Can the Caps Win their Division?
Hockey is back in DC, and after the miserable endings to wonderful seasons for both the Washington Nationals and Redskins you have to wonder, do fans in Washington still have enough left in the tank to care about the Caps?
For the last few years, DC's only roller coaster ride was found at the Verizon Center where sky-high hopes for Alex Ovechkin and the Caps were the norm. Outside of the Capitals dominance of the southeast division, DC wasn't exactly privy to exciting sports teams year-round. But with the recent surge and success of the Skins and Nats, fans have more to look forward to.
And that is something that should concern Ted Leonsis, George McPhee, Alex Ovechkin and the rest of the team.
While the Caps have frivolously burnt playoff opportunities over the past five seasons, the belief that Washington was destined to win a Cup has swooned from heavily pessimistic to highly optimistic. But where will it go this year?
Do the Caps boast the same type of chances as they did in the past?
Are the changes to the coaching staff and lineup good? Or do they simply bring forth more questions?
Better yet, there are two defining questions which seem to be at the root of why I now question if DC fans have enough in the tank to believe the Caps can do it; are Ovechkin and Backstrom going to take the next step and, has the southeast division become so competitive that making the playoffs, let alone winning the division, is now of prime concern?
Truth be told, the answers to most of those questions lie in what is essentially a roll of the dice in a 48 game season. A strong half-year regular season could easily vault the Caps into a prime position to succeed, though that is almost equally as likely as the shortened season wreaking havoc on their playoffs chances.
So where do you stand?
Do you still believe this Washington Capitals squad has what it takes to capture the franchise's first Stanley Cup?
I am working on some season previews so I will check in shortly with some new pieces dissecting the Caps and what I think of all the changes, the onset of this shortened season and what kind of chances these Caps might have.
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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