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Photo: @Capitals
The Washington Capitals have had one of the best offseasons in the NHL this summer, highlighted by two major additions to their blueline: Jakob Chychrun and Matt Roy, both acquired on July 1. While these acquisitions significantly strengthen the Capitals’ defense, they are just the latest moves in what has been a substantial turnover in the team’s personnel at that position.
For their 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on December 23, 2022 — the game in which John Carlson fractured his skull and temporal artery, sidelining him for three months, and the team’s season went off the rails — Washington’s defensive corps looked like this:
Erik Gustafsson — John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen
Matt Irwin — Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Scratched: Alexander Alexeyev
Injured: Martin Fehervary
NoVa Caps reviews how Washington’s blueline has evolved since that night to its projected to suit corps for opening night against the New Jersey Devils on October 12. (Note: the objective of this post is to look at how the Capitals’ defense has changed rapidly, not assess their moves on defense since December 23, 2022.)
2022-23 Mid-Season
- February 23: Traded Orlov, RW Garnet Hathaway to Boston Bruins for 2023 28th overall pick, 2024 90th overall pick (LW Eriks Mateiko), Boston’s 2025 second-round pick, RW Craig Smith
As the NHL Trade Deadline approached, Washington found itself in the midst of a six-game losing streak. With Orlov and Hathaway nearing unrestricted free agency and the team struggling to reach an agreement with Orlov on a contract extension, the Capitals traded Orlov, who had played 686 regular-season games over parts of 11 seasons in Washington and was a pivotal piece of the team that brought the franchise its first Stanley Cup in 2018.
After the season, Orlov signed a two-year contract that carries a $7.75 million salary cap hit with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Washington needed to move another player on an expiring contract but also aimed to remain competitive for the following season, with Alex Ovechkin still pursuing the NHL goals record. They used the first-round pick acquired in the Orlov trade with Boston to land a 22-year-old former first-round pick who could contribute for years to come.
Sandin, the 28th overall pick from 2018, saw a big bump in production with more ice time, tallying three goals, 15 points, .4687 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4397 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .4282 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 19 games with the Capitals to close out the 2022-23 season. Sandin’s ice time drew to 22:59 per game with Washington, which ranked second on the team, including 2:17 on the power play (ninth).
Sandin did not pick up where he left off for his first full season in Washington. He posted three goals, 23 points, a -13 rating, .4612 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4606 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .47 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 68 regular-season games, where he averaged 21:07 per game (second), including 1:24 on the power play (second). Sandin appeared in only one first-round game due to injury and it was apparent that the Capitals missed him as they allowed 11 goals over the three games he missed.
The team signed Sandin to a five-year contract extension ($4.6 million cap hit), which kicks in this season, on March 6, 2024.
Gustafsson, who had expressed a desire to stay in Washington before being traded to Toronto, signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the New York Rangers on July 1, 2023, and then agreed to a two-year deal (with a $2 million cap hit) with the Detroit Red Wings exactly one year later. He played just 61 games for the Capitals after joining the team as an unrestricted free agent on July 13, 2022.
Other Defensemen To Appear In NHL Through End Of Season
- Gabriel Carlsson (six games)
- Dylan McIlrath (six)
- Vincent Iorio (three)
2023-24 Season
- April 27: Signed Hardy Haman Aktell (one-year, $950,000 contract)
The 25-year-old appeared in six NHL games, notching an assist and .5271 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, before getting sent to the AHL’s Hershey Bears for the remainder of the year, where he tallied two goals, 11 points, and a +3 rating in 55 contests.
- July 1: Acquired Joel Edmundson from Montreal Canadiens for 2024 78th (LW Logan Sawyer), 210th (RW Makar Khanin) overall picks
With a need for a veteran presence on the bottom pairing, Washington attempted to go for value in paying an inexpensive price for Edmundson.
