Capitals eliminated, hampered by injuries to Backstrom, others

The Washington Capitals failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2013-14.

The Capitals (34-34-9) were eliminated from contention when the Florida Panthers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 on Tuesday.
Having qualified for the playoffs each of the previous eight seasons, Washington had been tied with the Nashville Predators for the second-longest active streak in the NHL behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (16).
Here's a look at what happened in the 2022-23 season for the Capitals and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Conor Sheary, F; Craig Smith, F; Connor Brown, F; Carl Hagelin, F; Matt Irwin, D
Potential restricted free agents: Martin Fehervary, D; Alexander Alexeyev, D
Potential 2023 Draft picks: 5

What went wrong

Injuries to key players: This is the second straight season the Capitals will never have had their full lineup healthy, but the injuries were more devastating this season with 10 regulars missing at least 10 games. Forwards Nicklas Backstrom (hip resurfacing surgery) and Tom Wilson (ACL surgery) missed the first 42 games. Then Wilson missed another seven games after blocking a shot off his ankle Jan. 24.
Defenseman John Carlson (skull fracture, severed temporal artery) missed 36 games after being struck in the head with a slap shot Dec. 23. He also sat out six games earlier in the season (lower body). Forward Connor Brown played four games before needing season-ending ACL surgery. It took until Carlson's return March 23 for Carlson, Backstrom, Wilson, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie to play in the same game.
Inconsistency:Washington struggled to string together victories outside of a 12-1-2 surge from Dec. 5-Jan. 5 that improved its record from 10-12-4 to 22-13-6. The Capitals have won two in a row only twice in 2023 and haven't won three in a row since a five-game winning streak from Dec. 17-27. Injuries had an impact here too. Washington was 19-13-4 and playing its best hockey when Carlson was injured Dec. 23 and went 14-18-4 without him.
Chasing games: The Capitals have allowed the first goal in 44 of their 77 games and are 14-26-4 in those games. They are 7-19-3 when trailing after the first period.

Reasons for optimism

Deadline moves: With the possibility of missing the playoffs looming, Washington traded five players on expiring contracts before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline -- defensemen Dmitry Orlov (Boston Bruins) and Erik Gustafsson (Toronto Maple Leafs), and forwards Garnet Hathaway (Bruins), Marcus Johansson (Minnesota Wild) and Lars Eller (Colorado Avalanche). The net return was defenseman Rasmus Sandin (Maple Leafs), forward Craig Smith (Bruins), two third-round picks in the 2024 NHL Draft (Bruins and Wild) and two second-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft (Bruins and Avalanche).
Sandin, who turned 23 on March 7, is a potential top-four defenseman, and the Capitals can use some of the picks they acquired to make more trades before and at the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft in Nashville on June 28-29 to add more younger players to help them retool and compete for a playoff spot next season.
Alex Ovechkin: Though Ovechkin will turn 38 before next season, the left wing remains an elite goal-scorer. He has 42 this season and set the NHL record for 40-goal seasons (13). Ovechkin moved past Gordie Howe (801) for second on the NHL goals list on Dec. 23 and, with 822 goals in his 18 NHL seasons, is 72 behind Wayne Gretzky's League record of 894.
Better luck: Some of the Capitals' injury issues were age-related, but others, including those to Wilson and Carlson, were bad luck. Having them healthy and Backstrom benefitting from a full offseason of training after dealing with hip issues the past two offseasons could make a big difference next season.