Pano Fimis is the perfect UDFA worth signing by the Capitals

I thought the Washington Capitals had a pretty good draft. We’ve now reached the offseason where teams start looking into undrafted free agents and figuring out which ones deserve a legitimate shot to live out their NHL dreams.

After the Caps didn’t go center heavy in the draft, rather winger heavy instead, the Caps should definitely look at a center UDFA to sign and the perfect candidate is Pano Fimis.

Pano Fimis is a playmaking center which is what the Caps need in their youth system. He’s coming off a 44 point season in 54 games. Not the most points but he was on a team that struggled to create offensive changes but he certainly was a bright spot.

Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News mentions this:

His shooting ability isn’t terrible by any means either, he just doesn’t create shots for himself as much as you’d like to see. He needed to really assert himself a bit more for the Ice Dogs though. Fimis rarely tried to take control of play and rather operated as a passenger who could help push play forward had there been a teammate that was able to drive the bus. With some maturity, Fimis could attract attention next year as a D+1 forward.

Elite Prospects added this about him in their 2022 NHL Draft Guide:

He slips pucks through defenders, passes just out of their reach, and makes plays off the backhand. He immediately recognizes the next play upon getting the puck, which couples with his puck retrieval ability (anticipate, steal, body positioning). He even deceives.

He’s listed at five foot 11 and 176 pounds. That’s some speed right there. And he’s form Canada. Last season he had 14 goals and 30 assists for 44 points with the Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL. He also played for Canada U18 in the WJC 18.