Washington Capitals: 5 keys to keeping the Stanley Cup
By Ron Juckett
After winning the Stanley Cup, the Washington Capitals must defend it. A tough thing. Here are five keys for the Caps as they try and repeat as champs.
The Washington Capitals hold the Stanley Cup.
You waited 43 seasons for the honor. Alex Ovechkin slept with it in his bed. T.J. Oshie ate a bowl of Cap’n Crunch out of it. There are millions of pictures of Caps players and fans crying, kissing, hugging and drinking out of the thing. And, there may be a few hundred thousand more before the season starts.
But, how do the Caps keep it?
Yes, after the short summer, there is a championship to defend. Soon, the endless parades and well-earned hangovers will pass. The hard work of a new season is around the corner. With ten weeks to recuperate, how do the Caps repeat?
In a sense, Washington laid the groundwork to do so.
Although they wished Barry Trotz stayed as head coach, the Caps signed their top candidate in Todd Reirden. Top unrestricted free agent John Carlson never hit the open market agreeing to an eight-year extension. Devante Smith-Pelly and Brooks Orpik returned as unrestricted free agents.
The band, mostly, is back together again. Except for Nic Dowd, you know the team. Washington wanted stability and got it. This bunch worked hard together to bust through their playoff demons and have a good chance of doing it again.
But, the rest of the NHL is not handing them the Cup again.
The Toronto Maple Leafs grabbed John Tavares as THE free agent move of the summer. Vegas is a stronger team and Tampa is loaded for bear. Until the Caps get knocked off, the Cup remains theirs.
Here are five keys to Washington repeating as Stanley Cup champions.