For Caps, Success Hangs in the Balance

A look at how a more balanced 2015-16 Caps squad has led to less of a reliance on the captain

Over the last decade or so, the rule in DC has pretty much always been that as Alex Ovechkin goes, so go the Caps. He has long been the dominant and driving force behind the Caps' success (and the first place the fingers point when they fail). His scoring droughts often coincide with the team's slumps; his streaks, the team's winning streaks.

This year, however, things are a little different.

Thanks in part to the pieces put in place by GM Brian MacLellan, the system and culture instituted by Barry Trotz, and the buy-in of every player from Ovechkin on down, the reliance on the captain has diminished.…