The Washington Capitals won’t add as much to their roster this summer as they did last offseason, but that doesn’t mean they won’t still be perusing the player market. General manager Chris Patrick has more targeted holes to fill after the club’s second-round playoff loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
One of those holes is down the middle on the team’s third line, as veteran pivot Lars Eller is expected to depart as an unrestricted free agent. Eller was acquired last November in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins to shore up the line, but the move didn’t work out quite as planned.
“I think we were aggressive in getting Lars,” Patrick said last week. “I think we felt like that was an area we needed to get to solidify our lineup. I thought for the most part, he came in and did that. I think, as he alluded to, the role is different than what he’s had in the past, and he had some difficulty adjusting to that, which is understandable for the most part. I know it didn’t end the way any of us would have hoped, but I thought for the most part, he did bring some stability to that position.”
Eller averaged just 12:26 of ice time during the regular season, his lowest average total in a season since his rookie 2010-11 campaign with the Montreal Canadiens (11:08). He managed just 15 points (6g, 9a) in 63 games for the Caps after notching seven points (4g, 3a) in just 17 games with the Penguins.
Head coach Spencer Carbery minimized Eller’s ice time further in the playoffs, deploying him just 10:45 per game. Eller was ultimately healthy-scratched for the Capitals’ Game 5 elimination loss to the Hurricanes.
“Going into next year, I think that’s definitely an area that we need to look at to find ways to improve,” Patrick said. “I think we have both internally, some options with some younger players in our system, and we’ll also see what else is out there externally.”
One of the primary internal options is Connor McMichael, who played wing in the team’s top-six forward group for most of the year. McMichael had a career-best season, recording 57 points (26g, 31a) in 82 games.
The 24-year-old former first-round draft pick still views himself as a center and has expressed wanting to play his natural position more in the future. McMichael played center in Game 5 against Carolina but only spent two games down the middle during the regular season.
“Talking about Connor McMichael, do we use him as a wing or a center? That has an impact on what we go after,” Patrick said. “It would be great to add another skilled player to our lineup, for sure. It would be great to also have a third line that is a really dependable third line. The Dowd line is effectively a third line; it would be great to have two third lines, like Nic’s line.”
The Capitals will also likely give 2020 first-round pick Hendrix Lapierre another opportunity to graduate full-time to the NHL. Lapierre had taken up the third-line center spot out of training camp, but his early-season struggles saw him sent back down to the AHL’s Hershey Bears and necessitated the move for Eller.
Patrick’s goals for the summer will also need to align with the organization’s overall philosophy of wanting to continue leaning in a more youthful direction. Trade activity will pick up once the Stanley Cup Final ends in June and free agency is set to begin on July 1.
