The more things change, the more they stay the same. We hear that phrase a lot, and perhaps it’s never been more true for the Washington Capitals than this season.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons, the Caps are going with a new voice behind the bench, firing long-time NHL coach Peter Laviolette this offseason and hiring Spencer Carbury, a former Toronto assistant who has some familiarity with the organization after leading Washington’s AAA affiliate in Hershey from 2018-2021. The 41-year-old is the youngest head coach in the league.
There’s a new batch of younger players filling out the Caps’ bottom six, and a third of the 24-man opening night roster is 25 or younger — the most in six seasons.
What’s staying the same is the same top corps that Capitals fans are familiar with: Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson, and Evgeny Kuznetsov. And they’re all led by future Hockey Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin.
The 38-year-old is still a mainstay on the left wing and is continuing his assault on the league’s all time goal mark, sitting 73 shy of passing Wayne Gretzky’s 894.
The Great 8 is, though, emblematic of an older team — with the fourth-oldest roster in the league — trying to rely on veteran experience while supplementing it with younger and quicker depth in a league that continues to equate speed and quickness with success.
To break down the expectations for the Capitals in 2023-24, I’m joined by Jared Serre of Washington Hockey Now to discuss the impact new coach Spencer Carbury will have on the team and whether the Capitals can balance an aging top line and inexperience on the bottom six while still contending for a playoff spot.
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