The Capitals are in for an interesting 2024-25 season.
The Washington Capitals are done with NHL Free Agency like most other teams. As a result, they are gearing up for the incoming 2024-25 NHL season. The Capitals lost to the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs this past spring. And they hope to avoid an early postseason exit in 2025.
The Capitals certainly made moves with an intent to make the playoffs in mind this summer. For instance, Washington traded for Pierre-Luc Dubois in a deal with the Los Angeles Kings. Additionally, the Capitals made deals for Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun, and Logan Thompson to bolster the roster this offseason.
Washington looks to be one of the more fascinating teams to watch in the year ahead. There is potential for some rather wild occurrences with this squad. With this in mind, here are two Capitals bold predictions that could come to pass in the 2024-25 NHL season.
Pierre-Luc Dubois flirts with 60 points
Pierre-Luc Dubois was traded to the Capitals this offseason after a disappointing year with the Kings. Dubois arrived in Los Angeles as the team's premier offseason acquisition. Some hoped that he could eventually replace Anze Kopitar as the team's top-line center down the line. In the end, things simply did not work out.
Dubois finished the 2023-24 campaign with 16 goals and 40 points. This is a far cry from his last performances with the Winnipeg Jets before the trade to LA. Dubois posted back-to-back 60+ point campaigns with Winnipeg. He failed to match this level of production after his trade to the Kings. In fact, he earned a demotion to the fourth line during the 2023-24 season.
Los Angeles explored trading Dubois during the season last year. However, they didn't strike until the summer. Now with Washington, Dubois has a chance for another fresh start. He has lofty expectations on him given the eight-year contract he signed last season. The Capitals absorbed all of this contract, so those expectations remain great.
Dubois will get every opportunity to bounce back in the 2024-25 NHL season. And he should return to form to some extent. The former Kings forward will flirt with reaching the 60-point mark this upcoming year. His performance should help Washington on the ice to some extent.
Capitals still struggle offensively
Trading for Dubois is one part in Washington's overall goal of improving the offense. And there is potential for these moves to pay major dividends. Dubois has a chance to bounce back, and Andrew Mangiapane could be a sneaky game-changer for this team. In saying this, the Capitals offense will still be an issue in the year ahead.
Washington certainly could get major performances from their newcomers. However, the existing members of the roster present potential roadblocks to offensive success. Tom Wilson, for instance, is projected by Daily Faceoff to play on the first line. But his offense has noticeably declined over the last few seasons.
Additionally, the Capitals have a lot of faith in Alex Ovechkin entering this season. It certainly makes sense, as he is only 41 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goal scoring record. In saying this, he showed signs of decline in the first half of the season. He did bounce back, but can he recover from another first-half slump again?
There are too many variables at play to say the team's overall offense will significantly improve in 2024-25. Washington's offense certainly may not be as bad as it was a year ago. But don't expect this team to be one of the better offensive teams in the NHL this season.
