3 Moves The Washington Capitals Need To Make This Summer

Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Washington Capitals have lost in the first round every postseason. This year was particularly deflating for the Caps, as they fell to the Bruins in just five games. With this team getting older, while also having limited cap space, they have a lot going against them. The primary goal for this team is to win Alex Ovechkin at least one more Stanley Cup before he retires. Yet, if things keep heading in this direction, that may not come into fruition.

These are three moves they should make this summer.

Re-Sign Alex Ovechkin: With Ovechkin being the face of the franchise and still their best player, it is a no-brainer that they must extend him. He has openly stated that he wants to return, so getting a deal done will happen. However, after this occurs, the Capitals will likely not have a lot of cap space to use for the rest of the team. This is still the case even if he accepts an extension at the same cap hit as his previous contract.

Keep Evgeny Kuznetsov: Although Evgeny Kuznetsov is in the rumor mill and struggled this season, they should not trade him. There isn't a center on the free agent market who is worth signing to replace him. When Kuznetsov is on his game, he is one of the top playmakers in the entire league. His 2018 playoff run shows this perfectly. Thus, it would make sense to give him one more chance next season.

Re-Sign Zdeno Chara: If Zdeno Chara is willing to come back for a 24th NHL season, the Capitals should try to re-sign him. He worked very nicely on their bottom-pair and still is very reliable defensively. Given the fact that he also took such a small contract last off-season, it is not far-fetched to believe that he would do the same now. Even if he is used as a 7th defenseman this time around, it would still be a worthwhile signing because of how well he played this year.

Honorable Mention: They also could look to change the bottom-six by trading away some of their bigger contracts. Carl Hagelin, for example, has a $2.75 million cap hit and plays on the fourth-line. They could use the money from trading him to bring in two bottom-six forwards who produce at similar levels.