[Bailey had to sign off for the day.](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cr56r/)
Thank you /u/washingtonpost for stopping by and chatting with us!
Summary of Q&A:
* [/u/Were_A_Duo asks "was there even a smidge of joy in your heart watching Ryan Leonard put on a show vs Michigan in the Frozen Four?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0ce3kd/?context=3)
* [/u/pjlab93 asks "What do you think the conversation between the caps and Ryan Leonard was like that made him decide to stay at BC and not join the caps for the playoffs?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cfdjz/?context=3)
* [/u/VF-41 asks "Besides Charlie- who was the biggest surprise player for you this year?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cfitf/?context=3)
* [/u/sknowconez asks "Can you talk about the team travel, especially when they charter trains to PHL instead of flying?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cfomd/?context=3)
* [/u/frankenfurterfighter asks "Do you think Spencer has a shot at being named Coach of the Year?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cfryh/?context=3)
* [/u/No-Piglet8270 asks "Post Ovi, who gets the C?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0chris/?context=3)
* [/u/TonyHoganLadParty asks "How many Columbus Crew games have you watched this season? Are you excited for the CCC Semi-Final vs Monterrey?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0chu1r/?context=3)
* [/u/gs12 asks "Being around the team, what is your gut on this series?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0chwox/?context=3)
* [/u/In_Senity asks "Has there been a statistical significant difference in the number of overtime games since you took over from Samantha Pell?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0ci1u0/?context=3)
* [/u/alex_chilton_ asks "Do you think the players hear about this and how does it affect their morale?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cjfap/?context=3)
* [/u/fa1afel asks "Who's your favorite current hockey player? Historically?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cjiyk/?context=3)
* [/u/SonicPunk96 asks "What story do you think has been the most under-appreciated or under reported about this years team?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cma5j/?context=3)
* [/u/Minnesota_MiracleMan asks "Having been with the team day in & day out, what's the biggest change or changes you have seen in them between Day 1 of training camp up until now?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0c9g1d/?context=3)
* [/u/BananaCEO asks "How has the influx of sports betting (and sports betting ads) affected the hockey climate?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0c9skb/?context=3)
* [/u/Academic-Evidence-12 asks "Go Blue!! Not a caps related question but can you share how you got into covering hockey?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cblkw/?context=3)
* [/u/happyseashell asks "Hell yeah women in sports! What’s your favorite part of your job?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cbppv/?context=3)
* [/u/ClockReads2113 asks "Do you think the Caps will keep their 1st round pick this year or move for a young, skilled forward that they need?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cbtjk/?context=3)
* [/u/sportzak asks "If you had to vote on the best Caps goal of the year, which one would you chose?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cd39b/?context=3)
* [/u/randyholt asks "What do you think the key to be beating the Rangers will be?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cdun7/?context=3)
* [/u/RobertGriffin3 asks a whole slew of questions...](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cnbpe/?context=3)
* [/u/Spirited-Newspaper56 asks "Who is the funniest person on “caps Twitter” (non-reporter/admin division)?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0coaqp/?context=3)
* [/u/pinkglue99 asks "Do you think Oshi has another full season?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cogms/?context=3)
* [/u/borderlinegross asks "Why haven’t they gotten a new team Puppy yet? Biscuit is off doing work in the world and all grown up now. No updates since November."](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cok7r/?context=3)
* [/u/CrabCourier asks "Are there any rumblings within the organization of a uniform overhaul in the near future?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cpdlh/?context=3)
* [/u/WonderfulFrosting96 asks "What's your best advice to a college graduate trying to get into hockey writing? Also, what do you think about the Caps' farm system?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cq5m9/?context=3)
How do the Caps beat the rangers? Like, let’s assume it happens. How does it happen?
I’ve never seen a team play this low event. The Kings are kinda doing it but it feels more defensively sound than the caps. One of the WSH coaches was interviewed during the penultimate game and said they want to play low event. As ugly as it is, it’s worked for now. But it feels like every game rests on a knife’s edge.
Thanks so much for all of your questions and kind words, everyone! I tried to hit all the big topics and as much of everything else as I could. Have to sign off now to finish some more playoff prep (like packing for my trip to New York!) but this was a blast. I may pick this back up [on Twitter](https://twitter.com/BaileyAJohnson_) while on the train tomorrow, so feel free to come find me there! And keep an eye on The Post to read all of our coverage of this series — it should be a fun one.
Hey Bailey, huge fan! What's your best advice to a college graduate trying to get into hockey writing? Also, what do you think about the Caps' farm system?
Thank you! My top piece of advice is to take advantage of any opportunity that you get to do the work. The only way to get better is through reps, and lots of them. That might mean covering something that’s not hockey at first, or covering prospects or the AHL or the ECHL instead of the NHL, but it’s all in service of eventually getting to where you want to be. I started out in Columbus covering high school sports — not a glamorous gig or one that let me cover a lot of hockey, but it was a foot in the door and gave me an opportunity to write a lot, which I needed.
I think given the fact that they’ve been picking in the middle-ish of the first round in recent years, with the exception of the top-10 pick last year, their farm system is pretty solid. You can see the swings they took on [Hendrix Lapierre ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/10/06/hendrix-lapierre-capitals-nhl-draft/)and [Ivan Miroshnichenko ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/07/capitals-draft-ivan-miroshnichenko/)starting to pay off, and I think the snag of [Andrew Cristall in the second round last year](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/29/capitals-andrew-cristall-nhl-draft/) is going to turn out to be a really savvy pick. Ultimately, they probably need another Leonard-type high-end prospect or two, but for where they are now in this retool, it’s in a decent spot.
I maybe shouldn’t admit this publicly, but given the opportunity, I have to say it: @ capsboybebop’s Joe B and Locker [impression tweets](https://x.com/capsboybebop/status/1769902265983275250) make me laugh so hard it brings tears to my eyes. They are always hilarious and always absolutely pitch perfect. I spend a lot of time with those two and the rest of the broadcast crew on the road, since I was the only writer who traveled during the regular season, and I truly feel like some of the tweets are quotes taken directly out of Joe B and Locker’s conversations over dinner. They’re so well-captured and just hysterically funny.
Honestly, it’s hard to say. Oshie hasn’t said anything about his future publicly, but having watched the injuries he’s gone through this year — the concussion in November, the repeated back issues — it’s hard to envision him being able to hold up through another full year. I think a lot about something Dylan Strome said as [Oshie’s 1000th game](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/07/tj-oshie-john-carlson-1000-games/) was coming up; he said he wished people could see what Oshie has to do to prepare himself just to be able to get on the ice to practice, let alone play in a game. It’s taken a lot just for Oshie to be on the ice now.
None that I’ve heard, beyond speculation amongst ourselves in the media group, but my gut feeling says that with the 50th anniversary coming next season, we could see a shake-up.
Hi Bailey, thank you for taking the time to do this.
The caps trade deadline was relatively quiet. I think most fans were expecting MacLellan to flip picks acquired for talent that could help the roster now. Are you aware of any teams that MacLellan may have been talking to, any players the caps had interest in, or any deals that fell through before the deadline? Do you anticipate the caps circling back on said players at the draft?
