How The Capitals Plan To Fill Empty Spots & Line Up For Training Camp
After trying to go big and missing out, the Washington Capitals look at what's next when it comes to filling the voids on their roster.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — After trying to go big and missing out, the Washington Capitals have been relatively quiet to open free agency. And as the offseason continues, they’re starting to envision what the roster will look like come fall.
General manager Chris Patrick didn’t rule out making additional moves in free agency, but ultimately said that it’s not the most likely route.
“You never want to say nothing’s possible, but we got to the point fairly early in free agency where we’d be looking at names, and it was, ‘Is this guy better than X young player in our organization?’ That’s what we’re kind of weighing,” Patrick said, adding, “We’re at a point where if we’re bringing in a guy just to bring in a guy because he’s played in the NHL before, he’s going to end up blocking one of our younger guys that might end up having a bigger, more positive impact on the team.”
That said, there are still options on the table for the Capitals.
Washington, for starters, re-signed Anthony Beauvillier to a two-year contract, giving the team a versatile scoring winger who can play on all four lines. The team will also continue to monitor the trade market over the course of the offseason and see what names come up there, and if any of them have any interest there.
When it comes to filling vacancies, the Capitals are relying on their young prospects coming in to make noise come fall, with Patrick listing Ivan Miroshnichenko, Hendrix Lapierre, Ethen Frank, Andrew Cristall, Henrik Rybinski and Bogdan Trineyev as the players set to compete for a spot.
“That’s what training camps are for,” Patrick said. “We’ll see who’s ready to go.”
Meanwhile, Sonny Milano is healthy and expects to be ready for the start of training camp, giving Washington another forward option to consider, and Justin Sourdif, who was acquired ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft, is expected to be in the NHL full-time.
Connor McMichael also allows the Capitals some flexibility, as he’s expected to start as the third-line center but could also remain on the second-line wing if the opportunity presents itself.
Here’s a look at a couple of potential lineup options for D.C.
Option 1
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Aliaksei Protas
Anthony Beauvillier-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson
Ivan Miroshnichenko/Andrew Cristall-Connor McMichael-Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime-Nic Dowd-Justin Sourdif/Bogdan Trineyev
Rasmus Sandin-John Carlson
Jakob Chychrun-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Martin Fehervary-Matt Roy
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Option 2
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Aliaksei Protas
Connor McMichael-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson
Anthony Beauvillier-Hendrix Lapierre/Henrik Rybinski-Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime-Nic Dowd-Justin Sourdif/Bogdan Trineyev
Rasmus Sandin-John Carlson
Jakob Chychrun-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Martin Fehervary-Matt Roy
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Ultimately, though, the Capitals like where the group stands, especially with several players who were fundamental to their successful 2024-25 season set to return. And as time goes on, Patrick will see how the year plays out and go from there, with the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline also being an option to add more pieces for a Cup run down the line.
“We addressed our defensive depth… we were able to add a veteran guy (in Beauvillier) that has been in our group that we’re comfortable with. I feel good about that and I feel good about the cash base we have,” Patrick noted, adding, “If we have space (at the trade deadline) and we’re in a spot to use it, then we’ll definitely be aggressive.”