With training camps officially kicking off around the NHL yesterday, teams returned to action after an unprecedented break - four months, to be exact, with many of the players having been off the ice for a good portion of that time. It’s a significant break even for an offseason, let alone going into a playoff-type situation that teams would usually be approaching at full speed.
While there’s likely to be some rust after such a lengthy layoff, and while some players who went into the break red-hot are likely not happy about the forced cooldown, it’s likely that time away from the rink may end up being beneficial for some of the Caps.