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Washington Capitals Will “Probably” Make Trade Before Season Begins

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The Washington Capitals currently project to be only slightly over the $81.5MM salary cap with a 23-man roster, meaning they could place a couple of players on waivers before the start of the season to become compliant. The team has been right up against the cap ceiling for a few years and have been forced to carry fewer than the maximum 23 players for various stretches. That might not be the answer this time around though, as GM Brian MacLellan explained to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com:

I think we’ll probably have to move someone. Injuries and all the stuff that happens in training camp and exhibition season probably dictates it a little bit, but we’re going to be patient. We’re not in a rush. We’ll wait and let it play itself out.

When MacLellan says “move someone,” he means a trade that would open up some cap space for the Capitals, though it’s not clear who he is considering at this time. The team had to watch Brett Connolly leave as an unrestricted free agent this summer after he priced himself out of their market with a 22-goal season, but brought in names like Richard Panik, Brendan Leipsic and Garnet Hathaway to provide some more bottom-six depth. The team also traded away Andre Burakovsky since his $3MM qualifying offer was going to be too expensive for them, which leaves few obvious choices as players to trade after training camp.

After scoring just 13 goals last season some may point to Lars Eller and his $3.5MM cap hit for the next four years as a candidate to move, but the Capitals have relied heavily on the center to support the more offensive play styles of Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Depth down the middle has been a strength for the Capitals over the last several seasons, and moving Eller would open up quite a few questions heading into the season.

Perhaps a move from defense could be made, if the team believes that Christian Djoos and Jonas Siegenthaler can both play full-time roles on the blueline this season and contribute more than they have. Radko Gudas was acquired in a previous trade but has just one year remaining on his current deal. That deal costs the Capitals just $2.345MM against the cap however after the Philadelphia Flyers agreed to retain a portion of it, making Gudas very reasonably priced for the impact he can make.

That may be why MacLellan is preaching patience when it comes to the trade, not sure himself who he would move if he was forced into it. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in training camp for the Capitals, and whether or not it does “play itself out.”

Snapshots: Werenski, Kempny, Pominville

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Despite all that has happened over the past few month, Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has no regrets. He tells ESPN’s Greg Wyshysnki that the team’s decision to go “all in” at the trade deadline, holding on to Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky and acquiring Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, was a “calculated risk”. Even though all four have departed this summer via free agency, Kekalainen made his best effort to retain them and isn’t doing to dwell on the players’ decisions not to return. Instead, the bold executive is focused only on the coming season. Kekalainen answered Wyshynski confidently about a number of issues facing his team entering 2019-20, but paid extra attention to the stalled contract talks with RFA defenseman Zach Werenski:

The real frustration for me [is when it] drags on into training camp, because that’s a time for ‘team’… They start preparing and jelling and building that chemistry that we need as a team. When it goes to training camp time, it takes away from that preparation. It takes away from the team. That’s what I’m concerned about. And that’s where we’ve drawn the hard line before: We don’t believe in taking that preparation time away from the team. We think it should be resolved before the team gets together and gets ready for the season.

It seems that the Blue Jackets and Werenski are no closer to a resolution in contract talks and it is starting to impact the GM. With so much talent leaving Columbus this off-season and very few new faces arriving, Columbus needs their leaders and core players in training camp to get ready for what will likely be a more challenging season. Werenski is one of those key players and Kekalainen is clearly doing all that he can to get the talented young blue liner back under contract as soon as possible. As training camp draws closer, the question will be whether the Blue Jackets cave to Werenski’s demands to ensure that their valuable “preparation” is not adversely affected.

  • The division rival Washington Capitals may also be without a key defenseman in training camp and perhaps longer. Michal Kempny is still working his way back from a season-ending hamstring injury and The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir writes that there is no clear timeline for his return. Fortunately, after a summer spent rehabbing at home in the Czech Republic, Kempny has resumed skating back in D.C. and is working one-on-one with Capitals strength coach Mark Nemish. Kempny hopes to be ready for training camp, but truly has his sights set on simply being at full strength for the team’s regular season debut. “I’m getting there,” Kempny said, “I’m not 100 percent yet, for sure. I still need some time. If I’m going to make the (start of) training camp, that’s going to be great. But we’ll see… My goal is to be ready for the season.”
  • At one point this off-season, veteran forward Jason Pominville was also hoping to see another opening night of NHL action, but as the summer has drawn on without much interest in the free agent, his mindset has shifted. Pominville explained to NHL.com that he is “fine with the way things ended” last season, if it was indeed the end of his playing career. The 36-year-old returned to the Buffalo Sabres two years ago, re-joining the team with which he spent the first nine years of his now 15-year NHL career, and proved that he could still be a contributor, posting back-to-back 30+ point seasons and taking on an important role in the locker room. Pominville hoped that he could return to Buffalo for another season, but since that seems like a longshot, he’s content to stay in the city and not move his family, even if that means hanging up his skates.

