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The Washington Capitals were the best team in the Eastern Conference this past season. Still, the Capitals would fall to the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As they look to make another playoff run, in what could be Alex Ovechkin's last season, we look at the players who should be traded by the Capitals in this NHL offseason.
The Caps won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and have missed the playoffs just once since then. Still, they have not advanced out of the second round since then, either. This past season, they won 51 games, but would still fall in the second round. Now, the Capitals need to start planning for the future.
Their star player, Ovechkin, will turn 40 this year. TJ Oshie, another part of the core who won the Cup, has retired. Nicklas Backstrom has not played since his eight games in the 2023-24 season. The heart of the 2018 Stanley Cup team is aging, but new young players are growing, including Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael. If the Caps want to avoid a complete rebuild, they need to make moves this summer to set up for the future.
Capitals need to move on from a disappointing signing
Not every free agent signing works out the way it was expected to. Heading into the 2022-23 season, the Capitals signed Sonny Milano to a one-year contract, and then would give Milano a three-year extension after the season. The winger was solid in his first year in Washington. He scored 11 goals and added 22 assists. This was a career high in assists, while being the second-highest points in a season of his career. Still, he played just 64 games that year.
Availability has become a major issue for Milano in his career. His career high in games played was in the 2021-22 season when he played in 66 games. He would play 64 games in his first season with the Capitals, but played just 49 games in 2023-24. This past season, the former first-round pick suited up just three times. He did not record a point and spent just 21:36 on the ice overall this year.
The Capitals are projected to have just $10.325 million in cap space this year. While Milano carries a cap hit of just $1.9 million and spent most of the year on long-term IR, moving on from his contract is a must. He may not bring in a large return, but he needs a career refresh, and the Capitals do not need the burden of an oft-injured player taking up salary cap room.
Trevor van Riemsdyk needs to be moved
The Capitals have their top two defensive rotations set. Washington just re-signed Jakob Chychrun to a large extension, while still having John Carlson under contract this year. Further, Matt Roy is under contract for five more seasons, while Rasmus Sandin has four more years left on his deal. These four players were the leaders in ice time for the Capitals this past season.
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Meanwhile, Martin Fehervary was fifth on the team in ice time. He is just 25 years old and signed through the end of this year. Fehervary will also be a restricted free agent at the end of the year, and the Capitals can still control his future. The Caps also have Dylan McIlrath on the roster, plus Alexander Alexeyev is a restricted free agent.
This all makes Trevor van Riemsdyk expendable. Van Riemsdyk will be turning 34 years old this year and has one year left on his contract worth $3 million. He has been reliable for the Capitals, playing in 70 or more games in each of the last four seasons. Further, he played in all 82 games this year. The blue-liner also put up 21 points this year, which were the second most of his career.
The advanced stats also do not suggest a decline. While the hit numbers of the American went down this past year, his takeaways remained consistent, and he had the second-most shots blocked of his career. With other young defenders on the roster and under team control, combined with the fact that van Riemsdyk will be a free agent next offseason and is not declining, this may be the perfect time to move on and get valuable assets in return.
Washington needs to make a move in goal
The Caps have determined the future of their goalie position heading into this offseason. Washington signed Logan Thompson to a contract extension during the season, and he will be the primary goaltender. He was great this year, with a 31-6-6 record, plus a 2.49 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. While he did miss some time due to injury, he still played 43 games for the Caps.
Meanwhile, the Capitals have Charlie Lindgren under contract as well. He has started 140 games in his career, while also starting 112 for the Caps in his three years with the franchise. Lindgren has been solid for Washington. This past year, he had a .896 save percentage and a 2.73 goals-against average. Washington needs to move him for two reasons.
The first reason is the value they could get for Lindgren. With very few options for starting goaltenders on the free agent market, the Minnesota native could bring in a large haul for the Capitals. The second reason is the salary cap. Lindgren will cost $3 million per year for the next three years. With limited cap space in Washington, they can keep solid backup production while saving money. Former Senators backup goaltender Anton Forsberg is on the market and would cost under $2 million per year. Forsberg had solid numbers this past season, with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.
Overall, the Caps are a team in transition. As they move from the old guard led by Ovechkin, Oshie, and Backstrom, towards a new and younger club, they are at a crossroads. They could move into a complete rebuild after the season as Ovi's contract expires. Conversely, they can prepare for the future now, trading away extra players who do not add value while getting assets and cap space in return.
