On the Washington Capitals …
Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: The past two seasons the Washington Capitals were in a win-now mode, moving picks and prospects to take a run at the Cup. GM Brian MacLellan doesn’t appear willing to risk future now, despite still having the goal to win the Cup.
“We’re making decisions based on now and in the future,” he told The Post earlier this month. “Last year, it was, ‘What’s best for us now? What can we do to max this out and give our guys the best chance to win?’ Now it’s more reserved.”
The Capitals have now lost defenseman Matt Niskanen to the LTIR, and MacLellan was asked if he’s thinking about adding some depth on the blue line.
“I think we’re considering it,” MacLellan said.
Niskanen will be out until at least November 7th.
Both Christian Djoos and Madison Bowey made their NHL debuts this week. MacLellan may look to see what he has in Djoos, Bowey and a few other young defensemen before making a move. Djoos requires waivers to be sent to the AHL, Bowey doesn’t.
On the Buffalo Sabres …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Elliotte Friedman was on NHL Network and was talking about the Buffalo Sabres and Sam Reinhart. The Sabres are off to another slow start, 1-4-1, Reinhart has also struggled and has basically been demoted. Their new management doesn’t want to jump at any moves that they may regret later, but Reinhart’s name could come up at some point.
“I think that they feel that five games into a season you’re not necessarily going to do something simply because you feel the need to do it.
“Now, could I see a situation where Reinhart becomes available later in the year? Maybe. But I think that the Sabres are kind of looking at it right now as, ‘This is too soon. We still have some work to do to really discover what we’ve got here.’
“But I wouldn’t be surprised if his name starts popping up maybe later in the year if things don’t solidify.”