Top 3 candidates for Capitals sixth defenseman
One more week left of preseason hockey and basically just about one more week left of Washington Capitals training camp. Position battles were a loose topic at the start of training camp. Now there’s an actual position up for grabs and that’s the sixth defenseman.
There’s a couple of names that stand out among the leaders of the pack and we’ll talk about the top 3 of those guys here. The sixth defenseman spot originally belonged to Joel Edmundson or it was pretty much the former Montreal Canadiens blue liner his to lose.
Edmundson went down during a non game group scrimmage last Sunday before the Capitals first preseason game. He will be out four to six weeks with a fractured hand.
Let’s learn which three Caps are likely to take that sixth spot on opening night:
#3 Lucas Johansen
Lucas Johansen is the oldest player out of the trio we are mentioning here. But he’s also still young at 25 years old. He was taken 28th overall in the first round of the NHL Draft by the Capitals. He’s played in three NHL games in his career.
Johansen also contributed to the Bears the last six seasons including their Calder Cup run last season.
#2 Vincent Iorio
Joel Edmundson plays on the left side. So does Lucas Johansen and the guy we will mention on the next slide. Vincent Iorio plays on the right side. So why are we including him on this?
Trevor van Riemsdyk, whoever that winners potential partner is going to be, is versatile. He can not only play on the right side but can also play on the left side. So if Iorio makes the team, he can still play on the right no problem with TvR on the left.
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery acknowledged such when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday:
“Being able to flip someone to the left side like [van Riemsdyk], is something that we would for sure consider. And Iorio has played some games [in the NHL], and I thought he was solid [on Sunday vs. Buffalo] from going back through the film. So he is in that mix, too.”
Iorio played in three games with the Caps last season and appeared in 15 Calder Cup playoff games for the Hershey Bears recording a goal and an assist for five points. He was selected by the Capitals with the 55th pick in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
#1 Alex Alexeyev
The most likely candidate to make the top six is 2018 first round pick (31st overall) Alex Alexeyev. He has the most NHL experience out of the three with 33 games. He also was re upped for two more seasons early in the offseason.
In 32 games last season, Alexeyev had five assists. He also had 48 blocks and 33 hits while averaging 16:27 minutes of ice time. He played in the first preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres where he had two penalty minutes, two hits, and two shots while playing 22:30.
Alexeyev also played in the second preseason game Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings at Capital One Arena. In that game he skated for 20:53, had one shot and had a plus minus of plus one.
He also played Saturday night in the rematch at Detroit. He skated 22:16, had a plus minus of -2 and two hits. After he was called a “fool” by a particular teammate for aspirations to be in the top six, he now gets a legitimate opportunity to do so.
Carbery added:
“It’s what these guys want, right? They want to prove that they’re an everyday NHL player on a good team. So it’s right there; I love that. Not for Joel’s case, but for guys that are just waiting for that one break to be able to get into the lineup, and sometimes it comes in another person’s misfortune.”
Related Story. More cuts and waivers oh my. light
You never want it to come down to someone else’s injury to make the lineup. But unfortunately it’s sports and injuries do happen. But for each of the three players we just talked about, opportunity is knocking. Only three more preseason games left.