Capitals eager to prove they can replicate 2024-25 success: 'It feels like the league is maybe writing us off again, saying last year was a fluke'

"It feels like the league is maybe writing us off again, saying last year was a fluke,"

"I think a lot of guys are hungry to keep proving the league wrong and that we're a legitimate contender."

"It doesn't really change anything that we do, but we're human beings, so people read things and hear things,"

"It's on us as a group, whether it's outside people that think we're a non-playoff team, or that certain players can't replicate the seasons that they've had last year, and that's unsustainable, or whatever it is, the shooting (percentage), this and that. That stuff is fine, and people are entitled to their opinion. It's on us to do the things necessary to replicate a lot of the things that we did last year."

The Washington Capitals completed a 5-1 preseason and enter the 2025 season focused on replicating a 51-22-9 campaign that topped the Eastern Conference. Multiple players produced career-best seasons, with Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and Aliaksei Protas each scoring at least 30 goals, Pierre-Luc Dubois emerging as a pivotal offensive weapon, and Logan Thompson establishing himself as a number-one goaltender. The roster's depth and returning core underpin optimism despite projections of regression. External skepticism about sustainability of last season's rates, shooting percentages, and breakout performances exists, but the team emphasizes collective responsibility and consistent execution to repeat prior success.

Read at RMNB