Your savory breakfast links:
- Mike Vogel wraps up the season in fine fashion. [Dump ‘n Chase]
- Breakdown Day.
- Exit interviews: The forwards. [Monumental video (Kuznetsov, Laich, Chimera, Ward, Latta, Wilson, Backstrom, Johansson, Beagle, Fehr, Glencross)]
- Exit interviews: The blueliners. [Monumental video (Orpik, Carlson, Niskanen, Alzner, Green, Gleason)]
- Exit interviews: The goalies. [Monumental video (Holtby, Peters)]
- And last but certainly not least, the coach. [Monumental video, CSNW]
- Broken hearts. Bruised egos. And hope. [WaPo]
- The Caps took some huge steps forward this year, but the one thing they acknowledge was missing was a killer instinct. [NHL.com, AP]
- Amazingly the Caps emerged from two pretty physical series with minimal injuries, and no planned offseason surgeries, with the worst of it being Eric Fehr‘s sprained AC. [WaPo, NHL.com]
- Raise your hand if you would like a free hug from Nicklas Backstrom! [RMNB]
- Defending Alex Ovechkin. [Puck Daddy, WaPo]
- Let’s talk contracts:
- Set to become a restricted free agent this summer, Braden Holtby should earn himself a decent raise – but what he really wants is long-term security. May we suggest 20 years? [CSNW (and again), The Score, StarsandSticks]
- Meanwhile, soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Joel Ward would like to stick around. [Sportsnet, Starsandsticks]
- As for the most discussed UFA-to-be, Mike Green? “We’ll see what happens.” [WaPo, CSNW (and again)]
- Other personnel updates:
- Ovechkin has arrived in Prague and will take the ice today against Team USA at the IIHF World Championship. [Edmonton Sun, NHL.com]
- Andre Burakovsky returned to Hershey just in time for… well. Not good things. Poor kid. [Caps, Patriot-News]
- Yes, alas, the organization received yet another painful blow as the Hershey Bears were eliminated last night by the Hartford Wolf Pack. [Patriot-News (and handshakes)]
- Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to remember the 2014-15 Washington Capitals. RIP. [Puck Daddy]
- Important dates and other things to watch this offseason. [WaPo]
- Erase the doom and gloom, embrace the five reasons for optimism ahead of next season. [CBS DC]
- Or just reflect on the five worst DC playoff losses since 1999… written before the Wizards took to the court last night, by the way. [CBS DC]
- Caps fans and Toronto Maple Leaf fans have more in common than you might think, so it’s not surprising that some of LeafsNation was pulling for the Caps. [PPP]
- Sorry, Pittsburgh; the Discovery Channel’s Twitter teasing of the Penguins was much better than any of these so-called “takedowns”. [CBS Pittsburgh]
- The winner of the most Honest Abe awards this season is… [Caps Outsider]
- Happy 31st birthday to Tomas Fleischmann.
- And finally, to all of you who read, commented or contributed over the course of the season and throughout the playoffs, thanks for stopping by and helping to make this community what it is. Here’s to a productive offseason… and a better outcome next spring!