What The Capitals Can Learn From The Back-To-Back Stanley Cup Champion Panthers
The Capitals can take a few things away from the Panthers after they hoisted back-to-back Stanley Cups.
The Washington Capitals finished atop the Eastern Conference in the regular season, but ultimately, it was the Florida Panthers who proved to be the best out of the East, and the best in the league, as they hoisted the Stanley Cup on Tuesday.
It was a bittersweet moment as former Capitals Nate Schmidt and Vitek Vanecek finally got their chance at a title, and it was also an important lesson for D.C., who got past the first round for the first time since winning it all in 2018 but ended up falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in Round 2.
Looking at Florida and Washington, there are similarities and differences between these two strong teams coming out of the East. And ultimately, there’s a lot that the Capitals can learn from watching the Panthers go back-to-back as they emerge as one of the best teams from top to bottom.
Here are some lessons to take away.
Depth & Resilience All The Way Down The Lineup
Something that stands out about Florida is how deep that roster is. From top names like Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk to Eetu Luostarinen and Jonah Gadjovich, the Panthers had all four forward lines rolling and three solid defensive pairings.
Looking at the Capitals, they too were a pretty deep team, but the third line was an ever-changing revolving door over the course of the regular season, and Martin Fehervary’s absence created a major imbalance on the blue line.
Going into the offseason, Washington will want to look at investing in pieces that can give them depth scoring and, although the Capitals have six NHL-ready defensemen, another veteran back there may be a wise addition.
While D.C. wants to get younger and add more for the future, if the team wants to take a step forward and make a run, it needs the resilience, consistency and depth down the lineup that Florida displayed all postseason.
And ultimately, making a splash for a top-6 name to increase the goal total wouldn’t hurt, either.
Making Aggressive Moves At The Trade Deadline
Another thing that the Panthers did was add some big names at the trade deadline that proved vital in their run to the Stanley Cup: they brought in Brad Marchand, who was an X-Factor all playoffs long, and also added Seth Jones among other names.
Washington made a smart move at the deadline by bringing in Anthony Beauvillier to add some depth scoring, but otherwise, stood pat, not wanting to disrupt the locker room chemistry too much and banking on Ryan Leonard to join before playoffs and further bolster the middle-6. The team also wasn’t willing to part ways with some names, leading to a halt in certain trade talks.
It’s a fine line to walk, especially with the Capitals having been so tight-knit over the course of the year, but there were areas of the roster that needed to be strengthened in order to make a deep run.
First-year general manager Chris Patrick and president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan put on a masterclass in the offseason on how to retool on the fly, and as they continue, taking more risks at the trade deadline may be the right move.
Consistency Is Key
Something that Connor McDavid pointed out postgame following his second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals defeat was how Florida was able to implement the same game plan night after night.
At times in the playoffs, the Capitals’ identity, which led to a dominant regular season, slipped away from them. The Hurricanes’ heavy shot-volume mentality and being outmatched speed-wise led to some speed bumps in D.C.’s plan, and ultimately, it led to the team falling short and dropping the second round in five games.
The Panthers never changed their approach, whether they won a game or lost a game. They continued with the same systems and game plan, and ultimately, it was enough to lead them back to the mountaintop.
Coach Spencer Carbery’s leadership has been instrumental, and certainly, he can help D.C. achieve this going forward.
