Washington Capitals free-agency preview: Middle-six centers

July 11, 2022 10:57 am

As of noon on Wednesday, July 13, a bunch of hockey dudes will become unrestricted free agents in need of new deals. The Washington Capitals have some specific needs that must be met, and together we are going to figure out how best to do it.

In this edition: a center for the middle six.

But first, recall if you will our data-driven analysis of the Capitals needs, based on position, and measured by your bad vibes. Here’s the Capitals lineup, color-coded based on how worried we are — and therefore perhaps how interested the front office should be in shoring up that position.

So. Centers.

Nicklas Backstrom had his hip-resurfacing surgery last month and faces a difficult and indefinite recovery period. Adding to the worry, Lars Eller seems to be in a career downturn that makes me way less confident in his ability to play up to 2C.

So here are some free-agency options for a middle-six center:

Evgeni Malkin. He’s Russian, old, and always hurt, so he would fit in perfectly. I have no idea if Pittsburgh will sign him before he hits the market.
Projected: 1 year, $2.9 million. (Yes, this is a surprisingly low projection.)
Claude Giroux. So he didn’t exactly take the baton from Crosby, but he’s still a very special player. But if the Caps are expecting Backstrom back, this won’t make sense.
Projected: 7 years, $7.6 million.
Vincent Trocheck. Much more realistic as an option. He doesn’t exactly drive play, but he’s under 30 and can eat minutes.
Projected: 4 years, $6.0 million.
Nazem Kadri 🥤. Okay let’s be silly for a moment. Kadri’s gonna get paid bigly for his Cup win in a career-best year, but he’s such a good player – a combination of pest and superstar. Just imagine it. Are you imagining it? Okay, now let it go.
Projected: 7 years, $8.5 million.
Ryan Strome. I have a suspicion Strome’s got the constellation of qualities that get a free-agent center well compensated, but I doubt he’s a better value than Trochek.
Projected: 7 years, $7.2 million.
Marcus Johansson. Flawless. No notes. Washington will go here if they’re super unsure about Backstrom and/or want to spend elsewhere. Lord Grantham would call this “small beer.”
Projected: 1 year, $1.1 million.
Victor Rask. Middle-six is a stretch for a low-minute defensive center with limited offensive talent. But he’d be cheap!
Projected: 1 year, $1.0 million.
Paul Stastny. I feel like the Caps have been linked with Stastny for like 10 years, which might be the case since he’s 36 years old. Still, the dashboard stats and underlying numbers say he’s still got the touch.
Projected: 1 year, $3.4 million.