Best-Case Scenario for Each Washington Capitals Star During 2013-14 Season

For those who follow me here at Bleacher Report—and especially for the Washington Capitals fans on here—you know that I recently wrote an article wherein I made some early predictions and set some expectations for the Caps' best players for the 2013-14 season.

I have heard from a few people that they felt my predictions might have been a bit too conservative. I am not sure I agree with that but I digress.

In this article, I am going to go back, take a look at some of those predictions and instead of, perhaps, being too conservative, it is time for blind optimism to rule the day.

Perhaps these very favorable predictions are, in reality, what it will take for the Caps to truly compete next season. The Caps will have a very steep hill to climb this coming season just to make the playoffs for a seventh straight season.

Just to compete in their division will be the equivalent of going to war and the Caps will need to be ready. Will things have to break this perfectly for the Caps to excel this season? Probably not to this extent.

It sure wouldn't hurt though.

Here then are the best-case scenarios for the Caps' top stars for the 2013-14 season.

Marcus Johansson

In a best-case scenario, 2013-14 will be the season that Marcus Johansson really breaks out.

He has the potential to do so. MoJo has great speed and an underrated shot. He flourished on the Caps' top line during the second half of the season.

Over the final 20 games of the season, Johansson was placed predominantly on the Caps' top line with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. MoJo's production soared as did his numbers.

Over those final 20 games, MoJo had three goals, added 14 assists and had a plus-10 rating.

While many question whether MoJo is currently Top Six material, most believe he has the potential to be a top-six forward.

What Johansson needs is to be more consistent. He also needs to shoot the puck more. This was a problem I noted in the playoffs. MoJo, along with several other members of the Caps, just seemed too reluctant to shoot.

MoJo only had 40 shots on goal this past season. Only Joey Crabb, Aaron Volpatti, Martin Erat and Brooks Laich had fewer shots on goal, among Caps forwards, than Johansson—and Laich only played in nine games, as did Erat (with the Capitals at least).

If MoJo is going to succeed this season, then he needs to shoot the puck more, have more confidence in his skills and relax some. Anyone who watched the goal he scored in Game 1 against the New York Rangers saw what MoJo is capable of.

If Johansson decides to trust in himself more, shoot the puck more and develop a better presence in front of the net, then 2013-14 could be a real breakout season for him.

Here then are some predicted best-case scenario stats for Johansson for the 2013-14 season:

• Goals—22
• Assists—31
• Points—53
• Shots on goal—120
• Power-play goals—7

Martin Erat

As for best-case scenarios, there are many Caps fans who would love nothing better than to see Martin Erat absolutely dominate and be a huge asset for the Caps during the 2013-14 season.

If Erat can do that, then, perhaps, general manager George McPhee can tell all of us that he told us so.

For now, though, there are more questions than answers as far as Erat is concerned. Practically every Caps fan by now knows that one of the best prospects in the entire organization, Filip Forsberg, was traded to the Nashville Predators at the trade deadline for Erat.

McPhee made the trade so his team could win now. The thought was that Erat would add what the Caps so desperately needed to win that elusive Stanley Cup.

Things did not work out. In nine regular-season games with the Caps, Erat had all of one goal and two assists. In the playoffs against the New York Rangers, Erat did absolutely nothing except have a plus-one rating—and he missed the final three games of the series when the Caps could arguably have used him the most.

As for a best-case scenario for Erat, I believe that would involve him becoming, at least, a 20-goal scorer for the 2013-14 season. To do that though, Erat must first remain healthy. Erat has missed at least five games in every season he has played since 2005-06.

If he can stay healthy then there is a real chance Erat could have a very good season. A reason to be encouraged is because Erat will have a full season with his teammates and coaches. That should help him greatly.

If Erat produces as predicted in this best-case scenario, the Caps' second line should be dominant and that could go a long ways towards getting them back to the playoffs this coming season.

Here is how I see Erat doing this season in a best-case scenario:

• Goals—22
• Assists—44
• Points—66
• Shots on goal—137
• Power-play goals—7

Troy Brouwer

If we are looking at best-case scenarios, then Troy Brouwer's outlook is particularly nice.

When the 2013 season began, most people would probably not have picked Brouwer to be No. 2 on the team as far as goals scored at season's end, second only to Alexander Ovechkin.

As such, Brouwer's 19 goals and 14 assists were a pleasant surprise for the Caps—but a very welcomed one. Brouwer made the Caps' second line formidable and gave the team some much-needed depth.

In my more conservative prediction article, I felt that Brouwer would crack the 20-goal barrier this season. He will be 28 when the season begins, and I felt he might very well be entering the prime of his career.

I wanted to see him become better defensively. If we are talking best-case scenarios here, then not only will Brouwer improve defensively, but let's go ahead and put him in the running for the Frank J. Selke Trophy.

