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Capitals Rumors

Capitals Not Done Making Moves

June 23, 2024 at 7:19 pm CDT | by Josh Cybulski 12 Comments

Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia wrote today that the Ottawa Senators have been linked to Anaheim Ducks netminder John Gibson. He didn’t go into much detail about the link, but it’s not the first time there has been mention of a link between Gibson and the Senators. Ottawa has been pushing hard to improve their netminding and has held talks on Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark since before the NHL trade deadline.

The Senators are desperate to improve their goaltending which has been a disaster since Craig Anderson left town in 2020. The 30-year-old Gibson hasn’t been a strong netminder for years but has been paid like one and still has three years left on his deal at an AAV of $6.4MM. It seems unlikely Ottawa will pursue Gibson at his current price point; however, they could entertain him if they can’t make a deal with the Bruins for Ullmark or if Anaheim is willing to retain some of Gibson’s cap hit.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period tweeted that he believes that forward Matvei Michkov’s arrival to the Philadelphia Flyers will give the team a bit of leverage in their contract negotiations with right winger Travis Konecny. The Flyers have a difficult decision looming with Konecny, as the 27-year-old is just a year out from unrestricted free agency and there have been rumblings that he is seeking $10MM annually on his next deal. With Michkov likely on his way to Philadelphia, the Flyers could see him as a Konecny replacement, and possibly pivot to an exploration of the trade market for Konecny.
  • The Washington Capitals recently swapped goaltender Darcy Kuemper for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois but are apparently not close to done re-shaping their roster (per Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts). The Capitals have some in-house free agents to take care of but will be able to bring everyone back if they want to. The team badly needs to address their offense, and while Dubois should help in that regard, he can’t be the only piece they add if they hope to improve upfront. Washington scored just 220 goals last season, good enough for 28 out of 32 teams and can no longer rely on their power play to carry them.

Ottawa Senators| Philadelphia Flyers| Washington Capitals John Gibson| Matvei Michkov| Travis Konecny

12 comments

Capitals Add Rob Murphy To Pro Scouting Department

June 19, 2024 at 5:50 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 1 Comment

  • Top professional scout Rob Murphy will be headed to another nation’s capital city as Bruce Garrioch of TSN reports he will be leaving the Ottawa Senators organization to join the professional scouting department of the Washington Capitals. Murphy has been a respected scout in the NHL for nearly the last two decades having performed similar duties with the Phoenix Coyotes and spending three years as the Director of Scouting for the Buffalo Sabres from 2014-2017.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Anaheim Ducks| Carolina Hurricanes| Philadelphia Flyers| Washington Capitals Eric Tulsky| Ian Laperriere| Rich Clune

1 comment

Capitals And Kings Swap Pierre-Luc Dubois, Darcy Kuemper

June 19, 2024 at 1:56 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 48 Comments

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings are working on a one-for-one swap to see Pierre-Luc Dubois head to Washington and goaltender Darcy Kuemper head to the Kings. LeBrun also mentions that no salary will be retained in the deal. The Kings organization has confirmed the deal.

Although there were no major rumblings that Dubois would be moved this offseason, it makes sense on paper given his no-move clause will start in only a few weeks. The Capitals will now be on the hook for the remaining seven years and $59.5MM remaining on Dubois’ extension.

Washington will now mark the fourth team of Dubois’ career after being involved in two separate trades prior. During the 2020-21 NHL season, Dubois was sent to the Winnipeg Jets in a deal that landed Patrik Laine with the Columbus Blue Jackets. With an apparent distaste for the Jets organization, Dubois was traded to the Kings organization last summer in a deal that saw Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Rasmus Kupari head to Manitoba.

After posting back-to-back 60-point seasons in Winnipeg, Los Angeles originally thought Dubois would make a perfect addition as the team’s second-line center for many years to come, and even replace Anze Kopitar as the team’s top centerman when he eventually hangs up his skates. However, Dubois failed to deliver on expectations that come with an $8.5MM salary with the Kings, scoring only 16 goals and 40 points this past season.

Dubois’ offensive production was not the only thing to slip in his first season in California, as both his defensive and possession metrics also saw a decline. Nevertheless, although inconsistency has plagued him for much of his career, Dubois is still only 25 years old giving him plenty of time to become a dependable player on any team.

