Do the Washington Capitals even need Tom Wilson?

In the wake of a huge suspension, the Washington Capitals came out of the gate Wednesday night swinging, completely obliterating the Boston Bruins without one of their top forwards.

According to Chris Kuc, senior NHL Writer for The Athletic covering the Washington Capitals, “There was an audible gasp in the Capitals press room when Tom Wilson’s 20-game suspension was announced. Most of the speculation was around 10 games.”

Wilson has always been recognized as a hard hitter in the NHL, and that extends to this preseason. In last week’s game against the St. Louis Blues, Wilson was called out for an illegal head check to Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist.

In watching the video, it looks as though Sundqvist was a sitting duck hit by a brick wall.

The issue arises that Wilson has had an unprecedented number of suspensions … four in 150 games. Most notably, Wilson was suspended during last season’s playoffs for brutally breaking the jaw of Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese.

This was an injury so severe, Aston-Reese was only able to start eating solid food again in August — three months after the initial injury.

Needless to say, Capitals fans were irate at the 20-game punishment given to Wilson. This summer he signed an astronomical contract of six years and $31 million, coming off the heels of one of his best seasons, one where he was vital to the success of the Stanley Cup champions.

In the mind of every Caps fan — this was a ridiculous call by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, but one meant to send a strong message that Wilson better think twice on the ice:

So come Wednesday night, no one was sure how the Capitals would fare. Wilson was meant to take the a spot on the first line with Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, the same spot he held towards the end of last season. Instead, Brett Connolly was his replacement.

However, instead of letting Wilson’s suspension drag them down, the Capitals delivered a positively humiliating blow to the Boston Bruins, outscoring them 7-0. The Stanley Cup champs looked smoother than ever and played on an entirely different plane from the Bruins.

It appears that Wilson’s suspension lit a fire in the current champions, and they were playing in peak form.

While Wilson is expected to appeal the suspension, he hasn’t as of late. But it’s clear, he doesn’t need to be on the ice for the Capitals to win. But then again, neither does any single player. Hockey is a team sport for good reason.

The lineups of a team are a delicate puzzle to configure, but new coach Todd Reirden clearly has an idea of how to manipulate his pieces.

But this was just one game. Did the Caps come out hot? Undeniably. But twenty games down the line the question becomes, “Will they be able to function without Wilson for that extended period of time?”

He’s a wonderful enforcer, a strong skater, and a powerful motivator for his teammates. For the time being, this suspension stings. But it will be up to the longevity and stamina of the Capitals to see if they can keep up this streak without one of their strongest players.