Caps have a deep blue-line prospect pool with no NHL openings
As Lucas Johansen watched the Washington Capitals' offseason unfold from afar, he tipped his cap to general manager Brian MacLellan and also read the writing on the wall. Coming off a franchise-first Stanley Cup, MacLellan was able to re-sign both John Carlson and Michal Kempny, trading veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik to get his $5.5 million cap hit off the books only to then sign him to a cheaper contract once the Colorado Avalanche cut him loose with a buyout. The result was a championship defense returning in total for another run. It also meant Johansen would be attending a training camp with no real chance of making the NHL roster.
“It's tough,” Johansen said. “Mac did a great job keeping a Stanley Cup team together, which hats off to him because that's really hard to do. As a guy in here, you just want to be competitive. You just want to show them that if they need you, you're going to be relied on to make the step up.”
Over the past four drafts, the Capitals have had 22 selections, and they've used 12 of them to take defensemen, including their two most recent first-round picks — Johansen in 2016 and Alex Alexeyev this past summer. Meanwhile, Washington has steadily shored up its defense and locked up much of it long-term. The team's top four — Matt Niskanen, Dmitry Orlov, Carlson and Kempny — are all under contract through at least the 2020-21 season. Orpik is on a one-year deal, and while this might be his last season in Washington, the Capitals still have 24-year-old Christian Djoos and 23-year-old Madison Bowey, who both played the majority of last season as rookies and are expected to get more responsibility going forward.
Blue-line stability after a Stanley Cup is a good thing, but it's also created a logjam for the organization's prospects. MacLellan pointed to 2015 secondround pick Jonas Siegenthaler, 2013 seventh-rounder Tyler Lewington and Johansen as “all ready to start playing some games and establish themselves as NHLers.”
“I think we're as deep as we've ever been on defense this year,” MacLellan said.
With Washington coming off a short summer with less time to recover and train after a long playoff run, the team might be more vulnerable to earlyseason injuries — Carlson and center Lars Eller were nursing minor lowerbody injuries before training camp even started — so Capitals coach Todd Reirden has told eager prospects that the competition in the preseason isn't just to make the opening-night roster. Bowey can attest that the first call-up can be just as important. He impressed in training camp a year ago, but in part because he was waivers-exempt and could be sent to the American Hockey League without any risk, Bowey was among one of the last cuts. Niskanen then broke his thumb just five games into the season, and Bowey was back, ultimately playing in 51 games.
“Anything can happen,” Johansen said. “You don't wish an injury on anybody, but it is a hockey season and things happen, so if the opportunity arises, then I'll be ready.”
Johansen made his preseason debut Tuesday, playing to the left of Niskanen and logging more than 20 minutes of ice time.
Alexeyev was in the lineup, too, and though Washington showered the 18year-old with praise after an impressive summer in the organization, he was among the first round of cuts the next morning so he could return to his Canadian junior team for the start of its training camp. There's a sense that Siegenthaler is highest in the pecking order of the Capitals' defense prospects, and MacLellan said last week that the team has “a lot of faith in” the Swiss 21-year-old.
He also noted that Johansen “needs games this year” after spending all of last season in the AHL. Half of the 2016 first-rounders have made their NHL debut, and he's part of the half still waiting for his.
“I try not to look around because you do get anxious,” Johansen said. “I definitely want to be playing in the NHL. Everybody here does.”