Continuing with our look back at the “All Alphabet Teams”
for the Washington Capitals, we are up to the letter “D.”
Back in 2014, our "All-D Team" was:
- LW: Gaetan Duchesne (1981-1987)
- C: Nicolas Deschamps (2013-2014)
- RW: John Druce (1988-1992)
- D: Jason Doig (2002-2004)
- D: Doug Mohns* (1974-1975)
- G: Byron Dafoe (1992-1995)
If “All-C Team” was among the most accomplished, “All-D Team”
is more uneven. One might see this as an
opportunity to re-think the original 2014 version of the roster. At left wing, the issue is not that Gaetan
Duchesne, one of the best defensive forwards in Caps history, is irreplaceable,
it is that there are so few candidates to replace him from the 2014-present
period. That is a population of none. Duchesne’s place is safe.
At center, Nicolas Deschamps and Doug Doull were the only
players whose last name started with the letter “D” who dressed for the Caps
over the 1974-2014 period. It was not a
large pool of players from which to pick.
The pool of players since 2014 at the position is even smaller – Nic Dowd. But that is sufficient to advocate a change
at the center spot. Deschamps played
only three games with the Caps (one more than Doull), recording no points and
posting a minus-1 rating. Dowd, on the
other hand, has logged 120 games with the Caps, going 120 games with
Washington, going 15-22-37, plus-21, and recording an impressive 50.7 faceoff
winning percentage and 214 credited hits, while averaging 2:03 in penalty killing
ice time per game in those 120 games.
On the right side John Druce, who had one of the most surprising and memorable postseasons in Caps history in 1990 (his 14 goals in
the 1990 postseason stood as a team record until Alex Ovechkin broke it with 15
goals in 2018),
was picked for the “All-D Team” in the original 2014 posting. He remains there for the same reason Gaetan
Duchesne remains on the left side. Since
2014 the Caps have had no right wingers whose last name starts with the letter “D.”
On defense, “All-D Team” also suffers from a lack of
choices. Jason Doig was the only
defenseman in the 1974-2014 period whose last name started with the letter “D.” That is why you find that asterisk next to
Doug Mohns’ name, having to find a defenseman whose first name started with “D.” Although Mohns was the very first captain in
franchise history in 1974-1975 (his last NHL season), he might have to take a
seat. Christian Djoos and Brenden Dillon
have played for the Caps since the 2014 team was published, and it is Djoos who
merits consideration as a replacement for Mohns. In 110 games with the Caps, Djoos went 4-20-24,
plus-23; and he was 0-1-1, plus-2, in 25 playoff games, including 22 games in the
Caps’ 2018 Stanley Cup run.
In goal, Byron Dafoe gets to keep his spot, despite his
having played only three games as a Capital (0-2-0, with one no decision), the
Caps having had no goalies dress since 2014 whose last name starts with the
letter “D.”
This new “All-D Team,” with two replacements – Dowd for
Deschamps and Djoos for Mohns – is a more experienced, more productive group,
but it would not be remembered as one of the best of the All-Alphabet Teams.
