Capitals' biggest surprise, disappointment to start 2024-25 season

The Capitals are on a roll this season.

The Washington Capitals have been full of pleasant surprises in the early going. After limping into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and getting swept by the New York Rangers in Round 1, the Caps look like an entirely different team in 2024-25.

After a couple of key tweaks by the front office during the offseason, Washington is firing on all cylinders this time around — and currently occupying second place in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-4-1 record. The Capitals are fresh off a convincing 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, and this roster is looking like it can challenge to be in the upper-echelon of the Eastern Conference.

The Capitals are getting contributions from up and down the lineup, and look poised to compete for a top three spot in the division all campaign long if they remain at this level. And there are no shortage of reasons why the club is doing so well in the early going.

Alex Ovechkin resurgence leading Capitals

A big part of Washington's early success is the resurgence of Alex Ovechkin and his chemistry with center Dylan Strome. The two are off to terrific starts this season; the Great Eight is second on the team with 10 goals and 20 points in just 16 games, while Strome has gone nuclear with 24 points in the same span to lead the squad.

Strome has been on another level this season, currently playing at a near 100-point pace while managing a +13 rating. He has been an excellent complement to Ovechkin, and the duo have become a ton of fun to watch. While Ovechkin and Strome's red hot starts might be mildly surprising, the phenomenal play of Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas has been much more unexpected.

Breakout seasons for Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas

It's truly been a breakout campaign for both McMichael and Protas. The former sits just behind Ovechkin and Strome with a team-high 12 goals and 19 points in 16 games, including two big ones against the Avalanche on Friday night. The 23-year-old McMichael — a former first-round pick by the Caps in the 2019 NHL Draft — has never recorded more than 33 points in a season, which came last year.

McMichael is currently on pace to shatter those career-highs before the calendar flips to 2025, and he continues to be the biggest surprise on the roster this season. After coming up through the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears' system and winning a Calder Cup with the team in 2023, the Ajax, Ontario native looks like the future in the nation's capital. He has been elevated to the top powerplay unit, and that doesn't look like a place the skilled winger will be leaving anytime soon.

And Protas isn't far behind, with six goals and 15 points of his own in 16 games. The Belarusian is currently scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace while receiving way less powerplay time than any other player so far mentioned. He occupies the top-line RW slot along with Strome and Ovechkin, and has excelled in that role at 5-on-5.

Like McMichael, Protas was a 2019 draft pick, being selected 91st overall. He was also part of the Bears team that won the AHL championship trophy in 2023. Both McMichael and Protas are just 23, and each look like they'll be catalysts in the nation's capital for the foreseeable future.

The two have been part of the solution to the problem that was scoring depth for the Capitals last year. It would be even more surprising if either player were able to keep up the scorching offensive pace, but both look well-positioned to continue having success.

Andrew Mangiapane has disappointed with new team so far

While most of Washington's new additions have been effective — particularly Logan Thompson and Jakob Chychrun — Andrew Mangiapane is not on pace to improve on his 2023-24 showing with the Calgary Flames. Mangiapane managed 40 points in 75 games last year, and he's just a couple seasons removed from a breakout 35-goal, 55-point performance with the Flames in 2021-22.

This season, the 28-year-old has only chipped in seven points in 16 games. That's well under the pace he has played at each of the last three campaigns. Mangiapane got a look with Ovechkin and Strome early in the season, but he's been relegated to the third line alongside Jakub Vrana and new addition Lars Eller, who scored the Stanley Cup winning goal for the Caps in 2018.

Mangiapane is still playing with the second man advantage group, but his offensive game certainly leaves something to be desired so far in 2024-25. The Capitals have gotten a ton of offense from their forward group so far, but they could still use Mangiapane getting going sooner rather than later. In a season that doesn't really have any disappointments as of yet, Mangiapane is probably the closest thing.

Capitals are in excellent shape as 2024-25 rolls along

Overall, the Capitals look almost unrecognizable from a year ago. Ovechkin is scoring at a prolific pace again, Thompson has been lights out between the pipes (Charlie Lindgren has also been solid), and potential career-best seasons from Strome, McMichael and Protas continue to propel the offense.

As well, the additions of Chyrun and Matt Roy on the back end have helped to shore up an already strong defensive unit. Add excellent coaching from Spencer Carbery, and it's not hard to see why the Capitals are off to one of their best starts during Ovechkin's career.

It'll be very interesting to see if Washington can keep up this elite level of play all season long, but it's becoming more and more clear that this is going to be a Stanley Cup Playoff team next spring. The way things are going, general manager Chris Patrick could look to add another piece as the Capitals try to win another championship in the twilight of Ovechkin's illustrious career.