As a proven winner, Capitals winger Justin Williams knows that excuses are the nails that built the house of failure, so he didn't bother making any during Washington's last media availability of the season after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"Write what you want because we failed," he told Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press.

Though the team fell short of its goal, Williams is far from a failure as a three-time Stanley Cup champion. However, at 35, this was perhaps his last great chance to win his fourth.

"This one has been the hardest one to take because of where I am in my career and being so sure of something," he told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

Williams is a pending unrestricted free agent and could theoretically still sign with a contender for another shot at a fourth ring, but at the moment, losing to the archrival Penguins for a second consecutive season after winning the Presidents' Trophy has to sting.

"My memories of this team, I didn't want it to be this way," he told Gulitti. "I wanted it to be us celebrating with a trophy."

He added that the image of guys sitting in their stalls wondering what went wrong is something that will stick with him.

Williams is just one of many pending UFAs on the Capitals set to hit the open market on July 1, and understands there's going to be some turnover with the club, telling Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post that the offseason here "won't be too quiet."

The veteran winger did tell Khurshudyan he'd like to be back in D.C., but saying something doesn't mean it will happen.

It will be a very interesting summer in the U.S. capital, to say the least.

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