“We have players and staff members in various situations—whether it’s forwards like Alex Ovechkin, Connor McMichael or coaches like Spencer Carbery, Kenny McCudden, Kirk Muller, Mitch Love—who all share a mindset coming into this year and say, ‘We’ve got something to prove,'” Carbery said. “Individually and collectively as a team, in different ways, I felt like it resonates.”
The Washington Capitals missed the Stanley Cup playoffs last season for the first time since 2014 and are not expected to return this campaign, according to most projections. The team’s roster, already one of the oldest in the league, did not significantly get younger during the offseason. While the number of injuries they dealt with last season is unlikely to repeat, the Capitals cannot rely on their core players to play 75-plus games as they continue to age. Even the famously durable captain, Alex Ovechkin, missed several games last season due to injuries.
Optimism is high during training camp and at the start of a new season, but the road ahead for Washington is undeniably challenging. Their 2023-24 campaign begins Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Veteran players on the Capitals’ roster were frustrated with the previous season’s results and believe they have more to give. Younger players, like 22-year-old Connor McMichael, aim to prove they are ready to be productive NHL players full-time. Other players, like Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha, want to show that last season was an anomaly rather than a pattern of disengagement.
Forward T.J. Oshie commented, “I think there’s a lot of guys in our lineup individually that have things to prove in a lot of different ways. We have guys who signed long-term contracts that I believe will prove they’re deserving of those deals. We have older guys who have had tough years due to injuries and want to end their careers on their own terms with one more chance at the Stanley Cup. We also have a chase for the greatest goal scorer of all time.”
“We also have younger guys and middle-of-the-road guys who may not have had the best year last year. They
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Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