Free Agent Profile: Marc Methot

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It doesn’t seem that long ago that Marc Methot was considered to be a high-end shutdown defenseman. Actually, it was just two years ago when the veteran was with the Ottawa Senators, that he averaged just short of 19 minutes per game for eight straight seasons. However, after signing a four-year, $19.6MM extension to remain in Ottawa in 2015, the Senators choose to expose his contract in the Vegas expansion draft and the defense-greedy Golden Knights opted to grab him, immediately flipping him to Dallas for a prospect and a 2020 second-round pick.

Unfortunately, the Stars didn’t capitalize on Methot’s impressive defensive play as he struggled with injuries in his two years in Dallas. In those two years, he has appeared in just 45 games and only nine of them came in the 2018-19 season. In fact, the knee injury that sidelined Methot for most of the season last year, could keep him out even longer than people had expected.

Having hit free agency this year at age 34, TSN reported in July that Methot might not be ready for the 2019-20 season at all due to the knee surgery that he underwent in January. However, despite the injuries, he still was a valuable commodity when he was on the ice with his defensive play and ability to play physically and provide key hits during the game.

Potential Suitors

The most obvious suitor could be retirement depending on how Methot’s knee responds from his surgery. TSN’s Shawn Simpson reported last month that Methot has started skating, which could increase his suitors if he can prove he is ready to return to the ice. If his knee can hold up, he could provide key depth on any team’s defense as a shutdown third-pairing defenseman, which plenty of teams would need.

A reunion in either Ottawa or Columbus might make sense, but Ottawa has already added a number of veterans to its defensive core, including Ron Hainsey and with a number of young blueliners waiting to get playing time, he might not be a good fit with his hometown. However, Methot could find a way there. In Columbus, the team is likely set on defense, but one injury could change that and a coach like John Tortorella would appreciate a defensive-minded veteran.

The New Jersey Devils are a team that could be interested in Methot as he might provide a good fit at the bottom of their lineup. There are plenty of other teams that might still need some depth on their defense such as the Anaheim Ducks, Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals. However, much of who might be interested in Methot, may be determined by team injuries and their needs.

Projected Contract

Methot’s situation might require him to wait to sign a contract until he can prove that he’s healthy and can really contribute to an NHL team, meaning he might have to wait until well into the 2019-20 season before signing a deal. Once he can prove he’s healthy, assuming he can and doesn’t opt to retire instead, Methot will likely have to settle for a minimum-salaried deal and prove his value to the team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lars Eller Fully Recovered From Lower-Body Injury That Caused Him To Withdraw From Worlds

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  • Lars Eller’s lower-body injury that took him out of the World Championships early in the tournament won’t prevent him from being ready for training camp. The Capitals center told NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan that he has now fully recovered following a long rest period.  He also denied a report that was floating around at the time of the Worlds that said he was only going to play three games no matter what; he clarified that the injury (one that he hoped would only take a couple of weeks to rehab so that he could play for Denmark) was what took him out of the tournament prematurely.

Evgeny Kuznetsov Receives IIHF Suspension

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Washington Capitals forward has received a four-year suspension from the IIHF, banning him from all international hockey competitions due to a positive test for cocaine at the recent World Championships. Earlier this summer, a separate video was circulated which showed Kuznetsov in a hotel room beside an unidentified white powdered substance, but after denying he ever took illegal drugs and stating that the video was from 2018, he was cleared by the NHL. In light of this news, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has released this statement:

We have been fully briefed by the IIHF with respect to the positive test result and related international sanction that has been imposed on Washington Capitals’ Player Evgeny Kuznetsov.

Unlike the IIHF, cocaine is not considered a performance enhancing drug and is therefore not a Prohibited Substance under the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.  Instead, it is considered a drug of abuse that is tested for and for which intervention, evaluation and mandatory treatment can occur in appropriate cases.

