3 players worth signing in free agency for the Capitals
The Washington Capitals will have a lot to work with next month. While they wait on more news from Nicklas Backstrom’s hip injury and Carl Hagelin’s eye injury we can assess they’ll at least need to spend on a forward.
Don’t worry we’re going to have another free agency article exclusively for the goalies. But today we’ll see what forwards and defenseman are available on the market.
On the forward front, only trade deadline acquisitions Marcus Johansson and Johan Larsson are unrestricted free agents. On the defense there’s Matt Irwin, Michal Kempny and Justin Schultz.
Don’t forget to take into account that Tom Wilson will be out for six to eight months. A LOT of decisions are coming.
#3 Nikita Zadorov
We’ll start off with a defenseman. Nikita Zadorov played for the Calgary Flames and he’s a hard hitting Russian defenseman. He’s listed as six foot six and 235 pounds. Last season he had a career high four goals and 18 assists for 22 points. He was traded last summer to the Flames from the Chicago Blackhawks for a third rounder.
Zadorov can play both the left and the right side. He can be great on a third pairing with Trevor Van Riemsdyk. This would be their best move on defense.
#2 Max Domi
OK let’s try this again. I thought the Caps were going to 100 percent pursue Max Domi prior to the trade deadline last season. The Carolina Hurricanes were more aggressive and he ended up there but now the Caps have a chance to flex their wallets and snatch him this summer.
Domi had a total of 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points. Nine of those were with the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to getting traded before he scored two in 19 games with the Hurricanes.
In the playoffs he had two goals and five assists for seven points as the Hurricanes beat the Boston Burins in the first round but fell to the New York Rangers in the second round.
With the Blue Jackets, Domi had a Corsi For percentage of 46.50 percent, a 45.73 percent Expected Goals For percentage and a 43.82 percent High Danger Chances For percentage.
His advanced stats went way up with the Hurricanes. He had a 61.70 percent Corsi For percentage, a 56.43 percent Expected Goals For percentage and a 53.41 percent High Danger Chances For percentage, per Natural Stat Trick.
Domi might be the top six spark plug to fill in for Tom Wilson’s absence. Although he does play left wing and not right wing.
#1 Nazem Kadri
I have to give credit where credit is due on this one, so shoutout to my friend Sammi Silber over at Washington Hockey Now for this idea. Depending on what happens to Nicklas Backstrom on his hip injury and what they do with Lars Eller, the center from the Colorado Avalanche that’s playing for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals could be in the Capitals plans. Nazem Kadri is a name you’ve definitely heard around the hockey world for a while.
Kadri had 28 goals and 59 assists for 87 points in the regular season. So far in the playoffs he has six goals and eight assists for 14 points as the Avalanche take on the Edmonton Oilers tonight in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final.
Silber writes that Wilson goes hand in hand with Kadri and she couldn’t be more right. He’s a tough player who can be a difference maker and like Wilson isn’t afraid to make the big hit.
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Kadri has a cap hit of $4.5 million this season and his price may definitely go up. But say worse comes to worse and Backstrom’s out for the year. Boom, they’ll be able to afford an explosive forward like Kadri.