Washington Capitals: Five Prospects Who Could Make Impact Next Season

Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Regardless of how they do in the playoffs, the Washington Capitals will be undergoing some change over the next few months. They will likely have to replace no fewer than three current roster players. Mike Green, Jay Beagle, Joel Ward, Tim Gleason, Curtis Glencross and Eric Fehr will all be unrestricted free agents after this season. The Washington Capitals will likely replace Beagle with Michael Latta. Either Dmitry Orlov or Nate Schmidt will likely replace Gleason as one of the third pairing defensemen. Andre Burakovsky will most likely be a top six forward for the Washington Capitals next season. At worst, he’s a definite to make the team. 

Even if the Washington Capitals re-sign Fehr (which they are expected to do), they will still likely have to fill several roster spots. This is where the Washington Capitals prospects could come into play. They have several prospects who could help to fill the holes that will be created by the departure of certain free agents or could play themselves onto the NHL roster to start 2015.

Assuming they re-sign Fehr, they will still likely need to fill the following spots on their roster.

• Checking line wing. Assuming Burakovsky or Wilson replaces Ward on the first forward line, the Caps will still need someone to fill in on the third line.
• Forward depth. The Washington Capitals will need strong forward depth.
• Third pairing defenseman. It’s really quite an insult to call Green a third pairing defenseman, but the fact is, that’s his role on the team. The Washington Capitals will be blessed if they can find someone who can give them 30+ points playing less than 20 minutes a night.

With those things in mind, here are five prospects who could help to fill those vacancies.

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