Here, we understand that Mr. Kuznetsov has voluntarily sought help through the education and counseling program provided for in the NHL and NHLPA collective bargaining agreement and has agreed to a regular testing protocol relating to his involvement with that program.

Mr. Kuznetsov has also agreed to an in-person meeting with Commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss his situation and review his conduct prior to the start of Training Camp preceding the 2019-20 season. We intend to reserve further comment on any additional actions that may or may not be taken with respect to today’s announcement (disciplinary or otherwise) pending the completion of the Commissioner’s meeting with Mr. Kuznetsov.

Kuznetsov has not been suspended by the NHL and as of this moment is currently still able to take part in training camp next month. The team released a statement on this issue:

We are aware of the positive test result and related international sanction that has been imposed on Evgeny Kuznetsov. We are disappointed with this development and take this occurrence seriously. We understand that Evgeny has voluntarily sought help through the education and counseling program provided for in the NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement and has agreed to a regular testing protocol relating to his involvement with that program. In addition, we are committed to ensuring he has the necessary support required to work through this situation. We will remain in contact with the NHL as they determine the next steps. Because of the sensitive nature surrounding this matter, there will be no further comment from us at this time.

Kuznetsov himself also released a statement through the team, explaining that he will accept the four-year suspension.

Recently, the IIHF notified me that, due to a positive test for a banned substance, I would be suspended from international competition for four years. I have made the decision to accept this penalty. Representing my country has always been so close to my heart and something I take so much pride in. Not being able to put that sweater on for four years is very hard to take. I have disappointed so many people that are important to me, including my family, teammates and friends. From the first day I took the ice in D.C., the Washington Capitals organization and our fans have been nothing but great to me and my family. I feel absolutely terrible for letting you down. I realize that the only way I can win you back is to take ownership of my situation and my actions from this point forward.

Dmitrij Jaskin Signs In KHL

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Thursday: Dynamo Moscow has officially announced the contract, bringing Jaskin back to Russia for the 2019-20 season.

Wednesday: The Washington Capitals decided not to issue a qualifying offer to Dmitrij Jaskin at the end of the season, making him an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team he chooses. It now looks like that choice won’t be in the NHL, as Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Dynamo Moscow of the KHL have acquired Jaskin’s rights and are expected to sign him to a one-year contract.

Jaskin, 26, ended up playing just 37 games for the Capitals last season and found himself out of the playoff lineup altogether. Head coach Todd Reirden voiced his displeasure with the forward’s play at points, explaining a healthy scratch by pointing to his lack of versatility. It’s that lack of versatility that may have ended Jaskin’s NHL career for now.

Originally selected in the second round of the 2011 draft, it quickly looked as though the St. Louis Blues may have found a steal after Jaskin took the QMJHL by storm in 2012-23. Scoring 46 goals and 99 points in 51 games, he showed off a power forward ceiling that had scouts drooling. Unfortunately that kind of offensive opportunity rarely presented itself as he was trying to break into the NHL, and Jaskin didn’t seem to fit properly in the bottom-six. After several relatively disappointing seasons with the Blues, he was nabbed off waivers in October of 2018.

In Russia, perhaps he’ll get that chance to reclaim his place as a top offensive player beside talent like Vadim Shipachyov. There’s still lots of time to get his career back on track and an NHL return may not be out of the cards at some point.

Capitals To Start Backstrom, Holtby Negotiations Next Month

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The Washington Capitals have been busy this offseason trying to find a way to improve their roster on the fringes without much financial flexibility. After signing core players like Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie, Dmitry Orlov, Tom Wilson and John Carlson to long-term contracts over the last few years the team has very little cap space to play with. Still, they found a way to fit a new contract for Jakub Vrana into the mix while adding players like Richard Panik for relatively little cost. Now with their group essentially set for the regular season, attention will have to turn to two other key members of the squad who are on expiring deals.

Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby, arguably the two most important players to the franchise other that Alex Ovechkin over the last decade, are both entering their final years before unrestricted free agency. Speaking with Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan explained that the team will be opening discussions with both players in early September before training camp begins. While that doesn’t mean deals will immediately get completed, Gulitti did point out that MacLellan didn’t rule out signing at least one of them before the season begins in October.

