While much of the Washington Capitals’ attention has been focused on the open spots on its blueline, head coach Spencer Carbery announced that the competition is open for the team’s remaining spots on Saturday.
With marquee free agency signing Max Pacioretty on the shelf recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, the Caps have three to four open spots for forwards coming out of camp.
Carbery listed a few names who are fighting for deep positions and emphasized that he will be watching their play closely in the next preseason games.
“We’re watching that closely with Matt Phillips, Joe Snively, [Aliaksei] Protas, Beck Malenstyn, “said Carbery. “Obviously, there’s a lot of assumption about what it looks like but from a coaching perspective that’s not the case for us. We evaluated all the guys and we have a decent runway here. We’re starting to get into things where the numbers go down. It’s a really, really important few games. “
Phillips, an established AHL star, signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Caps this offseason. The diminutive playmaker recorded 76 points (36g, 40a) in 66 games for the Calgary Wranglers last season, especially under new Caps assistant Mitch Love.
The Calgary native left his hometown team despite being offered a longer contract than the one he received from the Caps. Phillips, 25, has been more than a point-per-game player in the AHL the past two years but hasn’t received a significant look at the NHL level under former Flames bench boss Darryl Sutter.
The question now is whether Phillips can prove to Carbery and the rest of the Caps staff that he is more than just a talented AHL player. The last remaining spots on the team’s roster are likely to be bottom-six roles that will likely involve more checking and defensive responsibilities.
“Whether it’s somebody who’s an elite penalty killer in Beck Malenstyn or it’s Matt Phillips, somebody who can give you a little bit more offense,” Carbery said. “I think it’s specific to each guy. Do we feel comfortable with Matt Phillips potentially playing in a bottom six role and being productive there? And then in the chance of the game or opportunity because of the injury he crashed and now we can play him in a more offensive role.
Malenstyn is one of several players at this year’s camp that Carbery once coached. The 25-year-old winger starred on the Hershey Bears’ incredible fourth line last season that inspired some of the team’s big wins in the postseason.
Unlike Phillips, Malenstyn has received 24 games at the NHL level over the past four years. His defensive details and hard-hitting style of play are more suited to the way typical NHL checking lines operate.
Another player Carbery mentioned is Protas. The big Belorussian has seen 91 NHL games over the past two seasons and most of those have been spent as one of Nic Dowd’s wings on the team’s fourth line.
Protas has extensive positional flexibility, being able to play in all three positions in a forward line. Carbery was asked where he saw Protas stuck under his watch.
“He played a lot in the center of his life, playing at Hershey a lot,” Carbery said. “We will look at him in two places. I would like to see his versatility in such a way as to be able to play on both wings possibly in the fourth line and then also look at him in the middle.
Protas, along with Connor McMichael, are the only two forwards currently listed for an NHL roster spot who are free and free to be sent back to Hershey without the risk of being acquired by another team. That could affect Carbery’s final decisions as the Caps don’t want to risk losing someone like Snively for free.