Opinion: Capitals Might Take Relaxed Approach to Free Agency

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NHL

Opinion: Capitals Might Take Relaxed Approach to Free Agency

Free agency begins July 1 and it seems less daunting than it did before. With John Carlson signed to a new eight-year contract, the Washington Capitals aren’t looking to make big moves. Signing one of the best defensemen in the league last year was the big move.

Coming off a Stanley Cup win could mean a lot of turnover in the team if there isn’t enough cap space remaining. Certain players, while incredible assets, wouldn’t be able to stay. Capitals extended core players T.J. Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Dmitry Orlov last season, leaving less room for questions this year.

The Brooks Orpik and Philipp Grubauer trade to the Colorado Avalanche facilitated the Carlson re-signing. The Capitals were left with $13 million after that deal was inked. The players were calling for back-to-back Stanley Cup wins for Washington during the championship parade and that $13 million should be enough to give them them chance.

Roster Holes

So, those two pieces the Caps just traded? They should probably address that.

The Capitals were graced with two starting goaltenders until Grubauer was traded. Pheonix Copley will be Holtby’s backup for the 2018-19 season if the Capitals choose not to make any more trades or signings. Copley has played just two NHL games in his career and posted a .829 save percentage in 41 AHL games last season. If the Capitals are looking to make another deep Stanley Cup run, they’re going to need another backup.

More blue-liners are never a bad thing. As of this writing, it is unclear where Jakub Jerabek will be starting next season. While his contract is small and could easily be extended, he didn’t have the same, easy fit that Michal Kempny did. The Capitals are going to need a stronger left-handed defenseman to fill in on the third pairing.

The hole that Brooks Orpik left could be filled by… Brooks Orpik. The Avalanche placed him on unconditional waivers to buy out his contract and Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan stated that he would be open to bringing him back. Not only could the Caps get a defenseman that they know works for the team, but they could get him at a lower cost than his previous contract.

Adding and Subtracting

The Capitals won’t add anyone new to their roster unless the contract carries a cap hit under $1 million. Pushing for another big name like John Tavares or Max Pacioretty would put the Caps in a future bind they can’t accept. They have to look ahead to 2020-21, when both Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby will enter free agency.

The focus will be on the remaining restricted and unrestricted free agents. Kempny will be the next priority and has already been offered a multi-year deal. It was impossible to predict what Kempny would be able to do for the Capitals before the trade deadline, but he has grown since coming to Washington. According to Carlson, “About two to three weeks after the deadline, we started evolving ourselves and getting better as a team and that was kind of the same point he started getting comfortable.”

Restricted free agents Tom Wilson and Devante Smith-Pelly will follow Kempny. Wilson will receive a raise after transitioning to a top-line player during the 2017-18 season. He has taken on more responsibility and management may be cultivating that leadership they’re seeing in him. Smith-Pelly proved he is a “playoff player,” scoring only seven goals during 75 regular season games, but another seven in 24 playoff games. While another decline in production is possible, his speed will help the Capitals get the puck to the net.

There’s still a chance that unrestricted free agent Jay Beagle will return to the team. Until more contracts settle, it’s hard to tell. Other centers could replace him for less money, but the team would miss his consistent faceoff percentage. Beagle led the team with over 50 percent for the last three seasons. His highest was 58.5 percent during the past season.

All things considered? The Capitals look pretty good.