Washington Capitals: Nic Dowd and Travis Boyd battle for center

With Jay Beagle gone, the Washington Capitals will audition Nic Dowd and Travis Boyd. Both players signed contracts with the Caps Sunday. Can Dowd prevail?

The Washington Capitals made a surprise move Sunday and signed a player not already on the roster. They nabbed Nic Dowd from the Vancouver Canucks for one-year and a reported $650,000.

Dowd, 28, played briefly for Vancouver after the Los Angeles Kings traded him last December for Jordan Subban. Dowd’s best year came in 2016-17 with the Kings where he scored six goals in 70 games with 16 assists on a back line. However, he got a few power play shifts as seven of those 16 assists came with a man advantage.

With Vancouver, he scored three goals in 40 games while averaging 11 minutes a game. Dowd has never played in an NHL playoff game. The Canucks made him expendable when they signed former Caps center Jay Beagle to a four-year contract averaging $3 million per season.

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Dowd hopes to win the fourth-line center job with the Caps. But, he faces competition as Washington re-signed restricted free agent forward Travis Boyd.

Boyd, 24, lit up the American Hockey League with Hershey. In three seasons with the Bears, he netted 53 goals and 112 assists. He got a brief taste of NHL life last year with an eight-game call up to Washington, where he tallied an assist. His deal is two years at $800,000 a season.

As with Boyd, Dowd was productive in the minors. A two-season regular for the Kings’ teams in Manchester, NH and Ontario, CA, his passing led to 69 assists in 140 games. However, he is not a big scorer. Only 23 found the back of the net.

Dowd wins barely less than half of his faceoffs, a huge step down from the prolific Beagle. He has yet to score 10 goals in his NHL career over 131 games. What he does well is deliver checks. Two years ago, with Los Angeles, he recorded 145.

The Caps could use that force. If Dowd makes the team, a partnership with Devante Smith-Pelly on the checking line gives the potential for turnovers and scoring chances. Another positive is Dowd’s low penalty minute total. With Vancouver, he had 16 in 40 games. In his 131-game career, only 55 minutes are on the log.

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From the two contracts, Travis Boyd is the favorite heading into next season. He is a stronger offensive threat and that second year is a dead giveaway. But, if Nic Dowd can improve his offense while delivering checks, then Washington Capitals Head Coach Todd Reirden might have a tougher decision. Worth watching in September.

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