Washington Capitals mock offseason: Stanley Cup run

May 6, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 during the third period in game five of the second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Opening Night Roster

The Washington Capitals would ice a darn good Opening Night roster. One could argue it’s as good, if not better, than the one from 2016-17. There’s some changes and tinkering, but most of it is positive. The best thing about this lineup is it’s very versatile. It has guys who can jump up and fill in for teammates. Trotz (or whoever the coach is) would have a lot of options on the table. It’s up to the coach to make sure they’re optimally utilized.

Burakovsky – Backstrom – Oshie
Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Eberle
Vrana – Eller – Connolly
Barber – Jay Beagle – Tom Wilson
Stephenson

Orlov – Matt Niskanen
Schmidt – Vatanen
Hainsey – Bowey
Taylor Chorney

Holtby (starter)
Nilsson (backup)

The scoring is pretty well spread out on across this lineup, especially if Vrana can take lessons from his cup of coffee in the NHL from last season. This team has about $1.4 million of cap space remaining. I made it a point to leave some room so the Washington Capitals can make a move if needed.

Next: End of an Era?

Is this team good enough to win the Stanley Cup? Who knows. Hockey is cruel and unpredictable. But they’re at least good enough to contend for a Stanley Cup assuming no catastrophic injuries. This was done via CapFriendly and their amazing armchair GM tool. Be sure to check it out and post your lineups in the comments!

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