Dubois should have access to a much larger role in Washington given that the team has seen two top-centerman leave the organization in recent years. Nicklas Backstrom has more than likely played his last game in the NHL after failing to fully recover from hip-resurfacing surgery while Evgeny Kuznetsov was shipped off to the Carolina Hurricanes at last year’s deadline after struggling to put up points.

The Capitals will likely start Dubois as the team’s second-line center with Dylan Strome creating solid chemistry with franchise legend Alex Ovechkin, but Dubois gives the team a lot of flexibility at the top of their forward core. Although he is not a very physical player, Dubois carries a big frame which could allow more ice to open up for Ovechkin.

On the other side of the deal, Kuemper’s inclusion in the deal gives Los Angeles some much-needed certainty in the crease while opening up another $3.25MM in cap space. Likewise, this means that the Capitals have firmly committed to Charlie Lindgren as the team’s top goaltender heading into the 2024-25 NHL season. After the swap, the Kings now have $23.45MM in cap space but do have a couple of restricted free agents to bring back into the fold.

It will be interesting to see if Kuemper can rediscover his game in California, as he had not been very consistent throughout his time with the Capitals. In 2021-22, then the starting goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche, Kuemper backstopped his team to a Stanley Cup Championship which would later earn him a five-year, $26.25MM deal with Washington on the open market.

Throughout his time in the United States capital, Kuemper started in 86 games for the Capitals in two seasons earning a 35-40-10 record while carrying a .902 save percentage and 3.03 goals against average. In any case, Kuemper should benefit from a much stronger defensive core in Los Angeles as the team only allowed 2296 shots against this past season which was good for fourth in the NHL.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Dubois had been traded to Washington. 

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report that Kuemper was included in the trade. 

LeBrun was the first to break the full trade details. 

Los Angeles Kings| Newsstand| Pierre-Luc Dubois| Transactions| Washington Capitals Darcy Kuemper| Pierre-Luc Dubois

48 comments

Capitals To Buy CapFriendly

June 9, 2024 at 5:09 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 20 Comments

  • The Washington Capitals have moved to purchase the website CapFriendly, per Friedman. CapFriendly has become a central repository for information on NHL player and staff contracts, fantasy hockey tools, and lineup information among many other uses. The move will give Washington full access to CapFriendly’s extensive toolkit, though it will also force the site to publicly shut down on July 5th – keeping it active through the NHL Draft and beginning of free agency. Friedman shared that other NHL teams who had access to CapFriendly’s data were recently told their contracts would be termminated, suggesting a buyout was imminent.
  • Winnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon is expected to test free agency, shares Friedman in 32 Thoughts. Dillon concluded his third year with the Jets this season, joining the team via trade in 2021 – with Winnipeg sending the Washington Capitals the draft picks used to select Seamus Casey and Carson Rehkopf, though neither player was drafted by Washington. Dillon, 33, will be looking for a new home after recording 63 points across 238 games with the Jets.

NHL| Nashville Predators| Washington Capitals| Winnipeg Jets Brenden Dillon| Juuse Saros

20 comments

Ethan Bear To Be Activated From NHLPA Player Assistance Program

June 4, 2024 at 5:15 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 1 Comment

Ethan Bear is expected to be activated from the NHLPA Player Assistance Program according to CapFriendly, although the Washington Capitals have yet to confirm the news. Bear originally went into the program on March 27th of this year, missing the last 18 games of the regular season for the Capitals and an additional four postseason contests.

It has been an interesting year and a half for Bear, who, after having injured his shoulder in last summer’s IIHF World Championships, was non-tendered by the Vancouver Canucks, allowing him to become a free agent. Since the injury took nearly six months to heal, Bear had to wait until late December before ultimately signing with a team.

At the time of his signing, reporting in early December suggested Bear was being monitored by three teams — the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canucks, and his eventual landing spot, the Capitals. On December 28th, Washington signed Bear to a two-year, $4.125MM contract, eventually enticing the defenseman with an extra year on the contract.

Unfortunately for Bear, he was used sporadically by the Capitals, playing in 24 games while managing just under 15 minutes of ice time. Coupled with the lengthy layoff from the shoulder injury, Bear did not look like the same defenseman from only a season ago.

Now that Bear is fully out of the Player Assistance Program, he will have a second opportunity to prove his worth in Washington. However, with notable right-handed shot defensemen already signed for the 2024-25 season, Bear may ask for a change of scenery this offseason.

