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Elliotte Friedman was on Toronto’s Sportsnet 590 on Friday morning.

On what happens if the Washington Capitals lose this series to the Pittsburgh Penguins:

“It’s a great question. They’re still the best team in the league this year, but there’s going to be a lot of frustration if they lose in the second round again.

“The one thing I really believe is that the way the playoffs are done now has changed everything. Depending on how strong your division is, you could lose early. I think it makes it even tougher for organizations to stay the course because owners sometimes look at it as, ‘We lost in the second round, when this matchup could easily be a third round matchup or the Stanley Cup Final.’

“I was in Washington for a game against Toronto just after the trade deadline, and I had a chance to talk to Brian MacLellan about it. He says when you look at our cap situation, we’ve got this year and next before we really have to change our team. Because in two years, they’re going to have to give Karl Alzner a new contract, and they’re going to have to give Evgeny Kuznetsnov a new contract.

“And Kuznetsov has been stunningly poor in the playoffs. That’s been one of the major reasons I think they’re in as much trouble as they are, that he who was the breakthrough player of this regular season has not been very good in the playoffs.

“So I think what happens is, if they lose tomorrow or lose this round, they take a deep breath and they say, ‘One more year with this group.’

“But it’s going to be a bitter, bitter pill to swallow before that happens.”

Source: Sportsnet 590/ Transcript: Nichols