Capitals enter ‘tricky’ free-agency period looking to load up after draft weekend trades

Capitals president Brian MacLellan told reporters last month that he expected a quiet offseason after a hectic summer last year. Free agency begins Tuesday, but Washington already made a handful of moves over the NHL’s draft weekend.

The Capitals were table-setting for a free-agency period that could feature franchise-altering choices as MacLellan and general manager Chris Patrick prepare the roster for life after Alex Ovechkin.

The Capitals have been forward-looking for years. That priority has only grown as Ovechkin enters the final year of his contract. The NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer has long said he plans to retire after the deal expires but hasn’t committed to naming the 2025-26 season as his last.

Washington’s five newest prospects, who the Capitals added in this weekend’s NHL draft, likely won’t play with the “Great Eight.”

They were all born after Ovechkin was drafted in 2004, but at least one new Capital has been rocking the red for years.

“When you’re a big fan of the Washington Capitals and as a kid your first jersey actually was an Ovechkin jersey,” second-round pick Milton Gastrin said. “It’s so cool to be a part of this organization now and to be focusing on this organization now.”

Gastrin headlined the five-person draft class alongside first-rounder Lynden Lakovic.

With the draft in the rearview mirror, Washington can look to the impending free-agency period as NHL squads look to fill holes in their rosters on the open market. The Capitals got a head start on that process with a pair of draft-time trades.

The Capitals will face tough decisions in the near future. They enter July with four pending unrestricted free agents and just $9.38 million in projected cap space, according to PuckPedia.

The list of potentially departing players includes forwards Taylor Raddysh, Andrew Mangiapane, Lars Eller and Anthony Beauvillier.

Finding the finances to pay them and bring in new skaters is a tough task, even with an expanded NHL salary cap.

“A lot of players are looking for significant raises because they see the cap going up; they have cap guidance for the next three years,” Patrick said. “We’ll continue to talk and see if things make sense economically for us. And if they don’t, we’ll have to go a different direction.”

But it’s a thin free-agent class, especially for a forward-needy team like the Capitals. With limited cap space, the Capitals could find themselves priced out of top free agents like two-time All-Star Mitch Marner.

A high price on Marner could force Washington’s hand in other negotiations.

“There’s this trickle-down effect,” Patrick said. “If you’re starting to get a little desperate, then you’re willing to pay the higher price.”

To prepare for a pivotal summer, the Capitals made a couple of moves over the weekend.

Washington added 23-year-old forward Justin Sourdif from the Florida Panthers and 25-year-old defenseman Declan Chisholm from the Minnesota Wild. Both newcomers inject youth into a Capitals roster that is still balancing a win-now approach without leveraging the future.

Sourdif signed a two-year, $1.65 million extension with the Capitals and projects to slot into an NHL rotation for the first time next season. The Canadian appeared in four NHL games with Florida, scoring his only career goal in February.

“We’re getting a young guy that might be in our organization for a lot of years and we think can be a key contributor to our team going forward with our next wave of younger players,” Patrick said.

Chisholm is more established, though he’s a restricted free agent this summer. Washington can offer him a one-year, $1 million qualifying offer that will allow them to match any contract proposed by other teams.

“We wanted to address our defensive depth this offseason, and if you go into the free agent market, you don’t have control over the cost,” Patrick said. “So we thought this was a good chance to try and do that.”

The former fifth-rounder set career highs in assists, points, games played and shots on goal last season with Minnesota.

“We like where he’s trending as a player,” Patrick said. “Another guy that’s the right age.”

Patrick wouldn’t hint at Washington’s free-agency strategy. Swing big for a potential Stanley Cup run or play it safe? Time will tell.

“That’s the tricky part. You chase one thing down, you may miss on other things. Hopefully, just like the draft, hopefully things line up the right way,” the general manager said. “They don’t always. We’ll just try our best come July 1 and see what happens.”