is the difference in their forwards. The Caps top six fluctuates quite a bit. The Lightning have about seven or eight top six caliber forwards. Tampa Bay has a ton of forward depth. Even their gritty guys are skilled. They are perfectly suited for Tampa Bay’s up-tempo game. The Caps should push to have three skilled lines and one checking line. That’s pretty much what the Lightning have. The Caps have to do some fancy maneuvering in order to get that though.

What Can The Washington Capitals Learn From The Blackhawks?

Give the young kids a chance.

Over the past two seasons, a polarizing topic among Washington Capitals fans has been how young guns like

Andre Burakovsky

and Nate Schmidt

have been used. While Coach Q of the Hawks suffers from the same flaw that Barry Trotz has (not being completely trusting of young players even when evidence suggests that he should be), at the end of the day, Coach Q tends to give his young kids chances at least until they give him a reason to stop. Is he perfect? Heck no. Just ask Teuvo Tervainen. However, the Washington Capitals have to be more willing to give their young players chances that they most likely deserve.

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When you get elite talent, lock them up fast. Understand who is replaceable and who isn’t. The Blackhawks have become very efficient at turning over their roster. They know who they need to keep, and the rest are expendable. The moment that a player begins to show hints of not living up to their contract, they usually get traded while their value is still high. They’ll overpay for the really great players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, but for the most part, they are great at locking their guys up early. Duncan Keith cap hit for the next eight years? $5,538,462 a season. That’s highway robbery. Would Chicago have given Brooks Laich his current contract? No. They would have found someone to replace him. And now because of Laich’s contract, the Washington Capitals likely won’t be able to keep Green. That’s a mistake that I don’t see the Blackhawks make often.

Even strength must be a strength. Where do the Washington Capitals dominate? On the power play. Where do the Blackhawks dominate? Even strength. It is far better to dominate at even strength than it is to dominate on the power play because a large majority of each game is played at even strength. Let’s say… 48 minutes. Assuming each team gets three power plays, that’s roughly six minutes with a man advantage for each team. The team that dominates possession at even strength is more likely to win than the team that doesn’t. I’m not saying that having a dominant power play isn’t a great thing. What I’m saying is that dominating at even strength is more important.

Next: Washington Capitals: Top Ten Wings In Franchise History

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