Washington actively started the NHL offseason. What do the big changes for the club mean?
Dmitry Storozhev July 1, 2024, 13:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
It seems like the capital is firmly committed to making the playoffs, and if they don’t make it they will consider themselves more critical than they might be this year.
“We hope to act aggressively in the coming weeks. “We continue to strive to do more in both the free agent market and the trade market, and we will try to improve our roster,” Washington general manager Brian McLellan said recently.
These words came after a blockbuster trade with Los Angeles: Capital took center forward Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Kings, in exchange sending goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper to California, who last season completely lost the competition to the younger and lower-paid Charlie Lindgren.
And literally the day after McLellan made his statement, the Capitals made two more fairly high-profile transactions: Andrew Mangiapane was acquired from Calgary for a second-round pick in the 2025 draft, and two more picks were spent on Vegas goaltender Thompson. The only player besides Kuemper that Washington has parted ways with in recent days is forward Beck Malensteen, who was shipped to Buffalo shortly before the start of the draft.
We can already say that the representatives of the American capital, who were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup, have become stronger compared to the previous season: the Caps closed the issue of center forwards for the top 6, which was one of the keys after the break of Nicklas Bäckström and the departure of Evgeniy Kuznetsov, joining Dylan Strome DuBois. It’s still too early to give up on the 26-year-old Canadian, although he failed in his season with the Kings and, in his own words, eagerly accepted the fact of being transferred to Washington, probably at least playing. on the team he followed as a child (?) can make him see reason.
More on the Dubois trade:
Will Ovechkin get a new center forward? The main thing about Washington’s big trade
In Mangiapane, the Capitals acquired an excellent addition to their top wingers that ultimately wasn’t Max Pacioretty. Andrew is worth waiting for even on the first line: the Ovechkin-Strome-Mangiapane trio looks quite promising on paper, although in combination with the conditional Dubois in the second combination, Andrew can also be effective, while the presence of him there it will give greater balance to the team. Today, Mangiapane is Washington’s best option on the flank (and on any flank), of course, after Alexander Ovechkin, and he is also a very good option for a special minority team, which is no less important to the light of the departure of the team from the capital. The main penalty killer among forwards Malenstina.
The transfer of Logan Thompson can also be considered excellent for the Capitals: for a relatively small fee, Washington received a good goaltender to play the backup role for Lindgren (with potential for very high competition – Edin Hill won’t let you lie), and even with a minimum salary cap – $ 766 thousand, nothing compared to what Kemper, who sat firmly on the bench, “ate.”
But that’s not all the work the Capitals have to do this offseason: After placing Bäckstrom on the long-term injured list, the Capitals have just over $6 million in cap space. Some of that amount will be used to re-sign restricted free agent Connor McMichael, who received a qualifying offer, but the amount of money available could be even higher, at least given the uncertainty with TJ Oshie, who continues to deal with back issues. It’s not out of the question that he could end up on LTIR as well, which would free up another $5.75 million.
TJ Oshie
Photo: Tom Brenner/AP Photo/TASS
Washington plans to enter the free agent market in search of a top defenseman, and McLellan told the media that the signing could be expensive and high-profile. This clearly implies the inevitability of “exit” exchanges: for such a deal, the capital will definitely need to part with someone, and it is very likely that the choice will fall on one of the defensive players, because at the moment the team’s defensive corps has one-way contracts and has seven people.
Capital fans should expect further reinforcements in attack: here, unlike the defensive line, the Club has many more options available in the farm club, however, the general manager did not rule out that the team could replenish the squad by inviting a player with laterals.
The seriousness of Washington’s intentions to explore the market for suitable options is evidenced by the fact that the entire management team of the club remained in Las Vegas after the end of the draft: the management, headed by McLellan, did not want to spend a single cent on all-day flights during the peak period of off-season competition.
What options will the capital and other NHL clubs have on the market?
League legends and championship-winning goal scorer: Top 10 NHL unrestricted free agents
Such ambitions indicate that the Capitals are determined to build a team that is a contender for the playoffs. And if last season they managed to get to the Stanley Cup despite themselves and literally at the last moment, this time the “capitals” want to do without problems and take the initiative into their own hands.
