The Washington Capitals hit the ice for their morning skate on Monday before a cross-conference date with the Vancouver Canucks. Evgeny Kuznetsov was notably missing and the team says will be a game-time decision.
Filling in on the second line was Connor McMichael. If the Caps deem Kuznetsov unable to go against the Canucks, McMichael appears likely to make his season debut.
The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir reported the news with the overall line combinations and defensive pairings. McMichael’s addition is the only change from Saturday night’s victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Here’s how the #Caps are lined up this am ahead of VAN:
Ovechkin-Strome-Brown
Mantha-McMichael-Oshie
Johansson-Eller-Protas
Sheary-Dowd-HathawayFehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
Gustafsson-TvRKuemper
LindgrenExtras: Kuznetsov (undisclosed), Snively and Irwin
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) October 17, 2022
McMichael put on over five pounds of muscle during the summer. The 21-year-old forward came into Training Camp looking to battle for a role at center on the team with more veteran players like Dylan Strome and Lars Eller. He has been vocal in the past about being a natural center and wanting to play there.
“(Center) is a position that I want to play in,” McMichael said during camp. “I’m just looking to prove that I belong there.
“I think it’s really healthy to have a battle with guys for certain positions on the ice,” he continued. “We brought in a lot of good players this year and there’s a lot of spots up for grabs. I want to be a centerman, that’s my natural position. I’m looking to do so and working hard against the guys who are up against me.”
In his rookie season, McMichael skated in 68 games for the Caps and recorded 18 points (9g, 9a). The talented prospect had a particularly great stretch playing down the middle that garnered praise from the coaching staff. In the eight-game spell with him on the ice (5v5) at center, the team saw 60.9-percent of the shot attempts, 72-percent of the expected goals, 67.9-percent of the scoring chances, and 80.4-percent of the high-danger chances. All of those rates led everyone on the team that played in all eight games.
“Connor’s done a pretty good job,” Laviolette said then. “He’s been a driving force on the ice. He’s been using his speed through the middle. He’s been generating chances and looks. He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now. Going into the game tonight, going into it, we want to keep him there and keep working on that confidence he’s shown.”
The addition of the still waiver-eligible McMichael and Aliaksei Protas on the Opening Night roster led to the Caps having to say goodbye to both Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Brett Leason as the two were plucked off waivers by the Winnipeg Jets and Anaheim Ducks. Those moves sparked the Capitals’ signing of Sonny Milano this past week.
El-Bashir also reports that Darcy Kuemper was the first goaltender off the ice which means he will get his third start as a member of the Caps. In his career, Kumeper is 11-6-1 with a 2.23 goals-against average, and a .924 save percentage against Vancouver.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
