For many NHL teams, just making it to the Stanley Cup playoffs is a relief of sorts. But for some, it’s just delaying the inevitable.
As the Florida Panthers demonstrated last season, you can squeak into the post-season and then turn into a legitimate Cup threat. But that’s the exception to the rule, and two teams that currently are more or less where the Panthers were at the end of last season show a different side to just making it into the playoffs.
We’re talking about the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals, both of which are on the road to being swept in their first-round matchups against the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers, respectively. Even if they do win a game or more, it would take a miracle for them not to be eliminated in Round 1.
The Islanders and Capitals are moving toward an off-season in which they absolutely need to make foundational changes to their roster.
The Capitals, which currently trail the Rangers 2-0 ahead of Friday’s matchup, have star winger Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of the all-time goal-scoring record to look forward to. Other than that, there’s just not nearly enough there to build a new legitimate Stanley Cup threat around.
Washington’s years of being a playoff fixture have whittled down the quality of their lineup. Now, their prospect picture is nowhere close to elite.
As per PuckPedia, the Capitals have 20 players under contract and just $3.2 million in projected salary cap space. That means they have no cavalry on the horizon.
While Caps GM Brian MacLellan has tried to improve his team’s future by trading a handful of veterans for draft picks and young players, Washington must do more than that if they’re going to be a bona fide Cup threat sooner than later.
With most of his core in or near their mid-thirties, would MacLellan consider trading an above-average player, such as forward Tom Wilson or defenseman John Carlson? It would be a bold move, to be sure – and both Wilson and Carlson have modified no-trade clauses that would make a trade harder to pull off. But if the Capitals really do intend on putting together a team that can contend for a Cup for the next decade-and-a-half, they need to do something drastic.
Similarly, the Islanders have most of their core signed through next season, but they have just 18 players locked up and about $5.5 million in projected cap space. By the time Isles GM Lou Lamoriello signs his RFAs, there will be next to nothing left to augment the lineup with.
Let’s be real here – even if the Islanders found a way to bring back the entire team for the 2024-25 campaign, they’d remain an offense-challenged group that wouldn’t finish anywhere near the top of the Metropolitan Division.
Isles coach Patrick Roy has squeezed everything he could out of this roster, and it’s still nowhere near a team that can keep pace with the Rangers or the Hurricanes.
They also need to make a massive move on the trade front – as in, dealing backup goalie Semyon Varlamov or veteran center Brock Nelson, a 32-year-old who’ll be entering the final season of his current contract before he becomes a UFA in the summer of 2025.
Again, this move would take guts on Lamoriello’s behalf, but if the Islanders aren’t getting the job done at playoff time, isn’t it possible that Nelson would want to move on to a legit Cup threat when he becomes a free agent? We think the answer is yes, so it makes sense for the Islanders to get ahead of that reality and move Nelson while they have leverage.
Some would see standing pat as MacLellan and Lamoriello standing by their team as it’s currently constructed. The flip side of that argument is the Caps and Isles would be rewarding mediocrity while running back the same lineup and expecting different results. Their fans know full well that the Isles and Capitals are flawed groups, and a serious situation like the one they’re now in demands serious answers.
Big moves would be painful for them in the short term, but if nothing really changes, the Islanders and Capitals would probably be in the same place this time next year – or worse.
We can absolutely see them being a mushy-middle team that finishes a standings point or two out of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference next season.
Look no further than the Pittsburgh Penguins – which have players that are better than anyone on the Islanders or Capitals rosters – to see an example of a team in a similar situation to the one they now face. There’s always a chance a miracle happens, and the Islanders and Capitals become power-brokers in the Metro for a season or two, but more people expect them to be less about power and more about brokenness.
You don’t have to give up on everyone on the Capitals and Islanders, but there needs to be notable consequences for being outclassed the way they’ve been outclassed by the Blueshirts and Canes. By the time next season begins, both the Isles and Caps should look far different than they look right now. Anything that doesn’t move them toward that goal is simply adjusting the deck chairs on the Titanic and expecting the boat to float them to a championship. It’s not going to happen, and dealing with that reality should be Job 1 for the Islanders and Capitals.
Related: Three NHL Teams That Could Go Home Early
Related: Tampa Bay Lightning’s Roster Dilemma Could Get Even Tougher If They Lose in First Round
Related: Alex Ovechkin Is Back in the Playoffs, But it Won’t Last Long
News Summary:
- Opinion: Capitals and Islanders Must Make Foundational Roster Changes
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.