The Washington Capitals tried to swing for the fences, going for top free agent Nikolaj Ehlers and looking into a number of other names on the market.
However, nothing played out, and as July 1 came and went, D.C. went without making a big acquisition this offseason.
"Some big names came off the board that would've been interesting for our group that we were evaluating... I think we looked to try to do something big, and it didn't go our way," general manager Chris Patrick said.
Though things didn't go according to plan, and though the Capitals didn't add the top-6 forward they wanted to, this offseason shouldn't be considered a failure.
Because, despite what the team tried to do, that's not what the summer's been about, and not the main goal for D.C.
As Patrick pointed out, Washington got a lot done in the regular season, locking up their goaltending tandem, signing Jakob Chychrun long-term and bringing on Anthony Beauvillier, who re-signed this offseason after the Ehlers deal fell through.
The Capitals are in an interesting spot. They're a team in transition as Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson enter the twilight of their respective careers, but remain a contender thanks to Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome, Aliaksei, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Connor McMichael and more rising pieces of the core.
So, while adding another piece would have been ideal to get more consistency on offense, D.C. remains a playoff team without those additions.
That said, though, the offseason's not over, and Washington is still doing its due dilligence, keeping an eye on the trade market and assessing where the roster sits. This is also the perfect opportunity for the team to inject more youth, with Ivan Miroshnichenko champing at the bit for his full-time opportunity and Andrew Cristall on the rise.
There's plenty of promise and the team remains in an ideal spot, and there's still plenty of time to work with. Plus, not landing a big fish now allows for more room to make bigger moves down the line later that may be more beneficial.
