Thanks For Playing: Washington Capitals

Each spring 16 NHL teams play for Lord Stanley's Cup. At the end one team is left holding the cup while the other 15 teams can only think of what could of what might have been.

This is about one of the 15 teams who wasn't so lucky. 

Washington Capitals:

How They Finished: 48-23-11 107 points
1st in Southeast Division, 1st in Eastern Conference.

What Went Wrong: 

Their best players weren't the best players on the ice.

OK, I know it's a kind of a cliche but that was the case from the start of the series.

If you compare all the Washington players against their counterparts on Tampa Bay there isn't one Capital that was better on the ice.

Let's start with the two captains.

Alex Ovechkin was by default the Capitals best player in the series with 2 goals & 2 assists.

Tampa's captain, Vincent Lecavalier was better with 3 goals & 3 assist and a game winning goal in Game 2.

Alexander Semin & Nicklas Backstrom combined for only a goal & an assist a piece in the series. Steven Stamkos & Martin St. Louis were more productive for Tampa combining for four goals & three assists.

Another reason for the Capitals being swept in the series was Tampa's 3rd & 4th line outplayed Washington's 3rd & 4th line.

Sean Bergenheim was the most productive player in the series scoring four goals for the Lightning. The Capitals were unable to stop him or any of the other role players for Tampa while the Lighting had no problems shutting down Washington's role players.

In goal Dwayne Roloson continued to play like he did in 2006 giving up only 10 goals on 133 shots in the series. He was rock solid in net and hands down better than Michal Neuvirth was for Washington.

But I think one of the main reasons Washington lost this series is because they never took Tampa seriously.

After each loss Washington just figured OK, we'll just go out and win the next one. Only problem was that never happened.

The only time I saw the Capitals play desperate hockey was in Game 2 of the series. They were able to press and tie the game to force overtime.

In the overtime they went away from the defensive team that brought them success this season and back to the Capitals that play reckless hockey where they are a threat to score but just as likely a threat to give up a goal. That's what happened when Lecavalier scored the game winner to give Tampa control of the series. 

Where Do They Go From Here: 

After four years of having great regular seasons with very little to show for it some type of changes have to be in order in Washington.

The first thought is to change coaches but Capitals GM George McPhee says he expects Bruce Boudreau to return as coach next season.

If that is true then the changes are going to come from tweaking the roster of players.

Jason Arnott, Marco Sturm, Brooks Laich, Matt Bradley, Boyd Gordon, & Scott Hannan are all free agents this summer and the only players I think the Capitals would like to ring back are Laich & Hannan.

The Capitals have only 8.5 million in projected cap space for next season and Laich is expected to be one of the more coveted free agents this summer. If they are able to re-sign Laich then I think someone else from the roster is going to be moved.

Looking at the roster the two names that jump out at me are Alexander Semin & Mike Green.

Semin will make 6.7 million next season and is a free agent in 2012. He has a history of being a good regular season player but disappearing in the playoffs. This year he finished with four goals & two assists in the playoffs. If the Capitals don't plan on re-signing him I can see them trying to move him this summer.

As for Green he is a restricted free agent after next season and scheduled to make 5.25 million next year. He is known for his offensive play-making ability but has been considered a liability on defense.

One thing to keep in mind is Green missed the last 20 games of the season with a concussion. While he was out of the lineup Washington went 16-3-1 and were able to overtake Philadelphia for the top spot in the East. If your the Capitals you have to ask are you better with or without Mike Green.

Regardless of what happens changes are coming in DC. The Capitals have way too much talent to keep coming up short. Each year you think they are ready to take the next step. Instead they always end up tripping over their own skates.