The Washington Capitals have been blessed with great players during the Alex Ovechkin era. There is obviously Ovechkin himself. You also had Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie, and other highly talented players that didn’t stick around as long, like Mike Green and Alex Semin.
While the Capitals may not be as deep offensively as they once were, we now live in a time where you could honestly and sincerely say that Tom Wilson is the best player on this team. The same Tom Wilson, at least in name, that has the reputation of being nothing but a goon. The same Tom Wilson that when you mention him to other fans around the league you get an audible groan and likely an eye roll at the same time.
While I will not defend everything this guy has done or will potentially do you can’t seriously deny how good he has become. He is unlike any player in the NHL today. He stands at 6’4″ and is probably over 220lbs. That is one big dude. He is a very good skater which means he can get that big frame around quickly. And yes, he enjoys hitting. I’m just going to assume when he does throw the clean hit that it is not fun to get hit by a fast moving 6’4″ 220 pound human. That physicality or even just the threat of physicality will make an impact on pretty much every game.
But Wilson is not just a hitter or a physical player. He is not just a goon like fans will say. He is a legitimate threat to score, and that threat has made him, in my eyes, the best player on the Capitals today.
Ovechkin has not had the offensive punch so far this season. Backstrom is gone. Kuznetsov has been a healthy scratch. Oshie is having difficulties scoring. Carlson isn’t having quite as big an impact as previous seasons.
