Offseason Review: Washington Capitals

Now that the dust has settled on a wild NHL offseason, let's take a look at how each team did in regards to drafting and free-agent signings. Today, we'll look at the Washington Capitals.

The Caps are one of those teams that have been dominant for the better part of the last 15 years. The core of Alex Ovechkin, Niklas Backstrom, Evgeni Kuznetsov, and T.J. Oshie have all been around the league for a long time; Oshie, Backstrom, and Ovechkin are now all in their mid-thirties. This is a core that should be headed into their twilight years like we're seeing with LA and Chicago. For some reason though, the teams in the East are taking a bit longer to slow down. Look no further than the Pens for more evidence of that, or Boston for that matter. Washington is right up in that group, with their core stars aging out of their prime yet seemingly not slowing down at all. This is a team that believes they are still capable of winning a Stanley Cup, even though they haven't made it out of the first round since they accomplished that feat three and a half years ago. While there were rumors of a Kuznetsov trade this summer, as it stands now the plan seems to be having him on the roster to start the season. With that on the back burner, GM Brian MacLellan's main priority this offseason was getting Ovechkin on a new contract, one that would in all likelihood carry him to retirement. Let's see if that panned out.

Free Agency:

To avoid any concerns to the contrary yes, Ovechkin was re-signed, inked to a five-year contract that will carry him until he's 40. With any other player, that much term so late in their career would be worrying. With Ovi? It should be fine. He's going for the Gretzky goal-scoring record, which means over the next 5 years he needs to average 33 goals a season to make it. That seems more than doable for the Great 8. He could arguably break 40 goals in 2021-2022, which will just make the totals easier on him down the road.

After that, not much fanfare in Washington. The Caps traded a 2nd-round pick to bring back goaltender Vitek Vanecek, who they lost in the Seattle expansion draft. They also signed their "starter of the future" Ilya Samsonov to a one-year bridge contract.

The rest of the players signed all got two-way deals. There were left-wingers Joe Snively, Alex Jonsson-Fjallby, Shane Gersich, and Beck Malenstyn all getting one-year deals, except for Jonsson-Fjallby who signed for two years. Then there were centremen Garrett Pilon, Michael Sgarbossa, and Mike Vecchione; Pilon and Scarbossa signed for two years, Vecchione for one. Lastly, the Caps signed defencemen Bobby Nardella, Matt Irwin, and Dylan McIlrath. Irwin signed for one year, Nardella and McIlrath for two. The caps also re-signed Dman Lucas Johansen to a one-year two-way deal.

Grade: C+; Is this the beginning of the Caps' descent into a rebuild? Getting Ovi his goals will happen regardless, but the lack of urgency in this free-agent period suggests MacLellan may be getting ready to draft a few top-end prospects before his team is solely focused on winning the Cup again. The Caps are still capable, any team running Ovechkin, Backstrom, Oshie, and Kuznetsov, and backing them up with John Carlson has a chance to win. It just doesn't seem like building a contender (or even a team that can get out of the first round) was a priority this year.

Draft:

The Caps traded their 1st-rounder this year at the deadline to acquire Anthony Mantha from Detroit. Mantha is still locked up for 4 years and looked great in Washington, so that pick isn't a massive loss. Still, it meant the Caps didn't make a selection until the second round.

When that pick came at 55th overall, the Caps drafted Vincent Iorio, a defenceman from Coquitlam, BC. A 6'3" right-shot defender, Iorio is a top-tier puck mover. His first pass out of the defensive zone is fast, accurate, and well-timed to slip through the opposing team, sometimes crossing two or three lines before he hits a stick. He plays with a deceptive calmness that throws off attackers, making them think he's vulnerable just long enough to crack open a passing lane, at which point the puck inevitably clears the zone. He plays a similar game to Oilers' prospect Evan Bouchard, although the offensive production isn't as significant in Iorio's case. Still, he had 5 goals and 12 points in 22 games with the OHL's Brandon Wheat Kings last season, an increase in production from his 21 points in 59 games the year before.

With their next pick, 80th overall, Washington drafted Brent Johnson. Another right-shot defenceman, this one standing 5'11" and hailing from Dallas, Texas, Johnson is more of an offensive Dman than Iorio. That's not to say he isn't defensively responsible, Johnson likes to hang back deep into his own zone, never letting attackers slip behind him. Where his game shines is on the attack, when he'll sneak up the weak side and get himself open for a pass. He'll transition that into a shooting position before passing the off to a teammate whose defender just split to cover the fake shot. Johnson wants to be a contributor at both ends of the ice, a good mindset to have in a prospect.

Grade: B+; Considering they didn't pick in the first round, Washington came away with a pair of good defensive prospects. Both are right-shots, which have become a hot commodity in the NHL. Assuming the Caps can develop these two for a few years, they should both turn into valuable additions to a quick rebuild.

Overall grade: B-; Not too much changed in Washington this summer. It may be a signal that Caps' management is slowly prepping for a rebuild, but in the meantime, this team should still remain competitive in the Metro, enough to compete for a Wildcard spot at the very least. If they can get that, heading into the playoffs with Alex Ovechkin on the team means anything can happen, but winning another Cup doesn't seem to be the Caps' priority anymore.

What do you think about the quiet offseason in Washington?

Photo credit: Catalina Fragoso-USA TODAY Sports