How the Panthers’ Stanley Cup Win Exposes the Capitals’ Biggest Flaws + McMichael’s Breakout Season

How the Panthers’ Stanley Cup Win Exposes the Capitals’ Biggest Flaws + McMichael’s Breakout Season

on today’s show the Panthers win the Stanley Cup again what can the Capitals learn from their success next on this edition of Locked on Capitals [Music] your Locked On Capitals your daily podcast on the Washington Capitals part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day well hello and welcome into this edition of Locked On Capitals part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day my name is Dan Holme i’ve covered the Capitals for the past three seasons for Locked On and various other outlets before that i’m also the host of the weekly show called The Capitals Minute Cast available wherever you find your podcasts and as always I want to thank you for making this your first listen of the day today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time download the Game Time app create an account and use code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase so in this edition of Locked on Capitals we talk about Brandon Duh and what he means for the Capitals uh should the Capitals extend him to a new contract and what is behind his success and what does he mean to this team his energy defense and vibes are huge for the Capitals i’ll talk about that a bit later i’ll talk about Connor Mcichels breakout season uh listen a lot of that can be attributed to playing on the second line with Pier Loop Dubois a guy that’s been there and done that but all things considered Conor Mcichels career grew by leaps in bounds this past season uh but just to get it going here the big headline around the National Hockey League is that the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup in backto back seasons and my how they have turned around that franchise it doesn’t seem like it was that long ago five six years or so ago uh that that team struggled uh when you saw them playing at home and they kind of panned the audience there at the arena was sparssely attended but my how times have changed and uh it’s interesting that a coaching change I think their previous coach wasn’t that bad but Paul Maurice has taken that team and just really shot it to the moon and the additions made to that team are ultimately what put them in that position i’ll drill down on the big additions i’m talking Marshand and all of those things that the Florida Panthers they know how to push their chips in and they know how to get results because why well the proof is in the pudding as they say backto back Stanley Cup victories what can the Capitals learn from that let’s dive into that uh in segment one you take a look at the Capitals all things considered uh they won the Metro they won the Eastern Conference uh they made it to the second round something that they hadn’t done in quite some time and and the Capitals played well during the regular season pretty amazing but ultimately it was the Panthers that won the above all Andal and hoisted the Stanley Cup above their head back to back and uh that kind of stings for us as Capitals fans and I don’t want to read too much into this but I will hear briefly as two former Capitals uh were on that Stanley Cup winning team of course Nate Schmidt and VTEC Vanichek and uh Nate Schmidt be honest with you I liked him i liked him as a capital uh I wasn’t uh really happy uh when he wasn’t on the team anymore um and a likable guy and you know I know that it’s not about having likable guys on your team and if you listen to the show or watch it all the time you know I talk about it but seemed like a great hockey player for one and just number two just a great guy to have around always a smile on his face cracking jokes a good player and VTEC Vanichek um a lot of soap opera surrounded there if you remember uh back on Seattle’s expansion draft and all that and ultimately Sam Sonoff and Vanichek they were just they were never the right tandem for this team so I don’t feel too bad about Vanichek not being here but it does sting in the regard that two former Capitals uh got a chance to to you know skate around with the Stanley Cup either holding it or holding it above their head uh and ultimately good for them but for the Caps another second round exit uh this time at the hands of Carolina um and they’re on to the next one and uh you just can kind of take a look at the Florida Panthers and uh how they positioned themselves to do great things again the Capitals made it past the first round accomplishment something they hadn’t done in quite some time that’s a good thing but uh I don’t have the bar set so low uh for this team so you talk about it um and what the Capitals were able to accomplish and contrast that with Florida that is kind of the blueprint of how to do things so let’s talk about the Panthers and how they got there because man this team was deep and uh that was you know part of their secret sauce four rolling lines there was no you know hiccup in the giddy up like the Capitals third line where you know lines one and two good well we’re going to take a couple steps down the ladder when it came to the third line and take a step up on the fourth line that they had great lines one through four and uh that’s one of the things that the Capitals need three reliable defensive pairings uh everyone played their role and uh I’ll talk about what the Capitals did not do on the trade deadline but to talk on it briefly here when Martin Farravari went down the blue line got a whole lot worse that is something that we cannot have happen next year we do not have excuses that the Capitals need to address that they need to have uh guys in the cupboard uh so when Marty Farravari goes down or another key piece on the blue line uh that it is not just a total mess like it was for the Capitals uh in the postseason uh this off season the Capitals need to find another gear in terms of depth uh that’s what I’m going to talk about here again it was the trade deadline and what did the Capitals do they did next to nothing all they did was traded for and acquired Anthony Bavilier a nice addition to this team but that was not enough and you know doing a daily show on this I remember talking to you guys that that’s all the Capitals did and the feeling around the Capitals organization and the players was like the vibes man you know that’s a very young person thing way to talk the vibes around the team and the chemistry in the locker room well you can have your vibes you can have your chemistry the Capitals went out and the only