Washington Capitals: Top 3 burning questions heading into the preseason
The Washington Capitals hit the ice this weekend with the rookies and prospects clocking in today for Rookie Camp and the rest of the squad reporting Wednesday for physicals before training camp the next day. The first preseason game is nine days away as the Capitals will host the Boston Bruins at Capital One Arena.
We already know the questions facing the Caps as they enter the regular season, but if you don’t that’s okay that’s a topic for another day. But what about the preseason? Albeit the games don’t count but for some of these guys, the games are important.
#3 Just how much will the veterans play?
The beauty of the preseason is that you don’t just get a look at the main guys on the team. You get a first look at everyone from the backups to the prospects in the system. With that being said, just how much will the varsity guys play?
Lookin’ good, O!#NHLMediaDay pic.twitter.com/CdaDdEtAtH
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 16, 2021
We all know the Caps enter the season as the oldest team in the NHL so ice time management will be key for Peter Laviolette in navigating this season. He gets a start with a full preseason slate for the first time in his Capitals coaching tenure.
#2 What can Connor McMichael do to make the roster?
This weekend at Rookie Camp everyones eyes will be on 2019 first round draft pick Connor McMichael. While the roster is pretty stacked on forwards, there could be a spot for McMichael as a backup. The only issue with the matter is, because the Caps are stacked on forwards, he would be spending a lot of time in the press box instead of the ice as a healthy scratch.
The other option would be sending him to Hershey where another season there would only further help his development. McMichael made his NHL debut last season on Jan. 24 against the Buffalo Sabres at Capital One Arena. It was the only NHL game he played in last season.
While with the Hershey Bears, McMichael led the team with 14 goals and 27 points in his first AHL season. He appeared in all 33 Bears games last season. Listed at six foot and 183 pounds, McMichael tied for second in goals and sixth in points among AHL rookies while ranking first in game winning goals with eight and tied for fourth in power play goals with six among all AHL skaters.
GP: 1️⃣4️⃣7️⃣
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) August 12, 2021
G: 8️⃣6️⃣
A: 9️⃣4️⃣
PTS: 1️⃣8️⃣0️⃣
Thank you, Connor! pic.twitter.com/chG0kaHTIq
I have a hunch we will see McMichael a couple of times in the Caps lineup this upcoming season and boy will it be fun.
#1 Who wins the battle at goalie?
I don’t think there will be a firm starting goalie throughout the season but that doesn’t mean the competition between Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek hasn’t already started. I could see the six game preseason schedule being an audition for the goalies and then some on who would get the starting nod for opening night on Oct. 13 against the New York Rangers.
The Caps lost Vitek Vanecek for a brief second to the Seattle Kraken but traded back for him after the NHL’s newest franchise signed former Caps goalie Philipp Grubauer. Trading back for Vanecek showed the Caps weren’t entirely ready to trust Samsonov but they still trusted him enough by extending the restricted free agent for one more season.
Why it was a one year bridge deal and not a multi year bridge deal? The Caps want to see Samsonov improve his on ice performance while cleaning up his act off the ice. You may recall the ATV accident in Russia before the bubble. Those off ice issues continued into last season when Samsonov tested positive for COVID, was on the protocols list twice and then later in the season late to a team function along with Evgeny Kuznetsov.
light. More. Washington Capitals: Top 10 best free agents of all-time
We all make mistakes and now is the time for Samsonov to mature. If he doesn’t, that net could easily belong to Vanecek.