There is no denying that the game of hockey is changing. Gone are the days of teams filling the third and fourth lines with brutes that sole purpose was going out there and throwing punches at each other. Teams have opted to fill their lineup full of skaters who can skate and score, trying to win with skill as opposed to brute force.
That has shown in Washington as much as any other team in the league, as gone are the days of the Chris Simon’s and Brendan Witt’s filling the team’s bottom of the lineup, filled instead with more skilled players like Brett Connolly and Nate Schmidt.