Washington Capitals: Five Prospects Who Could Make Impact Next Season

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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.

Next: Chandler Stephenson

Washington Capitals Prospects Who Could Make An Impact: Chandler Stephenson

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Chandler Stephenson is a forward who has gone under the radar with the Hershey Bears for a variety of reasons. He looked good in preseason games with the Washington Capitals, but he has struggled with injuries in 2014-2015. When he’s been healthy, at times he has been a victim of the numbers game. During the regular season, he played in just 54 games, though he has been active in each of the four playoff games.

In the regular season, Stephenson struggled as far as points. He had just 14 points (seven goals, seven assists). However, there are two reasons why I think Stephenson has a decent shot at making the opening night roster of the Washington Capitals.

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1. He’s a good penalty killer. He’s been a steady member of the Bears penalty kill, which was the best in the American Hockey League. His speed and defensive responsibility makes him a very good penalty killer. The Washington Capitals will be losing arguably their best penalty killer in Beagle. Latta saw minimal time on the penalty kill this season for the Washington Capitals, so Stephenson could justify his spot in the everyday lineup if he proves that he can be an effective penalty killer.
2. He’s a Barry Trotz type player. Stephenson could be a two-way forward, something that Barry Trotz has shown that he loves. Stephenson’s offense has yet to show up outside of juniors, but he is just a year removed from scoring 89 points in 69 games for the Regina Pats. Stephenson said last summer that he was focusing on improving his defense. I think if he focuses on improving his offense as well, he could easily earn himself a spot in the everyday lineup next season for the Washington Capitals.

I like that Stephenson never seemed out of place when he played during the preseason despite only being 20 years old. He’s a year older and a year wiser now. He’s definitely someone that Washington Capitals fans should keep an eye on.

Next: A much improved blue liner

Washington Capitals Prospects Who Could Make An Impact: Carrick

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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…

Next: Bowey Bowey

Washington Capitals Prospects Who Could Make An Impact: Madison Bowey

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Madison Bowey projects to be a future star blue liner for the Washington Capitals. The style of offense that he brings to the table is rarely seen in defensemen. While his defensive positioning certainly needs work, I wouldn’t be shocked if Barry Trotz lets him do that in the NHL because his offense is too good to keep in Hershey.

Bowey has put up eye-popping numbers with the Kelowna Rockets the past two seasons. Here are his stats over the past two seasons.

• 2013-2014: 86 games played, 74 points (including playoffs)
• 2014-2015: 73 games played, 76 points (including playoffs)

Not only is Bowey very productive as far as scoring, he’s also got a great frame that the Washington Capitals could find better suited for Trotz’s style of play. Bowey is 6’2″ and roughly 200-210 pounds (depending on who you ask). He’s a big guy and he’s not afraid to throw his weight around. His style of play is sort of like Dustin Byfuglien‘s. Obviously he’s a bit smaller than Dustin, but just like Dustin, Bowey loves to do two things: score and hit.

More than likely, I think Bowey will go to Hershey to bulk up a little bit and get toughened up. He was able to be a wrecking ball in juniors, but he has to adjust to not being huger than everybody. He also has to learn how to harness his aggression. I love how aggressive he is, but sometimes he’s too aggressive, as his 84 penalty minutes in 73 games played this season show.

I think Bowey could make the Washington Capitals opening night roster if he has a very strong training camp and pre-season. I think Carrick has to be the favorite at this point though. Bowey is the kind of player who could make an impact though.

Next: Stan The Man

Washington Capitals Prospects Who Could Make An Impact: Galiev

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The Washington Capitals have an interesting decision to make with forward Stanislav Galiev this off-season. He’s a restricted free agent, so the Caps will have to decide whether or need they want to keep him. Some other team could be interested in him. If the Capitals keep him for next season (which I believe that they will), he could make an impact on the team even if he’s just a fourth liner.

There’s never been a question about Galiev’s offense. He has always been able to produce. However, there’s always been two questions about Galiev. Can he stay healthy? Will he be a liability on defense? Stanislav did a lot to answer those two questions during the 2014-2015 season. In his first full season with the Hershey Bears after injuries limited him to a combined 30 games in 2013-2014 between the Bears and the Stingrays, Galiev had a 45 point season (25 goals and 20 assists) in 67 games. He was especially good on the power play, as he led the American Hockey League in power play goals.

His defense also improved. He became a lot more efficient in the defensive zone and learned how to use his speed and agility to his advantage when getting the puck back. He finished the season with a plus/minus rating of five. Galiev also proved that he could stay healthy, which I think will do wonders for his confidence. In juniors, Galiev played like he knew he was good enough to belong. This season, I saw that swagger in Galiev for the first time in two years.

Galiev played in two games for the Washington Capitals at the end of the season and even managed to get his first NHL goal. Galiev likely won’t command much above the NHL minimum, as this is his first season as a restricted free agent. The Caps could be in a cap crunch again next season, so Galiev could definitely provide some very good value for them. I see him as a fourth liner, but I think he could get some time on the second power play line. Nobody shoots from the Ovi spot like Alex Ovechkin, but Galiev got pretty comfortable shooting from the Ovi spot in Hershey this season.

Next: A real long shot