While averaging 16:26 per game (sixth among Washington defensemen), including 1:31 shorthanded (fifth), Edmundson recorded a goal, six points, a -5 rating, .4765 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4647 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .4838 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 44 games for the Capitals. He missed the first 14 this season due to a fractured hand.
Edmundson gave Washington some grit and snarl (4.89 hits-per-60) on the backend before the team flipped the pending unrestricted free agent at the trade deadline.
- July 1: Vancouver Canucks signed Irwin to one-year, two-way contract ($775,000)
Washington let their seventh defenseman, who got more ice time than expected during the 2022-23 season due to Carlson, Orlov, and Fehervary drawing out of the lineup due to injury, walk in free agency.
- December 28: Signed D Ethan Bear (two-year contract, $2.0625 million cap hit)
After missing six months due to offseason shoulder surgery, the 26-year-old tallied a goal, four points, -5 rating, .4537 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4089 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .4181 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 24 games over his first season in Washington. Bear, who averaged 14:54 per game (22 seconds on the power play and five on the penalty kill), did not play from March 14 onwards after entering the NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program.
- March 7: Traded Edmundson (.5 retained) to Toronto for 2024 83rd overall pick, Chicago Blackhawks’ 2025 fifth-round pick
With Washington selling for a second consecutive trade deadline, they dealt another pending unrestricted free agent for a better return than what they paid to acquire Edmundson just eight months prior.
The Capitals flipped the third-round pick acquired from this trade to the Vegas Golden Knights to lure goaltender Logan Thompson in on June 29.
Other Defensemen To Appear In NHL Throughout Season
- Lucas Johansen (six)
- McIlrath (three)
- Iorio (three)
2024 Offseason
- July 1: Traded Jensen, 2026 third-round pick to Ottawa Senators for Chychrun
- July 1: Signed Roy to six-year contract ($5.75 million cap hit)
Carlson finished last season with an NHL-high 25:53 average ice time-per-game and Washington was swept in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in large part due to Jensen and Sandin both missing three games and Van Riemsdyk another due to injury. The Capitals parted with Jensen after the 33-year-old finished just the first of a three-year contract extension he signed on February 28, 2023.
Where Defense Stands Today
Chychrun — Carlson
Sandin — Roy
Fehervary — van Riemsdyk
Extra: Bear, Alexeyev
Only four blueliners remain from nearly two years ago, only one of which was in the top-four and two were in the Capitals’ starting lineup against Winnipeg.
Going back a little further, Washington signed Gustafsson after Justin Schultz inked a two-year contract with the Seattle Kraken in 2022. The trade off was their only move to their defensive lineup over that offseason.
Even More Changes On The Way?
Sandin and Roy both signed long-term contracts this year, but Chychrun and Bear are eligible to become unrestricted free agents, as could Carlson and Van Riemsdyk in two years.
With Bear and Van Riemsdyk ($3 million cap hit) both carrying significant cap hits, and projected to be Washington’s sixth and seventh defensemen at best, the Capitals could see even more movement on the blueline. The player who loses the battle between the two at the end of training camp could be on his way out of the District.
Although different, it is impressive that Washington has assembled one of the NHL’s deepest groups of defensemen after significant turnover since the end of February 2023. To illustrate the extent of the changes to the Capitals’ blueline over the past 18 months, two defensemen acquired the previous summers—Gustafsson and Edmundson—did not even last a full season in Washington.
In Conclusion
Despite the team sitting at 19-13-4 at the time of Carlson’s injury, his absence sent Washington’s season into a tailspin, forcing the Capitals to trade Orlov and Gustafsson at the deadline, which initiated a revolving door of defensemen in their NHL lineup.
However, the additions of Chychrun and Roy provide the team with a significant boost heading into the 2024-25 season. While the lineup looks quite different, and it would have been surprising to imagine this in December 2022, the team has managed to bounce back. Now, it’s up to the players and coaches to execute.
By Harrison Brown
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