For the fourth time in four years, the Washington Capitals did not live up to their seeding in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Alexander Ovechkin had 10 points in nine games, but he has been hampered by an injury all year. The Caps’ best players are all forwards: Ovie, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin. But one of the problems with the Caps is that they are too young. They need players who know how to win. A look at the Stanley Cup champions from each of the past 10 seasons shows that all of those teams have multiple players over 30 who are either stars or major contributors.
The Caps have Mike Knuble, 38, and Jason Arnott, 36, but both have been banged up and Arnott only arrived in late February at the trade deadline. It’s time for the Caps to make some changes and trade Semin or defenseman Mike Green for some veterans. Owner Ted Leonsis’ extreme youth movement has led to good regular seasons, but the Caps have come up short in the postseason. To read my article on Examiner.com, click here.
Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Stanley Cup, Ted Leonsis, veterans, Washington Capitals
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