Top 3 questions facing the Capitals in 2022

Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

#1 Can the Caps keep up with the improved Metropolitan Division?

The biggest question facing the Caps this season is can a team that just got older by another year keep up with the young, fast and always improved Metropolitan Division?

Last year the New York Rangers went on a deep playoff run and nearly were the ones to dethrone the Tampa Bay Lightning. Instead it was the Colorado Avalanche and Darcy Kuemper that did it in the Finals.

Out of teams that got better this season I see the New Jersey Devils making some noise and sliding into one of those playoff spots. It seemed like they were a year or two away in the middle of the pandemic and now that two year period is up.

Of course you also got to watch out for the Carolina Hurricanes who are the Capitals opponents outside in the Stadium Series. The Pittsburgh Penguins will never go away. And then there’s a pesky team that will sneak in that we didn’t even mention here.

It’s that improved and it’ll be a big challenge for the Capitals. They will have to match the speed of that Metropolitan Division and make sure they don’t take any of their opponents lightly.