Doc Emrick Believes In The Washington Capitals, Should We All?

Doc Emrick believes the Washington Capitals can do it.

Sometimes there are people’s opinions you should hold in higher regard. In hockey terms it’s the kind of people who have repeatedly seen, and in this case called great and Stanley Cup winning teams. For the Washington Capitals and Caps fans an opinion they should care about is Mike “Doc” Emrick.

Doc has seen all the greatness you need to develop a valid opinion. He retired after the 2019-20 NHL season but before he decided to drop the mic, literally, he called 22 Stanley Cup Finals and was a part of six Olympics. It was a career that spanned nearly 50 years. He’s seen it all, therefore when someone like him talks and gives an opinion maybe the rest of us should listen.

Emrick recently said that this upcoming Capitals team is “a wonderfully assembled team”. The linked article has plenty of great quotes and you should go check that piece out if you haven’t already.

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Doc said he liked the hiring of head coach Peter Laviolette. He pointed out the fact that Laviolette has the tendency and ability to push buttons in the locker room. Again, you would assume he would know, he has called Laviolette coached teams in the Stanley Cup Final three times since 2006.

You would have to agree with this thought. If there was one thing the Capitals lacked in each of the last two postseasons it’s effort. Everyone deserves blame for lack of effort, especially in the playoffs. But when that is a trend you have to look at the coaches. A coaching change was needed in D.C. and this was a terrific hire.

Emrick also points out that the majority of the Capitals forward lineup is returning. While the forwards weren’t the only ones scoring goals, obviously, that is what they are supposed to do and it’s something they did very well. This Capitals team scored 236 goals last season, that was tied with the Colorado Avalanche for third best in the league last year, behind only Tampa Bay (243) and Toronto (237).

The forwards and offense is something Capitals fans won’t have to worry about. You have Ovechkin, Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Oshie, Wilson and Vrana. Behind those names you also have a very good supporting cast. Last season, in my opinion, the Capitals had one of, if not the best fourth line in the NHL. You don’t need to worry about the forwards, but having the majority of them returning is a great thing.

One forward that doesn’t get the credit outside of Washington is Lars Eller. Doc says that Eller is the “undeclared hero” in the Capitals lineup. While all the attention goes to the Ovechkin’s and Backstrom’s and Kuznetsov’s and Carlson’s of the world Eller is the guy who goes out there and does a solid job all over the ice.

In terms of “hero” how can we forget the huge goals that Eller scored in 2018? We all know the obvious one he scored in the third period in Game 5 of the Final that ended up as the game winner and Cup winner. Maybe one that gets forgotten by some fans, particularly non Capitals fans, is the double overtime goal in the first round of that year. The Caps were down 0-2 in the series vs the Blue Jackets at that point and playing in Columbus. If they lose that game, they aren’t winning the Stanley Cup. It was Eller that scored the winner and off they went from that point on.

Teams that have that forward depth, especially at center are the ones who make deep runs and win Stanley Cups. The Capitals proved that the year they won and they still have it. Again, you have to say Doc is right here.

He briefly mentions the defense and how he likes the addition of Justin Shultz. The defense was a question mark all season last year, but I believe it’s gotten better thanks to moves made by general manager Brian MacLellan. The Capitals brought in Shultz, they also acquired Trevor van Riemsdyk to help the depth of the D and they got Brendan Dillon at the trade deadline last season. Looking at the defensive lineup now compared to the start of last season it looks way better going into this next season.

Doc seems to be confident in the goaltending as well. I’m more skeptical but not calling it a weak spot either. To me the goaltending is a wait and see thing. How will Samsonov do in the full time starting spot? How will Lundqvist do in a backup role, on a new team, in a new city? Based on what these two guys have shown in the past it’s looking good. But there are questions and questions I’m not ready to answer or say they are great yet. On paper though, it looks good.

So what else is there? Their Forwards? Great. The defense? Looks to be improved. The goaltending? Doesn’t seem like it will be a problem. A new coach and staff? That was an excellent hire.

You also have to ask who’s to beat? If the Capitals can give some effort in the playoffs, which you’d expect under Laviolette, how many teams are better than this Capitals team? The Lightning have had and are still having salary cap issues. While you expect them to be very good still they won’t be as threatening. We’ll see how the Maple Leafs look after what I would call a good off-season for them. Boston though has lost some pieces. There isn’t anyone in the eastern conference that should scare the Capitals that much.

So if a guy like Doc Emrick believes in the Capitals should all hockey fans? Absolutely! This looks like it could be a very good team. The window is closing and the cap crunch is real for this team. This team looks dangerous and if they get some urgency in their game, especially come playoff time, this will be a hard team to beat in a seven game series.

Doc is right. Who is to say that this team won’t be as special as the 2018 Stanley Cup Champion Capitals?