The Washington Capitals were coming off yet another disappointing playoff performance, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second consecutive year and the third time in the Alex Ovechkin vs Sidney Crosby era. The result was frustrating enough but what came after the loss was perhaps even more important.
That summer the Capitals parted ways with four very good players, some of them key players for several years. The names that left that summer included Marcus Johansson, Justin Williams, Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk.
The Capitals Stanley Cup chances seemed to go out the door with those players.