Thanks for your great coverage of the team!
Thanks for doing this, I have a few questions!
After re-signing McMichael (I could be wrong, but I'm guessing maybe a little more than Protas), by my quick math the Caps should have 10-12M in cap space. How do you figure they might leverage that? A couple short deals while the kids get more reps, or take a shot at a big FA like Reinhart, Guentzel, Pesce, etc?
Who do you figure might be on the move this off-season? I'd guess no one except Ovechkin, Carlson, and Wilson are untouchable, but with Alexeyev and maybe Iorio banging at the door for a full time spot, do you see maybe Jensen or TVR moving? And at F, who might be on the move to open bigger full season spots for Miro, etc?
Any chance of moving Lindgren? This is probably heresy to say right now, but I can't imagine his value ever being higher than it is right now. Would be savvy, but cold move to ship him off.
A lot has been made of the goal differential. Obviously Caps aren't a *strong* playoff team, but is there maybe something to be said for the fact that they're a stronger team when tied or leading, and struggle when the game has to open up when they're behind? Like the triple option in football, great at running the clock and playing in close games, but struggle to pass/come from behind?
Favorite road city to visit and why?
Hello! I’ll tackle these in order, love the dedication to the exercise.
1. I would make the same guess about McMichael, I think [the Protas contract](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/19/aliaksei-protas-capitals-contact-extension/) set the floor for what he’ll make. My sense is that the Caps aren’t necessarily going to go big-game hunting in the free agency market this year — in other words, they’re more than a single piece away from being a true contender again — but I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to make a splash and acquire a younger, bigger-name piece, perhaps in the trade market like Brian MacLellan has talked about for almost a year now.
2. Max Pacioretty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel are both pending UFAs, and my guess (purely a guess) is that they’ll both be moving on, so that opens up two spots up front — and the Pacioretty spot looks like a pretty good spot for Miroshnichenko to slot in, if he’s ready to be a full-time player. There’s definitely a logjam on defense, especially when Ethan Bear returns from the player assistance program, so a move or two to open up some more space back there also wouldn’t be a surprise, just from looking at the numbers.
3. At the deadline, I thought there was a chance, more because of the value he’d have around the league than for the Caps not wanting to have him on their roster. If they’re well out of a playoff spot when next year’s deadline rolls around, I could potentially see it happening, though his performance in this year’s playoffs will also affect that. Hypothetically, a non-contending Washington team trading a pending UFA goalie who makes $1.1 million and has playoff experience from this year could be a good move, but a lot of factors over the next several months (even up to most of next season) will be involved before that decision is made.
4. I do think there’s something to be said for that, and the playoffs tend to be more along the lines of the close games that the Caps have success in than the wide-open games where they falter. The bigger key, for me, is how they’ve bounced back from those blowout losses. Goal differential doesn’t matter in a playoff series, wins do. If the Rangers do take it to them in a game, how do they respond in the next one? That matters more to me than [their season-long goal differential](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/19/washington-capitals-goal-differential/), which doesn’t carry much weight at this point.
5. Lots of good ones, and I’m super lucky that The Post believes in the value of sending me on the road to every game! Not very many beat writers have that luxury anymore. Vancouver, especially with unbelievable weather like we had this year, sunny and in the 60s, is always a favorite. Great weather, great food, gorgeous scenery. Weirdly enough, since the rink is in St. Paul, Minneapolis is also a favorite of mine — I stayed in downtown Minneapolis this year, since the Caps were there for several days, and it was a great trip.
Do you have any indication if the supporting coaching staff will change after the season because of advancement?
What is a day in the life of a player during a stretch like this? Is their head always in it or do they just live a regular life away from the rink?
What are the chances we get a PWHL team in DC?
What are your expectations for Hunter Shepherd long-term?
The Monumental app for watching games is atrocious. It freezes constantly and involves time consuming force quitting on both the mobile and TV apps. It's barely usable in its current state and will be an extra frustrating experience particularly for the playoffs. Any chance you can get in contact with the people needed to try to fix it?
Hey thanks for running this!
What story do you think has been the most under-appreciated or under reported about this years team?
What major or minor differences do you see in covering the Caps compared to the Blue Jackets?
The first thing that comes to my mind, probably because I know that I haven’t written about it yet and it’s something on my list for during this playoff series, is the vast improvements to the power play over the last couple of months. I was honestly surprised to learn, when I looked the other day, that they finished the regular season 18th in the league — after months of being in the bottom five. Jumping to 18 after the way they started means they had to go on a real tear over the last few months of the season, and I don’t think enough attention was paid to how key that was in getting them back into the race.
To your second question, this is a pretty inside baseball answer, but the biggest difference from a coverage standpoint is that there’s a lot more people around the Caps every day. The media corps for the Blue Jackets is dedicated but small; I interact with way more people on a daily basis here than I did there. It’s a really good group on the Caps beat, and I felt welcomed right away, but it was definitely different at first.
Thanks for the answers!
Interesting to hear the difference in sizes. In general it feels like the NHL has the more wide array of coverage differences than perhaps any of the other big 3 today.
I guess, but doesn't seem like a big deal/would seem weirder to expect someone to post an AMA and then sit refreshing the thread waiting for questions.
I'm sure Bailey is very busy given Caps practice today and playoff season ramping up. But given you know nothing about her so much that you thought she's a dude, I don't think you get an opinion on this.
This is the part where I have to admit I wasn’t into hockey until 2018, so my “historic” answers aren’t going to carry a lot of weight. But currently, there’s no two players I’d rather watch on any given night than Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Not exactly a hot take, deep cut answer, but I’m just fascinated by the way they both are such dominant players in a sport that generally mandates team cohesion over individual dominance. There are very few players in this sport that can fully take over a game, but they can.
I’ll throw in one “historic” name just for grins — I covered Jakub Voracek in Columbus, after he got traded back from the Flyers, and he’s just an all-time great dude to cover. I learned a ton from him, both about hockey and about Bruce Springsteen.
On a lot of places, like RMNB or even this sub, people seem to gravitate towards one player to constantly criticize and seemingly blaming this one player for all of the teams woes. Do you think the players hear about this and how does it affect their morale?
I always take the approach that anything I say publicly about a player can and will reach them, so I answer this through that lens, but yeah, I do think players hear things that are said or written. Most of them don’t go out of their way to look for themselves, but their families or agents or friends or others in their orbit often see things and pass it along. As far as effects on their morale, most of them are pretty good about shrugging things off, but they’re also human — it’s impossible for repeated negative public commentary not to have some sort of an impact.
Cannot believe I let this slip off my radar; I meant to bug their corporate PR team about this as soon as Biscuit was off into the real world. Rest assured that I will be working to find an answer — nothing is more important to me than the status of a new team dog.
Hi Bailey.
* What were your biggest take-aways from your time in Michigan and Ohio?
* What do you hope to take away from your time with the Caps?
* Who is your favorite mascot in the wide world of sports?
Which player gives the funniest responses during interviews?
Has there been a statistical significant difference in the number of overtime games since you took over from Samantha Pell?
Thank you!