Though Backstrom has been somewhat in Ovechkin’s shadow his entire career, there is little doubt that he has been one of the very best players in the game since entering the league in 2007. Over his 895-game career, the 31-year old Swede has 873 points and received votes for the Selke Trophy as one of the league’s best defensive forwards nine different times. What Ovechkin brings every night in a goal scoring role, Backstrom has delivered through his deft playmaking, recording at least 50 assists in nine different seasons. His career-high came in 2009-10 when he put up 101 points including 66 at even-strength.

There is a case to be made that Backstrom will be Hall of Fame worthy when he finally hangs up his skates, something that would be even more meaningful if he plays his entire career with the Capitals. Currently carrying a $6.7MM cap hit however, he would likely need a raise on any extension.

Holtby on the other hand is in a bit of a different situation. The 29-year old goaltender has been outstanding over his nine-year career with the capitals, posting a single season save percentage under .911 just once throughout. A finalist for the Vezina Trophy in back-to-back seasons he took home the award in 2016 when he went 48-9-7 for the Capitals. Holtby already has more than 250 wins in his career and will climb into the top-50 all-time in that category this season. He too would surely welcome the chance to stay in Washington, but given the contract that Sergei Bobrovsky just secured on the open market one has to wonder whether the Capitals will be able to fit him in.

Seven years and $70MM took Bobrovsky—who is almost exactly a year older than Holtby, meaning they would be hitting the open market at the same age—to the Florida Panthers and set the market for the Capitals netminder. With Washington grooming top prospect Ilya Samsonov as a future NHL starter it might not make sense to make that kind of commitment to Holtby. Still, perhaps the veteran goaltender would welcome a short-term deal in order to stay in Washington and continue to compete at the highest level. There’s no telling when Samsonov will be ready to take over (if ever), given his extremely limited sample in North America.

The Capitals do have a fair amount of money to use next season but have to consider that Ovechkin himself is only two years away from unrestricted free agency. When talks start with Holtby and Backstrom the team will get a better idea of where they stand and whether or not they are even in the same ballpark.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

T.J. Oshie Fully Cleared To Skate Following Collarbone Injury

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The Capitals will have T.J. Oshie back and ready for next season.  After a broken collarbone ended his postseason prematurely, the winger told reporters including J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington that he has fully recovered and will be ready for training camp.  He also suggested that there would have been a chance that he could have suited up in the Stanley Cup Final if Washington would have made it there.  The 32-year-old was on pace for a 30-goal season last year and with the team losing some of its secondary scoring with the departures of Brett Connolly (free agency) and Andre Burakovsky (trade), they’ll be counting on Oshie to produce at a similar level this season.

Snapshots: 2020 Draft, Williams, Capitals

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The 2020 draft is shaping up to have some incredible talents available, and Craig Button of TSN shared some of his thoughts on the most impressive young players today. In fact, Button believes that there are six different players who could all challenge for first overall, a spot that has had Alexis Lafreniere penciled in for years. Button lists Hendrix Lapierre, Quinton Byfield, Cole Perfetti, Lucas Raymond and Yaroslav Askarov as the other top prospects and reveals some of his scouting takes on each one.

Not surprisingly, that group were some of the standouts at the recent Hlinka-Gretzky tournament that ended in a gold medal for Team Russia. Askaraov, the young Russian goaltender who has been dubbed the next great net prospect, stood on his head in the gold medal game leading Russia to a 3-2 victory despite being outshot 37-13. With so much talent at the top of the draft you can bet bubble teams will be hesitant to give up first round picks that could give them a chance at the draft lottery next year.

  • Justin Williams still hasn’t decided whether he is coming back for another season, GM Don Waddell explained to reporters today including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. Williams came second to Joe Thornton in our recent poll about veteran free agents and would be a big addition if he decides to return for the Carolina Hurricanes this season. The 37-year old scored 23 goals and 53 points last season and was his usual excellent self in the postseason.
  • With several NCAA players about to become unrestricted free agents, Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic gives us updates on the two that currently belong to the Washington Capitals. Chase Priskie was never expected to sign, but Steven Spinner will also not get a contract and will become a UFA at the end of the week. Spinner played four seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha but saw his offense completely dry up in 2018-19 when he scored just four points in 29 games. He still received a tryout with the Hershey Bears at the end of the year, but won’t be getting an NHL contract.

