Washington Capitals: Top 5 bold predictions heading into the preseason

Washington Capitals training camp is in full swing and on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. against the Boston Bruins, the Caps will open up the preseason. There isn’t a lot of openings on the roster but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to watch for nor things to predict. Here are the top 5 bold predictions heading into the preseason.

#5 Connor McMichael will make the opening night lineup

If this was written a week ago, it would be even more bold of a prediction. However, after the Caps announced Nicklas Backstrom was listed week to week and that he could miss significant time, it opens up an opportunity at the center position. Connor McMichael won’t be centering the top line but perhaps there’s a spot for him on the third line if the Caps want to leave their fourth line intact.

Scott Allen is the new head coach of the Hershey Bears but was an assistant coach for the two previous years. He got a look at McMichael in Hershey last season and an even closer look at him last weekend at Rookie Camp.

Allen said this on McMichael via JJ Regan of NBC Sports Washington: 

“Certainly, [McMichael’s] a very confident player. He’s very good with the puck. He’s certainly improved without the puck, which is a big part of playing in the National Hockey League, right? You have to be responsible without the puck on both sides of the puck, both offensively and defensively, and I think he’s certainly taken that and run with it.”

#4 It will be close, but Michal Kempny will edge out Martin Fehervary for the final defensive spot

It stinks that it is going to come down to this but in the end, sports is a business. For weeks we thought there was going to be two openings on the left side of the defense. It turns out the Caps were so high on Trevor van Riemsdyk beyond just protecting him in the expansion draft.

Although he is a righty, it looks like TvR will be on the left side of the defense which means the competition is going to come down to Michal Kempny, Alex Alexeyev, and Martin Fehervary. With the motivation of coming back from a torn Achilles tendon that cost him all of last season, Kempny will lock in that final spot.

If Kempny makes it onto the opening night lineup it would mark an incredible comeback story as the defenseman suffered three injuries in the span of two years. First it was his hamstring injury in March 2019 that ended his season. Then in September 2020, he hurt his Achilles. In May, Kempny suffered a knee injury while on a rehab conditioning stint with the Hershey Bears.

Kempny described his experience to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription required):

“It was bad luck. But I believe that everything bad is behind me and I’m just trying to focus on enjoying every day here.”

#3 Aliaksei Protas will breakout this preseason

Among Capitals prospects last season, Aliaksei Protas played in the second most games, suiting up for 74. He only trailed Alex Alexeyev, who played in 77 total games. Protas began the 2020-21 season on loan to Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), recording 18 points with 10 goals and eight assists in 58 games before re joining the Hershey Bears.

In the remainder of his season with Hershey, Protas finished with seven points with two goals and five assists in 16 games. Protas is a native of Belarus and played for his country in the Olympic Qualifying tournament recording an assist in three games.

Despite ranking 15th in time on ice per game with 12:52, Protas’ 10 goals were ranked fifth on the Minsk. He also recorded four points with a goal and three assists in five playoff games and was named Best Rookie of the KHL Playoffs first round.

Protas has a towering presence at six foot six. He admitted bouncing around from overseas to North America was a bit of an adjustment. Via Andrew Gillis of NBC Sports Washington, Protas told the media during Rookie Camp:

“It was totally different game for me, I needed to get used to it. Last games was way better, but first games I kind of wasn’t that good, because I needed to get used to it.”

#1 Ilya Samsonov will beat out Vitek Vanecek for opening night starting goaltender

It’s going to come down to two goalies when all is said and done. Beyond the preseason, both will be auditioning for that spot of being a Caps goaltender of the future. In the meantime, both will be trying to win games.

The six games will be interesting. As far as the preseason opener is concerned Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek are the two goaltenders listed on the roster. So Vitek is up and we’re guessing Ilya Samsonov gets the nod in the second preseason game.

Tom Wilson told the media via Alex Flum of WDVM:

“At the end of the day, to win hockey games in the NHL, you gotta have good goalies, and they are. And you know we’re excited to have them back there so they’ll do the job and just continue to get better.”

Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette added:

“They’re both coming into a year where they’ve really taken on some experience with regard to the league, as trying to be that guy and be the person that takes the crease. And so they have that whole year under their belt and we look for them to be better than that, better than they were last year.”

In the end, the Caps will go as far as these young goaltenders will take them. We’ll see if either Vanecek or Samsonov has what it takes.