Capitals brush off abbreviated training camp ahead of Hurricanes opener
by Liam Griffin · The Washington TimesThe overhauled Capitals have already run out of time to ramp up to regular-season speed. The NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement brought a shortened training camp, a tough ask for a Washington group that brought in new faces like Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner this summer.
The NHL’s fresh labor deal — which went into effect on Sept. 15 — cut most training camps across the league down by a week. A 21-day period of preparation was reduced to just over two weeks.
The Capitals felt the difference.
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“It feels like we just started a couple of days ago,” center Dylan Strome said.
The impact was particularly noticeable for Washington’s 41-year-old captain, Alex Ovechkin. The NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer spent 21 preseasons under the old schedule.
“You don’t get used to it,” said Ovechkin, who missed several practices with an unspecified injury. “Usually we still have a week or 10 days before the game starts and you have more time to prepare yourself: more workouts, more ice time. But it is what it is. Nothing we can do.”
There are no excuses in the NHL.
Every franchise gets the same time to prepare for the season. Washington even received the privilege — or challenge, depending on who’s asked — to start the campaign on Friday. Several teams, including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, opened the season on Tuesday night.
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“It is [frustrating]. Because, I would much rather — even if it’s not on opening night — play tonight or tomorrow night,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said Wednesday. “Sitting around and waiting, I don’t think is ideal.”
That’s the way the schedule shook out, though. Washington opens the season with a back-to-back on the road: first in North Carolina against the Hurricanes on Friday before travelling to Tampa to face the Lightning on Saturday.
Washington is hunting for a silver lining. Carbery and many of his players watched the Hurricanes fall 1-0 to the Florida Panthers in the NHL’s season-opener on Tuesday night. It offered a chance to “pre-scout” before travelling south.
“We have a couple of great opportunities to sharpen our swords,” the fourth-year coach said. “There are zero excuses of it being a touch schedule. Difficult, difficult games no matter what way you slice it.”
The Capitals have needed all the time they could get to find a rhythm. The squad underwent an offseason renovation after failing to qualify for the postseason last year. Tuch, Kyrou and Jenner stole headlines as the most aggressive adds, alongside defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Rookies Ilya Protas and Cole Hutson join the squad for their first complete seasons after brief cameos with the NHL squad in the spring.
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“It’s nice to have that kind of depth,” Ovechkin said. “But, if you ask anybody, the start is very important for us, mentality-wise. We’re not going to have an easy schedule at the beginning.”
The acclimation process has been intentional as this year’s Capitals look to hit the ground running.
More and more skaters began to arrive in the region for informal skates long before training camp kicked off. The two weeks of training camp sessions — and the four-game preseason slate — ended with a trip to Annapolis, Maryland, on Monday.
The squad practiced in Annapolis and enjoyed a round of rainy golf. The off-ice bonding could pay dividends during games.
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“It’s huge. You become a team when you’re on the road and get to hang out with each other and go to dinner and have some fun,” Strome said. “This team has no problem integrating new guys; we saw that in Annapolis. I expect no different on Friday.”
Carbery has done his part in maintaining the chemistry during practices. His personnel deployments have remained mostly unchanged since training camp opened on Sept. 16. Ovechkin remains on a line with Strome and Ryan Leonard. Tuch joins Pierre-Luc DuBois and alternate captain Tom Wilson. Ilya Protas plays center alongside his brother — Aliaksei Protas — and Kyrou.
The Capitals will start to judge the success of their abbreviated camp after Friday’s opener. They’ll play their first game in front of the hometown fans on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Liam Griffin
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