2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Fifth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended.  For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now.  Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2nd Overall: Jamie Benn, Philadelphia Flyers (129)
3rd Overall: P.K. Subban, Phoenix Coyotes (43)
4th Overall: Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings (9)

After seeing the second and third picks going to players that weren’t even picked in the first round, Couture’s bump is only a small one from the ninth slot but it’s certainly a well-deserved one as he has emerged from one of the top scorers from this draft class.

Interestingly enough, Couture didn’t exactly get off to a great start.  His post-draft year was underwhelming as his production dipped by 20 points while he failed to show much progression in his development.  That took him off the radar of making the big club for the following year and it turned out that one more year in junior was great for him.  His production jumped back to a level where it should be for a top prospect in his second post-draft year and with his team being ousted from the playoffs early, he was able to get a head start on his pro career, joining AHL Worcester for their postseason.

That experience certainly made a difference as in 2009-10, his first full pro campaign, he averaged well over a point-per-game with the Baby Sharks and earned two stints with the big club.  The second came about a month before the playoffs and Couture was there to stay.

While his offensive numbers weren’t eye-popping in that first year, Couture made a big leap in his first full NHL season with 32 goals and 24 assists in 79 games.  Since then, he has been the model of consistency, ranging between 0.69 and 0.86 points per game in the eight seasons since then on his way to becoming the fourth-leading point-getter in this draft class.  The high mark actually came in 2018-19.  Even more impressive is that Couture has been more productive in the playoffs over the years relative to his regular season production which is something that can’t be said for a lot of players.  He’s entrenched as a core piece in San Jose and it’s hard to imagine they’re not anything but thrilled with how his selection turned out.

Let’s shift our attention to the next pick now which was held by the Washington Capitals.  A decade ago, stay-at-home defensemen were still in demand and Washington opted to go in that direction with the selection of Karl Alzner from Kelowna.  While he had shown some offensive upside in his draft year, his ceiling was viewed as a shutdown defender.

For the most part, he has lived up to that reputation as he logged an average of over 20 minutes a night over parts of nine seasons with the Capitals which isn’t necessarily a bad outcome from a first-round selection.

Things haven’t gone quite as well since he left to go to Montreal, however.  He has not adapted well to the requirements for a defender in the current NHL which prioritize mobility and puck-moving skills.  While the Canadiens played him in every game in 2017-18, he saw just nine games of NHL action last season and cleared waivers twice.  With three years left on his contract with a $4.625MM AAV, his contract is going to be an anchor on Montreal’s books for a while.  Needless to say, Alzner worked out a whole lot better for the Capitals than he has for the Canadiens and he currently sits tenth in games played from this draft class.

With the fifth pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Washington Capitals select?  Cast your vote below!

2007 Redraft: Fifth Overall
Max Pacioretty 26.80% (380 votes)
Jakub Voracek 25.04% (355 votes)
Ryan McDonagh 17.14% (243 votes)
James van Riemsdyk 9.73% (138 votes)
Wayne Simmonds 4.87% (69 votes)
Kevin Shattenkirk 2.75% (39 votes)
Jake Muzzin 1.83% (26 votes)
Mikael Backlund 1.48% (21 votes)
Kyle Turris 1.48% (21 votes)
Evgenii Dadonov 1.41% (20 votes)
Karl Alzner 1.06% (15 votes)
David Perron 0.78% (11 votes)
Carl Hagelin 0.63% (9 votes)
Patrick Maroon 0.63% (9 votes)
Alex Killorn 0.63% (9 votes)
Lars Eller 0.63% (9 votes)
Sam Gagner 0.49% (7 votes)
Alec Martinez 0.42% (6 votes)
Carl Gunnarsson 0.28% (4 votes)
Nick Bonino 0.28% (4 votes)
Robert Bortuzzo 0.28% (4 votes)
Ian Cole 0.28% (4 votes)
Brandon Sutter 0.21% (3 votes)
Thomas Hickey 0.21% (3 votes)
Justin Braun 0.14% (2 votes)
Riley Nash 0.14% (2 votes)
Brendan Smith 0.14% (2 votes)
Paul Byron 0.14% (2 votes)
Colton Sceviour 0.07% (1 votes)
Total Votes: 1,418

[Mobile users, click here to vote]

*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL. He has not been included in this vote.

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