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As teams determine which players to retain -- and which ones they want to sign via free agency -- ESPN.com looks at the Capitals. We briefly review '99-00 and the amazing regular-season run the Caps had. Then, there's the question of what must happen for the Capitals to repeat the regular season but make an impact in the postseason.

Season Review: Season solid despite early exit

	Bondra

Everything about the '99-00 season can be characterized as a surprise. Their incredible resurgence as an Eastern Conference power caught everyone off guard, especially with the team's poor start -- 2-6-2 in October. Then, after finishing No. 2 in the East, the Capitals fell to Pittsburgh in five games, one of which was a 7-0 drubbing.

The early playoff exit left a bitter taste with the team, but there are plenty of positives upon which to build. Much of the winning last season came without Peter Bondra, who missed 20 games and had a subpar year. Some of the younger players got an opportunity to play, and the NHL experienced what a healthy and more peaceful Chris Simon can do, namely score goals. His 29 tallies are a credit to Simon but also proof that Adam Oates can make a scorer out of just about anyone. Sergei Gonchar overcame a slow start to have a great season, and he was a major factor in the Caps' offense, as he sparked the transition game and improved his playmaking -- he had 10 more assists than his previous two seasons combined.

No discussion on last year could exclude Olaf Kolzig, who became the poster boy for Washington's renaissance. He ended up with better numbers than the year he led the team to the Cup finals. He set a career high with 72 games started and 41 wins. In the end, coach Ron Wilson and the locker-room leaders turned around what could have been a bad situation if the losing continued in Washington.

Open Market: Gimme one hot scorer, hold the holdouts
Looking at the list of restricted free agents, two names stick out: Chris Simon and Sergei Gonchar. Both had career years. As is the case with so many teams, having these two players ready for opening night against the Kings is imperative for the Caps to avoid another sluggish start. Ken Klee and Brendan Witt filed for arbitration, so they'll be in camp. That really leaves Andrei Nikolishin as the only other possible holdout.

	FREE AGENCY
	Key unsigned free agents: Jan Bulis, Sergei Gonchar, Ken Klee, Andrei Nikolishin, Chris Simon, Brendan Witt Signings/offseason acquisitions: Sylvain Cote, Todd Rohloff, Craig Berube

With a solid goaltender -- and veteran Craig Billington as a backup -- and a good corps of defense bolstered by the return of Sylvain Cote, the real key for Washington is getting more scoring. Twelve teams scored more goals than Washington last season. After Simon's 29, only Bondra had more than 20, and he has asked to be traded. The Bondra situation might need to be mended, especially if GM George McPhee can't get good value in a trade. But goals must come from somewhere.

The guess is that Washington won't spend a lot for aging talent and will hope some of the young fowards like Jeff Halpern produce. If Joe Murphy contributes consistently, that would be a big boost.

How to improve: Light the lamp, baby
As mentioned above, offense is an issue. Coach Ron Wilson returned to a team-defense style that made the Capitals difficult to beat, but the postseason proved that isn't enough. A feared offensive weapon would help the Caps tremendously. As good a story as Simon is, if he's the leading goal scorer, the Stanley Cup isn't going to be a reality.

Another component for the Caps is the use of Kolzig. Because the Caps had to climb out of a big hole early in the season, he played a ton of games. If the team starts solidly, look for Billington to play more, so that Kolzig is fresher in the postseason -- and a 7-0 Game 1 loss won't be a possibility.

If Bondra is traded, the plan would be to get some young talent and perhaps make that Cup run the year after and hope the team gets on a little roll next year just to keep everyone interested.

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.