How Capitals Plan To Address Their Current & Pending Free Agents, From Beauvillier To McMichael
Here's more on how the Capitals plan to address free agents going into what will be a likely quieter offseason.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals don’t want to be behind the eight ball.
They saw what happened with teams like the Edmonton Oilers, who lost a couple of restricted free agents to offer sheets, and how falling behind when it comes to pending transactions can come back to bite.
That said, when it comes to their top pending restricted free agents like Connor McMichael, who’s eligible to sign an extension this summer, they want to be “ahead of the curve.”
“You get yourself in a tough spot pretty quickly if a team gets aggressive,” general manager Chris Patrick said. “We’d like to make sure we’re covered off there.”
McMichael has expressed interest in signing a long-term deal with Washington, and the feeling appears mutual for the Capitals after watching him thrive and pull off a career year.
As for John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin, who are entering the final years of their contracts and will be unrestricted free agents next summer, nothing is imminent on that front as Washington will wait and see where they’re at in their careers before putting pen to paper.
Then, there’s the matter of the team’s current free agents.
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Hendrix Lapierre is the team’s top RFA, and the Capitals will have to decide whether or not to give him a bridge deal as he continues to prove his worth, sign him longer term or let him explore opportunities elsewhere.
Patrick said Washington was ultimately happy with how Lapierre bounced back after having a “good, hard talk” about expectations with him after he was re-assigned to Hershey earlier this season, and the hope is that he will have a strong training camp in the fall and make noise there for a roster spot.
Alex Alexeyev is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, and he’s also due more playing time. Given the depth on the blue line, it appears likely he could be on the way out, though time will tell.
Beyond Alexeyev, the Capitals have a handful of expiring UFAs, including Lars Eller, Taylor Raddysh, Andrew Mangiapane and Anthony Beauvillier.
Eller doesn’t figure to be back as he struggled to fit into the role he was given in his return to D.C., though he hopes to keep his career going. When it comes to Raddysh, Mangiapane and Beauvillier, the team is holding a meeting this week with the front office staff, the analytics team and the pro staff to address which players fit in the best.
From there, the Capitals will make decisions regarding who to sign.
“Wen you see how a guy fits in your group, it definitely helps,” Patrick said. “We're going to all get together… we're going to go through every position and all the options available to it. And all those guys will be in the mix, just as other players around the league potentially are as well.”
Beauvillier, who was acquired at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, appears the most likely to sign an extension given how well he’s fit into the equation for Washington. The 27-year-old has plenty of upside and good offensive instincts, and he can play anywhere in the lineup. He finished the year playing on the top line.
All the while, Washington will consider which prospects are ready to make a jump and see what external options are available on the market, while also handling their Hershey names and top prospects set to hit free agency.
Still, it’s expected to be a quieter summer in the District than last year, when the team overhauled a third of its roster.
Free agency starts on July 1.