2014-2015 Review:

The Washington Capitals had a very good bounce back year last season when they made the playoffs after missing out on the second season the previous year. Alex Ovechkin had another monster season for the Capitals as he notched 50 goals for the seventh time in his 11 seasons in the league.

Ovechkin is the best pure goal scorer in the league and could very well go down as one of the best in history when its all set and done. The Capitals finished second in the Metropolitan division and took out the New York Islanders in seven games before losing to the Rangers after taking a 3-1 series lead. 

New Additions

Justin Williams

It was widely anticipated that Justin Williams was just going to cash out his final deal since he's in his mid 30's now. He ended up taking a little bit of a discount after leaving the LA Kings, signing a two-year deal with the Capitals for less money then he made with the Kings.

Williams has already won a couple Stanley Cups so he's thinking one more before he retires and the Capitals have a great shot at doing it. Williams is a Con Smythe winner as the MVP in 2014 when the Kings won the cup and he brings a lot of clutch scoring over to the Capitals who have needed that in the playoffs for a while. Williams will most likely play in the top six, so he should get some impressive numbers this season.

T.J. Oshie

The Capitals also added another top six winger this offseason and he's due for a big year. Oshie hasn't had a 20 goal season in his career but he will most likely get one this season playing in the top six for the Capitals. A change of scenery was the best course of action for Oshie as the Blues had to something following all those first round exits in the playoffs.

Key Losses

Mike Green

The Capitals will surely feel the loss of defenseman Mike Green this season. Green was one of the longest tenured capitals until he signed a three year deal worth 18 million with the Detroit Red Wings. Green was a very good offensive defenseman for the Capitals and he was the power play QB as well. They do have Matt Niskanen who will step up to the plate as he has in the past but Green will be missed in Washington.

Eric Fehr

Eric Fehr was an unrestricted free agent after the end of last season and he left the Capitals and signed a three year deal worth two million per year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fehr was a really clutch goal scorer and a very good two way center for the Capitals. He had a career high in goals last year with 19 when he transitioned to center. Fehr also was a good penalty killer for the Capitals in his time there.  

Joel Ward

Joel Ward came out of nowhere with this Capitals team and he, like Green and Fehr, will be dearly missed. Two seasons ago, he had his first 20 goal season when he notched 24 goals for the Capitals and last season he had 19 goals as he fell just short of another 20 goal season. He was also a very clutch goal scorer for the Capitals and proved that when he scored a goal with 1.3 seconds left in game one of last years playoffs against the New York Rangers. He'll really help a Sharks team who is battling to get back into the playoffs this season.

Biggest Strength

Goalscoring

Washington has the potential to score a lot of goals this season especially when they have Alex Ovechkin who's a freak of nature. Justin Williams and TJ Oshie will also bring a lot of much needed goal scoring for the Capitals and pretty soon center Nicklas Backstrom will be coming back from injury and he will bring a lot of offense to that team.

Backstrom is one of the most underrated players in the league and the Capitals will surely miss him for the first few games of the season. Let's not forget about Evgeny Kuznetsov who has the opportunity to be even better this season after he had a nice breakout season last year where he put up 11 goals and 26 assists. 

Biggest Weakness

Finishing Playoff Series

This has been the Capitals biggest weakness in the Alex Ovechkin era. They've had opportunities to close a playoff series but cough it up and lose it seven games. The biggest example came from this years series against the New York Rangers where they had a 3-1 series lead and were a minute and a half from closing it out in game five but ended up losing that game and then the rest of the series.

They've done it a few other times in the playoffs against the Rangers from a few years ago too. If the Capitals are to go into the playoffs(which they likely will do), they'll need to learn from last year and close out a playoff series as early as they can.

Bottom Line

On paper, this is easily the best team of the Alex Ovechkin era in Washington. The forward group is very deep, the defense is very strong, and they have one of the best goaltenders in the league in Braden Holtby. This team has the opportunity to be very good this season and they'll definitely be in contention for the Metropolitan division title this season. This also could be the year they finally get to the Eastern Conference final for the first time with Alex Ovechkin so a long playoff run is very possible for them. Capitals fans are ectastic for this season and I don't think anyone can blame them.

Fantasy Slant

Most Overrated: Brooks Orpik

Brooks Orpik isn't what he once was and it has showed the past couple seasons with the Penguins and the Capitals. Sure he can hit but he's not as fast of a skater as he once was but that may have to do with his growing age. He's also severely overpaid as he signed a five year deal with the Capitals worth 28 million which is just too much for a guy who's on the decline. 

Most Underrated: Nicklas Backstrom

As I said earlier in the article, Backstrom is one of the most underrated centers in the NHL and doesn't get enough credit for what he does. He's a great playmaker and it shows each season when he gets more and more assists. The last two seasons he's put up over 60 assists for the Capitals which is crazy. He's also not too far removed from a 30 goal season and while he may not get there this season due to a season starting injury, he very well could get back to the 20 goal mark for them. 

Biggest Surprise: Evgeny Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov was a huge surprise for the Capitals last season and it could mean he's in line for an even better season. Playing in the top six will surely help for his game as he has the opportunity to have his first 20 goal season in the NHL this season. Be sure to draft him in fantasy this season as he could be a big steal for your team.