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Great way to tie up the series...few breaks away from a 3-1 series lead or sweep :/ Need to take game 5 on Saturday.
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Ovi skating with the third line today..This year had the best team ever assembled in the Ovechkin-era. I think most of us who follow the team know that their championship window was slowly closing. As a matter of fact, after this season, you can probably say it's shut for good. A couple of reasons...
1. There is going to be some MAJOR roster changes at the end of the season. There are a bunch of UFA/RFA players who are, or have been, core members of the franchise. Some big decisions there.
2. Expansion draft
3. Aging star players.
4. Terrible bottom-pairing defensemen (Alzner/Orpik)
5. Inept coaching (Trotz's downfall in Nashville)
In talking about Ovechkin, while 34 goals and 3/4 in the first round aren't terrible, it's a big drop off in production for him. His numbers even-strength are really bad and right now, he's only really dangerous on the PP. He's clearly lost a step, so I hope that if/when this team gets bounced, he re-evaluates his training. Maybe come into camp about 10-15 pounds lighter and do something to try to gain back some of his quickness. There was a time when Ovechkin would have everyone in the arena on their feet when he had the puck on his stick in the neutral zone. When he does this now, it's painful to watch.
Next year, this Caps team will look completely different.
UFA - Winnik, Oshie, Williams, Shattenkirk, Alzner
RFA - Burakovsky, Kuznetsov, Connolly, Orlov, Schmidt, Grubbauer
Caps will certainly be priced out of the Oshie sweepstakes...Shattenkirk will most likely command a salary with an AAV over 6 mil, and Williams has probably had enough of the choking here in DC and will move on.
For the RFAs, Connolly is as good as gone, and I think they'll give Burakovsky a bridge deal, while paying a big number for Kuznetsov. That leaves guys like Schmidt, Orlov, and Grubbauer out there, and I think those 3 will be exposed to the expansion draft, with the Caps losing both Grubbauer and Schmidt.
I have no clue what the Caps will look like next year, but for cup runs with Ovechkin as the centerpiece of the core, this is it.
Ovi skating with the third line today..
Crosby back at practice [emoji]128526[/emoji]
Hawaii is so fun