Washington Capitals: Top 3 observations of the season so far
#2 The kids can play, but some need more playing time
The Caps have had their fair share of injury woes which has allowed some kids to make their NHL debuts this season. In the season opener we caught a glimpse of Hendrix Lapierre who burst onto the scene with an epic goal after a solid preseason. Because head coach Peter Laviolette hardly plays the youth, it was a smart decision to send Lapierre back to juniors with six NHL games under his belt. Doing so means the entry level contract is still intact and a year isn’t burned off.
Connor McMichael is on a three game point streak with two goals in those last three games to go along with a slick assist on a goal by Brett Leason. Leason himself has two goals. This season he has averaged 11:30 minutes of ice time but look for that to change very soon. At practice today he was centering the second line alongside Conor Sheary and Daniel Sprong.
Connor McMichael just knew the puck was in for his first NHL goal #ALLCAPS | @con91mcmichael pic.twitter.com/EIXS7MFqe9
— NBC Sports Washington (@NBCSWashington) November 5, 2021
Aliaksei Protas got brought up and he’s centering the fourth line in the wake of Nic Dowd’s injury. And Martin Fehervary is a stud on defense playing up top with John Carlson. Overall the kids have a bright future.