Washington Capitals Ethan Bear

1 comment

Capitals, Sharks Extend Bona Fide Offers To Five Prospects

June 1, 2024 at 5:03 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley Leave a Comment

The Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks have taken the steps needed to retain their negotiating rights over five players, with the Capitals extending a bona fide offer to forwards Patrick Thomas and Brett Hyland, as well as defenseman Cameron Allen (Twitter link), while the Sharks have extended offers to forwards Brandon Svoboda and David Klee. A bona fide offer is the offer of a standard player contract that meets the requirements of an entry-level contract, including meeting the minimum salary and length requirements of an ELC. Offers stay open for 30 days after they’re extended, meaning the quintet of players will have throughout June to accept their offers. Accepting a bona fide offer waves a player’s rights to salary arbitration after the contract ends.

Washington’s list of now extended prospect rights is headlined by 2023 fifth-round pick Cam Allen, who’s seen his point totals decrease in each season since he joined the OHL in 2021-22. Allen posted 37 points in 65 games as a rookie, but followed it up with 25 points in 62 games last year and just nine in 25 games this year. He’s fallen a long way after being previously acclaimed as one of the top Canadian defenders in his age group. That merit was flaunted when Allen captained Team Canada at the 2023 World U18 Championship, recording four points in seven games as Canada raced to a Bronze Medal. Allen also served as an assistant captain for the Guelph Storm this season; a role he’ll likely maintain when he returns to Guelph for his final year of OHL eligibility next season.

Allen is flanked by forwards Patrick Thomas and Brett Hyland – Washington’s selections in the fourth and seventh rounds of the 2023 draft respectively. Thomas has one more year of OHL eligibility ahead of him, after posting a career-high 21 goals and 66 points in just 57 games with the Brantford Bulldogs this season. He’s a well-rounded, ’jack of all trades’ forward whose physicality in the defensive end and heads-up positioning on offense have helped him contribute in all three zones. That two-way reliability has been a nice match for the much more aggressive Florian Xhekaj, though Thomas could certainly improve his own play-driving. At just 19, he’ll have plenty of time to continue adding those traits, should he return to the OHL next year. That question doesn’t extend to Hyland, who completed his fourth complete WHL season with the Brandon Wheat Kings this year, posting a career-high 32 goals and 59 points in 66 games. He’s seen his scoring grow in each year of his juniors career, ultimately totaling 145 points across 195 games in the WHL. Hyland should turn pro following his bona fide offer from Washington, though whether that means placement in the AHL or ECHL will likely be decided during training camp.

Meanwhile, the Sharks have extended offers to a pair of USHL forwards – including Brandon Svoboda, who’s won the league’s Clark Cup Championship in each of the last two seasons. He provided strong lineup flexibility to the 2023-winning Youngstown Phantoms, capable of playing either center or winger and being moved around the lineup plenty as a result. Svoboda posted 16 goals and 26 points in 59 games with Youngstown last season, adding one goal in nine playoff games. He began this season in Youngstown as well, recording 11 points in 25 games before being traded to the Fargo Force. Svoboda’s aware playmaking and nifty passing seemed much better placed in Fargo, where he tallied a combined 13 points across 24 games in the regular season and playoffs. He’s currently slated to move to Boston University next season. The lean, slick frame of Svoboda is juxtaposed by the burly Klee, who posted 15 goals and 40 points in 62 USHL games of his own this season. It was a major improvement from his 13 points in 57 games last season and helped Klee claw his way into a top-six role with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Klee is currently committed to the University of North Dakota for next season. His strong, gritty style should continue to put him in a position to succeed in college, though he’ll need to find another layer if he wants to push towards a spot on what will soon be a very young Sharks lineup.

With this announcement, San Jose has also shared that goaltender prospect Mason Beaupit is set to re-enter the draft. Beaupit will join Minnesota Wild draftee Servác Petrovský as players with expiring rights who have re-declared for the draft. Beaupit moved to the BCHL this season, after four seasons in the WHL, posting nine wins and a .904 save percentage in 28 games with the Langley Rivermen. He’ll hope to find a better match in the 2024 Draft, and is likely to decide where he’ll spend next season after then.

CHL| OHL| Players| Prospects| San Jose Sharks| USHL| WHL| Washington Capitals Brandon Svoboda| Brett Hyland| Cameron Allen| David Klee| Mason Beaupit| Patrick Thomas

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Offseason Checklist: Washington Capitals

May 29, 2024 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

The offseason has arrived for all but a handful of teams who are still taking part in the playoffs.  Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Washington.

