The 2019-20 regular season went quite well for the Washington Capitals: as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they looked to be a strong pick to make another run towards the Stanley Cup. Alex Ovechkin was doing Alex Ovechkin things -- that included reaching a major career milestone with goal No. 700.
Then the 2020 postseason happened, and it's one the Caps would like to forget. After an underwhelming qualification round robin, they lost in five games to the New York Islanders -- a team helmed by their former coach, Barry Trotz.
Looking ahead to 2020-21, what does this team have in store? Here's everything you need to know before opening night:
Big question: Can Peter Laviolette reignite the fire?
The Capitals fired Todd Reirden after just two seasons because they were stuck in a post-championship malaise. Veteran leaders, including Alex Ovechkin, wanted a coach that would help keep them accountable.
Washington got that in Laviolette, who has a reputation for being demanding. They also brought in longtime Bruins captain Zdeno Chara on an incentive-laden deal to add jam to the blue line, and accountability to the locker room. Will that translate to regular season success -- and more importantly, can it help them back over the playoff hump?
Did realignment hurt or help?
The Caps won five straight Metropolitan Division titles, a streak that unceremoniously comes to an end. Washington's odds to win again are still good, but they'll have to overcome a new powerhouse team (the 2019-20 Presidents Trophy winner, Boston Bruins) joining the fold.
Offseason comings and goings, plus the cap situation
The Capitals have $0 in projected cap space, according to Cap Friendly. Braden Holtby signed with Vancouver, and Washington brought in Henrik Lundqvist to play tandem with Ilya Samsonov. However, a heart condition will keep Lundqvist away from hockey this season. Craig Anderson, 39, comes into camp on a professional tryout.
The Caps brought in Justin Schultz and Trevor van Riemsdyk to shore up the blue line, but the biggest signing was longtime Bruins captain Zdeno Chara on a one-year $795,000 deal. Washington took a flier on Conor Sheary, and parted ways with hulking blueliner Radko Gudas as well as forwards Travis Boyd and Ilya Kovalchuk (the latter of whom signed in the KHL).
Bold prediction
The Capitals will win the East Division. It's going to be competitive as heck, but Washington has the right mix of motivation, talent and veteran leadership to rise above the pack. Ovechkin -- irked that his chase of Wayne Gretzky's goal record has been slowed by too many shortened or canceled seasons -- will score at least 30 goals in 56 games.
Breakout candidate: Ilya Samsonov
While the Caps are disappointed that Lundqvist won't suit up this season, the truth is they were always ready to turn the reins over to the 23-year-old Samsonov. He was a solid backup to Braden Holtby last season (.913 save percentage in 26 games), though an off-ice injury prevented him from joining the team in the bubble.
Biggest strength: Well-rounded forward group
Of course, as Alex Ovechkin goes, so do the Capitals. But behind him, Washington is well-positioned, especially with Nicklas Backstrom centering a veteran second line. What's more, the Caps sneakily have one of the best fourth lines in hockey.
Biggest weakness: The blue line
The Caps were constantly shuffling their combinations last season in hopes of finding something that stuck. This season, the Caps subtracted Radko Gudas and added Chara and Justin Schultz. Is that enough to fix and underlying issue?
Capitals in NHL Rank
No. 9: Alex Ovechkin, LW
No. 17: John Carlson, D
No. 75: Evgeny Kuznetsov, C
No. 91: Nicklas Backstrom, C
Prospect perspective
Pipeline ranking: 26
Prospects in the top 100: No. 32 Connor McMichael (C), No. 72 Hendrix Lapierre (C)
Fantasy facts to know
The changes to the ESPN standard scoring system are all right up Ovechkin's alley. Last season, he was first in goals, second in shots and 18th in hits. The season prior, he was first in goals, third in shots and 17th in hits. Ovi and John Carlson are both first-round candidates.
The scoring changes also make T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson top-50 skaters, while pushing the value of Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov down a bit.
Ilya Samsonov will be locked in as the team's starting goaltender and makes a fine choice among the top 10 at his position. -- Sean Allen