3 Remaining UFAs the Washington Capitals Should Pursue – The Hockey Writers –

The Washington Capitals’ misfortune with the harm bug late within the 2024-25 season strengthened how helpful depth is within the NHL. Ahead Aliaksei Protas was slowly labored again into the Stanley Cup Playoff lineup after he was lower by a skate on April 4 towards the Chicago Blackhawks. 5 video games later, Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary suffered a season-ending knee harm after blocking a shot towards the New York Islanders on April 15. Each of these final accidents had an impression on Washington’s postseason run in 2025. With that in thoughts, listed below are three unrestricted free brokers who might present some helpful depth ought to Washington need to safe some extra reinforcements earlier than the beginning of the 2025-26 season. 

Jack Roslovic

The Capitals noticed Jack Roslovic’s impression up shut and private throughout their Spherical 2 matchup towards the Carolina Hurricanes in Could as the middle scored his solely playoff aim in a 4-0 Sport 3 Hurricanes victory. Roslovic completed the postseason with 4 factors in 9 postseason video games for Carolina; nonetheless, the ahead finds himself nonetheless on the free agent market in mid-August.  

Roslovic, 28, performed on a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Hurricanes in 2024-25. Washington’s cap house is sitting simply above $4 million, which makes that quantity a bit on the excessive facet for them to tackle. Nonetheless, there is no such thing as a denying that Roslovic can nonetheless play within the NHL after amassing 39 factors in 81 video games final season and 102 targets and 260 factors in 526-career video games. With heart depth at a premium within the NHL, Roslovic ought to discover a position someplace within the NHL this season, so why not Washington?  If the veteran ahead is prepared to decrease his asking value, there is perhaps a match within the Nation’s Capital.

Victor Olofsson

Victor Olofsson, 30, recorded 29 factors in 56 regular-season video games with the Vegas Golden Knights final season. The 5-foot-11 winger additionally amassed 4 factors in 9 playoff contests as Vegas was stopped in Spherical 2 by the Edmonton Oilers. That introduced closure to the one-year, $1.075 million contract he signed with Vegas in July 2024. 

Olofsson might present the Capitals a pure goal-scoring winger on an affordable contract. It was only some seasons in the past he was a back-to-back 20-goal scorer within the NHL, with 20 targets in 2021-22 and 28 in 2022-23 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres. In his profession, Olofsson has scored 105 targets and tallied 211 factors in 370 video games.

Whereas he’s not the top-six drive within the lineup, the NHL veteran may very well be a helpful participant with the flexibility to slip up the lineup if the state of affairs requires it, like Anthony Beauvillier did in the course of the playoffs in Washington. 

Matt Grzelcyk

Matt Grzelcyk, 31, signed a one-year, $2.75 million take care of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2024-25 season, and had the most effective offensive seasons of his profession with 40 factors in 82 video games. His 39 assists almost doubled his profession greatest, which was 22 assists for the Boston Bruins in 2022-23. Nonetheless, Grzelcyk finds himself searching for a brand new deal in August. 

Including Grzelcyk might assist mitigate the issue Washington confronted final season when Alexander Alexeyev was not prepared for constant time in head coach Spencer Carbery’s lineup in the course of the playoffs. He performed 10 video games however recorded no factors and a minus-2 ranking. Whereas there may not be house on a set Capitals defensive unit at the moment, an NHL veteran like Grzelcyk may very well be invaluable if accidents plague Washington in 2025-26. After spending a lot of the final decade in Boston, the defenseman has 66 video games of postseason expertise to lean on, which might show helpful to a squad with Stanley Cup aspirations in 2025-26. 

Associated: Diving Deep: Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk the Hometown Child

After accidents late in 2024-25 derailed a promising full-season effort common supervisor Chris Patrick is not going to be caught off guard once more in 2025-26. Whether or not it’s a late free-agent contract, a coaching camp try-out, or an in-season commerce acquisition, the Capitals will do every part of their energy to make sure the lineup is best ready to deal with harm issues this season and past.