Some folks are throwing their arms up in frustration after the Caps’ lackluster 2022-23 season, but it was really only a matter of time they hit a wall like this, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that Coach Peter Laviolette won’t be coming back to deal with this situation, which may only get worse before it gets better.
1. The Caps haven’t exactly lit up the playoffs since 2018, so even if they made the postseason, another first-round loss would have been close to even odds on those annoying betting apps. If the organization wanted, it very well could have made a push for the playoffs by not trading away players at the trade deadline, or even adding ones that made sense.