Washington Capitals: Five Bold Predictions For 2015-2016

Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals should have a special season in 2015 after making off-season improvements. Here are five bold predictions about their 2015 season.

The Washington Capitals are on the cusp of being an elite team. Depending on who you ask, they might already be an elite team. The Capitals have arguably their most complete roster since the 2009-2010 season. They have no glaring weaknesses. They already had Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby, and Evgeny Kuznetsov. With the additions of T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams, the Capitals have a team that has every right to have extremely high expectations. 

The Capitals were a disallowed goal away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The Caps did well against the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning during the regular season, so the Capitals have had all summer to stew over what could have been. The players seem motivated by the loss. They’re ready to do what it takes to ensure that doesn’t happen again.

Everybody loves to throw around their bold predictions. I’ll be throwing mine around too. I won’t chicken out either. “Alex Ovechkin will score 50 goals” is not a bold prediction. One could argue that’s an assumption. Here are five bold predictions about the Washington Capitals and their 2015-2016 season.