Washington Capitals 2024 Stanley Cup Odds
The Washington Capitals are no longer a serious Stanley Cup championship contender. The focal point these days is on Alex Ovechkin breaking the all-time goal-scoring record. Rookie head coach Spencer Carbery steps into his first NHL head-coaching gig with the Capitals after his recent stint as an assistant in Toronto. The 41-year-old Carbery has ties with the franchise from coaching the team's AHL affiliate (the Hershey Bears) from 2018 to 2021; during that final season, Carbery led Hershey to a regular-season title and won coach of the year honors. Washington GM Brian MacLellan hopes Carbery can translate that success to a Capitals' team in transition.
2024 Stanley Cup Betting Odds
Washington Capitals NHL Betting Lines
The 2022-23 Washington Capitals were 35-37-10 straight up and 39-40 over/under the total. Also, Washington was 6th in the Metropolitan Division playoff standings. Washington was 33 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division race. Washington had NHL rankings of 20th for goals scored and 16th for power play efficiency. In comparison on defense, the Capitals had NHL rankings of 18th for goals against and 11th for penalty killing.
First among Washington scorers was Alex Ovechkin with 42 goals, 33 assists, 75 points, and a -16. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper had a .908 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average. His record was 22-26-7 with five shutouts.
Overall, the Carbery addition is MacLellan's top move of the offseason. MacLellan didn't have the cap space to do much with Washington's roster.
Grabbing Edmundson in a trade with Montreal, which retained 50% of his cap hit, was a fine way to add some physicality to Washington's back end. Pacioretty might be a solid contributor if he can recover from the injuries that cost him all but five games last season with Carolina. And that's as far as MacLellan has gone in reworking Washington's roster. Will he be able to find a trade partner for Evgeny Kuznetsov? That could be huge. Are the Capitals destined to be again dumping players at the deadline, as MacLellan did in February? Or is there a bounce-back in sight? It's hard to say at this point.
In like manner to some other Eastern Conference clubs, Washington still feels like a work in progress. Keep an eye on MacLellan to potentially make waves as the summer rolls along.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 5)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
35 |
37 |
6th, Metropolitan |
Did not qualify |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
44 |
26 |
4th, Metropolitan |
Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Panthers) |
| 2020–21 |
56 |
36 |
15 |
2nd, East |
Lost in First Round, 1–4 (Bruins) |
| 2019–20 |
69 |
41 |
20 |
1st, Metropolitan |
Lost in First Round, 1–4 (Islanders) |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
48 |
26 |
1st, Metropolitan |
Lost in First Round, 3–4 (Hurricanes) |
Washington Capitals History
The Caps were founded as an expansion franchise with the Kansas City Scouts in 1974. They have long had a reputation for being playoff chokers before finally exercising those demons in 2018 with their only Stanley Cup championship. The Capitals were languishing in half-empty buildings with no real passion from fans until the arrival of Alex Ovechkin.
Indeed, The Great Eight has proven to be one of the most transformational athletes in sports history. In Washington, he did what seemed impossible; he made the Capitals cool. The Capitals were a losing franchise with low attendance until the early 1980s when they finally became a regular playoff team. Attendance improved significantly, and the franchise developed a following. But years of heartbreak in the Stanley Cup Playoffs took their toll. Fans were tired of the annual failures, and the team regressed on the ice. Finally, in 1999 they found a new owner.
The Washington Capitals were again a nothing franchise before the arrival of owner Ted Leonsis and left wing Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals were not even on the radar when Leonsis took command.
Washington was a football town and paid no attention to its mediocre hockey team with no identifiable star. In those days, the thought that the Capitals would develop a passionate following and sellout crowds was unfathomable.
Alex Ovechkin was the first overall pick of the 2004 NHL Draft. Washington yawned upon his arrival as nobody cared about the Caps. As a rookie in 2005-06, Ovechkin scored 52 goals, and fans noticed. The team started to win, and the arena became packed with fans rocking the red.
NHL Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Metropolitan
Western Conference - Central
Western Conference - Pacific
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