The Washington Capitals have quite a bit to consider when it comes to their lineup as they find themselves in the midst of a lighter offseason and eager to promote a handful of prospects.
That being said, what will the forward lines look like on opening night?
Washington said goodbye to Andrew Mangiapane, Lars Eller and Taylor Raddysh in the offseason, opening vacancies across the lineup.
The Capitals had originally tried to go big and add some scoring depth earlier this summer, targeting Nikolaj Ehlers and taking a look at some other notable free agents. However, those deals fell through, and ultimately, general manager Chris Patrick re-signed Anthony Beauvillier to help fill the void.
Beyond the Beauvillier signing, he's looking at draft acquisition Justin Sourdif to make the full-time NHL jump, and is also relying on a handful of prospects to prove their worth in camp and round out the forward lines.
When it comes to the top-6, things could look different, with Alex Ovechkin's role potentially changing as he enters the final year of his contract and Connor McMichael wanting to play center.
On the bottom-6, Ivan Miroshnichenko is champing at the bit for his big break, Hendrix Lapierre is still working to prove he's a full-time NHLer and Andrew Cristall is also a top contender for a spot. Then, there's no ruling out dark horse Henrik Rybinski, and Ethen Frank has paid his dues for a full-time role.
I'd expect Miroshnichenko to make the full-time NHL jump, but also believe that Cristall, given the flexibility he has after graduating from the junior ranks and having dominated the WHL, could start the season up in D.C. and get a few games to show what he can do.
Taking all of that into account, here's my prediction for what the forward will look like on Oct. 8 against the Boston Bruins.
Aliaksei Protas-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Anthony Beauvillier
Andrew Cristall-Connor McMichael-Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime-Nic Dowd-Justin Soudif
Extras: Ethen Frank, Ivan Miroshnichenko
