The Washington Capitals have had one rollercoaster of a year in 2024 to say the least. Unlike many roller coasters, however, the year started down but headed right back up. In this article, we will look back at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Capitals 2024 calendar year.
Starting off with the things that went well, the good. The first thing being that Washington avoided what looked like it could be a drought period. Entering the 2024 all-star break, Capitals Captain and future hall of famer Alex Ovechkin was on a slump to say the least. Ovechkin entered the 2024 all-star break with only 31 points and only 9 goals. Ovechkin tallied another 34 points with 22 goals of his own after the break.
Another good from the year would be the regular season finish to the 2023-2024 season. In game 82, the Capitals were in a "win and your in" situation. In fact, they did just that, beating their divisional rivals the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in their house. Finally, it is safe to say that the Capitals have been on a tear to start the season. Jan. 1, the Capitals have the most points in not only the Metropolitan division, but in the entire Eastern Conference, sitting at 25-10-2 (52 points). Although the Capitals being competitive was not unexpected, I don't think that a push for the one seed was in the cards, much less a push for the Presidents Trophy.
Now looking at the bad. There was not too much of that. On a sentimental note, we are sadly unlikely to see either Nicklas Bäckström
or TJ Oshie ever take the ice for the Washington Capitals.
Looking at Washingtons playoff run, or a bad start off the block more so, they won a grand total of zero playoff games, getting swept 0-4 against the division rival New York Rangers in the first round. This was the first time in franchise history. This was definitely also a painful watch as Ovechkin did not score a single point in any of the four contests.
Last but not least, the ugly. You might be thinking that if that was all there is for the bad, then what could the ugly possibly be. Spencer Carbery has this franchise not only ready to win now but is unlocking the best from many of his skaters and even his goalies. But the ugly, although more so future looking, will be hideous once it is time to face the music. Alex Ovechkin is 39 years old with a very recent lower body injury.
Despite Ovechkins elite play since coming back, time tends to catch up with all athletes at one point or another. When it is his time to retire, the team will not only be losing their captain of likely 15+, but a 12x all-star, 9x Richard winner, 3x Hart and Pearson winner, and the greatest goal scorer the league has ever seen. This time is yet to come, but it is sadly safe to say that we are on the back nine of Ovechkin's career.
In conclusion, I think it is safe to say that 2024 has beyond exceeded expectations. At the very least, it has topped a 2022-2023 season end where we saw the Capitals miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. Time will tell what the remainder of the 2024-2025 season and beyond have in store, but if it is anything like 2024 was, I don't think it's crazy to think that a Stanley Cup is on the way.