Braden Holtby was spotted out and about in the DC area again. This time, it was at a Washington Nationals game and with a special guest.
Former Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner joined Holtby at Nats Park on Friday evening.
Scott Arniel will not return behind the bench with the Washington Capitals next season.
Monday, the Winnipeg Jets announced that the Caps’ assistant has been hired as an associate coach under Rick Bowness’ staff. Reports about Arniel leaving the Capitals began circulating in May.
By Ian Oland 8 hours ago
The Washington Capitals are entering an important time period that could reshape the franchise during the final years of the Alex Ovechkin Era in DC. The NHL Draft, where the team could make a trade, is on July 7 and 8, and free agency opens on July 13.
The Capitals, who have not won a playoff series since lifting the Stanley Cup in 2018, will have approximately $25 million to play with after second-line center Nicklas Backstrom had a second hip surgery last month that few athletes have returned from.
Now, Elliotte Friedman is reporting one of the Capitals’ first major moves of the offseason.
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan tried to re-up 30-year-old, third-line winger, Conor Sheary, who will be an unrestricted free agent next year.
The Washington Capitals announced their 2022 preseason schedule on Friday. The Caps will play six preseason games from September 25 through October 8.
The team will kick off its season with an exhibition at home against the Buffalo Sabres on September 25. The Capitals will also notably play Columbus and Detroit twice.
It appears that the Capitals could have a new look behind the bench next season as ESPN’s Kevin Weekes is reporting that current Caps assistant coach Scott Arniel is a finalist for the Winnipeg Jets head coaching job.
A report from The Athletic’s Murat Ates in late May claimed that Arniel was a “virtual lock” to join the Jets staff. At the time that report had him most likely arriving as an associate coach, but that idea could have changed after Barry Trotz turned down the Jets head coaching job just a week ago.
By Chris Cerullo 4 days ago
Alex Semin’s team defeated Team Datsyuk 10-9 in Semin’s farewell game from hockey on Thursday. Semin, 38, announced his retirement in May.
Semin’s farewell game, entitled The Match of World Hockey Stars – the Legendary Overtime, featured former Capitals teammates Alex Ovechkin and Viktor Kozlov. Other notables included Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov, former Capital Andrei Nikolishin (1998 Stanley Cup Final team), and Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin. The proceeds from the ticket sales went to orphanages in the area as well as to the development of sled hockey in Krasnoyarsk.
Semin and Ovechkin both netted hat tricks in the victory. Arguably the most beautiful play came when Semin assisted on an Ovechkin goal by chipping a pass overtop the net that fell perfectly in the crease for an Ovechkin put back.
Emily Engel-Natzke has made hockey history yet again. The Caps announced on Thursday that she has been hired as their new NHL video coordinator, becoming officially the first full-time female coach for an NHL team according to the NHL Coaches’ Association.
Back in 2020, Engel-Natzke first made history when she became the first female coach to ever be hired in the Washington Capitals organization. She has served as the Hershey Bears video coach since then.
By Chris Cerullo 4 days ago
Sportico’s Emily Caron and Eben Novy-Williams are reporting that Alex Ovechkin is not *actually* an investor of the Washington Spirit.
Ovechkin did not complete the paperwork or send in his check to become an investor in the National Women’s Soccer League team and missed out on what could have been a “fast and potentially lucrative return” per the reporters.
The announcement that Ovechkin invested in the team was made shortly before the first round of the 2021 playoffs where the Washington Capitals took on the Boston Bruins — one of the busiest times of the season. In the summer, the Spirit became embroiled in a constant wave of controversy, including an abuse scandal and a very public, months-long ownership fight, which is where Ovechkin may have had pause to put his name and money behind the team.
Two respected hockey statisticians, Andy & Rono, revealed their lists of the top 10 offensive and defensive defensemen in the NHL. The creators of the popular NHL player stat cards named former Capital Jonas Siegenthaler as the NHL’s best defensive defenseman of the 2021-22 season.
The 24-year-old rearguard, in his first full season for the New Jersey Devils, was buoyed to the mark by his continued, exceptional penalty killing and being “excellent at denials” while playing in a tough role per AR Hockey Stats.
With the Stanley Cup officially Colorado’s, the National Hockey League announced the order of selection for the 2022 NHL Draft on Wednesday. The Avs will pick last in each round where they have a selection.
The Washington Capitals, as of right now, will have six picks in the Draft including a pick in each of the first three rounds. Though that could change if the Capitals make any trades. The team could be very active this offseason as it tries to land a number one goaltender and replace Nicklas Backstrom, who is out indefinitely due to having a second hip surgery.
