As October creeps closer, another NHL season creeps with it. In the 30th of a series of team-by-team summer reviews and season previews, here's a glimpse at the ... Washington Capitals The entered 2016-17 still on the hunt for a deep playoff run, having advanced A.D. Miller Jersey no farther than the second round since 1998 despite repeated great regular-season results. Longtime captain still produced at age 31, tying T.J. Oshie for the team lead in goals (33) to give Washington a top-three offense under Barry Trotz. Another strong outing from goalie , meanwhile, helped a firm blue line rank atop the league with just 182 goals surrendered, the NHL's lowest mark by 13 goals. An astounding plus-81 goal differential, coupled with top-ranked power-play efficiency and defense, turned the Caps (55-19-8) into a juggernaut, especially at home, where they went 32-7-2 en route to a repeat Presidents' Trophy-winning campaign and Metropolitan Division title. Braden Holtby remains a centerpiece of the Capitals after another strong showing in 2016-17. USATSI Another season of consensus power-rankings dominance could not quell the team's playoff woes, however. After edging the gritty in the opening round, Washington couldn't get over the hump against the defending -- and eventual repeat -- champion , suffering elimination at the hands of and Co. for the third time since Ovechkin made his NHL debut in 2005-06. The offseason wasn't any prettier, either, with general manager Brian MacLellan forced to work around the franchise's salary cap squeeze. The moves Key additions: F ( ) Key lo ses: F (trade with Devils), D ( ), D ( ), Kendall Morris Jersey F ( ), D ( ) Ouch. Early in the offseason, it was fair to wonder whether the Capitals, after all their regular-season showmanship, through just the first stage of free agency. Now, it would be unfair not to agree the team is, without question, worse off than when it closed the 2016-17 season. That notion starts and ends with the heaping pile of key lo ses sustained over the summer. Shattenkirk's departure was unsurprising even after the Caps paid a decent price to land him at the deadline. Williams wasn't getting any younger, but his exit wasn't followed by any confident replacement plan. Then you have Alzner, who probably got overpaid in Montreal but still, with Schmidt, takes with him a big, reliable chunk of blue-line power. And there's no way to chalk up Johan son's move as a plus. Sure, he garnered Washington two draft picks, but trading away a 26-year-old top-six forward coming off career highs in goals and a sists simply to preserve salary cap space comes off like the desperate money-saving move it was. Give MacLellan credit for re-upping and , even though an eight-year, $62.4 million deal for the latter is no small pill to swallow, because at least the Caps have somewhat of an eye on the future. But even the team's other big re-signing, an eight-year, $46 million extension for Oshie, looks questionable, what with the veteran forward already 30 years old. The verdict No one should be entirely shocked Jake Matthews Jersey that Washington got hit hard this offseason. That's what happens when a team goes "all in" knowing it'll have 14 pending free agents after the playoffs come to a close. But the fact that the Capitals couldn't capitalize on their big bet for 2016-17 magnifies the concerns of a disconcerting summer. MacLellan did his part in locking up short- and long-term talent, even if Oshie's deal seemed more appropriate for a semi-desperate team willing to pay for production the veteran probably won't match. But you can only do so much maneuvering with big, bad salary cap Luke Anderson Jersey limitations, and the Caps' lead-up to 2017-18 proved just that. Key regulars like Johan son and Alzner were shown or allowed to find the door, only to be replaced by younger, unproven prospects or minimum-salary additions like Smith-Pelly. The Capitals will need increased production from their up-and-comers like Andre Burakovsky. USATSI Holtby is still a Grade-A presence in net. Between the team's first two lines, Oshie, Ovechkin, Kuznetsov and still make an intriguing bunch. And Washington, traditionally speaking, hasn't had much trouble winning in the regular season, finishing below second place in its division just once in the past nine seasons. The list of reasons for concern is a long one, however. Can a team that lost two of its top six scorers -- and hardly replaced either -- really replicate the offensive outburst from a season ago? Can Ovechkin, at age 32, improve upon a year in which he posted a career-low goals-per-game average to supplement Oshie, who will be hard pre sed Gale Sayers Jersey to top his career-high 33 goals? Can a blue line mi sing Alzner find new leadership? Can the Capitals, in a division that could conceivably have six other realistic playoff contenders, do the impo sible and win a third straight Presidents' Trophy? The odds are long. And the worst part about it is that, for Capitals fans, even a third straight Presidents' Trophy, let alone a division title, 100-point season or playoff berth, wouldn't be any more satisfying than what the locked-and-loaded Washington lineup accomplished in 2016-17. Perhaps Ovi will be more motivated than ever and push the Caps back to the postseason, but no matter how you slice it, this season is setting up to be something of another disappointment in Washington.