ARLINGTON — The Stanley Cup Final last June showed the hockey world that a bruising, physical style can still lift a team to the pinnacle of the sport.
The Washington Capitals seemed to take that into consideration when remaking their bottom-six forward group and replacing a retired defenseman. Coach Todd Reirden said some of their new players weren’t chosen “by accident.
“That’s what you can look to see. Some guys that aren’t necessarily all that fun to play against,” Reirden said Thursday at the team’s media day.
After adding some tough players over the summer, the Capitals enter the 2019-20 season facing a tough reality: Several of their best players are 30 or older, two key cogs are in the last year of their contracts and their window to win a second Stanley Cup won’t be open forever.