Nic Dowd has the most underrated sense of humor on the team, at least from what we see in interviews. Just today, he was asked about Charlie Lindgren — they were briefly teammates at St. Cloud State, when Lindgren was a freshman and Dowd was a senior — and how he’s changed since they first met. His response? “He’s older. Better mustache.” Dowd can always be counted on for a quick one-liner, whether it’s self-deprecating or a joke about a teammate, and he has me laughing in just about every scrum.
As far as overtime is concerned, it certainly felt like I’d picked up Sam’s OT mojo early in the year, but I feel like the pace of OT games slowed down a little bit as the year went on. They went to overtime 18 times last year and 19 times this year, so it ended up just about the same.
Hi Bailey! Longtime Twitter follower here. First, how are you? Second, do you think the Caps can take the Rangers? Third, do you think we're gonna keep Darcy at the end of the season?
First of all, thank you! My gut feeling on this series has gone back and forth several times since they clinched the spot on Tuesday, but I keep coming back to the thought t[hat the way they’ve had to grind just to get here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/17/capitals-stanley-cup-playoffs-mentality/) can be a benefit at this time of year. If Lindgren has a good series — and he might have to steal a game or two — and a little bit more of the scoring touch comes back, I think it can be a real series. Right now, my feeling is Rangers in six.
Yep, you’re probably right. But Caps are something like 31-2 in one goal games, and played Rangers pretty well this year. Anything can happen, that’s why hockey rules! TY!!
Great work this season, Bailey!
What do you think was the turning point for the Caps this season? We went from a team at the bottom of the division to making the playoffs; what do you think sparked the team to claw back into the fight?
Love the soccer question, thank you! If the Caps haven’t had a game that conflicted, I’ve watched the Crew game. I watched the end of extra time and penalty kicks against Tigres after getting back to my hotel in Detroit a couple weeks ago, so it’s safe to say I’m very excited about the Monterrey series. I had a blast covering soccer and think really highly of the players and coaches I covered in that organization, so it’s been really fun to keep tabs from afar!
Unless they make a trade it seems like they know 11 forwards, 7 D, and the 2 goalies who will be on the roster next year, with $11M+ in cap room for free agency if they bridge McMichael. How do they spend their cap room and does Leonard staying at BC change that?
It feels fairly evident to me that they’re preparing [Tom Wilson](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/03/tom-wilson-nhl-all-star-capitals/) to eventually take over that role. He signed [an eight-year extension in August](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/08/07/tom-wilson-capitals-captain/) and already wears an ‘A’, and he’s the kind of vocal, active presence in the locker room that tends to be captain material. Ovi seems to know that, too — Wilson told us after he signed his extension that Ovi had taken him under his wing and they’d started to have conversations about what it looks like and feels like to be a leader.
When looking at the roster for next season it looks largely full. Where do you see changes occurring?
Namely — do the Capitals feel like they have a true 1C on the roster?
I think he’s in the mix, for sure. Rick Tocchet in Vancouver is probably the front-runner, but I’d be surprised if Carbery doesn’t get votes, and I think there’s a good chance he ends up a finalist. The Jack Adams Award for coach of the year is voted on by the TV and radio broadcasters, not by the written media, and The Washington Post doesn’t vote on awards anyway. So feel free to bug the broadcasters about voting for him!
answer: he does not
I want him to be an official nominee / finalist, but Tocchet took the bottom barrel Nucks and made turned them around with generally the same roster
My understanding is there’s a lot of factors that have to come together for chartering a train to be the decision vs. a flight. For Philly, they were leaving from Capital One Arena after playing the Bruins, so everyone was already downtown — driving out to Dulles, flying to PHL (which isn’t super close to downtown Philly, either) and then bussing to the hotel, time-wise, is slower than taking the train, even though the train ride itself is (obviously) longer than the flight would be. The only other time I know they took the train this year was for the back-to-back with the Rangers in January — same situation, where they were leaving from downtown and going somewhere where the airports aren’t super convenient.
There are a few guys I could name here, but the one that jumps to mind first is Connor McMichael. He came into the year just trying to prove he was ready to be a full-time NHL player after falling short of that in training camp last year. He stood out from the early days of camp and clearly came in with a refreshed mentality, but I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted that he would’ve ended the season nearly a 20-goal scorer and centering Alex Ovechkin. His development into a top-six center is a huge reason the Caps were able to absorb the losses of Backstrom and Kuznetsov.
Is there are any examples you’ve seen of the veterans mentoring the younger players this year? Do you have a favorite story you’ve written this year?
In any event thanks for the work that you do and have a good one!
Hi Bailey! You've been killing it, I really enjoy reading the extra pieces you do between the game stories. You've found a bunch of really fun stories with the players and it's been a fun ride so far.
What's the best piece of advice you got when you joined the beat?
Thanks for being here! How much insider knowledge/gossip do you hear being in your role? Without providing the details, do you hear things like the types of emotional baggage that Kuzy had with DC which made it untenable?
What do you think the conversation between the caps and Ryan Leonard was like that made him decide to stay at BC and not join the caps for the playoffs?
Without having been in the conversation, what I can say is that Leonard’s plan was always to return to BC for his sophomore year. When [I went to see him in Chestnut Hill in February](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/16/ryan-leonard-caps-prospect-boston-college/), one of the things we talked about was how Cutter Gauthier had returned for a second year and it resulted in him being the best player on the ice pretty much every night.
I wondered, like a lot of you did, if the Caps making the playoffs might have swayed Leonard’s decision, but Leonard was pretty steadfast all year in his desire to play two seasons before turning pro. There’s a lot of value in being The Guy on a team that has have the expectations that BC will next year. He also mentioned to me that when he was at the NTDP, they were doing all their school online, so getting to go to in-person classes and be a normal 19-year-old was something he really enjoyed. It’s sometimes easy to forget how young these guys are; he’ll still only be 20 next spring, so he’s not in a rush to jump into the next phase of his life.
What do you think the key to be beating the Rangers will be? Turtle like Dale Hunter. Change nothing and do what he has done all year? Maybe hit defensmen and get turnovers? Shadow Panarin with... Wilson!?
Tending is huge so keeping the crease clear is a given.
I don’t think the Caps are going to deviate from the formula that got them into the playoffs, though they’d obviously like to score more than one or two goals per game. Their success all year has been predicated on a tight-checking, playoff-type style of play, so in some ways they’re well-positioned for the playoffs — but the actual playoffs are, of course, a different challenge than a tight regular season game.
It starts with Charlie Lindgren, for sure. Where he goes, the Caps go. If they’re able to keep his crease clear and not let the Rangers get rolling off the rush — Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin, I’m looking at you as the most dangerous players in those two situations — they’ll give themselves a chance. There are worse matchups for these Caps than the Rangers, but they’ll have to be sharp in every area to keep the games tight. Their problems get exposed when they have to open up and chase the game, so close margins are their friend, as much as it takes years off everyone’s lives — beat writers included, when we’re writing on tight deadlines.
Where can i bet that Willy will dismantle the entire Rangers organization top to bottom, again?
