Yahoo Sports 17 Things: The State Of This Year's Capitals, Thoughts & Takeaways From Opening Stretch, Chychrun, Dubois & Impact Players, Roy Update
BETHESDA, M.D. — The Washington Capitals are back, and things are looking much better than they were just a year ago in D.C.
For starters, a busy offseason, kickstarted by the Pierre-Luc Dubois for Darcy Kuemper deal, has paid off as Washington is enjoying a 5-2 start to the 2024-25 campaign.
Though they're coming off a 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, the Capitals are a stronger and better team, and their play beyond their record speaks to that.
With the return of hockey in the District also comes the return of the famous 17 Things series, which will be every Sunday and offer updates, analysis and thoughts on the current state of the Washington Capitals.
That said, here are 17 things to consider after a solid start to the year.
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Washington Capitals 17 Things
1. The Capitals should be quite happy with all of their offseason moves, especially Pierre-Luc Dubois. Though he's not always on the scoresheet through these first few games, he's transformed the top-6 and has been responsible for a handful of quality scoring chances and goals, even if it doesn't show up in the form of an assist. His expected goals-for percentage of 63.47 at all strengths also speaks volumes.
Also, he's well-liked in the room. Every player I've talked to about Dubois tells me the same thing, and it's primarily how good of a person he is.
2. Dubois and Tom Wilson also have formed a good friendship to start as they show chemistry together on the ice. After being traded to D.C., Dubois showed his girlfriend highlights of the kind of player Wilson is, to which his girlfriend remarked that he's happy he's playing with No. 43 now instead of against him.
3. Matt Roy is also one of the players who's high on Dubois, who he played with in L.A. Roy, who signed a six-year contract to join Washington this summer and said he wouldn't have done that if he didn't like Dubois in the first place, is currently recovering from a lower-body injury suffered in the season opener. I expect him to join the team for practice (per sources, it was a foot injury) sooner rather than later, as he's been skating on his own.
4. Speaking of blueliners, Jakob Chychrun should be on the top of the Capitals' to-do list — and yes, I know it's early. The 26-year-old has transformed the blue line with his skating and offensive instincts, and he's a big catalyst as the defense continues to get more and more involved offensively.
Signing him to a long-term deal and having him be a core member of the blue line, especially with the John Carlson era winding down, is a smart move for Washington that will pay off in the long run.
5. Another defenseman who's been impressive to open the season: Trevor van Riemsdyk. He's really come out of his shell and has been doing a lot more to contribute offensively, along with defensive partner Rasmus Sandin, who showcased quite a bit of skill against the Lightning on Saturday.
6. The Capitals averaged just 2.63 goals per game last season, and so far, they're averaging 3.71 a night, the seventh-most in the league. It's a huge step from last year, as they've managed three goals in all but one game (Saturday's shutout loss to Tampa at the hands of a red-hot Andrei Vasilevskiy). There's more traffic in front of the net and more shots coming from the point, but overall, D.C. just looks more confident with the puck and more capable of making plays this year.
7. Connor McMichael's also a big part of that. There were some concerns that he wouldn't necessarily thrive as a wing as a natural center, but that's been the main role for him, and he's also earned some reps down the middle. McMichael has points in all but two games this season and is operating at over a point-per-game pace as he's showing that he can be the impact player that made him a first-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft.
8. His linemate, Tom Wilson, is leading Washington with five goals through seven games. He looks so much stronger than last season, as he was still acclimating and getting back into the rhythm after ACL surgery, which can be a lot to recover from and adapt to. Wilson just looks like a new player and leader, and from his strength to his positioning to his shot, is more well-rounded. It's amazing what more time to recover can do.
9. There are a lot of positives to consider for D.C. this season, but of course, there are flaws, and the biggest one is the power play. It has gone 0-for-17 over the last five games and ranks third-worst in the league at 8.7 percent.
Head coach Spencer Carbery said before the weekend that the team was considering "all options" when it came to changing up the man advantage, which is being run by both Mitch Love and Kirk Muller this season. Sooner or later, though, something's got to give, and new personnel may be the answer.
10. On the bright side, the penalty kill's been great, with McMichael and Wilson, as well as Aliaksei Protas, Andrew Mangiapane and of course Nic Dowd, leading the charge there. It's operating at 83.3 percent, the 10th-best in the league.
11. Protas is an absolute gamer and is another player who deserves a lot of credit for his play this season. The 23-year-old is playing on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome, and after a rough go in the season opener, has been hard on the forecheck, battling for pucks and generating a number of high-quality chances.
With Protas on the top line, the xGF percentage has gone up nearly five percent, while the scoring chances-for percentage has gone up nearly 12 points.
12. Looking at impactful forwards (of course, the dominant fourth line of Brandon Duhaime-Nic Dowd-Taylor Raddysh is on that list and goes without an explanation),, Andrew Mangiapane is flying a bit under the radar. He's smaller, but wins board battles and uses his speed and hockey IQ to his advantage. He leads Washington in multiple categories at 5-on-5, including Corsi for percentage (53.91), shots-for percentage (61.54) and xGF percentage (66.53).
Mangiapane's sticks are also taped on the shaft with white tape, and drawn on that tape, is a heart and "JG13," for longtime friend and former teammate Johnny Gaudreau.
13. One has to wonder when Sonny Milano will get a chance to return to the lineup, and if that could be Tuesday against the New York Rangers following the team's first loss in five games. Jakub Vrana's return has been great as he's brought speed to the lineup, but Milano will eventually get the chance to show that his weak play in the opener was just a one-off.
Still, Carbery did say that his camp was "just okay," and though he gets the benefit of the doubt as a veteran and got the first crack at the lineup going into the year, Milano has to show quite a bit when he ultimately does return to the mix.
14. Another player who's sat out: Alex Alexeyev, and at some point, there's the question of what his future looks like in D.C. He can't seem to secure a role as a regular, though the 6-foot-4 defenseman still has upside and a lot of promise. He's shown he belongs in the NHL, but from the looks of it, a change of scenery might be best.
15. With Alexeyev sitting out, Dylan McIlrath's been getting games with Roy on the shelf, and he's more than earned it. He doesn't play the most minutes, but the 6-foot-5 blueliner is a physical force to be reckoned with and is able to get the puck out of harm's way. Most importantly, though, it's his character, attitude, work ethic and leadership that secured him a spot on this team. The Capitals love Big Mac.
16. With Aaron Ness being named captain in Hershey, imagine it will be a long stay for McIlrath up at the highest level, and rightfully so. He's paid his dues over the years.
17. In non-hockey news, playing my first official game in goal on Sunday. We'll have a Crash The Net with how that one goals. Oh, and speaking of goalies, there's nothing wrong with a 1A/1B situation, and that's how it should continue to be for Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson, in my humble opinion.
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