addition they made on the trade deadline was for Anthony Pavilier and unless Anthony Bavilier could have you know took on a role as a defender it wasn’t enough uh so I think that I don’t want to live in the past uh I think that Chris Patrick and the Capitals organization need to learn from that mistake i’m going to go ahead and say a mistake by not making any other big additions because you can say that we have depth in and Prrisky and Vinnieorio and these kind of guys but when they you know when it hit the fan those weren’t the guys they reached for who they reached for was Alexia and you know it it was a bit lackluster as far as I’m concerned so uh you take a look at it those are the things that the Capitals need to do uh up front same story the top six good but the third line you need more from it and if you want to survive four rounds you need that Florida style resilience and um that’s what they’re going to have to do the third line we we know it was a mistake we know that it’s something that Chris Patrick said he wanted to rectify to change um I don’t want it to be just lip service i want to see improvements on that third line um so there are some intriguing names as far as unrestricted free agents but I still hold Pat um that I don’t want to give up a lot of prospects to get a marquee name and I know that that worked for Florida and all those kind of things but um that is a team that is still built um in win now mode um if you take a look at the Florida Panthers how are they built for three four five years from now that’s another discussion that they are built and I guess that that’s a good you know prerogative to have is to you know to to win a cup every year build a team to win a cup every year um that you don’t really need to worry about down the road because you’re just going to keep adjusting on the fly um but that is one of the things that the Panthers did uh that the Capitals you know might need to to look at as well is that they’re not too attached they’re not too married to players on the team that they can assemble an outstanding lineup by some big trades and if you want to kind of just recount some of the trades that the the Florida Panthers have done over the last uh two to three years for example a lot and and some of them bigger than others but most of them big swings and uh well it has paid dividends uh for that team so things that the Capitals need to work on depth this off season and if they can go out and get you know a big marquee name uh more power to them but I don’t want to hear uh and it can lead to this i I don’t want it to seem like it’s hyperbole i don’t want to hear that you know the Capitals got this marquee name for Ryan Leonard uh Crystal you know any of these kind of guys and like I talked about tears of of prospects and young talent for the for the Capitals i’d be willing to listen to offers on on some of the players on the big team players that are coming you know in contract years those kind of things you know the players I’m talking about um Carlson uh TVR these kind of guys that um you know either you’re going to have a home for them here or you know they’re going to they’re going to walk and you’re going to get nothing um that that you know the Capitals Chris Patrick they have to make some tough decisions but to put a bow on this the Capitals must work uh on their depth there is just uh no two ways about it because like I said I don’t want to go into uh another season saying that you know they should have done something uh and and and talk about you know why another early exit again all right so coming up here after the break we’ll talk about the breakout season uh by Conor Mcichael and uh there’s a lot of people that you can attribute this to you can attribute it to PL D pier Luke Dubois and Spencer Carberry but let’s talk about the man himself Conor Mcichael how did he get it done i’ll discuss straight ahead there’s nothing like playoff hockey the energy the rivalries the non-stop action listen the Stanley Cup just wound up and a really great opportunity to get involved in those games and also games that are coming up this fall um so with the Stanley Cup playoffs over and to kind of look into the future here Game Time makes getting in the building fast and affordable game time gives you lastminute ticket deals zone deals for deep discounts panoramic seat views and all-in pricing with no hidden fees plus ticket prices often drop the closer you get to puck drop so you can score big without overpaying now listen we’re not going to be talking about hockey for quite some time here but it’s not going to be too far in the distant future where we’ll be back in action again and Game Time will be your go-to source so take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time download the Game Time app create an account and use code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code L O C K E D O NHL for $20 off download the Game Time app today last minute tickets lowest prices guaranteed all right welcome back into this edition of Locked On Capitals part of the Locked On Network your team every day you can find me over on Twitter it’s at DanCaps218 you can find the show on Twitter it’s Lockton Caps so in segment two here we’re talking about the man himself Conor Mcichael and how he cemented his place in the Capitals lineup by having an absolute breakout year and uh you know again I still think he is going to be the front runner for that third line center position a lot will be determined in camp of course uh but just talking about last season thriving playing that second line left wing position uh with PLLD at center just really took it to the next level so let’s talk about Conor Mcichael here uh in segment number two and wow just wow what a season 82 games 26 goals 31 assists that’s 57 points career best and honestly one of the best development leaps we’ve seen from a caps forward in years and uh you know it’s one of the things that I’ve been talking about for quite some time you know that he didn’t really get his opportunity under Peter Lavulet uh it wasn’t until Spencer Carberry came here and saw the value because of the rapport and confidence you know that’s one of the things that Conor Mcichael spoke of is that he felt like he had confidence he had swagger and a lot of that was due in part to Spencer Carberry entrusting him with a lot of responsibility you know playing second line there playing the wing i know he wants to play center and very well might uh next season but absolutely lit it up he started hot 12 goals in his first 16 games red-hot and he stayed consistent uh