After falling short again, Capitals enter offseason with three big questions

Entertaining big roster moves has to be on the table for a team that was built to make a run (again)

Now what?

The sting of yet another Game 7 loss, another Pittsburgh Penguins triumph and the latest in a long line of playoff exits that hasn't included a conference finals trip in nearly two decades has to wear down first.

Then, maybe, that question will resurface for the Washington Capitals.

Now what?

It's not exactly an easy task trying to think of ways the repeat Presidents' Trophy winners could have better built themselves for a run at the ever-elusive Stanley Cup -- although Pens fans won't hesitate to counter with some rendition of "They're chokers," or "They're goons," or "They can't beat Pittsburgh," each of which has some semblance of truth.

Seriously, though, Washington had it all. The Presidents' Trophy isn't captured (again) by accident. The Capitals consistently dominated, especially at home, with their deepest defense in recent memory -- and just as potent of an offense -- for much of the season and, yes, big chunks of their second-round series with the *gulp* Pens.

Their deadline deal for Kevin Shattenkirk wasn't quite the postseason difference maker it should've been, even with the ex-St. Louis Blues star lifting the Caps in a Game 3 overtime win.

But the team was still stocked. It was clear both from general manager Brian MacLellan's talk of a closing championship window to the very assembly of the crew surrounding Alex Ovechkin that Washington was going all in -- and justifiably so -- for 2016-17.

Consider that, Barry Trotz's late and successful second-round gamble to go heavy on defense and shift Ovechkin to the third line, as well as the Pens' inability to stay healthy before and during the rivals' long-anticipated showdown, and it's a wonder -- but no surprise, to the dismay of Washington faithful -- that the Caps could not top Pittsburgh for the first time since 1994, nor could they capitalize on their own envious opportunity.

It was fitting, perhaps, that they went out with such, well, unnerving quietness. With Ovechkin's postseason legacy already marred in many eyes before this Game 7, the Caps were eliminated on a night Ovi and his perennially promising, albeit disappointing, bunch could not lace a single shot into the net.

Now, with 14 players set to hit the open market and Ovechkin's long-term future in jeopardy as the Caps go back to the drawing board with maybe the best chance to advance of Ovi's career wasted, the question truly is: Now what?

For starters, Trotz, MacLellan and Co. figure to at least entertain the following additional questions:

Should Ovechkin be traded -- for his sake and the team's?

Debate Ovechkin's worth as a playoff leader all you want. There's no denying that he means a ton to the Capitals, and that also means a trade of No. 8, as headlining and gossipy as it might be to speculate, would only make sense if Washington reels in one heck of a return package.

But beyond nostalgia and a general respect for Ovechkin as a staple of Caps history, it shouldn't be unusual to suggest Washington should be open to offers -- or seek out offers. Why would the Caps not? For the sake of the team, which might very well be better off refocusing offense on a top-line center and preparing for life after an Ovechkin regime that failed time and again to capture a title, it makes sense. Perhaps it's time to instead pour serious investments into building down the middle.

And for the sake of Ovi, who has long -- deservedly or not -- carried the pressure to deliver for the Capitals, it makes sense as a bridge for the veteran to go flourish elsewhere.

Should the Caps pursue re-signing Shattenkirk or Oshie?

If only Washington's bid for Shattenkirk had ended in a Stanley Cup title. Now, the Caps are left to decide whether they are ready to commit to their new defenseman as they embark on what could be an offseason of drastic changes, one of which might also include T.J. Oshie.

Maybe it's silly to suggest the Caps have to decide on Shattenkirk when they already forfeited plenty to land the blueliner in March, but how can anyone be sure? Even with John Carlson also headed for free agency, what is a reasonable price to pay for a top-line D-man when, in all honesty, it's unclear just what kind of contender Washington wants to be after another flop of a finish against Pittsburgh?

Oshie, whose explosive promise was on display much of the season, certainly makes for an intriguing post-Ovechkin possibility atop the Capitals' offense, but he also figures to command plenty on the market. Committing to him as the unofficial centerpiece of the team moving forward would be a big domino in a crucial offseason to come.

Should the team undergo a complete overhaul?

If Ovechkin is dished out, either or both of Oshie and Shattenkirk flee and others -- from Tom Wilson to Justin Williams to Brooks Orpik -- depart through either free agency or, say, June's expansion draft, it's pretty clear that an overhaul would already be underway. But that's not an easy thing to project, especially for a team that just came within a game of the Eastern Conference finals against the defending champions, no matter how favored the Caps were.

The possibilities are truly wide open here. And, if Washington's postseason track record is to be considered, they probably should be.