With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Last on the list are the Washington Capitals, looking for a fresh start after an offseason of change. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Metropolitan GM: Brian MacLellan Head Coach: Barry Trotz 2013-14: 38-30-14 (5th in Metropolitan) Playoffs: Did not qualify Goals For: 235 (13th) Goals Against: 240 (21st) Powerplay: 23.4% (2nd) Penalty Kill: 82.1% (16th) That Was Then: The Capitalsa€? first year in the Metropolitan Division saw the team clipped down the stretch by one of its new division mates. In their first 82-game season under Adam Oates, the Caps ran hot and cold for much of the year, trading hot streaks with cold streaks in nearly equal measure. A middling October was followed by a torrid November that saw the team drop only four contests and rack up points in all but one of their six road games. Alexander Ovechkin was one of the NHLa€?s elite producers through the first half of the season netting a point-per-game through December and cracking the 30-goal plateau before the calendar even turned to 2014. He once again put up great numbers in January but the Great Eight did not return from the Sochi Olympics at nearly the same output. While he continued on nearly a point-per-game pace and scored 11 goals in his final 23, he put up a nightmarish -18 in the final two months of the season. When the dust settled, Ovie had a Rocket Richard Trophy-winning 51 goals to go alongside a minus-35 rating that was worse than all but two NHL players. The Caps still found themselves in the hunt, though, keeping pace with the Detroit Red Wings and the floundering Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference wild card chase. The ex-factor, it turns out, was the Columbus Blue Jackets. While the Capitals ripped off points in 12 of their final 15 games, including finishing the season on a 4-0-1 kick, the Blue Jackets matched them stride-for-stride. Despite the run, the Caps were unable to gain ground on their new rivals, nor were they able to run down the Wings. The result was the Capsa€? first season watching the playoffs from the outside since 2006-07. Scott Cullens Analytics Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 3.00 2.85 8.4% .917 47.3% .575 21-41 2.67 2.95 6.8% .932 48.0% .548 42-62 2.81 2.86 8.4% .921 48.9% .524 63-82 2.45 2.50 7.1% .928 44.3% .550 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Shot well enough to overcome subpar possession stats. Games 21-41: Shooting declined, but a good stretch of goaltending kept the Capitals in the playoff hunt. Games 42-62: Good shooting, but a little below average in goaltending and possession. Games 63-82: Jaroslav Halak was excellent to finish the year, but possession bottomed-out. Key Additions: RW Chris Conner, LW Tim Kennedy, D Matt Niskanen, D Brooks Orpik, G Justin Peters Key Subtractions: C Mikhail Grabovski, D Tyson Strachan This Is Now: Change came quick in the off-season, with Oates and long-time general manager George McPhee receiving their walking papers before April was even out. Ted Leonsisa€? decision sent a clear message in the U.S. Capital: Any team built around Alexander Ovechkin is expected to make the playoffs, at the very least. The captain a€“ locked up until 2021 - isna€?t likely to be going to another NHL club in the near future, so changing the existing regime was the easy fix. The front office changes were an interesting blend of experience and familiarity. Barry Trotz was one of the most sought-after coaches available and the Caps snatched him up in late May. After a career in Nashville without much offensive firepower, it will be interesting to see what effect Trotza€? defensive contest has on the likes of Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and defencemen Mike Green and John Carlson. Bringing in Brian MacLellan was an interesting way to change the decision-making at the GM position while keeping familiarity within the organization. MacLellan has spent 14 seasons with the organization, most recently as an assistant GM and director of player personnel. MacLellan was also apparently given free rein on spending and a mantra to upgrade the teama€?s defence. He went out and pilfered the teama€?s arch-rivals from Pittsburgh dropping a combined $67.75 million on five years of Brooks Orpik and seven yearsa€? worth of Matt Niskanen. How will the pieces fall into place? Well, if the Metropolitan is as wide-open as it was for much of last season, the Caps could be primed for a bounce-back. Then again, considering the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers both spent much of the regular season scuffling, maybe all the Caps have done by re-loading is keep pace. