Capitals’ championship offseason
Washington has player, coach contract choices
The Capitals shouldn’t fear change this summer because change was an impetus to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title.
After a disappointing 2016-17 playoff run, the Capitals replaced one-third of their players at forward and defense. Freshening the roster helped the franchise become champion for the first time in its 44-year history.
“Getting through it and getting over it made us stronger and made us a better playoff team,” Washington general manager Brian MacLellan said.
Now with a new challenge of trying to stay on top, the Capitals are faced with the possibility of more personnel changes, some of which they would like to avoid.
Trotz trouble: Coach Barry Trotz’s contract is expiring. Throughout the season, it seemed likely he was moving on. The Capitals didn’t extend his contract, but they did extend associate coach Todd Reirden’s deal. It seemed as if the Caps were prepared for Trotz’s departure.
Now, the Capitals own the Cup, and it is evident that Trotz’s bond with this group is strong. Did you watch how players reacted to Trotz during the celebration? He is well-respected by his players.
It now seems as if the Capitals would like to re-sign Trotz. But the cost will be high. Mike Babcock (Maple Leafs) is the NHL’s highest-paid coach at $6.25 million a season. Trotz will have to be paid in that neighborhood.
Because the Islanders’ job is the only NHL vacancy, it might feel as if Trotz has no leverage. But how would the Capitals explain to fans that they let Trotz go after the team ended the championship drought?
Trotz doesn’t have any pressure. If he doesn’t re-sign and doesn’t go to the Islanders, he will be a highly sought-after free agent during the season. Next fall, existing coaches on struggling teams could be looking over their shoulder at Trotz.
Carlson’s potential freedom: Defenseman John Carlson is crucial to Washington’s success and will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He will be one of the hottest players on the market.
The good news is Carlson wants to re-sign. The problem: He could be worth $9 million or more on the open market. Will he give the Capitals a hometown discount?
The salary cap could be about $80 million next season. According to Capfriendly.com, the Capitals have close to $64 million committed to 16 players. If they give $8 million to Carlson, they would have $8 million left to sign six players, including restricted free agents Tom Wilson, Philipp Grubauer and Devante Smith-Pelly.
Other potential losses: Jay Beagle and Michal Kempny can be unrestricted free agents this offseason. Because of his defensive prowess and faceoff ex- pertise (58.5% last season), Beagle is considered one of the NHL’s most valuable role players.
Beagle made $1.75 million and is deserving of a raise. The Caps don’t want to lose Beagle, but how much can they pay him? MacLellan will be doing serious financial juggling.
Kempny came from Chicago in a trade and ended up becoming a steady contributor throughout the playoffs.
Trading Grubauer? The backup goalie made $1.5 million this past season. The Capitals have prospect Ilya Samsonov now signed out of the Konti- nental Hockey League. It seems possible, maybe probable, that the Caps will trade Grubauer. Considering that the Islanders, Hurricanes and Red Wings are looking at goalies, Grubauer has trade value.
Other factors: The Capitals have to create more playing time for skilled winger Jakub Vrana. Plus, popular defenseman Brooks Orpik turns 38 before the 2018-19 season. He was a vital contributor in this playoff run. But his contract is expiring after next season. Given his age, it’s time to create a contingency plan.