Washington Capitals: Top 3 players who will have biggest impact in 2021-22

I don’t need to tell you Washington Capitals hockey is around the corner because you already know. Alex Ovechkin will be in Chicago today and tomorrow as part of the NHL media tour. The rookies and prospects hit the ice on Saturday, the rest of the team gets their testing and physicals next Wednesday and then all systems go the next day as the team will open up training camp.

For us and the other Capitals writers and bloggers across the web, we’ll be hitting those keyboards hard the next several months. There is a gap in the NHL schedule in February but that doesn’t mean there won’t be hockey as players will go to the Olympics.

By the time that rolls around, we’ll at least get an idea of how good this upcoming Capitals team will be. Or how bad. These following three players will determine the direction.

#3 Evgeny Kuznetsov

For good or bad, for better or worse, Evgeny Kuznetsov will impact the Capitals this season. How does he fare mentally after an offseason being the subject of trade rumors? How did he prepare in the offseason? Will he return to the form of how nice he was in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs? Those three questions and more surround the center.

Hopefully we see Kuzy score goals, provide highlight reel passing and assist, hear him say funny stuff in postgame interviews, and does less of this, but if he does it again of course be careful:

https://twitter.com/NHLonNBCSports/status/1224046453934510082