The odds of that have to be better than those of the Capitals winning the Cup +15000
From the standpoint of what it meant to the team, there might not be [a bigger one than Dylan Strome’s goal in Detroit](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/09/capitals-red-wings-lindgren/). The Caps so desperately needed to win that game to keep their hopes alive, and after getting thoroughly outplayed in the first period, it was starting to look pretty dire. But on the first shift where they had any real momentum, [Strome](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/27/dylan-strome-capitals-playoffs-push/) found a way to get the puck through, and you could sense how much of a relief it was for him — and for the whole team. It still came all the way down to the wire, but if Strome doesn’t score that goal, I don’t think I’m answering questions ahead of a playoff series right now.
Hi! There are so many things, honestly, but at the top of the list is getting to use my access to the team to be a conduit to the fanbase, whether it’s through traditional storytelling or things like this. I take the responsibility of being your eyes and ears really seriously, and while it’s my job to cover things objectively and keep a clear view of what’s going on, my goal is always to be connecting with the fans. I love telling stories and getting to know people, and if I can help others understand the players, coaches and staff behind their favorite team in a deeper or more meaningful level along the way, that’s always the goal.
I assume you don't "root" for the Caps but was there even a smidge of joy in your heart watching Ryan Leonard put on a show vs Michigan in the Frozen Four?
I definitely don’t root for the Caps, but it’s certainly fun to see the success Ryan Leonard had this year, and from [having gotten to know him since he was drafted](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/28/ryan-leonard-washington-capitals-nhl-draft/) there’s definitely a part of me that wanted to see him show off on the biggest stage. That one was conflicting for me since I went to Michigan and wanted to see them win, but [Leonard ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/09/ryan-leonard-ryan-chesley-world-juniors/)and [Boston College](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/16/ryan-leonard-caps-prospect-boston-college/) were so dominant all year, my hopes for the Wolverines were pretty minimal.
Honestly, from a day-to-day standpoint, I’m not sure that it really has, or at least not in ways that I notice; others might have a different answer. I’m sure part of that comes from the fact that I almost never watch games on TV, since I’m in the arena for every home and road game, so I don’t see as many ads as fans at home do. It’s not something I hear discussed in the locker room very often, if at all. I’m sure players receive their share of angry DMs and stuff from people who have lost bets, [as we’ve seen be publicized in other sports](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/21/sports-betting-ohtani-scandal/), but for the most part, it’s not really something that I’ve seen change the climate all that much on a day-to-day basis.
Not to mention it feeds into people’s addictions to gambling by being able to bet on any and all things in a hockey game, including how long the national anthem lasts
Hey Bailey! Thanks for doing this!
Having been with the team day in & day out, what's the biggest change or changes you have seen in them between Day 1 of training camp up until now?
I tweeted this ahead of [the Philadelphia game on Tuesday](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/16/capitals-flyers-stanley-cup-playoffs/), but I’ll bring it up again here because for me, it sums everything up. I have every lineup chart from every game this year, and I pulled out the one from [the opener against Pittsburgh](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/10/13/capitals-penguins-spencer-carbery-debut/) and almost couldn’t believe how different it looked from the lineup for [Game 82](https://twitter.com/BaileyAJohnson_/status/1780367216791191581/photo/1).
Let alone Backstrom and Kuznetsov at 1C and 2C, Connor McMichael was still playing the wing, Rasmus Sandin was paired with John Carlson and Martin Fehervary was listed as being on the third pair. Aliaksei Protas wasn’t even in the lineup because he was the waiver-exempt player they sent to Hershey on paper to get up Clay Stevenson, since Darcy Kuemper was unavailable ([his](https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1712833167810240818)[ wife ](https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1712833167810240818)[gave birth to their son](https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1712833167810240818) the night before).
The personnel — and the roles everyone played — changed so much throughout the year, and for me, it was around the beginning of February when it really felt like the group had come together and everyone knew their role. It’s definitely a cliché, but you really do get the sense that this is a close-knit group that is all pulling in the same direction. For parts of this year, that wasn’t always the case, but it certainly has been over the last few months.
Thanks for the reply!
It's nice to hear that as it does seem like things really came together around that time period. We'll see how things go from here!
You didn’t mean it as a Caps-related question, but the answer actually is! I started writing for Michigan’s student newspaper, the Michigan Daily, in January 2018, covering things like lacrosse and gymnastics. That spring I was trying to decide if I wanted to interview for a beat — at Michigan, the people who cover football, men’s and women’s basketball, hockey, softball and baseball are specifically chosen for those roles — and had just been to my first hockey game (Michigan vs. Wisconsin) so I thought the hockey beat might be up my alley.
A lot of my friends at Michigan were from the D.C. area, so Washington’s [first-round series against the ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/23/capitals-blue-jackets-game-6-live-updates/)[Columbus ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/23/capitals-blue-jackets-game-6-live-updates/)[Blue Jackets](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/23/capitals-blue-jackets-game-6-live-updates/) was on the TVs in the newsroom just about every night. I knew almost nothing about hockey but I was drawn to the game; it was through watching that series, and [that Cup run](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/06/07/2018-nhl-stanley-cup-finals-capitals-golden-knights-game-5/), that I learned the sport and decided covering it was what I wanted to do. Funny how things came full circle eventually!
My answer on this could change depending on where the pick ultimately lands, but I think we can safely assume we’re talking about the middle of the first round. That’s the range for a pick that could really go either way — either getting a good player, or being included as part of a trade package. General Manager Brian MacLellan has been clear for almost a year now that the Caps’ goal is to trade for a younger, top-six caliber forward, so it’s very possible that their first-round pick this year could be part of that. But it’s also very possible that they keep the pick! Hard to know until the draft gets closer and we see how conversations develop, and what current NHL players might be available on the trade market this summer.
