Washington Capitals: Top 3 burning questions to answer in offseason

Now that the Washington Capitals have found their coach, what’s next?

The Washington Capitals have already answered the biggest question of the offseason. It’s a good thing they did it before we wrote this otherwise it wouldn’t be relevant. The Capitals went with Peter Laviolette as their new bench boss, the 19th head coach in team history.

General manager Brian MacLellan said in a press release from the Caps:

“Peter is a successful NHL head coach who has won a Stanley Cup and brings a wealth of experience to our team. We feel he is a great communicator who will motivate our players to play with passion, structure and discipline, while helping our young players reach their potential. In addition, he is a high-character individual who is highly respected for his coaching pedigree, all of which make him the ideal person to lead our team to compete for the Stanley Cup.”

Laviolette added:

“I’m thankful and excited for the opportunity to lead this hockey club. This is a winning organization with high expectations. I look forward to coaching this tremendous group of players and bringing my experience and vision to the team.”

The Caps may have found their coach and summer may be almost over but there are still burning questions. Here are the top 3.

#2 How will they fix their defense?

The defense will be a top priority to address in the offseason and there are some questions as to what they’ll do. The Caps will have two unrestricted free agents in Radko Gudas and Brenden Dillon and a restricted free agent in Jonas Siegenthaler.

Siegenthaler will likely stay with the Caps and get a raise. Earlier this offseason I wrote about how they should re-sign Brenden Dillon, who might be solid with a full season under his belt. One question is how the Caps will address their defense with a flat salary cap. One thing they might do is trade one of their defensemen like they did with Matt Niskanen in favor of Gudas.

The Caps have all but three left handed defensemen. They will likely need to move one of them and add a righty. On the right hand side they got John Carlson, Nick Jensen and Radko Gudas, but Gudas will likely be gone hitting the open market in free agency. He even said himself he doesn’t plan to be back and that the team has other needs.

Laviolette could be a great addition at head coach for the defense. Now it’s all about personnel.

#1 What could Alex Ovechkin’s next contract look like?

What the Caps will do this offseason will determine just how much money they’re looking at for extending Alex Ovechkin. Priority number one now that the head coaching search is done is just how they’ll extend Ovechkin. With a flat salary cap and a pandemic, it makes things all the more challenging.

MacLellan confirmed that they have talked with Ovechkin but talks have been on hold until training camp, whenever that will be.

“I think Ovi, we’re going to talk to when we come back to training camp, continue our conversations,” said MacLellan.

Ovechkin’s on the backend of his 13 year deal that he signed in 2008 with a cap hit of over $9.5 million. His cap hit for his next contract will likely be in the same ballpark or a raise but a shorter term.

What the Caps do with the salary cap this offseason will determine what they have left and what they need to work with for an extension with Ovechkin. The hope is they can get something done either just before the season or during the season like they did with Nicklas Backstrom’s extension.

Those are our three burning questions. What are your burning questions about the Caps? Let us know in the comments!