The Washington Capitals opened training camp Sunday and will skate as a team Monday, together for the first time since their first-round playoff loss in August.
Plenty has changed since then. Washington fired coach Todd Reirden three days after the team lost in the Eastern Conference first round for the second straight season. The NHL is moving forward with an altered season in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with a 56-game schedule and new division alignments.
Now, with training camp here, coach Peter Laviolette — who the Capitals hired in September — finally has a chance to assess his players in person after an unusual offseason of phone and Zoom calls.