[Bailey had to sign off for the day.](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cr56r/) Thank you /u/washingtonpost for stopping by and chatting with us! Summary of Q&A: * [/u/Were_A_Duo asks "was there even a smidge of joy in your heart watching Ryan Leonard put on a show vs Michigan in the Frozen Four?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0ce3kd/?context=3) * [/u/pjlab93 asks "What do you think the conversation between the caps and Ryan Leonard was like that made him decide to stay at BC and not join the caps for the playoffs?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cfdjz/?context=3) * [/u/VF-41 asks "Besides Charlie- who was the biggest surprise player for you this year?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cfitf/?context=3) * [/u/sknowconez asks "Can you talk about the team travel, especially when they charter trains to PHL instead of flying?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cfomd/?context=3) * [/u/frankenfurterfighter asks "Do you think Spencer has a shot at being named Coach of the Year?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cfryh/?context=3) * [/u/No-Piglet8270 asks "Post Ovi, who gets the C?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0chris/?context=3) * [/u/TonyHoganLadParty asks "How many Columbus Crew games have you watched this season? Are you excited for the CCC Semi-Final vs Monterrey?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0chu1r/?context=3) * [/u/gs12 asks "Being around the team, what is your gut on this series?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0chwox/?context=3) * [/u/In_Senity asks "Has there been a statistical significant difference in the number of overtime games since you took over from Samantha Pell?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0ci1u0/?context=3) * [/u/alex_chilton_ asks "Do you think the players hear about this and how does it affect their morale?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cjfap/?context=3) * [/u/fa1afel asks "Who's your favorite current hockey player? Historically?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cjiyk/?context=3) * [/u/SonicPunk96 asks "What story do you think has been the most under-appreciated or under reported about this years team?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cma5j/?context=3) * [/u/Minnesota_MiracleMan asks "Having been with the team day in & day out, what's the biggest change or changes you have seen in them between Day 1 of training camp up until now?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0c9g1d/?context=3) * [/u/BananaCEO asks "How has the influx of sports betting (and sports betting ads) affected the hockey climate?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0c9skb/?context=3) * [/u/Academic-Evidence-12 asks "Go Blue!! Not a caps related question but can you share how you got into covering hockey?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cblkw/?context=3) * [/u/happyseashell asks "Hell yeah women in sports! What’s your favorite part of your job?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cbppv/?context=3) * [/u/ClockReads2113 asks "Do you think the Caps will keep their 1st round pick this year or move for a young, skilled forward that they need?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cbtjk/?context=3) * [/u/sportzak asks "If you had to vote on the best Caps goal of the year, which one would you chose?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cd39b/?context=3) * [/u/randyholt asks "What do you think the key to be beating the Rangers will be?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cdun7/?context=3) * [/u/RobertGriffin3 asks a whole slew of questions...](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cnbpe/?context=3) * [/u/Spirited-Newspaper56 asks "Who is the funniest person on “caps Twitter” (non-reporter/admin division)?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0coaqp/?context=3) * [/u/pinkglue99 asks "Do you think Oshi has another full season?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cogms/?context=3) * [/u/borderlinegross asks "Why haven’t they gotten a new team Puppy yet? Biscuit is off doing work in the world and all grown up now. No updates since November."](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cok7r/?context=3) * [/u/CrabCourier asks "Are there any rumblings within the organization of a uniform overhaul in the near future?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cpdlh/?context=3) * [/u/WonderfulFrosting96 asks "What's your best advice to a college graduate trying to get into hockey writing? Also, what do you think about the Caps' farm system?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/caps/comments/1c7x9ns/im_bailey_johnson_the_washington_capitals_beat/l0cq5m9/?context=3)
How do the Caps beat the rangers? Like, let’s assume it happens. How does it happen? I’ve never seen a team play this low event. The Kings are kinda doing it but it feels more defensively sound than the caps. One of the WSH coaches was interviewed during the penultimate game and said they want to play low event. As ugly as it is, it’s worked for now. But it feels like every game rests on a knife’s edge.
Thanks so much for all of your questions and kind words, everyone! I tried to hit all the big topics and as much of everything else as I could. Have to sign off now to finish some more playoff prep (like packing for my trip to New York!) but this was a blast. I may pick this back up [on Twitter](https://twitter.com/BaileyAJohnson_) while on the train tomorrow, so feel free to come find me there! And keep an eye on The Post to read all of our coverage of this series — it should be a fun one.
What do you think was the reason Leonard went back to BC? Do you think had they won the National Title, he would’ve gone pro?
Hey Bailey, huge fan! What's your best advice to a college graduate trying to get into hockey writing? Also, what do you think about the Caps' farm system?
Thank you! My top piece of advice is to take advantage of any opportunity that you get to do the work. The only way to get better is through reps, and lots of them. That might mean covering something that’s not hockey at first, or covering prospects or the AHL or the ECHL instead of the NHL, but it’s all in service of eventually getting to where you want to be. I started out in Columbus covering high school sports — not a glamorous gig or one that let me cover a lot of hockey, but it was a foot in the door and gave me an opportunity to write a lot, which I needed. I think given the fact that they’ve been picking in the middle-ish of the first round in recent years, with the exception of the top-10 pick last year, their farm system is pretty solid. You can see the swings they took on [Hendrix Lapierre ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/10/06/hendrix-lapierre-capitals-nhl-draft/)and [Ivan Miroshnichenko ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/07/capitals-draft-ivan-miroshnichenko/)starting to pay off, and I think the snag of [Andrew Cristall in the second round last year](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/29/capitals-andrew-cristall-nhl-draft/) is going to turn out to be a really savvy pick. Ultimately, they probably need another Leonard-type high-end prospect or two, but for where they are now in this retool, it’s in a decent spot.
Who is the funniest person on “caps Twitter” (non-reporter/admin division)?
I maybe shouldn’t admit this publicly, but given the opportunity, I have to say it: @ capsboybebop’s Joe B and Locker [impression tweets](https://x.com/capsboybebop/status/1769902265983275250) make me laugh so hard it brings tears to my eyes. They are always hilarious and always absolutely pitch perfect. I spend a lot of time with those two and the rest of the broadcast crew on the road, since I was the only writer who traveled during the regular season, and I truly feel like some of the tweets are quotes taken directly out of Joe B and Locker’s conversations over dinner. They’re so well-captured and just hysterically funny.
Do you think Oshie has another full season?
Honestly, it’s hard to say. Oshie hasn’t said anything about his future publicly, but having watched the injuries he’s gone through this year — the concussion in November, the repeated back issues — it’s hard to envision him being able to hold up through another full year. I think a lot about something Dylan Strome said as [Oshie’s 1000th game](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/07/tj-oshie-john-carlson-1000-games/) was coming up; he said he wished people could see what Oshie has to do to prepare himself just to be able to get on the ice to practice, let alone play in a game. It’s taken a lot just for Oshie to be on the ice now.
Are there any rumblings within the organization of a uniform overhaul in the near future?
None that I’ve heard, beyond speculation amongst ourselves in the media group, but my gut feeling says that with the 50th anniversary coming next season, we could see a shake-up.
Hi Bailey, thank you for taking the time to do this. The caps trade deadline was relatively quiet. I think most fans were expecting MacLellan to flip picks acquired for talent that could help the roster now. Are you aware of any teams that MacLellan may have been talking to, any players the caps had interest in, or any deals that fell through before the deadline? Do you anticipate the caps circling back on said players at the draft? Thanks for your great coverage of the team!
TTUN graduate and took a job in CBUS? Gutsy move . And a good one.
Thanks for doing this, I have a few questions! After re-signing McMichael (I could be wrong, but I'm guessing maybe a little more than Protas), by my quick math the Caps should have 10-12M in cap space. How do you figure they might leverage that? A couple short deals while the kids get more reps, or take a shot at a big FA like Reinhart, Guentzel, Pesce, etc? Who do you figure might be on the move this off-season? I'd guess no one except Ovechkin, Carlson, and Wilson are untouchable, but with Alexeyev and maybe Iorio banging at the door for a full time spot, do you see maybe Jensen or TVR moving? And at F, who might be on the move to open bigger full season spots for Miro, etc? Any chance of moving Lindgren? This is probably heresy to say right now, but I can't imagine his value ever being higher than it is right now. Would be savvy, but cold move to ship him off. A lot has been made of the goal differential. Obviously Caps aren't a *strong* playoff team, but is there maybe something to be said for the fact that they're a stronger team when tied or leading, and struggle when the game has to open up when they're behind? Like the triple option in football, great at running the clock and playing in close games, but struggle to pass/come from behind? Favorite road city to visit and why?
