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Not too much going on in DC these days. The rumors are few and the signings are less. Since the first day of free agency, the Caps have quietly filled in the third line with the additions of Brett Connolly and Lars Eller (via trade with Montreal).
The Connolly signing was about a good a steal as any this summer. A 6th overall pick by Tampa Bay in 2010, Connolly, 24, registered 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) in 71 games with the Boston Bruins last season and earned career highs in points, assists and games played.
Washington also signed their 2013, second round pick Zach Sanford (61st) to a three year entry level contract. Sanford was a standout at Boston College, scoring 39 points in 41 games during his sophmore year. Sanford decided to forego his last two years at B.C. to join the Capitals organization. He was recently in DC for the Caps development camp.
Marcus Johansson is currently in arbitration and that date is set for July 20th. Johansson had a total of 46 points in 74 games last season. His previous cap hit was $3.75M
The Capitals currently have a little over $8M in cap space and still have to come to terms with Johansson and defenseman Dmitry Orlov.
Asked whether or not the Capitals are done this summer, GM Brian MacLellan had this to say:
“We might kick tires [on other unrestricted free agents]. The plan so far has been to have a spot for one of our young guys. Right now, we have 13 forwards with [Stanislav] Galiev. So the 14th forward, we could bring guys up, send guys down. We’ve got young guys in Hershey who need opportunity and need games. The plan right now would be to use that [14 th forward] spot for that, unless something really attractive falls our way for a really low salary. We could shift gears then, but right now we’re leaving a spot for young guys.
They’ve all earned the chance. To throw another guy in there that’s a fourth-liner or a depth guy, that takes the opportunity away. Plus I think they’re all ready, to some extent. I don’t know that they’re ready full-time, but they should be rewarded with [NHL] games. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, there was growth in all of our [Hershey] players. It was kind of fun to watch.… (Monumental Sports)
The Capitals also added forwards Brad Malone (Hurricane) and Christian Thomas (Coyotes, Canadiens), defenseman Darren Dietz (Canadiens), and goaltender Joe Cannata (Canucks).
What do you think of the Capitals moves so far?