Braden Holtby and Nicklas Backstrom decisions
J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington: The Washington Capitals face tough decisions in the near future as to what to do about several players. Braden Holtby and Nicklas Backstrom present as option 1A and 1B on any list. Both players can be signed after July 1st since that is when the final year of their contracts kick in.
Here is a quote from each player on the subject.
“I would love that,” Holtby said. “That’s not something that I’m going to try and dwell on or whatever. I’m pretty realistic about what goes on in the business and such. My focus is going to be to put in everything I can this summer to make sure I’m ready to help this team win next year. Everything outside of that you let sort itself out. But it’s pretty clear that I love it here and love this team and the city, but that’s the motivation to work hard and make sure that I do everything I can to make sure we stay here.”
“Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it, but I’ve played here my whole career, so I would like to stay here,” Backstrom said. “I love it here. If they want me, it’s a two-sided story.”
Honestly, that is straight forward. With Holtby around 30 at contract’s end and Backstrom at 32, Brian MacLellan is in little rush to extend them just yet. After all, Washington is a cap team and can only spend so much.
How much will the players earn in their next deals? It appears early on Holtby would see the bigger increase in dollars and Backstrom may be willing to take a bit less to stay in Washington. The key word is may.
A little Washington Capitals mailbag
Chris Kuc of The Athletic: The Washington Capitals have plenty of moving parts this offseason and next. For example, they would love to bring back Carl Hagelin but Washington needs to save money when signing Jakub Vrana. Brett Connolly is also on the list of players who could come back but they would have to deal more than just Matt Niskanen to make this possible.
Then there is Evgeny Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov played a step slower after returning from a concussion. How does Washington proceed with him will be crucial also? Signings and moves will be contingent on who signs first.