That might be a bit much to truly ask for, but Browuer has the ability and potential to make this plausible.

In reality, Brouwer is one of those players who just does what he does and flies under the radar. Nevertheless, Brouwer has so many qualities that will be vital to the Caps' success that he has a chance to have a truly exceptional season.

He absolutely needs to improve on that minus-five rating from a season ago. But if we are talking about best-case scenarios, then Brouwer not only improves on that...he completely turns it around.

Here is how I see Troy Brouwer's 2013-14 season going under a best-case scenario:

• Goals—27
• Assists—27
• Points—54
• Shots on goal—138
• Power-play goals—8
• Plus/minus—Plus 5
• Nominated for Frank J. Selke Trophy

John Carlson

John Carlson could very well be on the verge of becoming a superstar.

The 23-year old blueliner has quietly emerged as one of the best shot-blockers in the entire NHL. In 2011-12, Carlson led the Caps with 153 blocked shots, which was good enough for 18th in the NHL.

During the 2013 season, Carlson again led the Caps in blocked shots with 123. Carlson actually ranked third in the entire NHL in blocked shots during the 2013 season.

Carlson is also as durable as they come. He played in all 82 games during the 2011-12 season and played in all 48 games this past season.

As far as defense, Carlson has definitely been improving. For instance, Carlson was a minus-15 for the 2011-12 season, but a plus-11 this past season.

My previous article noted that I felt Carlson was too focused on trying to be as good a two-way defender as Mike Green and, in the process, he was sacrificing his defense.

Under a best-case scenario, Carlson would forget about trying to be a clone of Green and he would instead focus on becoming a truly elite defender. Carlson is a fine offensive threat. But he just does not have the shot or accuracy of Green.

Carlson has all the skills and tools necessary to become one of the best defensemen in the entire NHL. At 6'3" and 212 pounds, Carlson has the size necessary to be an excellent defender.

And yet, Carlson still has so much to learn. He has become such a staple of the Caps' defense that it is hard to recall that he has only been in the NHL for three full seasons. He has steadily improved each year and, in a best-case scenario, there is no reason to think that he could not be in the running for the Norris Trophy.

With Carlson, and with what he brings to the table, I do not believe a Norris Trophy is completely out of the question. If we are looking at the best-case scenario for Carlson, then there is every reason to believe he could share the same success as his namesake, Erik Karlsson, did when he won the trophy in 2011-12.

Here then are some predicted best-case scenario stats for Carlson for the 2013-14 season:

• Goals—11
• Assists—31
• Points—42
• Plus/minus—Plus-13
  
• PIM—30
• Blocks—172
• Ice time—24 minutes per game
• Nominated for James Norris Trophy

Brooks Laich

Under the best-case scenario, Brooks Laich will actually play at least half of the season in 2013-14. In and of itself, that would be a big improvement over Laich's 2013 campaign.

Laich played in only nine games for the Caps this past season and his absence was most definitely felt in the series against the New York Rangers.

When Laich played, though, he played pretty well. He had a goal, three assists and a plus-two rating.

From a pure production standpoint—and if we are talking about the best-case scenario for Laich—2013-14 would see Laich return and be, at least, a 20-goal scorer once again. For three seasons, from 2007-2010, Laich was a 20-goal scorer. So it is certainly within the realm of reason to see him return to that level.

Laich's best season was in 2009-10 when the Caps were busy setting all sorts of franchise records for scoring en route to capturing their only President's Trophy. During that season, Laich scored 25 goals, had 34 assists and posted a plus-16 rating.

Those numbers might be a bit lofty, and it might be expecting too much for Laich to match that level of production, even in a best-case scenario.

However, if Laich can come back from the injuries he sustained this past season, become a 20-goal scorer again and also help lead the Caps to the playoffs, then Laich could very well find himself in the running for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

The Masterton Trophy is always awarded to players who overcome, persevere and succeed. A big comeback season by Laich would at least warrant having him in the conversation for the award.

If Laich puts up the numbers being projected here, he would have as good a chance as anyone to claim the Masterton trophy.

Here are some projected stats for Brooks Laich for the 2013-14 season in a best-case scenario:

• Goals—23
• Assists—35
• Points—58
• Shots on goal—215
• Power-play goals—7
• Nominated for Bill Masterton Trophy

Mike Green

If Mike Green can remain relatively healthy then the best-case scenario for him would have the Caps defender starting to put up numbers similar to what he did in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.

Green scored 73 points in 2008-09 and then followed that up with 75 points in the 2009-10 season. If Green can replicate numbers like that during the 2013-14 season, the Caps should be quite competitive with the rest of their divisional rivals.

The 2013 season certainly showed that potential Green has to again be one of the best two-way defenders in the NHL.

