Despite the brilliance of Alexander Ovechkin, it appears Washington will struggle again this season.
2005 record: 29-41-12 (70 points)
2005 offense rank: 23rd (2.80 goals per game)
2005 defense rank: 29th (3.66 goals allowed per game)
Key Additions: LW Donald Brashear, RW Richard Zednik, D Bryan Pothier
Key Losses: D Mathieu Biron, C Jeff Halpern
Overview: LW Alexander Ovechkin took the NHL by storm last season, scoring 52 goals and 54 assists in his rookie season. Unfortunately for the Capitals, Ovechkin had a very weak supporting cast as they finished last in the Southeast Division by 15 points. The Capitals' defense was atrocious, allowing 3.66 goals per game, and doesn’t figure to be much better this season. Free agent defenseman Brian Pothier was signed in the offseason, but little else was done to shore up the blue line. Ovechkin established himself as one of the top goal scorers in the league and figures to have another stellar season in 2006. The Capitals are hoping that LW Alexander Semin can step up and provide some much-needed goal scoring to the second line. C Daniel Zubrus (23 goals, 34 assists) and RW Chris Clark (20 goals, 19 assists) need to provide some scoring punch on the first line. Goalie Olie Kolzig was outstanding last season and kept the Capitals' season from being a complete disaster. With a shaky defense in front of him, Kolzig could be in for another rough season.
WagerWeb.com odds: +12500 to win the Stanley Cup
Players to Watch: Semin was brought over from Russia to score goals and must produce right away. RW Zednik was acquired from Montreal and could be a 30-goal scorer on the second line. The Capitals' offense will only go as far as Ovechkin can carry it, and he must avoid a sophomore slump.
Outlook: Sports betting fans can count on Ovechkin scoring a ton of goals this season, but they can also count on the Caps defense allowing a bunch of goals as well. Many sportsbooks believe the Capitals are the worst team in the Eastern Conference and could possibly be the worst team in the league.
