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ARLINGTON, V.A. — Last summer was all about making a splash for the Washington Capitals, who overhauled roughly a third of the roster in order to retool on the fly and remain contenders with the Stanley Cup window closing. Fast forward to this offseason, and D.C. is expecting things to be different.
President of hockey operations Brian MacLellan said the team is ultimately expecting a quieter summer when it comes to moves.
"I think we had some big spots to fill last year, our goals for roster spots. This year, there’s fewer holes," MacLellan said, adding, "It's not going to be the same as last year."
That said, the Capitals did note there are areas they want to address. Washington knows that it needs to do something about the third-line, an area that was a question mark over the course of the regular season, and adding some more depth on the blue line couldn't hurt, either.
When it comes to filling those spots, the Capitals will explore internal and external options while also evaluating their pending free agents, but the goal remains the same: to get younger.
That's why MacLellan and general manager Chris Patrick are looking forward to seeing what the prospects already in the system can provide come training camp.
"We’ve had some growth in young players. We have some players that are young and are coming up to make the next jump, so you’ve got to be cognizant of leaving room for improvement, leaving room for guys to come in." MacLellan noted.
That said, the team said it will still look to "add a piece or two" where necessary, and there are quite a few names hitting the market to choose from. However, that doesn't mean that Washington will necessarily add a star.
Then again, Patrick wouldn't rule anything out.
"We will definitely evaluate everything. I think a big hack this summer could potentially be like a really big hack," Patrick said. "With a rising cap environment, a lot of teams that are looking to spend — the prices, I think we saw it at the trade deadline with the prices going up, I think it could follow the same path here in free agency. We'll see what we have available to spend, and hopefully we can be competitive in some of that stuff if we think it's the right fit."
Free agency opens on July 1.
Continue reading...
President of hockey operations Brian MacLellan said the team is ultimately expecting a quieter summer when it comes to moves.
"I think we had some big spots to fill last year, our goals for roster spots. This year, there’s fewer holes," MacLellan said, adding, "It's not going to be the same as last year."
That said, the Capitals did note there are areas they want to address. Washington knows that it needs to do something about the third-line, an area that was a question mark over the course of the regular season, and adding some more depth on the blue line couldn't hurt, either.
When it comes to filling those spots, the Capitals will explore internal and external options while also evaluating their pending free agents, but the goal remains the same: to get younger.
That's why MacLellan and general manager Chris Patrick are looking forward to seeing what the prospects already in the system can provide come training camp.
"We’ve had some growth in young players. We have some players that are young and are coming up to make the next jump, so you’ve got to be cognizant of leaving room for improvement, leaving room for guys to come in." MacLellan noted.
That said, the team said it will still look to "add a piece or two" where necessary, and there are quite a few names hitting the market to choose from. However, that doesn't mean that Washington will necessarily add a star.
Then again, Patrick wouldn't rule anything out.
"We will definitely evaluate everything. I think a big hack this summer could potentially be like a really big hack," Patrick said. "With a rising cap environment, a lot of teams that are looking to spend — the prices, I think we saw it at the trade deadline with the prices going up, I think it could follow the same path here in free agency. We'll see what we have available to spend, and hopefully we can be competitive in some of that stuff if we think it's the right fit."
Free agency opens on July 1.
Continue reading...
