On Kevin Shattenkirk and the Washington Capitals …
Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post: With six restricted free agents and five unrestricted free agents, it seems unlikely that defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will be back with the Capitals. He did say last week that he plans on speaking with GM Brian MacLellan to see if he could fit into their plans.
“It’s been a crazy year and it seems like every sort of scenario has popped up,” Shattenkirk said. “I’d like to see what’s going on here. I know there’s a lot to do here and a lot for that he has on his plate, but I really enjoyed my time here. And again, at the same time, free agency is in front of me. It’s a great opportunity for me. It’s one that you don’t get many chances at as a player. I have to weigh out all my options. Until I get a little bit more of an idea of what’s ahead of me here in Washington and talk with him, then we’ll start to figure out what’s going on.”
Shattenkirk is also looking for a bigger role, possibly on a top pairing. He was on the Caps third pairing, first power play unit.
Some think that Shattenkirk could end up with the New York Rangers or New Jersey Devils.
The Vegas Golden Knights might be able to offer Shattenkirk a bigger role and money he’s looking for.
“It’s a very interesting situation,” Shattenkirk said. “Usually you’re talking to teams or thinking of teams and you have some sort of idea of how they’re built or their history or whatever it may be, and they are completely fresh. It is a very different dynamic. It is an interesting situation where they do get the first rights to kind of talk to you. I can’t even begin to imagine how they’re going to build that whole franchise and that team, but it’ll be very interesting.”
Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic: Kevin Shattenkirk will be one of the top free agents on the market this year. He’s hoping to assume a bigger role with whichever team he signs with. He will speak with Capitals GM MacLellan to see if there is a fit.
“I do have to weigh out my options,” the 28-year-old said. “I really have to be patient with the whole process. I’ve waited this long, so it kind of makes sense to wait a little longer.”
The Capitals have defensemen Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik, John Carlson and Taylor Chorney under contract for next year, with Dmitry Orlov and Nate Schmidt as RFAs. Karl Alzner is a UFA.
“It’s been a crazy year. I’d like to see what’s going on here. I know there’s a lot to do here, and a lot for Mac that he has on his plate. But I really enjoyed my time here. At the same time, free agency is in front of me. It’s a great opportunity for me. It’s one you don’t get many chances at as a player. I have to weigh out all of my options.”