2021-2022 Season Projections
For all my season previews, we’ll be utilizing my 2021-2022 team and player projections. You can find much more background on these models here, along with more on assessing value of contracts here. We’ll preview the Washington Capitals in this post.
2021 Offseason
With much of the roster still under contract and the Capitals up against the cap, there was little room to maneuver in Washington this summer. Their most notable move was re-signing captain Alex Ovechkin to a long term deal that will likely see him play out his career in Washington.
2021-2022 Season Preview
Roster Strength
The Capitals have a deep group of forwards that will be strength this season. The defense corps lost Brenden Dillon over the offseason and looks like the top four could be thin. The goaltending duo returns from last season and look capable.
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin returns on a new long term deal and will lead the Capitals’ offense alongside Nicklas Backstrom once again. While Ovechkin is still a highly impactful player, Washington paid a lot to keep him in D.C. as seen in his below median projected value for 21/22. While the Capitals are generally paying a lot for their stars, they have made up for it by finding good value contracts to fill out the forward depth.
Defensemen
The Capitals sent Brenden Dillon to Winnipeg to make cap space available for Ovechkin and their defense is weaker as a result. John Carlson is far and away their top D-man and the rest of the defense could be performed by committee.
Goaltending
After losing Vitek Vanacek in the expansion draft, the Capitals re-acquired him after Seattle signed Philip Grubauer and the 20/21 tandem will be back this season. While neither Vanacek or Ilya Samsonov quite meet the bar as a starting goaltender with their projections, they are both close. The Capitals should be able to ride the hot hand and have success with a 1A/1B tandem.
Team Performance
With the Capitals’ core starting to show their age as a group, the model projects the Capitals as a team that will be in the mix for the final playoff spots. With many of their top players on the back half of their careers, they’ll need most to avoid significant drops in production to stay competitive in the Metropolitan Division.
2021-2022 In Season Updates
Make sure to subscribe and check back for updates to the 2021-2022 season projections throughout the season. Watch for updates and enhancements to the models, updated player projections using 2021-2022 season data, analysis of trades and injuries, and more.