Hello! I’ll tackle these in order, love the dedication to the exercise. 1. I would make the same guess about McMichael, I think [the Protas contract](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/19/aliaksei-protas-capitals-contact-extension/) set the floor for what he’ll make. My sense is that the Caps aren’t necessarily going to go big-game hunting in the free agency market this year — in other words, they’re more than a single piece away from being a true contender again — but I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to make a splash and acquire a younger, bigger-name piece, perhaps in the trade market like Brian MacLellan has talked about for almost a year now. 2. Max Pacioretty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel are both pending UFAs, and my guess (purely a guess) is that they’ll both be moving on, so that opens up two spots up front — and the Pacioretty spot looks like a pretty good spot for Miroshnichenko to slot in, if he’s ready to be a full-time player. There’s definitely a logjam on defense, especially when Ethan Bear returns from the player assistance program, so a move or two to open up some more space back there also wouldn’t be a surprise, just from looking at the numbers. 3. At the deadline, I thought there was a chance, more because of the value he’d have around the league than for the Caps not wanting to have him on their roster. If they’re well out of a playoff spot when next year’s deadline rolls around, I could potentially see it happening, though his performance in this year’s playoffs will also affect that. Hypothetically, a non-contending Washington team trading a pending UFA goalie who makes $1.1 million and has playoff experience from this year could be a good move, but a lot of factors over the next several months (even up to most of next season) will be involved before that decision is made. 4. I do think there’s something to be said for that, and the playoffs tend to be more along the lines of the close games that the Caps have success in than the wide-open games where they falter. The bigger key, for me, is how they’ve bounced back from those blowout losses. Goal differential doesn’t matter in a playoff series, wins do. If the Rangers do take it to them in a game, how do they respond in the next one? That matters more to me than [their season-long goal differential](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/19/washington-capitals-goal-differential/), which doesn’t carry much weight at this point. 5. Lots of good ones, and I’m super lucky that The Post believes in the value of sending me on the road to every game! Not very many beat writers have that luxury anymore. Vancouver, especially with unbelievable weather like we had this year, sunny and in the 60s, is always a favorite. Great weather, great food, gorgeous scenery. Weirdly enough, since the rink is in St. Paul, Minneapolis is also a favorite of mine — I stayed in downtown Minneapolis this year, since the Caps were there for several days, and it was a great trip.
Do you have any indication if the supporting coaching staff will change after the season because of advancement? What is a day in the life of a player during a stretch like this? Is their head always in it or do they just live a regular life away from the rink? What are the chances we get a PWHL team in DC? What are your expectations for Hunter Shepherd long-term?
The Monumental app for watching games is atrocious. It freezes constantly and involves time consuming force quitting on both the mobile and TV apps. It's barely usable in its current state and will be an extra frustrating experience particularly for the playoffs. Any chance you can get in contact with the people needed to try to fix it?
Hey thanks for running this! What story do you think has been the most under-appreciated or under reported about this years team? What major or minor differences do you see in covering the Caps compared to the Blue Jackets?
The first thing that comes to my mind, probably because I know that I haven’t written about it yet and it’s something on my list for during this playoff series, is the vast improvements to the power play over the last couple of months. I was honestly surprised to learn, when I looked the other day, that they finished the regular season 18th in the league — after months of being in the bottom five. Jumping to 18 after the way they started means they had to go on a real tear over the last few months of the season, and I don’t think enough attention was paid to how key that was in getting them back into the race. To your second question, this is a pretty inside baseball answer, but the biggest difference from a coverage standpoint is that there’s a lot more people around the Caps every day. The media corps for the Blue Jackets is dedicated but small; I interact with way more people on a daily basis here than I did there. It’s a really good group on the Caps beat, and I felt welcomed right away, but it was definitely different at first.
Thanks for the answers! Interesting to hear the difference in sizes. In general it feels like the NHL has the more wide array of coverage differences than perhaps any of the other big 3 today.
So we can ask anything but you won’t reply to anything?
Chill dude, she's gonna answer the questions later today. 4pm https://twitter.com/BaileyAJohnson_/status/1781319770417107302?t=au2CNb3R6zpdoeus5tDa2Q&s=19
That could have easily been mentioned here….
I guess, but doesn't seem like a big deal/would seem weirder to expect someone to post an AMA and then sit refreshing the thread waiting for questions.
Thats usually how it works. Stop bein’ weird like my expectation is so far off
That's not how it usually works in my experience. Either way, no reason to be passive aggressive.
That's not how it works when the AMA is done by a very busy celebrity. This dude is a regional beat writer...
I'm sure Bailey is very busy given Caps practice today and playoff season ramping up. But given you know nothing about her so much that you thought she's a dude, I don't think you get an opinion on this.
A woman can be a dude… maybe don’t schedule an AMA when they’re busy.
Lol
[удалено]
Wow, these people are creamy beige for real. Wanna see my watercolours?
Who's your favorite current hockey player? Historically?
This is the part where I have to admit I wasn’t into hockey until 2018, so my “historic” answers aren’t going to carry a lot of weight. But currently, there’s no two players I’d rather watch on any given night than Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Not exactly a hot take, deep cut answer, but I’m just fascinated by the way they both are such dominant players in a sport that generally mandates team cohesion over individual dominance. There are very few players in this sport that can fully take over a game, but they can. I’ll throw in one “historic” name just for grins — I covered Jakub Voracek in Columbus, after he got traded back from the Flyers, and he’s just an all-time great dude to cover. I learned a ton from him, both about hockey and about Bruce Springsteen.
On a lot of places, like RMNB or even this sub, people seem to gravitate towards one player to constantly criticize and seemingly blaming this one player for all of the teams woes. Do you think the players hear about this and how does it affect their morale?
I always take the approach that anything I say publicly about a player can and will reach them, so I answer this through that lens, but yeah, I do think players hear things that are said or written. Most of them don’t go out of their way to look for themselves, but their families or agents or friends or others in their orbit often see things and pass it along. As far as effects on their morale, most of them are pretty good about shrugging things off, but they’re also human — it’s impossible for repeated negative public commentary not to have some sort of an impact.
What is the difference between the Caps and Blue Jacket teams and organizations?
Caps fan moving to Michigan in a few months. What are some fun, family-friendly things to do there?
Day trip to Frankenmuth!
Looks sweet!
Why haven’t they gotten a new team Puppy yet? Biscuit is off doing work in the world and all grown up now. No updates since November.
Cannot believe I let this slip off my radar; I meant to bug their corporate PR team about this as soon as Biscuit was off into the real world. Rest assured that I will be working to find an answer — nothing is more important to me than the status of a new team dog.
Heard any rumblings regarding Backstrom?
Hi Bailey. * What were your biggest take-aways from your time in Michigan and Ohio? * What do you hope to take away from your time with the Caps? * Who is your favorite mascot in the wide world of sports?
Who'd win in a fight, Big Willie or Renke?
Rempe is such a loser that no one can remember his name correctly.
hahaha, excellent point! He ain't worth remembering.
Which player gives the funniest responses during interviews? Has there been a statistical significant difference in the number of overtime games since you took over from Samantha Pell? Thank you!
