For the last 19 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 20th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Washington Capitals

Gone: Ilya Samsonov, Vitek Vanecek, Justin Schultz, Michal Kempny, Johan Larsson, Shane Gersich, and Pheonix Copley.

Incoming: Darcy Kuemper, Dylan Strome, Connor Brown, Charlie Lindgren, Henrik Borgstrom, and Matt Irwin.

Impact of Changes:

The Washington Capitals will be missing two of their cornerstone forwards in Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson for more than half the season after they both underwent surgery for serious injuries, so they felt the need to add some skilled forwards. And with the void left by them, they added the right players. Players like Strome and Brown will be looked upon to make an immediate impact and will have prominent roles with the forward group early on.

They were also tired of waiting to see who would step up in net and take the starter position and completely moved on from Samsonov and Vanecek by bringing in Kuemper and Lindgren. Because of this, their goaltending got MUCH better and gives the Caps a definitive starter and backup.

Ready for Full Time

Connor McMichael is the clear-cut top prospect for the Capitals. He saw his first full season last year but was scratched for two playoff games, so his role wasn't as big as he had hoped. In 68 games last year, he chipped in 18 points. And while Washington went out and acquired some solid players, there is still a need for a full-time player like McMichael in their lineup. He's a versatile player, in the sense that he can play wing or centre, so fitting him in a fantasy lineup shouldn't be as difficult as others. And if Peter Laviolette pairs him with the right players, he could be a sneaky good waiver wire pickup.

Fantasy Outlook:

It seems every year, people say the same thing: "Ovi will fall off this year." Well, dropping off in terms of production is inevitable for every player – but we'll believe it when we see it. Last season, he led the way with 90 points (50 of those being goals), which isn't bad for a 37-year-old who is supposed to "fall off". While he is missing his long-time linemate Backstrom, he has developed some great chemistry with his Russian counterpart Evgeny Kuznetsov. So, a big season for these two seems realistic. Players like TJ Oshie, Anthony Mantha, Strome and Brown will see a large increase in ice time while Backstrom and Wilson heal up, so be sure to keep your eyes on them come draft day.

Their defence hasn't changed too much, either. John Carlson will still be an exceptional option on the always lethal Caps' powerplay. A player who will still be counted on as well will be Dimitry Orlov, who will more than likely be the Caps' second option for the second powerplay unit.

They finally have a bonafide number one in the net too ­– which is something they've been missing dearly since the Braden Holtby days. All in all, it looks like the Caps have had a sneaky-good offseason that, for whatever reason, has flown under the radar. They could very well be a dark horse in the Eastern Conference this season.

Fantasy Grade: A- (last year was B-)