Currently, the Washington Capitals are on the outside looking in for the Eastern Conference playoffs. There is still a lot of hockey remaining before and after the Olympic Break. They are two points behind both the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins for the final two wild-card spots.
Who saw the Sabres surging the way they have? Who saw the retooling Bruins surging as well? It remains to be seen if both of those teams have enough to get over the hump and make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As far as the Capitals go, there are two paths they have.
Of course, they have a chance at a wild-card berth, but they can also finish in the Top 3 in the Metropolitan Division. Entering play on Friday night, they are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place with 54 points, but the Pens own the tiebreaker for now. Regardless, it's a better position to be in than in the Atlantic Division, and the Sabres and Bruins are finding that out. On Friday, one Metropolitan Division team is all but waving the white flag on the 2025-26 season, and that benefits Washington.
Rangers release a statement about being realistic on the 2025-26 season, and changes could be coming
The New York Rangers, who are sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference and Metropolitan Division, had a message for their fans on the remainder of the season. Basically, it says given their position in the standings and injuries to key players, they "must be honest and realistic about our situation.'' That's some wording right there.
Basically, they're telling their fans they are not going to make the postseason this year. However, the letter went on to say that they are in a "retool", which "may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years.'' In other words, like the Bruins last year at the trade deadline, it appears that there is going to be wheeling and dealing of players in New York.
So, how does this affect the Washington Capitals? Well, for starters, it's going to be one less team in the division and conference that they will have to worry about when it comes to fighting for a playoff berth. That's some good news. Second, and maybe an unlikely scenario for the Capitals, but there are going to be some good players possibly available in trades both before and after the Olympic Break.
It remains to be seen just how much Washington will be willing to spend at the trade deadline, but you have to think that with Alex Ovechkin's current window to win a championship being small, they would look to make some moves to better position themselves for March and April and a potential run in the playoffs late in the spring.
Retools can be dangerous to teams in any sport, but the Rangers are going to go down that road this year, it appears. For the Capitals, it's a mixed bag of news and one that can be good when the dust settles.