The next team in the 2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Preview series to close out the Metropolitan Division is the Washington Capitals. They missed the playoffs for the first time in a long time and finished with just 80 points. They are still trying to be competitive as long as Alex Ovechkin is chasing the goals record. Health played a huge negative impact on the team last season, but that should be different in 2023-24.
The Capitals have impactful fantasy hockey players at all positions and should have a fair number of the players drafted and rostered throughout the year. Goals should be up and so should the competitiveness of the team. They might not win the division, but playoffs are in the cards with the group the team is going into the season with. Let’s take a look at each position and the impact each will have in fantasy hockey this season.
Washington Capitals Fantasy Hockey Preview
Capitals Forwards
While many teams are carried by their top-six, the Capitals have more talent spread out throughout their forward group. The top six might not be as strong as others, but there are some talented players and the third line has fantasy-relevant players. Players who should be healthier and play in more games include Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Max Pacioretty, and Anthony Mantha. The thing about the Capitals’ forwards is that most of these players mentioned are on the fringe of being fantasy-relevant. Some could perform like they have in the past, or be in and out of the lineup with injuries and fail to put up adequate points.
There are four forwards who will be drafted and rostered the entire season. These include Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dylan Strome, and Wilson. While Ovechkin brings everything to the table consistently, Wilson is an effective power forward. He has 20-goal, 50-point potential, and that’s on top of being one of the league leaders in hits and penalty minutes. He’s a top-six talent who is one of those rare types of players that are perfect for fantasy hockey.
Related: 2023 Fantasy Hockey: 4 Overvalued Players to Avoid in Drafts
Strome had a career year and should only continue to get better while Kuznetsov should bounce back. Last season was a down season and his track record proves it. They will be the top two centermen on the Capitals with Backstrom getting older and less effective. This 1-2 punch should be able to each get 60-plus points. A downfall is that neither are physical players and neither take a lot of shots. Despite that, they are still worth rostering, but take just one, Strome if you can.
Oshie will be one of those players bouncing around the waiver wire throughout the season. He’ll have a good little stretch and be picked up, but then go dark for a week and be available again. I would advise keeping an eye on him, but not wasting a draft pick. As for Pacioretty, I would monitor his situation closely. He has actually been very effective offensively since being traded from the Montreal Canadiens. When healthy, he’s able to score a lot, produce points, and he shoots a ton. He could see second or third-line minutes in Washington this season. If he’s available to stick on your injured reserve or take with your last pick in the draft, it’s worth it for when he returns to action.
I would stay away from players like Backstrom, Sonny Milano, and Mantha for now, but they are streaming options this season, especially if any of them get top-six minutes. This isn’t the most talented forward group in the league, but they will provide fantasy points this season.
Capitals Defensemen
The Capitals made some changes defensively over the past year, subtracting Dmitry Orlov and Erik Gustafsson while adding Rasmus Sandin and Joel Edmundson. John Carlson is back and healthy, which is good news for the Capitals as he has been very impactful throughout his career. It’s just as good for fantasy hockey owners as the Capitals’ number one defenseman should once again play a big role. He had five massive years before last season where he played just 40 games and scored nine goals and 29 points. He’ll see lots of power-play time and around 24 minutes a night. He should easily score 60 points if he plays a full season. He is definitely worth rostering.
The only other fantasy-relevant defender on the team is Sandin who the team acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline last season. Fortunately for the young defenseman and the Capitals, he immediately played great. His time with his new team saw him produce a ton of points. It definitely helped that he got the spot on the top power-play unit with Carlson injured. Sandin will still get time on the power play and the opportunity to feed Ovechkin who stays out there the entire two minutes. He recorded 15 points in 19 games and played 23 minutes last season with the Capitals. That will drop, but he is still worth targeting because of his potential and how high his confidence is right now.
After these two offensively-minded defensemen in Washington, I would stay away from everyone else.
Capitals Goalies
The Capitals’ goaltending could have done better last season. This was what is to be expected from an injury-riddled team in front of them though. Both Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren are capable goalies and will be expected to improve their numbers this season.
Kuemper has put up great numbers wherever he has gone. In year two with the Capitals, the defense looks strong and stable in front of him. His save percentage should rise to his career average of .916 from the .908 he put up last season. He is the type of goalie who will steal games, which is great for fantasy hockey. He recorded five shutouts last season despite a losing record. Kuemper should also be able to put up 25 wins at least this season, providing some solid value. He won’t go in the top 10 goalies drafted but should be considered soon after that.
Lindgren is a decent streaming option, but not worth holding onto on your fantasy roster. He did win half of his games and more than half of his starts were quality starts. Keep him in mind if you ever need an above-average performance late in the week.
The Capitals do have some strong options and a lot of fantasy options that could go either way. They are an intriguing team and should see more success with a better squad this season. Next up in the 2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Preview series is the Boston Bruins.
Make sure to check out all of our Fantasy Hockey Team Previews as they roll out over the coming weeks!