- Chris Patrick says the Capitals are “pretty much strapped” and done adding this offseason
- With roughly $975K in cap space, any further move likely means “sending a body out”
- Read below for the roster battles and cap casualties waiting at Caps camp
The Capitals are done shopping.
General manager Chris Patrick was asked on 106.7 The Fan’s Sports Junkies whether more moves were coming in Washington. His answer left little doubt.
“Yeah, we’re pretty much strapped. The credit card’s full. The statement’s coming, and I got to pay it. So, yeah, these are the kind of moves for now. And then we’ll get to camp and see if there’s anything. If we’re doing anything, we’re probably sending a body out to create space.”
Washington spent to build a contender. Take a look at the move that headlined the offseason:
Getting there cost plenty. Washington grabbed Jordan Kyrou in a trade and signed Alex Tuch, Boone Jenner and Vincent Desharnais before re-signing captain Alex Ovechkin. All of it left them with about $975K in room, per PuckPedia.
Jenner even picked out a number:
That leaves the second half of Patrick’s answer. Camp opens in September, and the fringe of the roster will fight for a handful of spots. The losers could turn into cap casualties or trade bait.
Ivan Miroshnichenko is the name to watch. The 22-year-old former first-round pick is no longer waiver-exempt, so Washington risks losing him for nothing if he doesn’t stick. Anthony Beauvillier, Ethen Frank, Bogdan Trineyev and Clay Stevenson sit in the same spot.
There’s a cleaner route, too. Washington can bank cap room by putting Rasmus Sandin on long-term injured reserve after his ACL surgery this spring, with a return that could land anywhere from late October to January.
By the time camp opens, we’ll find out which body Patrick decides to move.