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Alex Ovechkin Nicklas Backstrom Eric Fehr Marcus Johansson Evgeny Kuznetsov Troy Brouwer Jason Chimera Brooks Laich Joel Ward Liam OBrien Andre Burakovsky Chris Brown Aaron Volpatti Michael Latta Chris Conner Tim Kennedy Kris Newbury Tom Wilson Defence Left Right Brooks Orpik John Carlson Karl Alzner Matt Niskanen Nate Schmidt Mike Green John Erskine Jack Hillen Dmitry Orlov Steve Oleksy Goaltenders Braden Holtby Justin Peters Philipp Grubauer Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Evgeny Kuznetsov Perhaps Evgeny could have played in the NHL earlier but one thing is clear; with maturity he is now ready to be a significant contributor in the NHL. Gifted skater who has an ease to his stride and finds multiple ways to create and take advantage of opportunities. Hea€?s a a€?high pacea€? player who can execute on the move. Excellent vision and his puck skills allow him to threaten defenders with a shot or a pass. He has a quick strike capability because he is so smart in transition and in recognizing where and when he can exploit opponents. He is a very good two-way player and could be typecast as similar in style to former NHL star, Sergei Fedorov. Bottom line: the wait for Evegny was well worth it Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Eric Fehr Its difficult to get too excited about a 29-year-old that has topped 35 points in a season once in his NHL career, but Eric Fehr has always been productive on a per-minute basis. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, Fehr is looking at a plum opportunity to start the year, skating on the wing with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on Washingtons top line. Sticking with those guys for a decent amount of time ought to give Fehr a chance at the second 20-goal season of his career. Discount Air Max . Certainly not Monday night. George Hill took care of the early work, scoring a season-high 26 points, and Paul George closed it out by scoring 11 of his 26 points during a decisive second-half stretch that finally allowed Indiana to pull away from Minnesota 98-84 for yet another win. Cheap Real Air Max . UCI President Brian Cookson said Wednesday the commission will investigate allegations "that the UCI has been involved in wrongdoing in the past -- allegations which have done so much to hurt the credibility of the UCI and our sport. https://www.airmaxchina.us/. Dumont, a fifth round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2009, has four assists and 20 penalty minutes in 12 games with the Bulldogs this season. The 23-year-old split last season between Hamilton and Montreal, recording 16 goals and 15 assists in 55 regular season games with the Bulldogs. Replica Air Max . You can watch coverage on TSN, TSN2 and CTV beginning today at 3pm et/Noon pt. The championships will feature approximately 250 of Canadas best figure skaters in senior, junior and novice as they vie for spots on the national team, international assignments and will act as the final step in the 2014 Olympic qualification process. Cheap Air Max From China .com) - The Eastern Conferences best team takes on one of its worst Tuesday night when the Atlanta Hawks pay a visit to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia 76ers.There were several obvious storylines after Vancouver defeated Houston Saturday to keep the Whitecaps unbeaten early in the 2014 MLS season. There was the audacious 50-yard swerving, fizzing turf-trimming ball played from Pedro Morales to Gershon Koffie in the first half. There was another solid Darren Mattocks performance where, despite not finding the scoresheet, the young Jamaican played a huge role in both Whitecap goals. And there was goalkeeper David Ousted, who faced 26 Dynamo crosses, but staved off a big, physical Houston team with strong hands and a commanding presence. But none of those moments generated the kind of reaction that Kenny Miller garnered after the game was over. It was a moment that went viral, appeared on local newscasts, and revealed an aspect of sporting culture not often witnessed in North American arenas. The "Humba" begin in the German carnival town of Mainz, and gained momentum when Lucas Podolski grabbed the bullhorn and led his nations supporters in song after Germany dispatched Portugal during the quarter-final round of the 08 European Championship. Its rare in sport to see supporters and players share the kind of moment that occurred Saturday afternoon. Its even more intriguing when a Gerrman tradition, led by a former Scottish international, takes place in a Canadian stadium.dddddddddddd Seeing a shirtless Kenny Miller, the game-winning penalty hero, asking his adoring throng to "give him an H" was as symbolic as it was enamoring. He was in fact naked among the paying public. Stripped down of his past achievements, his fame, his designated player status. At that moment, Kenny Miller was among them, celebrating a hard earned victory. It was a scene more reminiscent of a concert, with the lead singer joining the crowd, before being surfed back to the stage. Apart from the "Lambeau Leap", what other sporting circumstance brings the fans, and the stars so close together? Creating a bond, and appreciating the sporting customer is a rare occurrence in North America where the economic divide between pro athlete and paying public seems to be getting wider with every collective bargaining agreement. The big corporate nature of sport doesnt often inspire brand to mix with consumer so spontaneously. If the Humba tradition catches on in Vancouver, lets hope the spirit of humility and genuine fan appreciation that Kenny Miller showed on Saturday is merely the beginning of something much bigger. ' ' '