Complete Preview and Predictions for the Washington Capitals in 2016-17

The time is now for the Washington Capitals.

In 2015-16, the Caps dominated the regular season with a 56-18-8 record for 120 points and took home their franchise's second-ever Presidents' Trophy. Despite their impressive campaign, Washington's playoff run was cut short in the second round after a six-game loss to the sizzling Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Capitals' success last season was based on a well-rounded game. The team placed second overall in scoring, goals against and on the penalty kill and fifth on the power play. Alexander Ovechkin picked up his sixth Rocket Richard trophy by notching his seventh career 50-goal season—which was also his third in a row.

In addition, Braden Holtby picked up his first Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender and Evgeny Kuznetsov broke out as a future superstar, finishing the season ranked 10th in NHL scoring.

Last February, Washington general manager Brian MacLellan told Katie Brown of NHL.com that he felt his team, as currently constructed, had a two-year window to win a Stanley Cup. "We're going for it this year, we're going for it next year, and then after that we're evaluating where we're at," he said.

The Caps did fall short last spring. Sticking with the plan, they have made only a few minor offseason changes in preparation for their next run at their first-ever Stanley Cup.

Here's the outlook for the Washington Capitals for 2016-17.

Key Roster Changes

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Key Departures

• Jason Chimera (LW)
• Mike Richards (C)
• Michael Latta (C)
• Mike Weber (D)

Key Additions

• Lars Eller (C)
• Brett Connolly (RW)

Overview

Brian MacLellan made only a few minor changes to his roster after last season's mostly successful campaign.

His biggest move was the acquisition of 27-year-old center Lars Eller from the Montreal Canadiens for two second-round draft picks. Eller has good size at 6'2" but has never lived up to his potential as a first-round draft pick. He has never scored more than 15 goals; his best offensive season saw him tally 30 points in 46 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.

Eller and free-agent signing Brett Connolly, another former first-rounder, were brought in with an eye toward making Washington's bottom six more dangerous offensively.

As for the departures, Jason Chimera priced himself off the roster by scoring an unexpected 20 goals at age 37. He earned a two-year contract with a cap hit of $2.25 million per season from the New York Islanders. Richards, Latta and Weber were all fringe players who were not re-signed.

Projected 2016-17 Depth Chart

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Forwards

1. Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie
2. Marcus Johansson, Nicklas Backstrom, Andre Burakovsky
3. Brett Connolly, Lars Eller, Justin Williams
4. Daniel Winnik, Jay Beagle, Tom Wilson
5. Stanislav Galiev, Zach Sanford

Defense

1. Karl Alzner, Matt Niskanen
2. Nate Schmidt, John Carlson
3. Brooks Orpik, Dmitry Orlov
4. Taylor Chorney

Goal

1. Braden Holtby
2. Philipp Grubauer

Biggest Storylines to Watch

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

Will This Be the Year?

Confidence is great, but it's always a little risky to enter a season with the attitude of "Stanley Cup or bust." Whichever team passes around the trophy next spring, it'll need a big dollop of good health and good luck to go along with a talented roster and smart coaching. Stanley Cups are won on the ice—not on paper.

But Alex Ovechkin is now 31 years old. Mr. Game 7, Justin Williams, was brought in last season with the Cup firmly in mind. He's now 35. Two years ago, the Caps spent big to upgrade their blue line with Brooks Orpik (now 35) and Matt Niskanen (29). The Caps are undoubtedly a team that's built to win now.

A good regular season will be a nice-to-have. The overriding hope is that the hockey gods finally become Caps fans when the playoffs begin next April.

Is the Best Still to Come for Braden Holtby?

With Carey Price sidelined for most of last season due to an injury, Washington netminder Braden Holtby seized the moment to deliver his best-ever campaign. He earned the Vezina Trophy for his efforts.

Still just 27, Holtby tied an NHL record with 48 wins last season while appearing in 66 games. He has proven over the past two seasons that he can handle a full-time NHL workload—and he may still have upside. The trick for Barry Trotz and goaltending coach Mitch Korn will be to manage Holtby's workload and keep him healthy so that he can be at his very best next April, when the playoffs begin.

Offense from All Four Lines

The Pittsburgh Penguins' Stanley Cup run, including their second-round win over Washington, was built on balanced scoring across all forward groups. 

Washington looks like it's loading up its first line this year, with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov starting the season together. That frees up Nicklas Backstrom to work his playmaking magic on the second line.

After that, it's hoped that Lars Eller can spark some scoring in the bottom six, ideally something similar to what the Penguins got from their HBK Line during the playoffs. Even fourth-liners Jay Beagle and Daniel Winnik have been chipping in during preseason.

The Caps become a lot more dangerous when opponents aren't able to focus all their defensive efforts simply on shutting down Ovechkin. A balanced attack will make Washington even tougher to play against.

Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios

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Best-Case Scenario

In a perfect world, the Capitals stay healthy, Ovechkin snipes another 50 goals, Kuznetsov challenges for the scoring title, Holtby brings home his second Vezina and John Carlson joins the conversation as one of the league's best offensive defensemen.

The season's capped off by a Stanley Cup parade—perhaps after Justin Williams delivers the Cup-winning goal.

That's not too much to ask, is it?

Worst-Case Scenario

If Ovechkin goes into one of his funks, Eller doesn't realize his potential or, heaven forbid, Holtby gets hurt, the Caps will face an uphill battle in their attempt to make their Stanley Cup dreams come true.

Holtby's continued good health and strong play could now be more important to Washington's ultimate success than even Ovechkin's prodigious goal-scoring. The stopper will need the full support of the 21 skaters in front of him, but if Holtby isn't at his best, MacLellan and the Caps will find themselves working out their next course of action after another frustrating spring.

Final Prediction

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The Washington Capitals' current situation is not dissimilar to where the New York Rangers found themselves after the 2014-15 season—Presidents' Trophy champs who couldn't quite convert their Stanley Cup opportunity.

It's not easy to climb up to the level of the NHL's elite teams and, as the Rangers showed, it's just as hard to stay there—especially in today's complicated salary-cap world.

Right now, it looks like the Capitals have made all the right moves to give themselves the best possible chance to win. Expect to see them duke it out with the Penguins for top spot in the Metropolitan during the regular season. The compete level will ramp up even higher come playoff time as the Washington players give everything they have to try to make the most of an opportunity with a clear expiration date.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.