A healthy T.J. Oshie is key

We’ve got a few more Washington Capitals forwards left to preview before we transition into predictions. Today we’ll look at T.J. Oshie.

Oshie of course is the heart and soul of the Capitals but over the last couple of seasons the right winger has dealt with injuries. He’s got two seasons left on his contract and will turn 37 this December.

Last season, despite playing in just 58 games, Oshie scored 19 goals and added 16 assists for 35 points. While his injuries last season weren’t as bad as the year before, Oshie still got shut down for the remainder of the regular season.

Because of the lack of playing combined with the age, some fans have called for the Caps to trade or release Oshie, or to have Oshie hang up his skates.

This makes this upcoming season, Oshie’s biggest one yet. But luckily for him, the pressure won’t be on him. And even if it is, it won’t be high pressure like two of his teammates are facing.

Those two teammates are Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha. Unlike Oshie, the other two were the subject of trade rumors all offseason.

Oshie had a good offseason. He appeared in the 2023 Celebrity Golf Tournament where he always has a good swing. He also made a fashion statement with his wife Lauren at the Morgan Wallen concert this past Saturday at FedEx Field.

Oshie wasn’t the only one there. So was John Carlson, Nick Jensen, and Nicklas Backstrom joined by each of their sweethearts.

Even though there will be more pressure on Mantha and Kuznetsov, those two along with Oshie need to produce this season if the Caps want a legitimate shot at returning to the playoffs.

Oshie has already been putting in the work at the Capitals informal skates at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. More players have come to town this week and it’s looking more and more like a full squad as each day passes.