Capitals Mailbag: Lineup & Player Questions, PTO & Trade Possibilities, Underrated Prospects
We answer some of your burning Capitals questions in our latest mailbag.
The Washington Capitals are getting closer to the start of the 2025-26 season, with several players already making their way back to the area for informal skates and others getting on and off-ice work in to prep for training camp.
That said, there are still some questions surrounding the roster, and some time before things officially get underway.
So, I opened up the Capitals Mailbag, where I’ll answer some of your burning questions with some time to go.
Editor’s Note: Questions have been updated for length and clarity.
@autano34 — Will the Capitals sign a veteran to a PTO for training camp?
I don’t think so. Washington’s been vocal about injecting more youth into the lineup and, instead of signing a free agent just for the sake of signing a free agent, relying on prospects to step up and fill the vacancies on the roster.
The Capitals have Andrew Cristall and Ivan Miroshnichenko eager to make the NHL roster, and Sonny Milano is also working toward his comeback. Connor McMichael has also expressed his desire to play center, and Hendrix Lapierre is also aiming to show that he can be a 3C at the highest level and win that job back.
Don’t sleep on Henrik Rybinski and Bogdan Trineyev, either.
That said, there’s not really space to bring in someone on a PTO, and not really a reason to right now. If the prospect path doesn’t work out, the team can reassess with a pre-deadline or deadline move, as was the case last season with Lars Eller.
@2jandk — Will the Capitals make a pre-deadline trade, and what would it look like?
As I mentioned above somewhat, I could see Washington making a move for a forward if their prospects aren’t able to maintain consistency or add stability on the bottom-6, and if McMichael is better served on the top-6. At the same time, it depends what names are out there.
@below_avgcaps — Who is the most underrated/slept on prospect the Capitals have in the system?
Honestly, there are two that come to mind: I don’t think that Eriks Mateiko and Petr Sikora get the credit they deserve and are going to be two great steals down the line.
Mateiko, who comes in at 6-foot-6, is a power forward who has no problem making space for himself, battles hard and has great hands and a high hockey IQ. Juset look at the noise he made for Latvia at the World Juniors. I see him taking a similar path to Aliaksei Protas.
Meanwhile, Sikora’s a beast on the forecheck and a great two-way player already playing against grown men in Czechia. He takes good care of the puck and battles hard, and he loves to score. The 19-year-old isn’t fun to go up against, and last season playing at World Juniors, he made an enemy out of Canada while putting up seven points in seven games. He also had 19 points in 21 total international games with the Czechia U20 team.
@germantownrunner — Will Martin Fehervary be ready to go for the start of the season?
Fehervary recently spoke to Slovak media and said he’s still dealing with inflammation in his knee, and as a result, hasn’t been able to get back on the ice as soon as he’d hoped. Still, he is returning to the States in the coming days and expects to be ready for the start of the season.
I have more on him at The Hockey News.
@KellyTa4402694 — Your take on the Capitals’ power play?
This is a spambot, but I’m still thrilled to discuss the Capitals’ power-play plans. I expect that PP1 will look similar to start the season, but I do think we’ll see more utilization of that second unit with more youth joining the mix and the team preparing for the post-Alex Ovechkin era.
Expect more Ryan Leonard and potentially, if he makes the team (which I expect him to), some Andrew Cristall.