Washington Capitals: Tom Wilson’s return should stabilize forward lines

Getting Tom Wilson back should help the Washington Capitals get a much-needed return to normalcy.

Coming off a short, but eventful, summer, the reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals have been understandably slow to start the season. There are a number of reasons for this, but a huge reason for their struggles has been their unstable, constantly changing forward lines. And the reason they’ve had to be changed so much is Tom Wilson‘s suspension.

Initially, his suspension was for 20 games. But just before Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, it got reduced to 14 (though he missed 16 games). Wilson made an immediate impact in his first game on Tuesday, notching a first-period goal and (of course) getting into a fight.

Wilson’s goal couldn’t have been more appropriate. He got it by driving to the net. Wilson’s size, strength, and speed make him quite difficult to stop if he has a full head of steam. This is an element he has shown in bursts but has yet to do so consistently.

He also made an impact on the penalty kill. Wilson spent over five minutes killing penalties on Tuesday, as the Wild had six power plays. They only converted on one of them. Wilson’s an important penalty killer for the Caps. His return gave them a much-needed lift.

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With Wilson back, the Capitals forward lines should be far more stable. New head coach Todd Reirden struggled to find an ideal linemate for Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov on the top forward line. Brett Connolly and Jakub Vrana each got extended chances. Even Dmitri Jaskin, a waiver claim right before the season started, got a shot. However, none of them gelled well with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov.

Wilson gives that top forward line the puck retriever it needs. His physical play is polarizing and dangerous, to stay the least. However, Wilson’s also very good at fighting for pucks and allowing Kuznetsov and Ovechkin to do what they do best.

There’s also the intangible of drawing a lot of attention from other teams. When a guy like Wilson is on the ice, it forces players to act differently than they usually would. On Tuesday, he showed just how good he can be.

For the first time this season, the Capitals were able to ice the same top three forward lines that helped them win the Stanley Cup back in June. The Caps got back to their winning ways in a familiar fashion – each of their top three forward lines picked up a goal and none of them were on the power play.

Wilson’s return doesn’t change the fact that the Capitals are still a flawed team. Their defense still needs a bit of work. Wilson’s suspension proved how important he is to the Caps. It’s not a coincidence the Capitals looked about as good as they’ve looked all season (aside from Opening Night) with their full lineup playing.