Washington Capitals

Injured Capitals Ready to Return After Bad Breaks

With the signing of Christian Djoos on Thursday, the Washington Capitals all but locked up their lineup for the 2019-20 NHL season, putting the frantic days of free agency and arbitration behind them. Now the 22 players on the Capitals’ roster can focus on preparing themselves for the season opener on October 2nd against the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. That will be especially important for the following three players, who were missing from the Capitals’ rotation when they needed them most.

Capitals: Breaking Down 2019-20 Lineup Changes

With Jakub Vrana’s re-signing, the Capitals’ 2019-2020 roster is basically set, barring any surprise late moves. It was a tight off-season for general manager Brian MacLellan, and a lower-than-expected NHL salary cap prevented the team from diving into the top-tier free agent market. Still, he found ways to improve the roster around the margins, keeping the Capitals in the conversation as Stanley Cup contenders.

Capitals Got It Right at the 2019 Draft

Washington Capitals general manager Matt McLellan has a reputation of scoring more misses than hits with his NHL draft selections. In the past five years, only one homegrown talent, 2014 first-round selection Jakub Vrana, has achieved significant ice time with the Capitals.

McLellan has instead relied on free agency and deep pockets to build his squads, neither of which will be at his disposal this off-season. Though the exact figures for the NHL salary cap are still being worked out, rumors indicate that the ceiling will be slightly under $83 million – the projected figure that the league’s general managers have used as a baseline. According to CapFriendly.com, Washington has less than $9.75 million of cap space to work with, fifth-worst in the league. Several key players, such as Vrana, Andre Burakovsky, and Brett Connolly remain unsigned, making this draft essential in case any of those players decide to walk.