The Capitals were able to pull off a late-season comeback to reach the postseason but they were quickly dispatched in a four-game sweep by the Rangers, ending their year on a low note.  Washington is a team that’s more or less stuck in the middle so GM Brian MacLellan will need to figure out how to get this team moving in a more concrete direction.  There are a couple of different paths to take obviously and their checklist will reflect both routes accordingly.

Examine Goalie Trade Options

This season was somewhat of a changing of the guard for Washington’s goaltenders.  Darcy Kuemper was signed to be the long-term starter while Charlie Lindgren was brought in during the 2022 offseason as a low-cost backup.  They flipped roles this year with Lindgren cementing himself as the starter while Kuemper struggled, landing in the second-string role as a result.

While both netminders are under contract for next season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see MacLellan try to shake things up.  However, the route they take – retool or rebuild – will indicate which netminder would be the right one to move.

If they’re looking to win now, they might want to look at the market for Kuemper to see if there’s a taker for a swap of underachieving goalies.  This could be an offseason that sees more musical chairs than usual this summer when it comes to goaltenders and there are a handful of teams with veterans who have multiple years left on their contracts with a price tag in the range of Kuemper’s $5.25MM.  Since Kuemper (who does have a 10-team no-trade list as of Saturday, down from 15) doesn’t have positive trade value on his own, perhaps taking a flyer on someone else in a swap of bad deals could help their situation between the pipes.

On the flip side, if they pivot to a rebuild, then the idea of moving Lindgren stands out.  Signing him to an extension now would carry some risks considering he’s coming off a career year but here’s a goalie who’s underpaid even by backup standards with a cap hit of just $1.1MM.  With one year left on that contract, he could have some decent trade value for a team looking for a low-cost option in goal.  With both Hunter Shepard and Clay Stevenson dominating at AHL Hershey, the Capitals could move forward with one of them splitting time with Kuemper or his replacement (they could look at the first swap idea in either route) and assess from there.

MacLellan suggested earlier this offseason that he’s planning as if both netminders will be back for next season.  He should at least be exploring what other options might be out there in the coming weeks.

Re-Sign McMichael

After taking care of Aliaksei Protas earlier in the season, the Capitals got one of their young forwards signed early.  They didn’t do that with Connor McMichael and therefore will need to get him signed over the next few months.

It has been an interesting first three years for the 2019 first-round pick.  McMichael held his own in his rookie year in a fourth-line role but then in 2022-23, he was dispatched back to the minors for most of the season where he had a chance to play the offensive role he’s more suited to, not to mention getting in a long playoff run with the Bears.  That helped propel him back to the NHL for this season and the 23-year-old was more impactful, notching 18 goals and 15 assists in 30 games while averaging just under 16 minutes a night.  That goal total was good for a tie for fourth, a pretty good outcome for someone who played all of six NHL games the year before.

Generally speaking, this is the type of player profile where it makes a lot of sense to do a bridge contract.  Here’s a player who only has a couple of years of NHL experience under his belt and likely hasn’t reached his offensive ceiling.  More often than not, a short-term second contract is a straightforward solution.  However, they gave Protas five years at $3.375MM per season with even less experience and less of a track record offensively and he would have been a logical bridge candidate as well.  That means the potential for McMichael to sign a longer-term agreement certainly is there.

If it winds up being a conventional bridge contract, it should check in somewhere around the $2MM range, perhaps slightly backloaded to guarantee a higher qualifying offer at the end.  That would also give them more money to work with if they’re looking to add to their roster this summer.  Conversely, a bridge contract that buys up some UFA time likely pushes past the $4MM mark.  If he develops as they hope, that would be a team-friendly pact before long but it would take away from their cap space this summer.  If they decide to retool though, they may look more favorably on a longer-term agreement as they won’t need as much cap space for next season so they can more comfortably pay more now to potentially save later.

Utilize LTIR

This time last year, Nicklas Backstrom had done relatively well finishing up 2022-23 after returning from hip resurfacing surgery and while his $9.2MM price tag was high for the role he could fill, he could still fill a role.  However, just eight games into the season, he shut it down, missing the rest of the season due to ongoing issues with his hip.  At this point, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll be able to return.  Accordingly, the Capitals can go into offseason LTIR and use that money either in free agency or on the trade front.