finished sixth on the team and scoring fifth in goals and tied for third in game winners and uh you know like I say cementing his place in this roster when a guy like Hendricks Law Pierre who it’s going to be his year next year no next year hop skipping and jumping between Hershey and the Capitals that uh Conor Mcichael you know cemented his name by bringing his agame and bringing his agame the entire season uh his high danger numbers wild 82 high danger shots on goal that’s 97th percentile in the league 15 goals from those chances just elite net driving and some of the things that we know uh about Conor Mcichael and where he really excelled his secret sauce I guess you could say uh was driving for the net or setting up near the the front of the net for those greasy goals deflection second third opportunities that is where you really saw him thrive now to be clear here and I’ll talk about this in a minute he did have some dips uh in dives a little bit in the you know mid to latter part of the season that it wasn’t all smooth sailing but broad broad brush here 30,000 foot view of last season for Conor Mcichael i’m going to go ahead and say great the power play he doubled his career total 10 points with the man advantage so it’s not just five on five production he’s starting to carve out a role in every situation and that my friends is why he is going to have a sweater unless he’s injured every night that the Capitals are playing a game he is that great of a player right now and if you’re not on the Conor McMichel hype train now uh you really should be uh and in the playoffs four goals only scored more clutch scoring in big moments and uh that is ultimately what we like about his game and uh I expect to see that going forward i I if anything I expect to see him go up i expect to see his productivity whether he’s getting assists or whatever the case uh you know I know the metric has changed a little bit when you’re playing at the center position you’re feeding the puck a bit more uh but all things considered played well at the wing i have no doubt in my mind that he would thrive at uh the center position as well uh but it’s not all roses mcichael like I spoke about there still struggles on the defensive side he had the worst uh one of the worst ratings defensively that’s a problem especially for a guy getting offensive zone starts uh so you know uh there’s good and bad to most every player uh rarely when I do these breakdowns or summarize these players is it all just great like great great great great uh even the man himself Alex Ovuchetkin uh has some weaknesses in his armor in Oby’s case defensively but in Mcichel’s case as well um so that’s going to be an interesting to see the position that the Capitals take uh again my hunch uh again this is what we’re come in mid June here is I think that he is the front runner for that third line center position i know that that Hendrickk slop here is going to try to bring his agame and battle him for that position as well what are some of the things we know about Hendricks as well as he can play wings so to keep it about Mcichael here um that it’s going to be tough and it’s going to be his job to lose uh I guess the outlier the caveat I guess would be is what Chris Patrick uh decides to do here on July 1st does he you know just go outside the organization and and just totally rebuild that third line um you know that Ryan Leonard we saw him play there but you know I guess it it depends on what we see from him in camp he you know Chris Patrick very well might go out and just totally change that third line altogether to put it to bed and say enough i don’t want to go into another season uh talking about that i just don’t want to do it so now the big question what’s next uh do you try him at center again in 25 26 or is he now your legit top six winger uh again I would have no problem um having uh Conor Mcichael continuing to play that second line um uh second line left wing but you know I think that you know I know as a matter of fact that he wants to play center and I know that the third line is um you know where they need help you know all the other center positions are pretty well spoken for stro first line PLLD second uh Nick Dow the fourth line that if he wants that that is the position that he’s going to have to go for and can he hit 30 goals does he have another level um are we just seeing Conor Mcichael get better or did he plateau last season uh I think there’s room for growth still a young guy and I think that you know a lot of it’s been a learning process for a relatively young guy uh that I think that he can kind of vacuum up what he learned last season put that in his sale and just really push him across and even do greater things one thing’s for sure I know is that Conor Mcichael went from kind of a bubble guy to a core piece uh he’s a part of the next chapter of the Caps and he has earned every minute of it so you know a tip of the hat goes out to out to Conor Mcichael for a job well done and uh it’s exciting to see what he’s been able to put up and I’m looking forward to seeing what he brings in the 25 26 season if you can believe we’re already talking about that all right so coming up here after the break we’ll talk about Brandon Duane not necessarily a guy that lights up the score sheet but he is a guy about energy defense chirping and vibes man i’ll talk about Brandon Du straight ahead all right welcome back into this edition of Locked On Capitals part of the Locked On Network your team every day the best way that you can help grow the show is to subscribe to Locked on Capitals on YouTube and comment anything down below if you’re watching this on YouTube or listening on the audio side this is my last show on the road monday’s show will be back in the studio expect a higher quality audio and a better background uh just had to make do while I was on the road this past week and thank you for joining me all week long and there’s a lot to talk about for the Capitals between now and the start of the season so make sure make it keep it locked to locked on capitals follow subscribe wherever you find your podcasts as I have a lot to cover July 1st coming up here uh free agency um coming up here and a lot to cover between now and pock in the fall keep it right here all right in segment three here we’re talking Brandon Duh uh kind of a heart and soul guy I guess I’m going to say and uh you know he kind of brings a lot of talents that aren’t easily quantifiable i’ll go over the back of his hockey card here in a minute but he is a guy that is what I’m going to say a prototypical