Washington Capitals: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 7:The Washington Capitals celebrate around the Stanley Cup after Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights at Capital One Arena on Thursday, June 7, 2018. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images /

4. Can they avoid a Stanley Cup hangover?

Part of the reason why it’s so hard to repeat as Stanley Cup champions is you have to deal with a short offseason. This can lead to what is commonly known as a Stanley Cup hangover. The Capitals might literally be hungover from their summer shenanigans on Opening Night. This one, however, is much harder to treat than sleeping it off or drinking more alcohol.

A short offseason gives you much less time to rest. The mind can easily more focused on celebrating than preparing for the next season. That said, the Washington Capitals should be able to avoid a significant Stanley Cup hangover.

They’ve got a motivated group who wants to win back-to-back titles. The last words Alex Ovechkin said to the Stanley Cup before finally parting with it? “See you next year.” That says it all. Also, the Capitals are bringing back almost their entire roster that just won the Stanley Cup. This should help them out a lot.

It’s going to be hard to pry the Stanley Cup away from Ovechkin and the Capitals. They’ve tasted victory and they want to make sure this isn’t the last time they taste it. Critics might point to their lack of meaningful additions, but this team didn’t need any significant additions to begin with.

The Capitals already have enough talent. It’s hard to find upgrades for a top-nine forward group that includes Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Lars Eller, T.J. Oshie, Jakub Vrana and Tom Wilson. And how can you really upgrade over what the Capitals have defensively right now other than by signing a veteran defenseman?

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