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

#2 Ilya Samsonov

When the Washington Capitals re-signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to just a one year contract, they sent a clear message to the kid. They trust him for at least one more year, but in this upcoming season he must prove himself in order to secure his future.

To make matters even more challenging, he will be competing with goaltender Vitek Vanecek. Vanecek was thrust into the starter’s role at the beginning of last season when Samsonov tested positive for COVID-19. Samsonov wound up back on the COVID protocols list at the tail end of the regular season.

To make matters worse, Samsonov was late to a team function along with Evgeny Kuznetsov. So the young Russian not only has to improve from last season on the ice but clean up his act off the ice as well.

So now that we talked about off the ice let’s break down Samsonov on the ice. Last season, Samsonov finished with a 13-4-1 record with a 2.69 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. That’s a slight dip from a decent rookie season where he went 16-6-2 with a 2.55 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.

Samsonov and Vanecek will battle in training camp and preseason for that coveted position of starting goaltender for opening night.