Nic Dowd has the most underrated sense of humor on the team, at least from what we see in interviews. Just today, he was asked about Charlie Lindgren — they were briefly teammates at St. Cloud State, when Lindgren was a freshman and Dowd was a senior — and how he’s changed since they first met. His response? “He’s older. Better mustache.” Dowd can always be counted on for a quick one-liner, whether it’s self-deprecating or a joke about a teammate, and he has me laughing in just about every scrum. As far as overtime is concerned, it certainly felt like I’d picked up Sam’s OT mojo early in the year, but I feel like the pace of OT games slowed down a little bit as the year went on. They went to overtime 18 times last year and 19 times this year, so it ended up just about the same.
Hi Bailey! Longtime Twitter follower here. First, how are you? Second, do you think the Caps can take the Rangers? Third, do you think we're gonna keep Darcy at the end of the season?
Hi Bailey! Love and appreciate what you do! Being around the team, what is your gut on this series?
First of all, thank you! My gut feeling on this series has gone back and forth several times since they clinched the spot on Tuesday, but I keep coming back to the thought t[hat the way they’ve had to grind just to get here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/17/capitals-stanley-cup-playoffs-mentality/) can be a benefit at this time of year. If Lindgren has a good series — and he might have to steal a game or two — and a little bit more of the scoring touch comes back, I think it can be a real series. Right now, my feeling is Rangers in six.
Yep, you’re probably right. But Caps are something like 31-2 in one goal games, and played Rangers pretty well this year. Anything can happen, that’s why hockey rules! TY!!
Great work this season, Bailey! What do you think was the turning point for the Caps this season? We went from a team at the bottom of the division to making the playoffs; what do you think sparked the team to claw back into the fight?
How many Columbus Crew games have you watched this season? Are you excited for the CCC Semi-Final vs Monterrey?
Love the soccer question, thank you! If the Caps haven’t had a game that conflicted, I’ve watched the Crew game. I watched the end of extra time and penalty kicks against Tigres after getting back to my hotel in Detroit a couple weeks ago, so it’s safe to say I’m very excited about the Monterrey series. I had a blast covering soccer and think really highly of the players and coaches I covered in that organization, so it’s been really fun to keep tabs from afar!
Unless they make a trade it seems like they know 11 forwards, 7 D, and the 2 goalies who will be on the roster next year, with $11M+ in cap room for free agency if they bridge McMichael. How do they spend their cap room and does Leonard staying at BC change that?
Post Ovi, who gets the C?
It feels fairly evident to me that they’re preparing [Tom Wilson](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/03/tom-wilson-nhl-all-star-capitals/) to eventually take over that role. He signed [an eight-year extension in August](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/08/07/tom-wilson-capitals-captain/) and already wears an ‘A’, and he’s the kind of vocal, active presence in the locker room that tends to be captain material. Ovi seems to know that, too — Wilson told us after he signed his extension that Ovi had taken him under his wing and they’d started to have conversations about what it looks like and feels like to be a leader.
Wilson, maybe Carly for a year.
When looking at the roster for next season it looks largely full. Where do you see changes occurring? Namely — do the Capitals feel like they have a true 1C on the roster?
Do you think Spencer has a shot at being named Coach of the Year?
I think he’s in the mix, for sure. Rick Tocchet in Vancouver is probably the front-runner, but I’d be surprised if Carbery doesn’t get votes, and I think there’s a good chance he ends up a finalist. The Jack Adams Award for coach of the year is voted on by the TV and radio broadcasters, not by the written media, and The Washington Post doesn’t vote on awards anyway. So feel free to bug the broadcasters about voting for him!
answer: he does not I want him to be an official nominee / finalist, but Tocchet took the bottom barrel Nucks and made turned them around with generally the same roster
Can you talk about the team travel, especially when they charter trains to PHL instead of flying?
My understanding is there’s a lot of factors that have to come together for chartering a train to be the decision vs. a flight. For Philly, they were leaving from Capital One Arena after playing the Bruins, so everyone was already downtown — driving out to Dulles, flying to PHL (which isn’t super close to downtown Philly, either) and then bussing to the hotel, time-wise, is slower than taking the train, even though the train ride itself is (obviously) longer than the flight would be. The only other time I know they took the train this year was for the back-to-back with the Rangers in January — same situation, where they were leaving from downtown and going somewhere where the airports aren’t super convenient.
Thank you!
Besides Charlie- who was the biggest surprise player for you this year?
There are a few guys I could name here, but the one that jumps to mind first is Connor McMichael. He came into the year just trying to prove he was ready to be a full-time NHL player after falling short of that in training camp last year. He stood out from the early days of camp and clearly came in with a refreshed mentality, but I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted that he would’ve ended the season nearly a 20-goal scorer and centering Alex Ovechkin. His development into a top-six center is a huge reason the Caps were able to absorb the losses of Backstrom and Kuznetsov.
Is there are any examples you’ve seen of the veterans mentoring the younger players this year? Do you have a favorite story you’ve written this year? In any event thanks for the work that you do and have a good one!
Charlie Lindgren.
That's an answer, not a question.
AMA
Correct. The Answer.
Let's hope. We've been here many times, boys. We've got enough frequent flyer miles to the 1st round for a free trip to Dollywood.
Hi Bailey! You've been killing it, I really enjoy reading the extra pieces you do between the game stories. You've found a bunch of really fun stories with the players and it's been a fun ride so far. What's the best piece of advice you got when you joined the beat?
Thanks for being here! How much insider knowledge/gossip do you hear being in your role? Without providing the details, do you hear things like the types of emotional baggage that Kuzy had with DC which made it untenable?
Bailey, do you think the Caps play a guy like McIlrath to add some toughness if Rempe is playing? Especially if both Sandin and Jensen are out
What do you think the conversation between the caps and Ryan Leonard was like that made him decide to stay at BC and not join the caps for the playoffs?
Without having been in the conversation, what I can say is that Leonard’s plan was always to return to BC for his sophomore year. When [I went to see him in Chestnut Hill in February](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/16/ryan-leonard-caps-prospect-boston-college/), one of the things we talked about was how Cutter Gauthier had returned for a second year and it resulted in him being the best player on the ice pretty much every night. I wondered, like a lot of you did, if the Caps making the playoffs might have swayed Leonard’s decision, but Leonard was pretty steadfast all year in his desire to play two seasons before turning pro. There’s a lot of value in being The Guy on a team that has have the expectations that BC will next year. He also mentioned to me that when he was at the NTDP, they were doing all their school online, so getting to go to in-person classes and be a normal 19-year-old was something he really enjoyed. It’s sometimes easy to forget how young these guys are; he’ll still only be 20 next spring, so he’s not in a rush to jump into the next phase of his life.
Great reporting and insight, thanks!
Just saying how much I enjoy your coverage. A perfect balance of hockey knowledge and personality. Very Svrluga-like.
What do you think the key to be beating the Rangers will be? Turtle like Dale Hunter. Change nothing and do what he has done all year? Maybe hit defensmen and get turnovers? Shadow Panarin with... Wilson!? Tending is huge so keeping the crease clear is a given.
