I said at the beginning of the season that it was a transition year, didn't expect a complete goalie meltdown, otherwise they get into the playoffs and probably lose in the 1st rd again (Toronto has done that twice under Babcock, let's see how far they advance this year). The bulk of the young talent will be at LHV next year, Hart and Myers just arrived, Frost arrives next year.
You build a talented young team, prepare for some ugly nights, Sanheim had a butt ugly first period and didn't do much the rest of the game, there is a difference between a player with talent and a good player - the young defensemen are still 1-2 years away from being able to play with the big boys on a consistent basis. Ghost, Myers had their bad moments, Provorov looked shaky at times.
It takes 7 years or so for a complete rebuild, we're in year 5. We should make the playoffs next year, but we won't be good enough to handle a motivated elite team like the Caps. This team needs not only to add more talent, but for their young players to mature.
Hart was rushed, and now you see why Hextall wanted him to play the whole season in the AHL. I doubt it will ruin him, but I think he's breaking down a bit mentally, it's a light workload for him, but the pressure at the NHL is simply far greater, there's no room for error. Hart was overplaying some pucks and didn't have good rebound control.
So much for Trotz, Caps looked as good or better than anytime last season - their forwards were backchecking all night and every time the Flyers tried to make a play in the O-zone, someone either had a stick in the passing lane or was taking the body of a shooter - yes, DEFENSE wins games. Caps had a SC hangover, but 14-4-1 last 19 games preparing for the playoffs - with a novice HC!
You can see the difference in depth between the two teams, Flyers need to add 3-4 forwards to match up, Voracek back, Frost and a couple more next year. The defense needs a stabilizing influence, Gudas just isn't good enough to be the "anchor veteran."