#1 Core intact and ready to go
No real surprises after the other two slides but the core of the Capitals remains intact and this will be a good opportunity for them to get back in the playoffs.
The Caps will once again be led by team captain Alex Ovechkin as well as alternate captains Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson. T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov are back to complete the core.
With 822 career goals entering the new seasons, Ovechkin needs 73 goals to pass Wayne Gretzky for first place on the NHL’s all time goals list. He is signed for the next three seasons and would need to average 25 goals per season to reach the mark.
If Ovechkin’s season ends in the 40-50 goal range he will be well in the driver’s seat to surpass Gretzky next season.
Carlson missed 42 games last season including 36 consecutive games from Dec. 27 to March 21. Despite this, Carlson ranked third on the Caps in points per game at 0.73. Had he been healthy it could’ve been a career year for the veteran defenseman.
The Caps are back tonight. There will be Rock the Red carpet along with pregame coverage from Monumental Sports Network while the game itself will air exclusively on Hulu and ESPN plus at 7:30 p.m.