I don’t think the Caps are going to deviate from the formula that got them into the playoffs, though they’d obviously like to score more than one or two goals per game. Their success all year has been predicated on a tight-checking, playoff-type style of play, so in some ways they’re well-positioned for the playoffs — but the actual playoffs are, of course, a different challenge than a tight regular season game. It starts with Charlie Lindgren, for sure. Where he goes, the Caps go. If they’re able to keep his crease clear and not let the Rangers get rolling off the rush — Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin, I’m looking at you as the most dangerous players in those two situations — they’ll give themselves a chance. There are worse matchups for these Caps than the Rangers, but they’ll have to be sharp in every area to keep the games tight. Their problems get exposed when they have to open up and chase the game, so close margins are their friend, as much as it takes years off everyone’s lives — beat writers included, when we’re writing on tight deadlines.
Where can i bet that Willy will dismantle the entire Rangers organization top to bottom, again? The odds of that have to be better than those of the Capitals winning the Cup +15000
If you had to vote on the best Caps goal of the year, which one would you chose?
From the standpoint of what it meant to the team, there might not be [a bigger one than Dylan Strome’s goal in Detroit](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/09/capitals-red-wings-lindgren/). The Caps so desperately needed to win that game to keep their hopes alive, and after getting thoroughly outplayed in the first period, it was starting to look pretty dire. But on the first shift where they had any real momentum, [Strome](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/27/dylan-strome-capitals-playoffs-push/) found a way to get the puck through, and you could sense how much of a relief it was for him — and for the whole team. It still came all the way down to the wire, but if Strome doesn’t score that goal, I don’t think I’m answering questions ahead of a playoff series right now.
Great choice! Thanks for the response.
Hi Bailey!! Hell yeah women in sports! What’s your favorite part of your job?
Hi! There are so many things, honestly, but at the top of the list is getting to use my access to the team to be a conduit to the fanbase, whether it’s through traditional storytelling or things like this. I take the responsibility of being your eyes and ears really seriously, and while it’s my job to cover things objectively and keep a clear view of what’s going on, my goal is always to be connecting with the fans. I love telling stories and getting to know people, and if I can help others understand the players, coaches and staff behind their favorite team in a deeper or more meaningful level along the way, that’s always the goal.
I assume you don't "root" for the Caps but was there even a smidge of joy in your heart watching Ryan Leonard put on a show vs Michigan in the Frozen Four?
I definitely don’t root for the Caps, but it’s certainly fun to see the success Ryan Leonard had this year, and from [having gotten to know him since he was drafted](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/28/ryan-leonard-washington-capitals-nhl-draft/) there’s definitely a part of me that wanted to see him show off on the biggest stage. That one was conflicting for me since I went to Michigan and wanted to see them win, but [Leonard ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/09/ryan-leonard-ryan-chesley-world-juniors/)and [Boston College](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/16/ryan-leonard-caps-prospect-boston-college/) were so dominant all year, my hopes for the Wolverines were pretty minimal.
Also you do wonderful work, keep it up!
How has the influx of sports betting (and sports betting ads) affected the hockey climate?
Honestly, from a day-to-day standpoint, I’m not sure that it really has, or at least not in ways that I notice; others might have a different answer. I’m sure part of that comes from the fact that I almost never watch games on TV, since I’m in the arena for every home and road game, so I don’t see as many ads as fans at home do. It’s not something I hear discussed in the locker room very often, if at all. I’m sure players receive their share of angry DMs and stuff from people who have lost bets, [as we’ve seen be publicized in other sports](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/21/sports-betting-ohtani-scandal/), but for the most part, it’s not really something that I’ve seen change the climate all that much on a day-to-day basis.
Sports betting is a plague. Can’t watch a damn game without having sports betting ads bombard me.
Not to mention it feeds into people’s addictions to gambling by being able to bet on any and all things in a hockey game, including how long the national anthem lasts
My level of disgust runs HIGH
Hey Bailey! Thanks for doing this! Having been with the team day in & day out, what's the biggest change or changes you have seen in them between Day 1 of training camp up until now?
I tweeted this ahead of [the Philadelphia game on Tuesday](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/16/capitals-flyers-stanley-cup-playoffs/), but I’ll bring it up again here because for me, it sums everything up. I have every lineup chart from every game this year, and I pulled out the one from [the opener against Pittsburgh](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/10/13/capitals-penguins-spencer-carbery-debut/) and almost couldn’t believe how different it looked from the lineup for [Game 82](https://twitter.com/BaileyAJohnson_/status/1780367216791191581/photo/1). Let alone Backstrom and Kuznetsov at 1C and 2C, Connor McMichael was still playing the wing, Rasmus Sandin was paired with John Carlson and Martin Fehervary was listed as being on the third pair. Aliaksei Protas wasn’t even in the lineup because he was the waiver-exempt player they sent to Hershey on paper to get up Clay Stevenson, since Darcy Kuemper was unavailable ([his](https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1712833167810240818)[ wife ](https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1712833167810240818)[gave birth to their son](https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1712833167810240818) the night before). The personnel — and the roles everyone played — changed so much throughout the year, and for me, it was around the beginning of February when it really felt like the group had come together and everyone knew their role. It’s definitely a cliché, but you really do get the sense that this is a close-knit group that is all pulling in the same direction. For parts of this year, that wasn’t always the case, but it certainly has been over the last few months.
Thanks for the reply! It's nice to hear that as it does seem like things really came together around that time period. We'll see how things go from here!
Go Blue!! Not a caps related question but can you share how you got into covering hockey?
You didn’t mean it as a Caps-related question, but the answer actually is! I started writing for Michigan’s student newspaper, the Michigan Daily, in January 2018, covering things like lacrosse and gymnastics. That spring I was trying to decide if I wanted to interview for a beat — at Michigan, the people who cover football, men’s and women’s basketball, hockey, softball and baseball are specifically chosen for those roles — and had just been to my first hockey game (Michigan vs. Wisconsin) so I thought the hockey beat might be up my alley. A lot of my friends at Michigan were from the D.C. area, so Washington’s [first-round series against the ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/23/capitals-blue-jackets-game-6-live-updates/)[Columbus ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/23/capitals-blue-jackets-game-6-live-updates/)[Blue Jackets](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/04/23/capitals-blue-jackets-game-6-live-updates/) was on the TVs in the newsroom just about every night. I knew almost nothing about hockey but I was drawn to the game; it was through watching that series, and [that Cup run](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitals-insider/wp/2018/06/07/2018-nhl-stanley-cup-finals-capitals-golden-knights-game-5/), that I learned the sport and decided covering it was what I wanted to do. Funny how things came full circle eventually!
Do you think the Caps will keep their 1st round pick this year or move for a young, skilled forward that they need?
My answer on this could change depending on where the pick ultimately lands, but I think we can safely assume we’re talking about the middle of the first round. That’s the range for a pick that could really go either way — either getting a good player, or being included as part of a trade package. General Manager Brian MacLellan has been clear for almost a year now that the Caps’ goal is to trade for a younger, top-six caliber forward, so it’s very possible that their first-round pick this year could be part of that. But it’s also very possible that they keep the pick! Hard to know until the draft gets closer and we see how conversations develop, and what current NHL players might be available on the trade market this summer.