3 Upgrades Washington Capitals Need In The New Year

The Washington Capitals have really surprised this season. Not many people expected this bounce-back after such a down season. With this aging core and injuries still a factor, they have themselves in the first wildcard spot at Christmas. Injuries will continue to play a factor in their season, so there is definitely room for upgrades if they are thinking they will still be in the playoff race later in the season.

Top-6 Winger

The Capitals have been trying to acquire a top-six winger for a while. The Max Pacioretty signing hasn't worked out because he is still out with an injury. On top of that, T.J. Oshie is injured again and Sonny Milano is currently out. With Anthony Mantha being such a disappointment throughout his tenure in Washington, just because he is playing alright now, doesn't change the team's needs all of a sudden. I don't trust Mantha and Aliaksei Protas as the two second line wingers in a postseason.

Middle-6 Centre

With Nicklas Backstrom out and without a return date, one of the three centers that have rotated over the past season and a half is out of the picture. The Capitals should be fairly comfortable with Dylan Strome in a top-six center role, but have to make it work for him as a number one center. Evgeny Kuznetsov has fallen off and is on the third line behind Connor McMichael who's centering the second line. The Capitals would be better off moving McMichael over to wing this season or down to the third line and add down the middle.

Depth Forward

With all of the injuries that the Capitals continue to deal with, the next man up is important. That didn't exactly work out great last season and the team wasn't in the playoff race. Now that they are and the team is managing, adding some depth up front is a must.