Washington Capitals Mailbag: Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Oshie

Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Capitals Mailbag: Oshie

Our next Washington Capitals mailbag question comes from John from Twitter.

I don’t think that T.J. Oshie will score 70+ points for the Washington Capitals this season, even with getting first line minutes with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Probably the biggest reason is that the first line will most likely be deployed as more of a shutdown line (with obvious scoring potential). Facing the toughest minutes on the team isn’t good for his chances.

MORE FROM STARS AND STICKS: Oshie A Great Fit For Washington Capitals

Oshie’s career high is 60 points (back in 2013-2014). While he will make the first line much better and allow it to be deployed as a shutdown line, 70+ points in 2015 is not that realistic for Oshie.

Also, I’m not sure exactly how much power play time Oshie will get for the Washington Capitals. He’ll definitely be used, but at the same time, he’s probably going to be an important part of the Caps penalty kill. How much he is used on the power play will likely be determined by the effectiveness of Tom Wilson and Justin Williams. Both could fill the same role that Oshie would fill: Troy Brouwer‘s.

However, with that said, I wouldn’t be completely surprised if Oshie scored 70+ points for the Washington Capitals. If he gets a ton of secondary assists, it’s definitely possible. While Oshie has never scored 70+ points in a season, he has never played with the kind of talent that the Washington Capitals have. With all due respect to David Backes and Alexander Steen (who are excellent players), they are not the offensive juggernauts that Ovechkin and Backstrom are. He’ll stand a better chance at getting 70 points if he is utilized on the Caps first power play unit.

Washington Capitals fans need to realize that Oshie’s value will far exceed what is shown on the score sheet, even if he does manage to get over 70 points.

Next: Kuznetsov's Ceiling