Ribeiro hopes he’s the piece Caps have been lacking in playoff runs

The Washington Capitals didn’t make a big splash during the free agent frenzy, but their top two lines will certainly look different. That’s in large part due to their acquisition of Mike Ribeiro back in June.

Ribeiro met with the Washington media on Saturday and, based on a report by CSN Washington’s Chuck Gormley, it wasn’t hard to tell what was on his mind.

“At the end of the day every year this team is among the top five [favorites] for winning the Cup but there’s always a missing piece or two, so hopefully I can be that piece that helps this team go farther in the playoffs and hopefully win a Cup,” Ribeiro said.

That wasn’t the only reference to winning the Stanley Cup that Ribeiro made, and he certainly should be a vital piece of the puzzle next season. Aside from the fact that he’s a 60-70 point player in his own right, Ribeiro might be able to help Alex Ovechkin bounce back after recording a career-low 65 points.

Ribeiro said that the thought of playing alongside Ovechkin was the first thing that crossed his mind.

“I like right-handers and he’s a right-handed shooter and it will probably be easier for me during the game to give the puck to a guy like that who can score,” Ribeiro said. He should also be a big help with the man advantage, where he’ll be able to feed the puck to Ovechkin and Mike Green, another right-handed shot.

It will be a while before we’ll see what line combinations new head coach Adam Oates decides to go with, but the addition of Ribeiro certainly provides them with some appealing options.