The Washington Capitals managed just one goal against the New York Rangers in their crucial postseason and series ending Game 7 overtime loss in mid-May.
In their first season under head coach Barry Trotz, the Capitals played a very different game than they had in the past - gritty, hard-nosed, relentless - but it amounted to very similar results and the same issues which have plagued them previously - namely, secondary scoring behind All World captain Alexander Ovechkin - again reared their ugly heads.
"Evgeny Kuznetsov emerged this spring as a bona fide No. 2 center for a team that has long been seeking one, and we're guessing second-year GM Brian MacLellan will likely look to add veteran scoring on the wings," writes ESPN's Scott Burnside.
In the 2014-15 regular season, Ovie and the Caps finished sixth in the NHL, averaging 2.89 goals per game. In the playoffs, they finished 14th out of 16 teams, averaging just 2.00 goals per game.
With netminder Braden Holtby proving his worth time and again this postseason and Ovechkin and Kuznetsov manning the top two center spots, all that remains for MacLellan is to add some significant talent on the wing.
Enter Chicago Blackhawks forward and three-time Stanley Cup-winner, Patrick Sharp.
"I think the Washington Capitals are a team that I see as a fit for him - among the many - but I think they would like to add a top-6 player there and a guy that's won. We know what the Caps' issues are, right? So that would be an interesting fit for me," TSN NHL insider Pierre LeBrun said, while appearing on Montreal's TSN 690, via TodaysSlapShot.com.
Sharp, per LeBrun, would bring a sorely needed wealth of experience to a Caps team that just hasn't been able to find its way over the hump in recent seasons.
"Patrick Sharp is a guy that I think still has some good hockey left in him," said LeBrun. "He's a clutch player. He's got three Cups under him. And he's also lived the experience of going from the worst team in the league, basically, to building a dynasty. That's a pretty valuable process to have under your belt. It's not just dropping in on a team and winning a bunch of Cups. He went from the bottom to the top and I think there's some valuable experience there."
Sharp, despite his experience and previous production, has become something of a luxury item for a Hawks team that somehow seems to get younger and better every year. With Chicago GM Stan Bowman already up against the cap ceiling for 2015 and planning on resigning young power forward Brandon Saad, someone on the Blackhawks has suddenly become expendable and it seems likely that Sharp will be that guy.
Sharp, 33, has two years remaining on his current deal at an AAV of $5.9 million. According to Spotrac.com, the Caps currently have over $20 million in cap room, so taking on his cap hit would be no issue.
Sharp just completed his 12th NHL season, managing 16 goals and 27 assists for the Hawks during the year and adding another five goals and 10 assists during their Cup run.
Sharp may no longer be the player he once was physically, but for a Caps team desperate for scoring from other areas of their lineup and likely looking for a guy that checks all the boxes of Trotz's gritty player preference, Sharp really could prove to be a pretty perfect "fit."
