As long as the Capitals remain without a Stanley Cup, questions will always surround Washington if this is “the year.”
The Capitals now are back-to-back winners of the Presidents’ Trophy and have largely emphasized time-and-time again that it doesn’t mean anything without playoff success.
But at the same time, the Capitals have a foundational core in place for a run — from star (Alex Ovechkin) to one of the league’s best goalies (Braden Holtby) to plenty of talented players in between (Nicklas Backstrom, Kevin Shattenkirk, T.J. Oshie).
It’s why Las Vegas, as well as many NHL experts, perceive the Caps to be one of the top favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season.