Capitals player and what does that mean to a young Capitals fan or maybe I’m I’m being a bit ambiguous here is that I think the Capitals have a long history of having guys that are intimidators i see Tom Wilson you know halfway before that these kind of guys chirpers that can kind of get under your skin uh and you know it’s not just the Capitals but for Brandon Duane that is one of the skills that he has in his skill set that you’re not going to find in any advanced analytic metric or the back of the hockey card to just kind of use a generic term uh but he brings the vibes he brings the energy he’s like he’s liked uh in the locker room and he is a perfect fit uh on that fourth line with Nick Dows stirring the drink at center i love Brandon Dame’s game let’s dive into the latest with him in segment number three so talking about a guy not eyepopping 82 games nine goals 12 assists uh but still that’s a career-high 21 points uh tied for his best for goals um so you know improvement and you know again just like Conor Mcichael just like pure Luke Dubois and I could rattle off you know a lot of different players on the Capitals this past season that their game got a lot better this past season um is it totally buying into Spencer Carberry systems the additions that were made were the right additions to this team and I think that is one of the big things but his real value like I said you got to look deeper uh Brandon Dames uh fit on the fourth line the shutdown role often tasked for shutting down some of the premier lines on the opposing team in the NHL he played the toughest minutes of any caps forward almost no offensive zone starts constantly asked to defend top six matchups and still managed to hold the line at five on five and um you know I did when the Capitals first acquired him there was some question for me where he was going to slot in um I was familiar with his history and the different teams that he played on and has you know kind of played that similar role um you know throughout his career you know they say zebras don’t change their stripes well you know just like Brandon Dame now is kind of you know intrinsically the same kind of guy he’s always been uh but I think you know thrived and it’s that it’s Nick Dao the alpha center I’m going to go ahead and say on the fourth line that he’s kind of the quarterback of that line you know that uh we’ve seen a lot of different guys come and go and he’s been the constant uh you know Hegeland Malenstein um you know just a lot a lot of different players have cycled through with Dow but I think that there is some great chemistry uh with Doo H on that line so him and Nick Dow straight up dogs out there literal shutdown down specialists and uh you know just to talk about doubter here for a moment that’s why he got that extension because we like what he brings to the Capitals and a great compliment to him is Brandon Dames uh playoffs four points in 10 games all against tough competition but you know here’s the thing about Duham that makes him so beloved it’s not just the defense it’s the vibes manuh to talk about vibes here because you know what to me it uh I understand the thought process um you know and and all of that but uh you know for the for a younger person I guess and for and for a hockey player it means something different um you know that’s that guy’s a weirdo in the best way total prankster beloved in the room uh they call him doggy and every teammate you ask they light up when they talk about him and you know those that’s what I talk about not easily quantifiable that um you know you’re not gonna you’re not going to look at a vibes rating on back of a hockey card you might someday but for right now um it’s just listening to his fellow teammates and seeing the production that he gets on the fourth line uh I love his game i witness it and you know it’s the eye test don’t tell me what kind of player he is i want to watch it and I want to observe it over a season or multiple seasons preferably and uh that is what I love about Duhane gets under the skin of the opposition and uh just plays an integral role on that fourth line now uh his offense is still an issue you know uh I would like to see more i would like to see more goals scored uh not great but for under two million that’s good value and one year left on his deal um and if you’re asking me uh Chris Patrick uh if I put on my GM hat here for a moment I would give him an extension how long do you ask me for i would give him a two-year extension uh that’s what I’m going to do i’m not in love with him so much that I would sign him to a five or sixyear deal like you saw for like chicken or Logan Thompson but I think that he is a serviceable piece on that fourth line you know and like I said the proof is in his teammates the proof is what we see from him and I think that Nick Dow would be the first one to say this guy’s not working out here and he likes his game uh as well so that is the big question do you resign him next summer yes I would do that um and that’s what I’m saying a two-year deal i wouldn’t go any more than that and um I think that he would be worth it um that’s the big things here so bottom line you need guys like Brandon Duhane uh to win in the playoffs the stats might not show but the locker room the PK the vibes are priceless it’s clear uh that the Capitals organization his fellow teammates um like his game and I like his game as well um you know again if I could change anything he would score more goals but I would say that about most any player that’s playing out on the ice um but it’s not all about goals scored i mean it kind of is isn’t it but um sometimes it’s kind of the tertiary uh things that uh players bring to the game that I like but Brandon Duh I would definitely sign him to an extension i’m going to go ahead and say a two-year extension if I was the GM I would feel comfortable with that uh as I think that he has been a key contributor on that Cap’s fourth line all right once again I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of Locked On Capitals your only daily year- round podcast covering the Capitals and I want to thank all of you that listen on the audio side and watch this on YouTube you are what makes this show successful when you’re done here head on over to Locked on NHL as they have you covered five days a week available wherever you find your podcasts and on YouTube all right once again I want to thank you for joining me on this edition of Locked On Capitals part of the Locked On podcast network it is your team every day my name is Dan Holy and I’ll talk to you again next time

