As teams are eliminated from the playoffs, it means that the offseason has arrived for several more squads. Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return and the ones ousted in the Qualifying Round, we shift our focus to the ones that were eliminated in the official first round. Next up is a look at Washington.
During the regular season, things were looking up for Washington. They were sitting in first place when the pandemic hit and it looked as if they’d be a team that could have some staying power in the playoffs. That didn’t happen. Instead, they were ousted by the Islanders in the first round and one big change has already happened with Todd Reirden being let go as head coach (he has since rejoined Pittsburgh as an assistant). Now, with a flattened salary cap, GM Brian MacLellan is going to have some tough decisions to make for next season which highlight their keys over the next few months.
Find A New Coach
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. With Reirden out behind the bench, Washington needs to hire a new head coach. Perhaps more importantly at this stage though, they have to decide what type of coach they’re looking for. With Barry Trotz, they had someone who emphasized structure and when he left to go to the Islanders (who eliminated them), Reirden was promoted from his staff for some continuity. Do they look for another coach like Trotz or would they be better off with a more free-flowing style?
Firepower is not a concern for the Capitals. They have plenty of it even after losing some players to cap constraints in recent years. But despite finishing second in the league in scoring, they were led by a defenseman in points and John Carlson was the only one to average better than a point per game. If they were to open up more offensively, they’d be an even bigger threat. On the other hand, they’re set to be led between the pipes by Ilya Samsonov in his sophomore year next season while their back end isn’t the strongest so playing a bit more conservatively has its advantages as well.
One thing seems to be certain at this point, their focus is on a veteran as Peter Laviolette, Mike Babcock, and Gerard Gallant are three candidates that have interviewed for the position. MacLellan himself has said an experienced coach is a priority after having a rookie in Reirden. Right now, they have some time to work with but if they want someone in place for the draft and free agency, they’ll need to make a final decision within the next month.
Ovechkin Extension Talks
If it seems like so long ago that Alex Ovechkin signed his current contract, it’s because it has indeed been a long time. About twelve-and-a-half years, in fact. His 13-year, $124MM contract that was signed back in January of 2008 looked exorbitant at the time but it has in fact worked out quite well for both sides. Ovechkin has become one of the top goal-scorers in NHL history and a franchise icon while the team won its first Stanley Cup back in 2018.
Now that he’s set to enter the final year of his contract, he’s eligible to sign a contract extension. His next deal will be subject to 35-plus provisions (unless it’s uniform in salary throughout the duration) but that shouldn’t have an impact on things. It’s safe to say that Ovechkin will be looking for a deal that takes him to retirement but the big question will be how many more years does he want to play? He’s still several years away from taking aim at the all-time goals scored mark which may very well play a role in how long this next deal is. Money, of course, matters too but he remains a top offensive threat so it stands to reason that his next contract should wind up around a similar price tag as his current $9.538MM AAV.
This isn’t a case where Washington needs to get a deal done or consider trading him over the risk of losing him for nothing. Most would likely classify Ovechkin’s next contract as a matter of when, not if. But getting something done now would give MacLellan some much-needed certainty in terms of knowing how much (or little) money he has left for 2021-22 and beyond. That could, in turn, impact what types of deals they do in the weeks ahead. It’s not a must-do at this point but it would be beneficial for both sides to get it done now.
Replace Holtby
The in-season extension given to Nicklas Backstrom was the final nail in the coffin for Braden Holtby’s chances of re-signing with Washington unless he wants to sign for less than market value. Assuming that’s the case, they’ll need to find a backup for Samsonov who will be in his first season as a starter.
There are two in-house options for the position but neither one is particularly strong. Pheonix Copley was their backup in 2018-19, earning himself a three-year deal in the process. However, he’s not the type of goalie that they should be comfortable asking for roughly 30 games from next season as Samsonov is unlikely to jump into a top workload after making just 22 starts this year. Prospect Vitek Vanecek has some upside and did well with AHL Hershey this season but is he ready for a full-time NHL spot? It’s certainly not a guarantee.
While one of those two would provide more cap flexibility (Copley’s AAV is $1.1MM while Copley’s is just over $716K), they would put a lot of pressure on Samsonov. Accordingly, a more proven veteran goalie would certainly be a safer play, albeit a more expensive one. While it’s unlikely that they’d shop at the higher end of that market, they could still get someone around the $2MM to $2.5MM mark that would give them a bit more security. But with limited cap space and a pair of blueliners (Brenden Dillon and Radko Gudas) set to hit the open market, it’s going to be a tough decision to make.
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