Even though he missed 13 games due to injury, Green still led all NHL defenders with 12 goals. He led the Caps in ice time, averaging almost 25 minutes of ice time per game.

Green was also pretty clutch, scoring two game-winning goals during the regular season—in back-to-back games no less. He, of course, scored the overtime game-winner in Game 2 against the New York Rangers, which, at the time, gave the Caps a 2-0 series lead.

In a best-case scenario, then I believe Green would score at least 20 goals. It sounds like a lot but he was on pace for 21 this past season and his career high was 31 in the 2008-09 season. To me, that is a telling stat as the 2008-09 Caps were not the record breakers that the 2009-10 Caps were.

Green has one of the best shots of anyone on the team and he is a great quarterback for the Caps' power play. I see the team's play with the man advantage continuing to be a source of strength for the team this coming season.

Naturally, in a best-case situation, it would be easy to say that Green should also be in the running for the James Norris Trophy. But I think that would really be overly optimistic. Green is one of the best offensive threats there is in the NHL, as far as blueliners are concerned. But he does not do enough of the little things on defense to probably gain serious consideration for the Norris Trophy.

For instance, Green does not hit enough (only 36 hits last season) nor does he block enough shots (he only had 61 blocks last season, 62 less than John Carlson). To be considered for the Norris Trophy, Green would have to improve considerably on some of his defensive skills and get better production in those areas as well.

Still, if the best-case scenario prevails, then Green will turn in the best season he has had since the 2009-10 campaign and that should be good enough to have the Caps right in the hunt for a playoff berth.

Here then are some predicted stats for Mike Green for the 2013-14 season in a best-case scenario situation:

• Goals—21
• Assists—46
• Points—67
• Plus/minus—Plus-11
• PIM—36
• Blocks—96
• Ice time—25 minutes per game

Nicklas Backstrom

As far as best-case scenarios are concerned, with Nicklas Backstrom it is easy to let the imagination run rather wild.

Here is a player with elite potential, a player who can really dictate the flow and tempo of a game and someone who can make a huge difference to the Caps and how their offense produces.

This past season, Backstrom became one of the best setup men in the NHL. His 40 assists led the Caps, and he ended up finishing third in the entire NHL in that category. He would have been on pace for 68 assists, which would have tied him for his career high, set in the 2009-10 season.

It was a good return to form for Backstrom, who saw his numbers drop during the 2010-11 season to just 47 assists in 77 games played. The following season, Backstrom missed 40 games and had only 30 assists for the entire season.

Thus, Backstrom has always been a great setup man and Alexander Ovechkin would not likely be half the player he is without Backstrom by his side.

If we are talking about a best-case scenario though, then we would see Backstrom turn into a much improved goal scorer as well. He absolutely has the talent to do so. In the 2009-10 season, Backstrom scored 33 goals so a 30-goal season is not out of the question.

What would it take to get back to that level of production? Backstrom would likely need to get a bit more selfish with the puck and shoot more. For instance, Backstrom had only 82 shots-on-goal this past season, which had him ranked sixth on the team.

By comparison, Jason Chimera had 92 shots and Troy Brouwer had 111.

For further comparison, in 2009-10, Backstrom had 222 shots, which was third-best on the Caps behind only Ovechkin and Alexander Semin.

It's a relatively simple equation:  The more shots you take, the better your chances of scoring. If Backstrom decides to shoot the puck more—as opposed to trying to set up Ovechkin as much as he does, then I think you could see Backstrom's goals soar.

The Caps are not as offensively potent as they were during the 2009-10 season, but I think they are good enough that in a best-case scenario type of situation, Backstrom could put up some surprisingly big numbers.

Here then are some predicted best-case scenario stats for Backstrom for the 2013-14 season:

• Goals—31
• Assists—65
• Points—96
• Shots on goal—210
• Power-play goals—12

Mike Ribeiro

Assuming that Mike Ribeiro is still a member of the Washington Capitals next season, then in a best-case scenario sort of situation there are some interesting possibilities.

Statistically, the 2013 season was one of Ribeiro's best and most complete seasons ever. Ribs had 13 goals and 36 assists for the Caps last season. His 49 points was second-best on the team, and his 36 assists had him ranked fifth in the entire NHL.

When the Caps were struggling to do anything right early on in the season, it was Ribeiro who was the one constant and the one player producing on a consistent level night in and night out.

Somewhat ironically, once the Caps, as a team, started to produce on a more consistent level, Ribeiro's production declined some.

If Ribeiro remains in Washington for the 2013-14 season, then the Caps can rest assured that they will have an exceptionally good second line on which they can lean to score goals and maintain tempo. With Ribeiro, Troy Brouwer and Martin Erat, the Caps' second line could be quite formidable.

