The Washington Capitals are coming off another playoff disappointment. After falling short of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals once again, the franchise will have some tough decisions to make this offseason. T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, Justin Williams and Daniel Winnik are all set to become unrestricted free agents. Evgeni Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Andre Burakovsky are all restricted free agents. Then there is an issue of a core group that hasn’t been able to achieve their ultimate goal. GM Brian MacLellan and his management team will have their work cut out for them this summer. Here is a look at the Capitals offseason plan.
3 Things The Capitals Have To Work On
1. Ink Oshie To New Deal
The first and most important move for Washington will be finding a way to bring back T.J. Oshie. The 30-year-old scored 33 goals and finished with 56 points while posting a plus-28 rating for the Capitals this past season. Oshie also finished second in playoff scoring for Washington with four goals and 12 points in 13 games. The Capitals can’t afford to hurt their long-term outlook with a mega extension that breaks the bank but if they can pay Oshie a little more money in order to sign him to a short term deal then that would make a lot of sense. Oshie proved his worth as one of the most valuable pieces on the ice for Washington during the regular season and playoffs. Bringing bhim back with a new deal has to be a priority for the Capitals.
2. Spend Wisely In Free Agency
Washington will have close to $23 million in salary cap space to work with so they do have some flexibility even if they bring back Oshie. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson are all signed through the 2018-19 season so the Capitals will know how much they have to work with. Finding a way to bring back the RFA’s at a reasonable price should be the main priority. Kuznetsov struggled this past year so Washington might be able to work out a bridge deal with him in the short term. Burakovsky and Orlov are also key pieces the Capitals will want to keep in the fold. After signing Oshie and the RFA core, Washington might not have too much wiggle room left to address Williams and Alzner, but those should be the two priority UFA signings beyond Oshie. Kevin Shattenirk is set to sign a massive long-term contract in free agency so he likely doesn’t fit in to MacLellan’s plans. The Capitals could also decide to shake things up in terms of a trade, which would make things that much more interesting for them this summer.
3. Make A Bold Trade
With so many big name free agents both in terms of RFA’s and UFA’s it might make sense for Washington to make a bold move. Ovechkin is set to make a little more than $9.5 million per season through 2020-21. It might seem like blasphemy within the organization but the Capitals might be wise to move that contract now while they still can. If Washington decides to keep Ovechkin, then the other option might be to move one or two young players in exchange for another quality veteran. Kuznetsov struggled with consistency but it is only a matter of time before he earns a big payday. Meanwhile, Burakovsky has a ton of talent but he is still just 22-years-old and might be a couple of years away from reaching his max potential. After falling short of their ultimate goal over the past few years, it might make sense for the Capitals to make a bold trade in order to reload for next season.
Key Free Agents
The free agency situation makes things that much more complicated for a Washington team that faces plenty of question marks heading in to the offseason. Shattenkirk is considered the biggest prize in this year’s free agent crop so the Capitals would be smart to look past him. Bringing back Oshie and the top RFA’s has to be the biggest point of emphasis for Washington’s management team. Kuznetsov, Burakovsky and Orlov all have excellent value whether it’s in the Capitals lineup or on the trade block. MacLellan and his staff have a busy offseason ahead of them with a lot of important decisions to make. It will be very interesting to see how different this Washington roster looks heading in to 2017-18.
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