Sammi's Offseason Notebook: Capitals Updates, Cristall & Lineup Questions, What Else Is Coming Ahead Of Camp
Some musings on the Capitals amid the ongoing dog days of summer.
LAS VEGAS — Probably no reason for the dateline. Well, no reason for the dateline except I’m keeping track of my travels, and — hey, this is my Washington Capitals notebook, right?
Greetings from Las Vegas. Celebrating my mom — who inspired my career — and her birthday here in Sin City. It was just over a year ago that I came here for the first time to cover the NHL Awards in person, a dream I never thought I’d accomplish.
So, it’s pretty special to be back and get some vacation in before we start heading back to the rink. But as is my nature, I’m not taking a break from writing, and though content’s slow right now with it being the summer, there’s still quite a bit to cover.
That being said, let’s get into my thoughts on the Capitals and a look at the upcoming campaign.
Washington Capitals Thoughts & Headlines
It’s been quiet. It’s not for a lack of trying; general manager Chris Patrick did what he could to try and bring in some big names this summer, and that’s not just counting Nikolaj Ehlers.
Still, don’t expect the Capitals to bring in a name just to bring in a name; there are several prospects gunning for spots and Justin Sourdif is expected to play NHL minutes, so another free agent addition doesn’t seem likely.
The next few weeks will be massive for Hendrix Lapierre, who inked a one-year, $850,000 bridge deal this summer. It seemingly is the final year for him to prove he’s a full-time NHLer, and there’s certainly room for him on the roster if he can come into camp and show what he can do.
The other fact of the matter is that he’s no longer waiver exempt, meaning if he doesn’t make the cut out of camp, he could be in for a change of scenery if another team picks him up.
That being said, Lapierre faces stiff competition, with Connor McMichael basically a lock at 3C, and on the wing, several players in the running for those vacancies with Sonny Milano attempting a comeback, Andrew Cristall likely being given ample opportunity to make the team and Ivan Miroshnichenko wanting to show he can finally win a full-time role up at the highest level.
If I had to make predictions today, I feel like Lapierre makes the roster at the least as an extra, but needs to kick things into higher gear at camp if he wants to be in the lineup for opening night. I think Cristall makes the roster out of camp and gets a few games to show what he can do at the highest level before Spencer Carbery has to decide whether or not to return him to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
A dark horse candidate to keep an eye on: Henrik Rybinski. He re-signed with the Capitals this summer and has put in the work to elevate his game, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Also, keep an eye on Cam Allen; the defensive prospect is making the pro jump this season after wrapping up his OHL career, and he’s been doing what he can to learn from his past mistakes.
Speaking of prospects to watch, Clay Stevenson should be exciting to see in goal this season, with him assuming the starting role in Hershey and no longer having to share the crease with Hunter Shepard. Also, look for Antoine Keller to try and make noise as he goes pro in North America this season.
A couple of the Capitals have returned for the start of informal skates, and more are expected to return to the D.C. area in the coming weeks.
Alex Ovechkin is still preparing for the upcoming season back home in Russia and is in the midst of a busy week, where he signed a three-year deal with Yandex and is set to have a documentary film or television series made about his career.
Over at The Hockey News, in the midst of the dog days of summer, I’m highlighting some pieces from the archives and going back in time to the early days of the Caps — check it out, some really neat pieces in there.