Welcome to the 2022-23 season preview as brought to you by Betway Sports. We’ll be taking a dive into each team’s offseason and what their Stanley Cup odds are for next season from the worst odds to the best. All odds are current as of the time of writing.
Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Odds: +2800
The show goes on.
Alex Ovechkin will return for his 18th season in the NHL as he continues to close in on the all-time goal-scoring mark.
As a whole, the Capitals are coming off a strong season where their 44-26-12 record landed them 100 points and fourth place in the Metro division. Ovechkin once again led the way scoring 50 goals and 90 points as Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson once again provided tremendous run support.
Despite the Caps allowing the 12th fewest goals last year, goaltending was a huge issue. Ilya Samsonov posted a 23-12-5 record with a .896 save percentage and a 3.02 GAA while Vitek Vanecek‘s 20-12-6 record and .908 save percentage and 2.67 GAA didn’t fare a whole lot better. Vanecek was traded to the New Jersey Devils this year and the team brought in Charlie Lindgren to backup their big free agent signing in Stanley Cup Champion, Darcy Kuemper.
For the Capitals, they’ll have to navigate some unfamiliar waters. Nicklas Backstrom underwent major hip surgery in the offseason in a move that will help his quality of life, but it’s also led to uncertainty surrounding his return to hockey. He told NHL.com that he is rehabbing and hoping to return before the end of the season.
The bruising Tom Wilson, meanwhile, suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs last year and his recovery signals a return in late 2022 or early 2023.
Growth from within from players like Connor McMichael will be key while new faces Connor Brown and Dylan Strome will look to add a new offensive dynamic.
Are we betting on the Capitals to win the cup? This is worth a sprinkle if you’re looking for a long shot with a legitimate upside. Lots needs to go right for this team, but there’s a world where they make some noise in the playoffs.