It's been a long winding road to get to where the Caps always get, so it seems.
Each and every passing spring, the roller-coaster like play of the Washington Capitals has tormented fans, sending their stomachs through a gymnastic routine that has perpetually left them stretching for the Pepto.
No surprise, once again, that the Caps were ousted by the New York Rangers after a mid-to-late season renaissance that gave fans and the NHL a glimpse of the once consistently dominant Alex Ovechkin.
As time passed, things got better and better for Adam Oates and his Caps, yet as has been the result through (at least) the last two lockouts, Washington was left high and dry on the shores of the Potomac come the Conference Finals.
Time and time again the use of the words "window of opportunity" have clouded the Caps ability to put the talent on paper to good use on the ice. Strife, growing pains and whole lot of systems changes stymied much of any momentum gained through past seasons, though the outlook is brighter with Oates finally swaying the team to his side.
Nevertheless, chemistry and confidence aside, the results speak for themselves.
There is a need for change. There is a need to upgrade.
That said, it may never been truer than this summer as the Caps not only head into a year where the salary cap decreases, but also a 2013-14 season that will see them in direct competition with a group of teams that won't be handing them division titles anytime soon.
Positives abound, but as with Dale Hunter and Bruce Boudreau before him, Adam Oates is faced with the challenge of putting all the intangibles together. The team did it for a stretch of 25 games in a shortened 48 game season, it's just too bad those 25 games all came before May.
With a plate full of decisions to make this summer, George McPhee will have to do a better job of stocking the cupboard with prospects and filling the roster with difference makers as realignment promises to be a bigger challenge than any of the playoff series the Caps have squandered over the past eight seasons.
What are your calls for change?
Can the Caps hack the competition of the Penguins, Flyers, Devils and Rangers with the roster they iced this season?
The challenge gets greater, but so too will the rivalries and excitement. The key for the Caps is to find a way to become what they aren't yet; a winner.
I am pleased to say that I am back, but that doesn't mean there won't be catching up to do! I will be doing that intermittently this summer and taking you along with me.
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Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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