After significant roster movement occurred over the summer, the Washington Capitals will have a new look for the 2024-25 season, leading to competition for several roles as opening night approaches. With training camp starting in three weeks and the exhibition slate set to begin on September 22, NoVa Caps takes a look at the key battles up for grabs in camp and preseason:
- 2LW
- Jakub Vrana – The 2018 Stanley Cup champion will join Washington on a PTO and has the talent to be a top-six forward, with two 20-goal seasons under his belt and 92 goals and 170 points in 252 games (.67 points per game—tied for 142nd among all players who played at least 200 games from 2018-23). If he can get his personal life together, Vrana could make a significant impact. He spent a couple of months in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program in 2022 and has since cleared waivers twice with the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues.
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- Hendrix Lapierre – The 22-year-old established himself as an everyday NHL player last season, notching eight goals and 22 points in 51 regular-season games (a 13-goal, 35-point pace over 82 games), in addition to the goal and assist he earned in the postseason during his first full season. Despite being sent down to AHL Hershey for five weeks in mid-January, Lapierre scored six goals and 16 points in 27 NHL games (0.59 points per game) from January 18 onwards, ranking fifth on the roster, excluding Anthony Mantha and Evgeny Kuznetsov (both of whom were traded in early March).
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- Andrew Mangiapane – The 28-year-old had his lowest goal total (14) in five full NHL seasons across 75 games, which is understandable considering the Calgary Flames sold off Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, and Chris Tanev last season. He had at least 17 goals and 30 points in each of his previous four seasons, including a 35-goal campaign in 2021-22. Washington acquired Mangiapane on June 27.
- Connor McMichael – The 23-year-old impressed last season, finishing with 18 goals (tied for third on the team) and 33 points (fifth) in a career-high 80 games. Both McMichael and Lapierre were first-round picks by Washington in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
- The players who do not get this roster spot will likely make up the Capitals’ third-line, although Sonny Milano will almost certainly be the left-wing on that trio. McMichael or Lapierre will likely be the third-line center.
- 4LW
- Brandon Duhaime – If Vrana makes the team, it will likely push someone down the lineup (likely Aliaksei Protas) and another player out. The 27-year-old scored five goals, 13 points, and had a .4512 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage in 80 games with the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche last season. He also scored a goal in Colorado’s 11 postseason games. Duhaime averaged 2:06 per game on the penalty kill with Minnesota (third among the team’s forwards) and 2:11 with Colorado (third).
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- Taylor Raddysh – The 26-year-old notched five goals, 14 points, and a .4288 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage in 73 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season. Raddysh averaged 1:48 per game on the power play (ninth among Chicago forwards) and 1:33 on the penalty kill (fourth).
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- Ethan Bear – The 26-year-old tallied a goal, four points, a -5 rating, a .4537 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, a .4089 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and a .4181 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 24 games before entering the NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Bear did not make his season debut until December 30 last year due to offseason shoulder surgery. The Capitals will likely pay close attention to him during training camp after a full offseason of unrestricted training.
- Trevor Van Riemsdyk – While averaging 18:40 per game (fifth among Capitals defensemen), including 1:35 on the penalty kill (fourth), the 32-year-old recorded 14 assists, a -7 rating, a .4674 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, a .5049 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and a .4964 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 70 games. He was healthy scratched a couple of times after Bear was brought in.
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- Alexander Alexeyev – The 24-year-old played a career-high 39 games this season, posting a goal, three points, a -8 rating, a .4674 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, a .4996 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and a .514 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage while averaging 13:42 per game (ninth among team defensemen), including 28 seconds on the penalty kill (sixth). Alexeyev performed admirably in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he recorded a .627 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, a .7683 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and a .7069 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage, all of which led Washington defensemen who appeared in all four postseason games. An advantage for Alexeyev could be Bear’s ($2.625 million cap hit) and Van Riemsdyk’s ($3 million) high salaries, which could lead to a trade of at least one of them before opening night, with Washington up against the NHL salary cap.
In addition to these open spots, Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren will compete for ice time, and Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois will vie for the first-line center position, though both of these roles could very well be interchangeable throughout the season.
With training camp approaching, the Capitals still need to finalize a few details regarding their lineup for October 12 after an offseason of roster tinkering. With new players coming in, salary cap adjustments needed, and young players demanding more ice time, this should be a very exciting camp in the District.
By Harrison Brown
