Arizona Coyotes 2014-2015 Preview: Arizona Coyotes vs Washington Capitals
Final Shift: Looking at the Stanley Cup
Nov 9, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; Phoenix Coyotes right wing Shane Doan (19) checks Washington Capitals right wing Eric Fehr (16) during the third period at Jobing.com Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Capitals 4-3 in the overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
HH: Which team is closer to making a run for the Stanley Cup?
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DS: I think the Capitals are closer to the Cup. They fixed their blue-line problem, and if Braden Holtby gets hot, he’s quite capable of carrying a team deep into the playoffs (remember when he almost single-handedly took a Dale Hunter coached team to the Eastern Conference Finals?). I think they are roughly a year or two away from making a run at the Cup, depending on how next off-season goes for them. If guys like Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson can step up their game, that could speed up the process. Probably the biggest factor will be how quickly Trotz can whip the Capitals at even strength into shape. They’ve been trending in the wrong direction in that category for several years. If the Capitals can get back to be a good puck possession team, they’ll be Cup contenders. The question is, how long is that going to take?
The Coyotes don’t have the forward depth needed to make a run at the Stanley Cup. I really like their blue-liners though. They have some very exciting guys back there (OEL!), and Mike Smith is a very capable goalie. However, in order to make a run at the Cup, as the Kings, Blackhawks, and even the Rangers have proved, you have to be able to dominate possession and score. The Coyotes have struggled to do that away from home.
” If the Capitals can get back to be a good puck possession team, they’ll be Cup contenders. The question is, how long is that going to take?”
Also, the Coyotes have more great teams to overcome (Kings, Blackhawks, Blues, Stars, Ducks, potentially Wild), while the Capitals are in a conference where there are 3 great teams (Pens, Bruins, potentially Lightning and/or Canadiens) and a whole lot of good but not great teams and questionable teams.
Both teams are far from making a run at the Stanley Cup at the moment, but I believe the Capitals are definitely closer.
RF: This is probably the one thing we are going to agree on. The Coyotes offense is lackluster, and it just isn’t going to get them very far this season. That can be overcome if Mike Smith returns to his 2011-12 performance levels, but that’s probably just dreaming. The thing I do love about the Coyotes, though, is how much young talent they have waiting in the wings on both sides of the puck.
Max Domi and Henrik Samuelsson are very close to being NHL ready as forwards, while I’m expecting both Connor Murphy and Brandon Gormley to make the jump to the NHL this season. This is a departure from Coyotes teams of the past, especially under Dave Tippett. During their playoff appearances, the Coyotes relied on players like Ray Whitney, Adrian Aucoin, Rusty Klesla, Derek Morris and- of course- Shane Doan.
“The thing i do love about the Coyotes future is how much young talent they have waiting in the wings on both sides of the puck.”
If their prospects mature like Coyotes fans expect, though, Istill think a long playoff run is still 2-3 years away.
As far as the Caps go, I love the hire of Barry Trotz. He implemented a very similar style to the Coyotes in Nashville, and it worked pretty well- so if he can bring that defensive mindset to the Capitals, they could make a run. Holtby is going to have to be stellar in net, though, for that to happen in the next year or two.
So as of right now the Caps are in a better position to make a deep playoff run especially in a weaker Eastern Conference.