Last year, the Washington Capitals missed the postseason for the first time since 2014. In 2023-24, the team is on a mission to ensure that it doesn't go back-to-back seasons without the playoffs for the first time in the Alexander Ovechkin era.
So far, so good. The Caps are 10-6-2 through 18 games, good enough for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division and right in the hunt for a playoff spot next April. Although they have lost two straight games, Washington went on a run in November, and are looking a lot more like the team that has been a perennial postseason contender since Ovi was selected No. 1 overall in the 2004 NHL Draft.
A big part of the club's success in the early going has been the defense. The Caps are allowing just 2.78 goals per game, good enough for eighth place in the league. Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren have both excelled when they've needed to, and John Carlson continues to lead the blue line while averaging some of the most minutes of his career at age-33. There's no issue defensively.
Caps are struggling to score
The issue is offensively. Although the Caps are winning, they aren't making it very pretty. Ovechkin somehow has just five goals and 12 points in 18 games, and he's trending toward his worst offensive season since 2020-21. It isn't just The Great Eight, either; Washington is scoring just 2.33 goals per game, which has them 31st in the league.
Offensively, this isn't the team it once was. Nicklas Backstrom is no longer part of the equation after he devastatingly left the team after trying to return from hip surgery that cost him over half of last season. Evgeny Kuznetsov is well past his prime, and TJ Oshie is floundering with an awful two points in 17 games. Anthony Mantha, who still hasn't been traded, is now on the fourth line. It's honestly surprising that the team is doing as well as it is, considering the offensive woes.
Those could be mitigated with one of the top trade targets in the NHL: Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm.
Could Elias Lindholm get Alex Ovechkin going?
Currently, the Capitals first line consists of Kuznetsov, Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. A few years ago, it would be one of the most potent trios in the game. Today, it's one of the weaker top lines in hockey. The Caps need a bonafide 1C so that they can either move Kuzy to the third line, or slot him down to 2C and relegate Dylan Strome to the bottom-six. As Strome has been one of the best players on the team this year, the former would be more likely.
But back to Lindholm. The 28-year-old has seen his name swirling in trade rumors since last season, and he's currently the No. 2 name on The Athletic's trade board that was released on Wednesday. Here's what insider Chris Johnston had to say about the two-way forward:
“Two seasons removed from a career-best 42 goals and 82 points, the versatile forward has seen a decline in production early in 2023-24. But he remains strong in the dot and can handle big minutes on both the power play and penalty kill. He’d be an ideal No. 2 center on a team with Stanley Cup ambitions.”
The Capitals probably don't have Stanley Cup ambitions at this point, but like Sidney Crosby-led Pittsburgh Penguins, they're a team you probably don't want to play in the first round. The experience and ‘been there before' mentality can often separate teams in the postseason.
“As an added bonus, [Lindholm is] playing on an extremely manageable cap hit and doesn’t have any trade protection included in his expiring contract,” Johnston continued. “So while he may prefer to sign an extension in concert with a trade, Calgary is free to sell him to the highest bidder if he’s more valuable to teams as a rental.”
Capitals short-term future will dictate trades
Although Elias Lindholm would make sense on this Washington Capitals team, the next few months or so will go a long way in determining if the Caps are buyers or sellers at the NHL Trade Deadline. If the early season success continues, there's a good chance general manager Brian MacLellan would be open to adding another top-six piece to help his team score goals.
But if the players on the roster now don't start scoring, it will only be a matter of time before Washington begins to fade away in a crowded Metropolitan Division. If that happens, it'll be Kuznetsov and Mantha getting traded out of the nation's capital, not players being brought in.
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