There’s also the potential for that number to go up.  T.J. Oshie has been playing through some significant back pain and mused about the potential of not trying to play through it next season given the issues it gives him in his day-to-day life.  If the determination is made that he won’t play either, that’s another $5.75MM that could be added to the LTIR pool.  Given the potential that he could return, it’s unlikely that money would be utilized this summer (it might be more of an in-season decision) but it’s something that will need to be considered.

Now, how they use LTIR will be influenced by their direction.  If they want to add win-now pieces, they can utilize it that way; we’ll get to some possible needs on that front shortly.  But if the focus is on the future, then they can try to become a broker and take on a contract along with some future assets to help in the long term.

How much they have to spend remains to be seen with Oshie’s situation.  But they will have LTIR at their disposal this summer if they want to use it.

Add Scoring Help

While this obviously is more of an issue if Washington is trying to push for another playoff spot next season, it’s an area that’s going to need to be addressed at some point.  It wasn’t that long ago that the Capitals were one of the higher-scoring teams in the NHL.  However, they only managed to finish 28th in that regard this season and with Backstrom likely not returning, Oshie’s status in jeopardy, and even long-time middleman Evgeny Kuznetsov now gone in a late-season trade, a good chunk of the previous core isn’t going to be around anymore.

This is something that Backstrom’s LTIR situation should help them with.  By the time they re-sign McMichael and their other free agents, they’re basically going to primarily have just Backstrom’s (and maybe Oshie’s) money to play with.

How should that money be spent?  They’re not in a spot where they need to be picky.  While Dylan Strome has fared rather well in his two seasons with the Caps, he’s not a true number one center in an ideal world.  McMichael still isn’t overly proven at the NHL level.  With Backstrom and Kuznetsov out of the picture, there’s a definite need to add an impact piece down the middle.  Ideally, that would be someone with some offensive creativity which could help unlock some of the sluggish scoring on the wing.

Speaking of that, the Capitals had just three wingers surpass the 15-goal mark last season.  One is Alex Ovechkin who overcame a terrible start to put up 31 tallies but age is catching up with him.  Another is Tom Wilson, a player who hasn’t reached 25 goals in a season in his career; he’s more of a secondary contributor from a points perspective.  The third was Anthony Mantha who put up 20 goals before being moved to Vegas a little before the trade deadline.  Suffice it to say, there’s a definite need for a scoring winger or two.

If MacLellan has any designs on trying to get back to the playoffs in 2024-25, he will need to find a way to add multiple impact point producers to this roster.  If the plan is to retool, they can push that down the road temporarily but it’s an area that will still need to be addressed sooner than later.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason Checklist 2024| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals| Washington Capitals

2 comments

Ryan Leonard Could Be Looking To Sign ELC Soon

May 27, 2024 at 9:47 am CDT | by Josh Cybulski 5 Comments

  • Sean Shapiro of EP Rinkside is reporting that if Boston College forward Will Smith signs his entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks as expected, it could create a ripple effect that might see his teammate Ryan Leonard move to sign his ELC as well. A report surfaced a few weeks ago that the Washington Capitals would re-engage in contract talks this summer with the 19-year-old in the hopes of having him turn pro, but now with the possibility of his teammate leaving the NCAA, it seems more likely that Leonard would move on as well. The Amherst, Massachusetts native had a terrific freshman year posting 31 goals and 29 assists in 41 games with the Eagles.

KHL| New York Islanders| Washington Capitals Cedric Paquette| Ryan Leonard

5 comments

Free Agent Focus: Washington Capitals

May 25, 2024 at 8:52 am CDT | by Josh Cybulski Leave a Comment

Free agency is now just a bit more than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Capitals.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Connor McMichael – Former first-round pick McMichael finally found consistent playing time and offensive success at the NHL level after bouncing back and forth between Hershey and Washington. Two years ago, the Ajax, Ontario native was a regular in the Capitals lineup, but last year he found himself back in Hershey. During the 2023-24 season, McMichael dressed in 80 NHL games tallying 18 goals and 15 assists while playing almost 16 minutes a night. The 23-year-old appears likely to start next season as the Capitals third line center and should receive a healthy bump in pay from the $832,500 he made this past year. Given his offensive breakout, it seems reasonable to guess that McMichael will find himself on a short bridge contract in the range of $2MM-$3MM per year.

