Washington Capitals: Breaking down the top 3 second round cuts

After another preseason win, the Washington Capitals trimmed their roster on their off day.

On Sunday afternoon the Washington Capitals announced that these following players have been sent to Hershey: Kristofers Bindulis, Tobias Geisser, Connor Hobbs, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Brett Leason, Philippe Maillet, Bobby Nardella, Garrett Pilon and Joe Snively.

The training camp roster now boasts 19 forwards, 12 defensemen and four goalies. Yes the Capitals elected to keep all four goaltenders and neither Ilya Samsonov, Vitek Vanecek nor Pheonix Copley have been cut from the roster.

On Saturday, Samsonov played the full preseason game as the Capitals defeated the Carolina Hurricanes at Capital One Arena. Samsonov faced just 15 shots but stopped 13 of them in the win.

There should be another round of roster cuts at some point before the team heads to Chicago on Wednesday night to begin the second half of their preseason schedule where they’ll look to win on the road like they’ve won at home.

The Hershey Bears begin their own training camp today so the following players we’ll mention as well as the ones above will be on the ice. Others have a small possibility to make the NHL roster with the Capitals in their salary cap funk.

#3 Axel Jonsson-Fjallby

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby seemed like he was the most NHL ready heading into training camp but after a dismal performance in both the preseason and the rookie tournament, he finds himself heading to Hershey but it could be a blessing in disguise.

Part of Jonsson-Fjallby’s struggles is adapting to the game in the North America style which is smaller rinks but it’s an adjustment he should be able to overcome with a full season in Hershey.

Last year he didn’t have a full season in Hershey and he went back home to Sweden after one month. The Caps hope that doesn’t happen again and that Jonsson-Fjallby gets a full season with the Hershey Bears under his belt.

Jonsson-Fjallby has long blonde hair that rivals other Caps Swede Carl Hagelin. His game has been compared to Hagelin’s as well.

Jonsson-Fjallby had just three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in 16 Hershey Bears games. He then went home to play for Djurgardens IF and recorded 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) in 36 games.

He’s posted far better numbers than that and Jonsson-Fjallby looks for a bounce back season. In the 2017-18 season, Jonsson-Fjallby had 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) and added two goals and two assists for four points in seven games in the World Junior Championships for Team Sweden.

The Caps and Bears would like to see Jonsson-Fjallby record a 50-point season.

#1 Connor Hobbs

Connor Hobbs has been a dark horse to make the roster for quite sometime, the last few seasons to be exact. Now he’s been sent back to Hershey in the second round of cuts. The defensemen still there, vying to make a spot on the Capitals roster? Alex Alexeyev, Martin Fehervary, Lucas Johansen, Tyler Lewington and Colby Williams. That’s a lot of depth.

Last season Hobbs had 18 points (3 goals, 15 assists) in 59 games for his second season with the Hershey Bears. 2017-18 was his rookie season where he posted 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists in 44 AHL games.

Hobbs comes from the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He was drafted in the fifth round at 143rd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. Hobbs recorded 16 points (1 goal, 15 assists) in 33 WHL games in the season prior to his selection.

Hobbs spent the next two seasons in the WHL before playing for Hershey the last two seasons. In the 2015-16 season, Hobbs posted 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 58 games. The next season he was even better with a career-high 85 points (31 goals, 54 assists) in 67 games.

These won’t be the only players being cut before the next Capitals preseason game, which will take place on Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Windy City. Expect another round of roster cuts to take place at some point prior to Wednesday’s game.