It was another lost year with Alex Ovechkin under contract, and the captain remains unsigned for next year. This season was his last on his 13-year, $124 million deal that he signed in 2008. Ovechkin, who is negotiating the contract himself, did not want to comment on its status after the team was eliminated in a 3-1 loss to Boston Sunday night.
The team also has multiple decisions to make in goal, has to figure out what to do with an inconsistent Evgeny Kunetsov and needs to prepare for the NHL’s expansion draft in July. Management will likely take part in a busy offseason, with options for the team’s future aplenty.
After Ovechkin, Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie appear to be the two of the biggest names with uncertain futures on the Capitals’ 2021-22 roster. Both for differing reasons.
Kuznetsov just finished the fourth year of his eight-year, $62.4 million deal signed in 2017. There is frustration internally with Kuznetsov’s on-ice production and continued off-ice problems. Offseason trade rumors have already begun circulating, after his latest stint on the covid-19 protocols list and disciplinary issues.
Kuznetsov was a non-factor in the playoffs after he was unavailable for two weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus for the second time this season. He did not record a point after being inserted into the Game 3 lineup. He scored nine goals and recorded 20 assists in 41 games this season.
If the team decides to turn away from Kuznetsov, it would open up a marquee center position, perhaps making room for the Capitals’ younger prospects like Connor McMichael, or opening the opportunity to trade for another top-level top forward.
Oshie, who looked like he was playing hurt throughout the entire playoff series after suffering an injury in the penultimate regular season game, has long been speculated as a candidate to be exposed by the Capitals in the upcoming expansion draft because of his costly contract.
For the expansion draft, which is a week before free agency in July, teams can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender, or they can protect any combination of eight skaters and one goaltender.
While Ovechkin would be a lock to shield under contract, it’s been speculated the team could let Ovechkin go unsigned heading into the expansion draft. The move would allow the team to protect another forward. Seattle could select Ovechkin, but there is a risk of losing him in free agency when he is allowed to negotiate with whatever team he wants. The Capitals left Oshie exposed in the 2017 expansion draft for Vegas and then Oshie signed his extension with the Capitals days later.
Oshie, 34, now has four years left on his contract, which carries an annual salary cap hit of $5.75 million. Oshie showed he can still play at a high level with his 22-goal, 21-assist season this year, but it is fair to question whether his production can carry an additional four years at that price. His heart-and-soul impact on the team, though, is often referenced as a major part of Washington’s core.
The decision on Ovechkin and Oshie — and other expansion draft moves — will also have ripple effects on the team’s salary cap space.
The biggest pending unrestricted free agents are: Ovechkin, Michael Raffl, Zdeno Chara, Daniel Carr and Craig Anderson. Ilya Samsonov is the team’s lone marquee restricted free agent, and he also has arbitration rights.
Jakub Vrana was set to be the other highlighted restricted free agent, coming off a two-year deal with a cap hit of $3.35 million, before the Capitals dealt the 25-year-old and Richard Panik to Detroit in exchange for Anthony Mantha. Mantha had two assists during the postseason and is signed for three more seasons at a salary-cap hit of $5.7 million.
Chara’s future in the NHL is still unknown, after the 44-year-old signed his one-year deal with Washington following 14 seasons as Boston’s captain.
Samsonov’s restricted free agent status opens the question of who the Capitals decide to turn to in net for next season. The 2015 first-round draft pick has long been dubbed the team’s goaltender of the future, but after numerous off-ice issues that mirrored Kuznetsov’s actions this season, the young goalie missed long stints of time.
Like Kuznetsov, he was also unavailable to start the postseason after landing on the covid-19 protocols list on May 4. He started Games 3 through 5, the first time in his career he made three consecutive starts.
The Russian was 13-4-1 this season with a 2.69 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. He was 16-6-2 with a 2.55 goals against average and .913 save percentage during the 2019-20 season while backing up Braden Holtby.
This year, Samsonov still played the best of the Capitals’ goalies in the postseason — after the unfortunate injury to rookie Vitek Vanecek in Game 1 and despite Craig Anderson’s performance in Game 2. His Game 3 double overtime miscommunication blunder with Justin Schultz cost the Capitals the game, but he was the best player on the team up to that point.
Moving forward, management will have to decide if Samsonov’s continued progression makes him worthy of being the team’s starter, or if they need to look externally to find their No. 1. The team could also look for a veteran goaltender to act in tandem with Samsonov next season — similar to last offseason, when the team signed Henrik Lundqvist.
Vanecek remains a wild-card option after he demonstrated his ability to fill in as the No. 1 goaltender early in the season when Samsonov ended up on the covid-19 list in January. However, Vanecek was the team’s original third goaltending option headed into this season and likely could be exposed in the upcoming expansion draft.
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