Predicting the Best Player at Each Position for Washington Capitals in 5 Years

Say what you will about the Washington Capitals and the team's lack of postseason success over the last decade, as it's certainly deserved.

However, this franchise has done a remarkable job of continuously churning out top-flight talent since selecting Alex Ovechkin at No. 1 overall in 2004, and that's had a lot to do with the team's current run of seven postseason berths in eight years.

Aside from Ovechkin, key cogs such as Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Karl Alzner, John Carlson and Braden Holtby are prime examples. Because of this, it's reasonable to assume the Caps will have some familiar faces still on the roster in five years' time.

With that in mind, here's a look at Washington's best at each position five years down the line.

Goaltender: Braden Holtby

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Up until the midway point of the 2014-15 season, whether Braden Holtby would remain a Washington Capital beyond the end of his contract was anyone's guess.

That's because, despite sparkling performances such as his seven-game upset of the reigning Stanley Cup champion Bruins in 2011-12, Holtby was inconsistent in 2013-14 to the point that then-general manager George McPhee opted to acquire veteran stopper Jaroslav Halak at the trade deadline.

But since then, Holtby has seized the No. 1 job and on many nights been the sole reason that his team has come away with points.

After picking up 23 wins and four shutouts in 48 games a year ago, Holtby has upped that total to 26 wins and six white-washings in 47 outings this year while posting considerably better numbers in every major statistical category. Oh, and he's already eclipsed his minutes-played total from 2013-14 with roughly a third of the campaign remaining.

Unless this is a major aberration for a 25-year-old, Holtby's looking more and more like a safe bet to be manning Washington's crease for the next half-decade.

Defense: John Carlson

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One could go in a number of directions with this selection, but John Carlson emerges as the most likely candidate to be the No. 1 guy on Washington's blue line in 2019-20.

For starters, Carlson has developed into the steady yet dynamic two-way force the Capitals projected him to be when they took him in Round 1 in 2008, and the hockey world has taken notice.

At 24, Carlson was named to the U.S. Olympic Team, and a year later, he's the clear-cut anchor on a vastly improved defensive core that includes longtime stalwarts Green and Alzner as well as a pair of pricey free-agent signings in Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik.

Yet despite frequently facing off against the opposition's best, Carlson has already set a career high for points with 38, and he has clearly earned the trust of Barry Trotz and his coaching staff.

Another factor to keep in mind is the potential departure of the team's primary power-play quarterback in Green, as that will certainly allow Carlson to improve his offensive numbers as well.

Center: Nicklas Backstrom

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Five years from now, Nicklas Backstrom will be 32. Unless his game falls off the map completely, he'll almost certainly be Washington's No. 1 center at that time.

Furthermore, as a pivot who relies on creativity, vision and touch with the puck, it's not as if his calling-card attributes will have abandoned him.

Now firmly entrenched as Washington's most consistent point-producer, Backstrom's ability to shield the puck without necessarily moving is key to the team's outstanding power play, and given that he doesn't take an overly brutal physical beating on a nightly basis, that shouldn't change.

Maybe he won't be the point-per-game threat he is now, but it would be truly stunning to see the Swedish playmaker dip below 70 points anytime soon.

Andre Burakovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov have each demonstrated glimpses of the upside that made them each first-rounders, but by his second season, Backstrom was already manning the top line. Neither Burakovsky nor Kuznetsov will be at his level by 2020.

Wing: Alex Ovechkin

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If Alex Ovechkin is a Washington Capital, he will absolutely be the best winger on the roster, but whether he'll even still be plying his trade on this side of the Atlantic Ocean remains a question.

As recently as September, CBS Sports' Chris Peters reported that Ovechkin may opt to finish his playing days in Russia sooner rather than later. Fortunately for Caps fans, according to Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy, the KHL is quickly losing ground on the NHL, so one has to assume he'll be a Capital for the considerable future.

Assuming that's the case, the three-time league MVP's place atop the Caps depth chart on either wing is safe, as players with consistent 40- to 50-goal capabilities don't grow on trees.

In addition, while Ovechkin once again currently leads the league with 33 goals, he hasn't been finding the net without paying attention to his own end of the rink, as the captain sits fourth on the team in plus-minus rating.