2016 Pool Projections: Washington

Another year older, but does that mean the Washington Capitals are another year wiser?

The team made a lot of positive strides in the 2015 season, so many, I had them as my playoff bracket winner, in all honesty.  Unfortunately, that New York Rangers team was able to put the Capitals over their knee and offer them a quick lesson on how to play some playoff hockey.  Sure, the Rangers didn't make it to the Finals either, but they did make it further.

Playoff success is about the only thing standing between Alex Ovechkin and his rightful place among the conversation in the all-time greats, even though he'll have plenty of support, without a Cup ring.

Nevertheless, the Capitals should be fully expected to bounce back from that Conference Semi-Finals defeat to the Rangers, they've applied a little more scoring in some areas, they've added a guy who is the most clutch player of our generation and they have a goalie that can work a whole bunch of minutes and play exceptionally well doing so.

As a poolie, I'm pretty excited about the Capitals and I think you probably should be as well.

Player	Pos	15/16 Proj	Rookie
Braden Holtby	G	95
Alex Ovechkin	F	80
Nicklas Backstrom	F	80
T.J. Oshie	F	60
John Carlson	D	60
Evgeny Kuznetsov	F	55
Marcus Johansson	F	45
Justin Williams	F	40
Matt Niskanen	D	30
Andre Burakovsky	F	25
Karl Alzner	D	20
Jay Beagle	F	20
Brooks Laich	F	20
Jason Chimera	F	20
Brooks Orpik	D	20
Tom Wilson	F	15
Ryan Stanton	D	10
Michael Latta	F	10
Justin Peters	G	10
Nate Schmidt	D	10
Dimitri Orlov	D	10
Zach Sill	F	5
Liam O'Brien	F	5	Y
Philipp Grubauer	G	5
Taylor Chorney	D	5

Table last updated on August 10th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

It didn't appear that the Capitals even blinked, when Mike Green headed to unrestricted free agency and even less so, when the Detroit Red Wings signed him to a new deal.

Of course they didn't... they have John Carlson.  A more well-rounded defenseman, who put up 55 points last season and with the added responsibility of being the team's top offensive defenseman, he'll definitely be leaned upon to do that job and he'll succeed with flying colours this season.

Carlson finished 6th among defenders in scoring and really didn't emerge as one of "those guys" in the spotlight, thanks to bigger fish on the same team.  This could very well be his time and a good time to jump on a low stock value.

First Round Picks

The Capitals have three players over the 80-point mark on my projection list, which should have them safely in the conversation for the 1st round of the pool draft.  Braden Holtby is a lock, due to how hot the goalies have been in recent years, while Alex Ovechkin is a lock, because he is who he is.  Last season, Nicklas Backstrom dropped down into the 2nd round and potentially could fall down again, despite his projection, thanks to the goalie rush.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

Four more forwards really jump out as being pool-worthy on the projections list, as the newly-acquired T.J. Oshie heads the list, followed by improved performances from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson, while Justin Williams, another big playoff pick-up, rounds out the list.  The Capitals are going to bank on their top six being hard to stop, while the bottom six will be around, trying to be hard to grind through.  The Capitals should be a popular team this year, mostly because they have a little bit more flash and dash in their lineup, compared to last year.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

Beyond Carlson, this defense is going to work on their own zone with a little more determination, but thankfully, they have enough players in the top six forwards, that can take the puck off their stick and quickly turn it into a transition goal.  Matt Niskanen should have a decent year that way, while Karl Alzner and Brooks Orpik are going to be great in their own end, which will lead to those transition points.

Goaltending Situation

Just before the playoffs had ended, the Capitals had re-signed Philipp Grubauer to a new deal, giving him a 2-year deal, which was a one-way deal for both years, making the questions, what happens with Justin Peters and would either goalie be pool-worthy with the job?  I'm leaning towards Peters today, but with how many minutes their number one, and the second-best player in the pool last year, Braden Holtby, eats, there shouldn't be enough to make the Peters-Grubauer situation into a poolie nightmare.

Possible Entries Into the Rookie Race

The time is arguably now for the Capitals, so it will have to take a gargantuan effort for a rookie to come in and crack this lineup, I'm thinking.  At this point before camp even starts, I'm not seeing a great deal of rookies that should push through to the lineup.  Not to say that they won't, it does seem rather unlikely though.

Team To Pick From Late?

There's enough 20-25 point players on my projection list, which could be worth a gamble at the end of the pool draft.  Brooks Laich and Jason Chimera could very well be 30-point players, with a great enough effort, but their two-way game will be what propels this team to greater things.  The Caps should be able to make a good offensive argument for some of these guys to be late round bargains, so choose your depth wisely.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

Curtis Glencross and Tim Gleason highlight an unrestricted group of players, still unsigned from the Capitals last season, who are in need of new homes.  Both players should bring enough veteran presence to make a small impact on a new team, but the cap numbers are really working against them this year.

The Capitals should be working to fill one more forward spot and then keeping a good deal of cap space under the ceiling for the rest of the ceiling.  With one or two roster spots still open, the Capitals still have $2.8 million to spend, according to my table.  They're not in the market, as they head down the stretch to camp, so it will be interesting to see who makes the leap up and who gets left behind.