The big, heavy team that dominated the regular season and captured the Presidents' Trophy was apparently not enough to cross that elusive threshold that keeps the Washington Capitals from advancing passed the second round of the playoffs.

The Caps have some tinkering to do, and their self-addressed "two-year window" in which they will allow themselves to go "all in" is now down to one year.

UFA Jason Chimera will most likely not be back in DC. He is a well loved and gritty player in the Nation's Capitol, but Washington will look to get younger and faster this summer.

The Caps will probably look to UFA Darren Helm, whose speed will be on many radars this summer. Helm, 29, is coming off a 4-year, $2.125M deal. He scored 13 goals and 13 assists in 77 games last year. While that doesn't sound too promising, Helm's speed and two-way game are what will attract teams this summer, especially the Caps.

In DC, Helm could find the stability he's been after in Detroit. He can play left wing or center, and could be a nice fit with Marcus Johansson or Evgeny Kuznetsov.

So far, the Capitals have been quiet as to their plans this off-season. Speed is the key though, and next year will be a make-or-break year for Ovechkin and his Caps. With plenty of talent in the pipeline, Washington is setting themselves up for years to come, but this era is slowly coming to a close.

More to come...

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