The Washington Capitals took to the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Monday for practice after securing their first three-game winning streak since December of last season. Given the team’s recent success, head coach Spencer Carbery didn’t tinker with his lines or defense pairings much.
However, there was one very interesting wrinkle. Connor McMichael, who has played left wing exclusively in the team’s first eight games, lined up at his natural center position on the third line. There, he split drill reps with Nicklas Backstrom.
Carbery was asked after practice what the idea is behind the move. The rookie bench boss didn’t mention Backstrom in his response.
“I think we just always envision Connor will play there at some point,” Carbery said. “Whether that’s next game, 10 games, next season. He’s a natural centerman. We’ve liked how he’s looked on the left side this year. He’s had a lot of success on the left side but I think it’s important for him to stay with that. Whether it’s faceoff wise, breakout routes.
“He’s done a really good job on the walls and working at winger-specific stuff but he also needs to stay sharp for when the time comes for when we do need him to play the middle. That’s his natural position and I’m sure we find him back there at some point.”
While the points aren’t exactly coming in spades just yet for McMichael, the 22-year-old forward has drawn effusive praise from Carbery to start the year. And, for good reason. He’s been one of the Capitals’ top performers at five-on-five.
In a per 60 minutes individual setting among Capitals forwards, McMichael ranks third in shot attempts (14.1), second in expected goals (0.94), third in scoring chances (9.4), and second in high-danger chances (4.7). While the team may not want to mess with that momentum, it’s clear they know McMichael’s future with the club remains in the middle of the ice.
Carbery’s comments on Monday echo what general manager Brian MacLellan stated about McMichael during the preseason. “I think he’s ready,” MacLellan said. “He’ll probably start off in different positions. He might be playing wing to start but eventually we’re going to get him to center at some point. I don’t know the timeframe on it. He had a good year last year – really happy about his progress.”
Connor McMichael (@con91mcmichael)! 🚨
The @Capitals are back in front!
📺: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/W9mpYG1lMO pic.twitter.com/DMRt8ummhI
— NHL (@NHL) October 26, 2023
The juxtaposition of McMichael and Backstrom being the two splitting time on a line also cannot be ignored. Backstrom’s start to the year has been concerning. With him on the ice at five-on-five, the Capitals are seeing just 44.1 percent of the shot attempts, 38.8 percent of the expected goals, 37.6 percent of the scoring chances, and 33.4 percent of the high-danger chances.
This season was meant to be a vital one to determine whether or not Backstrom could be a functional NHL player still at this point of his storied career post major hip surgery. “I think it’s frustrating in that I don’t know how much better it’s going to get,” MacLellan said last April. “I haven’t seen any other players do it, recover, and get back to the level they thought they were at before. He’s going to have to make a decision on his career where he thinks he’s at.”
While the early returns were perhaps positive and Backstrom does look smoother on the ice than he did last season, the on-ice results just have not been there. In recent games, Backstrom has been removed from the team’s top power play unit for the first time since he entered the league and has seen his ice time cut to under 12 and a half minutes per game.
So what does it mean? That’s unclear. The Capitals could be preparing McMichael to take over for Backstrom at some point in the future. But there are also other center-related issues the team is currently dealing with that could necessitate moves down the middle.
Regular fourth-line center Nic Dowd has been incredibly limited to start the season and has not played since the team beat the Calgary Flames on October 16. The 33-year-old has lingering core injury issues that he had surgery on this past offseason.
Carbery did not sound optimistic about Dowd’s chances to return to practice this week. “I’m not sure,” Carbery said. “I’m not sure. That would probably be a to be determined.”
With Dowd out, Hendrix Lapierre was recalled from the Hershey Bears and given a sweater against the Sharks on Sunday. Lapierre did not have a good night. In just 7:28 of total ice time, the Capitals were out-attempted 14 to 6 and outshot 8 to 2 with him over the boards.
For all of those reasons and more, keeping McMichael fresh and up to date at center could be vital for the Capitals. The team has Tuesday off so the next time we’ll be able to evaluate where Carbery lines McMichael up will be at Wednesday’s practice. They’ll take on the New York Islanders at home the following day.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
