The 2015-16 Washington Capitals’ NHL season was supposed to lock in place all the puzzle pieces needed for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup win. Of course, that did not pan out as planned and – to rub salt to some already festering wounds – the Caps were eliminated by arch-rival – and eventual Stanley Cup […]

Let’s all think about this for a second. Until Wednesday of this past week, the President’s Trophy winning Washington Capitals were cruising in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against a team that barely even made it into the postseason. All of a sudden, their opponent’s goalie starts standing on his head and frustrates a […]

There is a Russian playing for the Washington Capitals who has had ‘superstar’ written all over him since his first day with the team. No, not that guy – the other one. Evgeny Kuznetsov’s eye for the goal and his tenacity on the ice has led him to a team-leading 26 points so far this […]

The last time the Washington Capitals made it past the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, ‘Seinfeld’ had just aired its series finale episode, a gallon of gasoline cost slightly more than a dollar and everyone (and I mean everyone) was worried about the ‘Y2K’ bug. Yes, it was the beautiful spring of 1998 […]

Washington Capitals’ fans know all about Henrik Lundqvist; they know that he’s the best current goalie in the NHL never to have won a Stanley Cup. The Capitals have certainly tried to assist ‘King’ Lundqvist over the years – you know, by making sure they nearly always lose to the New York Rangers every postseason […]

Washington Capitals’ center Nicklas Backstrom – arguably one of the best centers in the NHL – has revealed that he may not be ready to take the ice for the 2015-16 season opener in October. Backstrom, 27, is recovering from offseason hip surgery and said this to Arbetarbladet’s Daniel Sandstrom when the latter asked him […]

The hopeful NHL expansion team cities Las Vegas and Quebec City have both entered into Phase Three of the official process. In a nutshell, Phase Three means that each prospective city’s organizing group must file their last formal submissions by early September, at which point the selection procedure takes on a more interactive turn between […]

The Washington Capitals will take the ice for the 2015-16 NHL season with some new personnel, especially in their forward ranks. The acquisition of T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams bolstered their top two lines. However, there may still be a need for an extra center, especially if Marcus Johannson and Andre Burakovsky share wing duties […]

The Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin is a superstar and a phenomenal ambassador for the game of hockey. His presence on the ice has put fear into every opposing NHL team since the Russian made his NHL debut way back in 2005. It’s hard to believe that Ovechkin is only now entering into his so-called ‘peak’ […]

In the days of the old NHL Southeast Division – comprised of the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets (formerly the Atlanta Thrashers) – there was usually one team that finished first during the late 2000s and early 2010s: The Capitals; mainly because the other teams in the division […]

The power play unit’s success rate is often the variable that determines if an NHL team makes the playoffs – and how far they progress in the postseason. Let’s take a look at my predictions for the top-five NHL power play units (based on conversion percentage) for the upcoming season. 5. Columbus Blue Jackets Last […]

The Boston Bruins need a top-four defenseman; is the Winnipeg Jets’ big Dustin Byfuglien a suitable trade candidate? There was a great deal of weekend buzz on the subject. The math is almost there for a Byfuglien trade involving the two teams, but what are the odds of it happening? On paper, it’s hard to […]

They’re household names in Vancouver and within the homes of anyone who knows anything about hockey. But, are Henrik and Daniel Sedin on the trading block? The rumor mill is abuzz with such eyebrow-raising speculation. NBC Sports’ Jason Brough recently reported that the Sedin twins were asked by a Swedish news publication if they feared […]

The Washington Capitals had an excellent 2014-15 season, reaching Game 7 of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, it was a flattering run given that the Capitals were lacking at right wing. The right-wing situation changed during the offseason with the acquisition of T.J. Oshie (in a trade deal with the St. […]

The shootout is an interesting subject, not only for the NHL, but multiple other worldwide sports. Many people grizzle at the concept of deciding any sports game with a skills contest. However, such decent is always met with the reply that the shootout is a ‘necessary evil’ of modern sports. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reinforced […]

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan has had a busy offseason so far. His team has acquired the talented T.J. Oshie in a trade deal with the St. Louis Blues involving Troy Brouwer and also picked up Justin Williams during free agency. But, the rumor mill currently states that MacLellan isn’t done yet. According to […]

The Washington Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom is one of the best centers in the NHL. Once he recovers from off-season hip surgery, he’ll almost certainly line up between superstar Alex Ovechkin and the newly acquired T.J. Oshie. That top line is shaping up to produce the goods next season thanks to its perennial assist king Backstrom. […]

On your left, we have superstar and future Hall-of-Famer Alex Ovechkin. And, on your right, we have … well until recently, it was anybody’s guess. After a shrewd few days […]

The NHL Draft and the Free Agent Frenzy have come and gone, but one player expected to change teams has stayed put – for now. The Blackhawks’ Patrick Sharp is […]

Joel Ward signed a three-year $9.825 million deal with the San Jose Sharks Friday for an annual salary cap hit of $3.275 million. The veteran right wing Ward, 34, was a […]