If the best-case scenario comes to pass, what sort of stats would Mike Ribeiro put down? I think he would become a 20-goal scorer for the first time since the 2008-09 season. That in and of itself would be quite an accomplishment for a player who will be 34 in February of 2014.

For that to happen though, Ribeiro, like Nicklas Backstrom, has to shoot the puck more. Ribs had only 63 shots on goal during the 2013 season and that had him ranked eighth on the team. During the playoff series against the New York Rangers, Ribeiro passed on many opportunities to shoot the puck and that might have cost the Caps dearly.

No, Ribeiro does not have the best shot in the NHL, but it's far from bad. Very much like Backstrom, Ribeiro is an excellent setup man. But he could probably score quite a few more goals if he were to be a bit more selfish and shoot the puck more.

Historically, Ribeiro shoots the puck more frequently than he did last season. I think if he returns to doing that, the Caps should prosper and Ribeiro's stats should improve.

Here then are some predicted best-case scenario stats for Ribeiro for the 2013-14 season:

• Goals—23
• Assists—50
• Points—73
• Shots on goal—137
• Power-play goals—9

Braden Holtby

One big question entering the 2013-14 season is what effect, if any, will Braden Holtby's Game 7 meltdown have upon him? Will he be able to shrug it off and move on or will it eat away at him and affect his overall game?

Assuming it is the former, then Holtby could be poised for a truly special season in 2013-14, especially if we are talking about the best-case scenario.

Holtby's 2013 season was a true roller coaster ride, but when one looks back on all the ups and downs of the past season, the 23-year old handled things quite well.

He endured a really rocky start to emerge, quite clearly, as the Caps' No. 1 goaltender. Along the way, Holtby would end up in the top 10 in several key categories for goaltenders, including wins with 23 (good for fourth), saves with 1,033 (good for eighth) and shutouts with four (good for sixth in the NHL).

In a best-case scenario sort of situation, Holtby would see the most improvement is in the goals against average and save percentage category. For 2013, Holtby could only be considered average as to these categories as his goals against average was 2.58 percent (27th in the NHL) and his save percentage was at .920 percent (14th in the NHL).

If Holtby is going to make a big jump and become a true elite level goaltender, then his goals against average has to drop down below a 2.20 and his save percentage should be up around .930 or higher.

If Holtby can get numbers like that, not only could he lead the NHL in wins, but he would have to be a contender for the Vezina Trophy.

The young man has accomplished quite a lot in his very brief career so far. Winning a Vezina Trophy at the age of 24 would be an impressive feat, to say the least.

Here then are some predicted best-case scenario stats for Holtby for the 2013-14 season:

• Games Started—53
• Wins—35
• Losses—15
• Overtime/shootout losses—3
• Goals against average—2.18
• Save percentage—.934
• Shutouts—6
• Nominated for Vezina Trophy

Alexander Ovechkin

With Alexander Ovechkin, the best-case scenario can only involve one thing—his leading the Washington Capitals to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

Obviously, that would be the best-case scenario for Ovi and for the franchise. For purposes of this article, however, let's temper our expectations some.

In 2013, Ovi was the Great Eight once again. He collected 21 goals over the final 20 games of the regular season. Ovi claimed the Rocket Richard Trophy for a third time—the first player to do so—with 32 goals.

Ovi actually equalled the number of goals he scored during the entire 2010-2011 season, when he also scored 32—and he did it in 31 fewer games. Ovechkin's performance was enough to get him nominated for a third Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL MVP.

Ovi would have been on pace to score 55 goals had the 2013 season been of the 82-game variety. That would have been his third-highest total ever. In a best-case scenario sort of situation, I believe those are the kinds of numbers we would see from Ovechkin.

In the best-case scenario sort of situation, Ovi would continue to improve at being an all-around player and he would continue to get better at his all important role of being the Caps' captain.

As for Ovi's best case scenario, he would be in the running for most of the major awards at the end of the season. A fourth Rocket Richard Trophy would be in the mix as well as the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy.

Ovi's play will be so inspired that he will get nominated for the Ted Lindsay Trophy and, in so doing, will prove himself in the eyes of his peers.

But in the best-case scenario, Ovi would also take a larger role in the D.C. community and conduct more charitable events for the community. Ovi has always dabbled in charity or fund-raising events. In this best-case scenario though, Ovi would become a true leader off the ice and within the D.C. community.

No, he will never be as popular in D.C as Robert Griffin III. But if Ovi were to take on a larger role in the Washington community, he could truly make a difference and he very well be in the running for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.

Here then are some predicted best-case scenario stats for Ovechkin for the 2013-14 season:

• Goals—56
• Assists—44
• Points—100
• Shots on goal—350
• Power-play goals—20
• Rocket Richard Trophy and Art Ross Trophy Winner
• Nominated for Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and King Clancy Memorial Trophy