We got an email from Sam, who asked us for a summary of everything that happened before the puck dropped on Saturday night. And that’s when I realized I needed a summary too. So much has happened; the mind reels. The RMNB team has been on it every stage of the way, so I DM’d Chris Cerullo and begged him to catch me up. What follows is a conversation that you might find helpful, in case you’re just as overwhelmed as I am.
But first, as succinctly as possible. here are the big changes to the roster since last season.
Out:
- Goalie Darcy Kuemper, traded to LA
- Defender Nick Jensen, traded to Ottawa
- Forward Max Pacioretty, signed with Toronto in free agency
- Forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel, signed with Buffalo in free agency
- Forward Beck Malenstyn, traded to Buffalo
- Forward Matthew Phillips, signed with Colorado in free agency
- Forwards TJ Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom, both technically with the team but on injured reserve
In:
- Top-six forward Pierre Luc-Dubois
- Top-pairing defender Jakob Chychrun
- Defender Matt Roy
- Forward Andrew Mangiapane
- Backup goalie Logan Thompson
- Depth forward Brandon Duhaime
- Depth forward Taylor Raddysh
- Nephew Jakub Vrana
Ian gave the definitive take on all those moves:
Recapping the seven major moves Brian MacLellan made to transform the Washington Capitals
And now, me and Chris’s conversation.
This discussion happened prior to Saturday’s game. It has been lightly and tenderly edited for clarity.
Peter: Hi Chris.
Chris: Howdy.
Peter: I need your help. I need to figure out what’s going on with the Caps and I need to do it right now. Help me.
Chris: Hundo P.
Peter: I think the biggest change of the offseason was to the blue line, right? Jakob Chychrun seems like a totally different kind of defender than Nick Jensen was.
Chris: Yeah, Chychrun is a modern NHL, offensive defenseman, and Jensen is not, plus he seemed to take a step back last year. The change made a lot of sense — for everyone other than the Ottawa Senators. The two players really couldn’t be more different. Jensen had one goal last season; Chychrun had 14 and 41 total points.
Peter: So do you think we should expect a better/faster/more transition to offense as a result?
Chris: Yep. The early results, albeit obviously preseason, with Chychrun and John Carlson paired together, showed that for sure. Very, very high-event hockey. Washington dominated their five-on-five minutes.
Peter: Awesome. Something to look forward to.
Okay, so the big thing in the preseason that caught my eye was the return of Jakub Vrana. What did he do to make the team? What was the thinking by General Manager Brian MacLellan there?
Chris: cough General Manager Chris Patrick cough
Peter: Yes. That’s what I said. General Manager Chris Patrick. Obviously related to NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick.
Chris: Vrana was his typical self. Near the top of the team in all “just shoot the puck” categories. The main thing constantly being emphasized about him was his speed — something the Caps have lacked really since he left. I also think he impressed enough in the smaller areas and with his “puck touches” in those areas which Spencer Carbery always harps on.
Peter: What does Vrana’s signing mean for Sonny Milano? Are they competing for one spot now?
Chris: Yeah, they definitely are. The third line, left-wing spot was where seemingly Vrana, Ivan Miroshnichenko, and Andrew Cristall were rotating in for looks during the preseason. I think Milano is going to be the guy to start the year but he’ll have a short leash after a slow preseason. I do like Vrana on that line with Hendrix Lapierre and Aliaksei Protas, as he’s a pure shooter and those two guys are not.
Peter: That’s got me worried. I thought Milano was a low-key play-driver last season. I hope he can get back on track.
Now tell me about Pierre-Luc Dubois. I know he’s coming off some bad locker-room energy in LA. What’s his role going to be here?
Chris: I’ve always been a big PLD fan. I think the fit in LA was terrible from the get-go. He was the third center on a depth chart that already featured Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault down the middle, who are both yearly Selke contenders. His role in Washington is going to be as a purely top-six guy, expected to produce similarly to how Dylan Strome has the past two years. He’ll likely get a shot with Alex Ovechkin at some point as well.
Peter: I remember you begging to get PLD to the Caps for a long time. Are you psyched?
Chris: Honestly, I would have been a lot more psyched before he signed the contract that he did with LA. But at the same time, I’m excited for literally anything different after what Washington went through down the middle last season. Dubois is in a major “prove it” type scenario, so that will be fun to watch.
Peter: I hope he’ll get time with Ovi. I don’t love Ovi’s chemistry with Strome. Speaking of: how did Alex Ovechkin look in the preseason? Best shape of his career or what?
Chris: Well, he started Training Camp with some sort of injury, so that wasn’t the greatest thing to hear. He didn’t look slow or plodding in game action though. I would say I am solidly not worried about Ovi.
Peter: That makes me feel better.
So is Andrew Mangiapane supposed to be an Oshie replacement?
Chris: Yes, for sure. Definitely will bring those, hockey cliché “dog on a bone” vibes.
Peter: Ha.
As always, I’m thinking about Nic Dowd a lot. Does he have more help on his wings with Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh this year?
Chris: Dowd’s new line had seemingly instant chemistry and was the best trio of the preseason. They drove play and racked up points despite getting the ultra D-zone deployments Dowd is very used to.
Peter: Hell yeah. I’m hoping we can see more of that 2022-23 Dowd performance and less of the 2023-24 version.
Obligatory goalie question: do we like Logan Thompson?
Chris: Yes, IMHO he had a better overall preseason than Charlie Lindgren. He brings some of those zen Braden Holtby vibes. Much more zen than Darcy Kuemper, which Ian will appreciate.
Peter: Haha.
Outside of Vrana, what was the biggest surprise of the preseason? Was it Cristall?
Chris: Yeah, it has to be Andrew Cristall. He was one of the top talents in the 2023 Draft but had major concerns about his skating and size, which saw him fall to the Capitals in the second round.
I fully expected him to have another nice 1-2 game showing and then be sent back to Kelowna. Instead, he lasted until the very last day and was one of the better individuals “eye-test” wise during his four preseason games. He immediately went back to the WHL and had five points in his first game. One to watch all year, for sure.
Peter: Zooming out. How do you feel going into the season? I see a lot of Hockey Men think the Caps will miss the playoffs. I have no idea what to think yet. Comfort me.
Chris: I think the Capitals are going to be a much better team this season than last season. However, I do still see some of the concerns about the playoffs because I do not think a team like the New Jersey Devils lays a second-straight egg. I legitimately think Washington could improve upon their standings points from last year but still barely miss out on the final two playoff spots.
I don’t know if that was comfort. I think the games will be more fun to watch though!
Peter: I’ll take it!
Thank you, Chris. Your next Baja Blast is on me.
Chris: Taco Bell is 💯
