Top 3 candidates for Capitals sixth defenseman

Alex Alexeyev, Washington Capitals (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Alex Alexeyev, Washington Capitals (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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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:

Lucas Johansen, Vincent Iorio, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Lucas Johansen, Vincent Iorio, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

#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.