Connor McMichael is back in DC ahead of his sixth season in the NHL.
The 24-year-old forward rejoined his teammates on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, Wednesday. The return group, which has included Pierre-Luc Dubois, John Carlson, Dylan Strome, and Martin Fehervary, got in a quick skate before the start of the NHLPA’s Rookie Showcase — an event that brings together 30 of the best prospects in the NHL so they can have their photos taken for Upper Deck.
McMichael is coming off a career year where he notched single-season highs in goals (26), assists (31), and points (57). Playing primarily to the left of Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson, McMichael was the team’s fifth-leading goal scorer and helped push his lineys to career-best seasons.
The Ajax, Ontario native is set to start the Capitals’ training camp as the team’s third-line center in what is a Spencer Carbery reclamation project. The third line, which featured both Hendrix Lapierre and Lars Eller in the middle during the year, was the Capitals’ only real weak spot as the team finished the regular season at the top of the Eastern Conference. Carbery rarely iced the line in the playoffs, leaning heavily on the other forward lines.
“Could it change partway through camp, based on injuries, based on needing or utilizing him in the top six? It definitely could, but the plan right now is for ‘Mikey’ to start in the middle,” Carbery said.
McMichael is entering the final season of a two-year, $4.2 million contract that he signed on July 1, 2024. The pending restricted free agent expressed his desire to sign long-term during Breakdown Day.
“I love it here,” he said. “I want to be here for a very long time, as long as possible, and help this team win. So, whether that’s a deal this summer, next summer, whatever it may be, I just know one thing is for sure: I want to stay.”