The Florida Panthers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup championships highlighted the blueprint for playoff success: depth, consistency, and bold in-season moves. The Washington Capitals, despite finishing atop the East in the regular season, fell short in the second round. Watching Florida dominate underscores what the Caps must improve—third-line stability, blue-line depth, and perhaps a more aggressive trade deadline approach. Consistency in identity and execution, as exemplified by Florida, could be the key for D.C. to reach the next level.

On the individual front, Connor McMichael broke out with a career-best 57 points, showing elite net-driving and offensive potential, but still has room to grow defensively. Meanwhile, Brandon Duhaime quietly emerged as a fan-favorite glue guy, anchoring the fourth line with defensive reliability, playoff poise, and unmatched locker room energy. While McMichael may soon be a 30-goal scorer, Duhaime’s future hinges on whether his vibes and shutdown ability outweigh his limited offensive output.

Exclusive content for Locked on Capitals insiders here:
https://joinsubtext.com/lockedoncapitals
Follow Dan on Twitter: https://x.com/dancaps218
Follow Locked on Capitals on Twitter: https://x.com/LockedOnCaps
Leave Dan a voicemail with your thoughts on the Capitals: https://www.speakpipe.com/LOCaps

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOCapitals?sid=YouTube

Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL

For you next listen, check out out the Locked On NHL podcast, where the season never ends providing national expertise with a local perspective. Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

eBay Motors
For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.

FanDuel
FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM and add a big win to your summer bucket list!

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#WashingtonCapitals #Caps #NHLHockey #allcaps #ovechkin