Ovechkin- A
O captain, my captain
Kuznetsov- B+
Even with his powerplay reliance, it's hard to complain about his production levels. Having Kuznetsov gunning from the right wall gave PP1 a dimension it had lacked for a long while
Wilson- N/A
A for the past 4 games. F for the first bunch. So I'm calling it incomplete for now. He has to be on the ice to help the team
Vrana- B
Skates fast and produces well, but seems destined to be a future whipping boy by a segment of the fans here once Burakovsky is gone.
Backstrom- A
O alternate captain, my alternate captain
Oshie- A
Rediscovered that goal scoring touch that eluded him last year. A so far, but anxious about how he's gonna look after he returns from injury
Burakovsky- D
No question he's struggling right now. Needs to be better in the offensive zone without the puck. Use his frame to establish around the net more. Stop trying to Eurostep (to steal a basketball term) every defender while carrying the puck. When he's on, the flashes of brilliance are great. Right now he's not on.
Eller- C+
Struggled to start the year, but is rounding into form. We could do far far worse at 3C.
Connolly- C
Bundles of points early on, but often as a passenger on his lines. His offense has dried up lately. Needs to do more when not scoring. Also needs to put the puck in the net more. Guess I shouldn't complain too much, as he's the best cost/point standard contract on the Capitals.
Stephenson- D
He's skating hard, but everything seems out of sync with him now. Time will tell if last spring was a flash in the pan or something he can sustain over a career
Boyd- C+
Not a prototypical checking line center. Can do a lot with limited space in the offensive zone, but may need to be deployed differently to show those skills off. Has taken some lumps on his half of the ice.
Dowd- C
He is not Jay Beagle. But he is also better at keeping the puck out of his own net than some of our alternatives.
DSP- D-
Caps off-season contract shenanigans with DSP looking precient currently. Wouldn't be shocked to see him out of the line-up once Kuzy and Oshie are back.
Jaskin- B-
Solid waiver claim. Didn't produce when given a 1st line opportunity, but that shouldn't be his expectation. Is handling his checking duties very well. Still might find himself on the line-up bubble due to a lack of PK ability.
Carlson- B-
Lots of offense, but still making some brainfart mistakes that are harder to justify when he's the second highest paid defenseman in the NHL.
Niskanen- C
He hasn't been himself yet this season, but not much of the defense has. Still handles brutal minutes.
Orlov- C-
Might have turned the corner recently after a brutal start to the season. Let's hope so.
Kempney- D
Rough start to the season, but was hurt for a while. Needs to be better, regardless.
Djoos- B
Makes good things happen when he's on the ice, but does so in a sheltered role. An occassional positioning error or brainfart don't help, either.
Bowey- C+
Greatly improved compared to last year, but still makes some egregious turnovers and gets caught flat footed too often for my liking.
Orpik- B-
Does what he's supposed to do, but definitely needs a sheltered role at this point.
Holtby- C
Another slow start, but when he's on he's incredible.
Copley- B-
Holding his own as a back-up. Probably never going to be a full-time starter in this league, but playing well enough to prove he belongs.
Reirden- B
The Capitals are still the Capitals, so he's no magician. In-zone defense definitely needs to improve. PK is a hot mess currently. But I've seen a lot more consistency in their neutral zone game than I did under Trotz, and I particularly like one of the zone entry plays he's implemented.