F Beck Malenstyn – Malenstyn had a breakout season this past year dressing in 81 games while posting six goals and 15 assists. The 26-year-old was a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft and spent four years in the AHL with Hershey before finding full-time duty this season in Washington. Malenstyn might not have posted much in the way of offense, but he appeared to earn the trust of the Capitals coaching staff with his speed and work ethic. The Delta, British Columbia native started a whopping 92.2% of his shifts in the defensive zone (per Hockey Reference), a strikingly high number, especially for a younger player. As you might expect from that kind of deployment, Malenstyn posted terrible possession numbers with a CF% of 33.8% (per Hockey Reference).  Malenstyn figures to get a good bump from the $775K this past season as he is arbitration-eligible and could be looking at a salary that doubles what he took home last season.

Other RFAs: C Ethen Frank, G Mitchell Gibson, D Hardy Häman Aktell, F Alex Limoges, F Riley Sutter

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Max Pacioretty – The hope when Pacioretty signed with the Capitals was that he would get healthy and provide some offensive depth. While he suffered some serious setbacks, he did manage to dress in 47 games for Washington, his highest total since the 2020-21 season when he played 48 games. Pacioretty’s comeback was heroic after suffering back-to-back Achilles injuries, but his speed was badly diminished and he struggled at times to keep up with the pace of his counterparts. Pacioretty still managed to post four goals and 19 assists last year while collecting $2MM in salary and another $2MM in bonuses, however, his CF% fell to a career-low 46.9% at even strength. At 35, he will still find work in the NHL, but it likely won’t be with Washington given that the Capitals have so many younger (and faster) players pushing for NHL jobs.

F Nicolas Aubé-Kubel – The 28-year-old Aubé-Kubel had the second-best offensive season of his career this past year with six goals and 10 assists in 60 games while playing a career-high 12:12 per game. On the surface, it looks like a terrific season for the Slave Lake, Alberta native, but his increase in ice time was largely due to the Capitals’ injury struggles and his extra playing time was more of a necessity than anything else. Aubé-Kubel’s underlying numbers fell to a career-low as his CF% was just 43.4% and his FF% fell to 42.5% (per Hockey Reference). While he performed better than his fellow fourth-liners it seems highly unlikely that the Capitals will look to extend Aubé-Kubel and may opt to chase a replacement in free agency or find an internal one.

F Matthew Phillips – Phillips has been a solid AHL scorer for several seasons and finally got an extended look in the NHL this past year. It didn’t go as hoped for the 26-year-old as he posted just a goal and four assists in 31 games while being claimed off waivers twice. Phillips is in a unique position as a Group 6 UFA (meaning he is 25 years or older and has completed three or more professional seasons in which he’s played one or more professional games). At 5’8” and just 160 lbs, Phillips is very undersized by NHL standards, however, teams will be intrigued by his offensive skill and will likely offer him a two-way contract at the NHL minimum, with a healthy downside salary at the AHL level.

Other UFAs: D Lucas Johansen, D Chase Priskie, F Joe Snively

Projected Cap Space

The Capitals will head into the summer with around $6.7MM in cap space but could have upwards of $16MM depending on the status of center Nicklas Bäckström who appears likely to remain on LTIR for the remainder of his contract. The Capitals could also explore a trade for goaltender Darcy Kuemper who carries a $5.25MM cap hit for three more seasons, although that might be a tough task given his struggles last season. Up front, the Capitals have some holes to fill, particularly at center. Given his recent history, it seems likely that general manager Brian MacLellan will explore a short-term deal for a veteran or take a chance on a bounce-back candidate as they did with Dylan Strome in the summer of 2022. The Capitals could also be in the market for a depth defenseman as they have some uncertainty on the backend with Trevor van Riemsdyk’s struggles. A versatile veteran, van Riemsdyk can play on both sides of the ice, but adding another blueliner would give Washington some options heading into next season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Free Agent Focus 2024| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals| Washington Capitals

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Capitals Invite Ryan McGuire To Development Camp

May 23, 2024 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

  • The Capitals have invited center Ryan McGuire to development camp this summer, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 21-year-old had a strong junior year at Colgate, notching 14 goals and 12 assists in 34 games but has elected to transfer to Northeastern next season.

Boston Bruins| Florida Panthers| New Jersey Devils| San Jose Sharks| Washington Capitals Brad Marchand| Kyle Okposo| Ryan McGuire| Ryan Warsofsky

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