While expansion was the early headline in what will be a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Washington Capitals.
2016-17 was largely more of the same in Washington. They were the top team in the regular season but once again came up short in the played after being ousted by Pittsburgh in the second round. GM Brian MacLellan went all in with this group and now faces a summer where nearly half the team needs new contracts even after the re-signing of T.J. Oshie. That’s highlighted in multiple keys for their offseason.
Re-Sign The Russians
Washington has a pair of restricted free agents that have already been speculated as candidates to return home to Russia in center Evgeny Kuznetsov and defenseman Dmitry Orlov. Kuznetsov is the less likely of the two to go but he has suggested in the past that it’s something he would consider if contracts talks don’t go well at the start.
Orlov’s a more intriguing case, however. It took until late September for them to reach an agreement on a one year post-bridge contract worth $2.57MM. He responded with a career season and has arbitration rights. If he wants to secure an NHL deal, going that route seems like a logical outcome. If Orlov is considering playing in the KHL (and in the Olympics) though, this could be one that drags out for a while yet.
As for Kuznetsov, he’s also coming off his bridge deal and is lined up for a significantly larger payday than the $3.4MM salary he received in 2016-17. While his deployment was largely as a second liner thanks to Nicklas Backstrom being in front of him, he has produced like a front line player and will be looking to be paid like one; he too has arbitration rights. There’s a good chance his cap hit of $3MM from this past season will be doubled in this next deal which is something MacLellan will need to keep in mind as he plots out his other re-signings.
Decide On Remaining UFAs
Even after re-signing Oshie, the Capitals have one of the more prominent unrestricted free agents in defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. Acquired as a rental player in advance of the trade deadline, it’s unlikely that he’ll be back.
However, beyond Shattenkirk, Washington has a couple of other veteran players who are bound to garner plenty of interest. Blueliner Karl Alzner is a top four stay-at-home player and his market will be one to watch given what happened to Kris Russell last summer. Winger Justin Williams has shown that he’s still a capable second line forward and should have several suitors as well. The Caps would undoubtedly like to keep both of them in the fold but they can’t afford to bring everyone back. MacLellan will need to have a few other plans in place depending on what the market dictates if everyone makes it to July 1st unsigned.
Add Left Side Defensive Help
Alzner has been a staple on Washington’s back end for the past seven seasons, giving them a dependable left side defender who can log top four minutes. Him leaving via free agency would create a big hole to fill. The team was hoping that Nate Schmidt would be able to step in to take that spot but he wound up being selected by the Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft so that option is off the table as well.
Presently, the Capitals have just two left shot defensemen under contract for next season in Brooks Orpik and Taylor Chorney and both of them aren’t ideal candidates for top four roles. Even if the team keeps one of their better right side players on the left, there’s still one vacancy that will need to be filled.
How MacLellan projects out the cap situation may dictate which route he goes to cover that spot. The cap hit will be pricier with a free agent signing and wouldn’t cost them any assets but would they prefer to go the trade route to get a cheaper fit even if the acquisition cost is higher? With so few players signed for next season presently, a lot is in flux with just a week to go until free agency opens up.
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