#2 Can the Caps stay healthy?
Injuries were a big problem last season. It wasn’t the sole reason they missed the playoffs but it played a big part in that. Unfortunately, injuries are a part of the game. Everybody gets hurt.
You get hurt in a game. I get hurt in a game. LeBron James gets hurt in a game. It’s sports. It happens.
But last year the injuries among the Caps were bad. Every week it seemed like as someone else got better, another player went down. This continued throughout the year.
Simply put, the less injuries the Caps suffer this season the better off they’ll be. There are some players still hurt. T.J. Oshie ended the season with a double ablation on his back after the season. Nic Dowd had a core procedure when the season ended.
Rasmus Sandin didn’t have a serious injury but he did get hurt in international competition. New guy Max Pacioretty is still healing.
It was bad enough the Caps started the season without Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson. Things got worse as guys like Beck Malenstyn and John Carlson got hurt. There were more than that too. Much more.
So staying healthy is the key here.