Washington Capitals: Five Prospects Who Could Make Impact Next Season

Washington Capitals Prospects Who Could Make An Impact: Carrick

Photo Credit: Tori Hartman

Connor Carrick is most likely going to be the guy who has to fill the huge clown shoes that Green will more than likely vacate after he signs somewhere else this summer. Those are some huge shoes to fill, but I think Carrick is up to the task. Right off the bat, Carrick probably won’t replace Green’s production, but I think he could be very solid in that role for the Washington Capitals and grow into it.

Carrick was over-matched in 2013-2014 when he was with the Washington Capitals. That’s not his fault though because he simply wasn’t ready to be in the NHL, yet due to Adam Oates and his sketchy decisions, he was an NHL defenseman. He never played with confidence and he simply looked like he didn’t belong. This season, Carrick got to develop in Hershey and serve as one of their top four defensemen. Lo and behold, when you let prospects develop, great things happen. Carrick had a 42 point season in 73 games for the Hershey Bears in 2014-2015 and was a major catalyst of their power play. He grew a lot as a player and I think he could be a good third pairing defenseman for the Washington Capitals next year as long as they can shelter him. They were able to do it with Green, so doing that with Carrick shouldn’t be an issue.

Carrick could contribute immediately as a member of the second power play. Unless the Washington Capitals sign someone to replace Green or someone else blows him away, I see him being the third pairing defenseman in 2015. He’s still on an entry level contract and the Caps have guys to re-sign. That adds up to him having a great chance of making an impact in 2015. Speaking of which…

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