Here is the latest weekly summary from the Capitals rumor mill. We sift through the mountains of minutia to bring you credible, Capitals-related rumors currently making the rounds.

Barry Trotz – According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, there still hasn’t been any contract extension talks between the Capitals and Barry Trotz. Zero. “I’ve been told that there haven’t been any contract talks between the team and Trotz this year, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t change before the end of the year. But at this point, it does feel like his future is uncertain.” It seems fairly obvious that Brian MacLellan and the Capitals brass are looking to see an improvement in post season performance. The catch with this is the fact that if the Capitals do indeed improve and advance past the second round, say a conference title appearance or more, Trotz would then be holding all of the cards. It’s difficult to see this ending in any way but a change.

Brian Pinho – Pinho, the Capitals 6th round draft pick in 2013 (174 overall) has had an impressive 2017-2018 season. But that might be bad news for the Capitals, as Pinho may be planning to exercise some of his new-found freedom this summer. According to Corey Pronman of The Athletic, Pinho is planning to test the free agency market when he becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent on August 15th (assuming the Capitals don’t sign him before that date). Of course, this could be a simple negotiating tactic, but don’t be surprised if Pinho tests the waters, and ultimately lands elsewhere. It’s no secret that the Capitals organization is getting rather thin at the forward position when it comes to the prospect pool, so Pinho on the open market could be another unwanted blow. (See Thomas DiPauli).

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Playoff format – There may be some movement (finally) to correct the current abomination that is the NHL playoff seeding format. James Mirtle, Editor of The Athletic, is reporting that players want a traditional 1 vs. 8 seeding format. Additionally, NHL reporter Travis Yost stated “the league privately also wants to break the current format for a variety of reasons. The NHL will change, it just needs to happen this summer.” We hope the league finally gets this right, but don’t look for any changes prior to this summer.

General Managers Meetings – The NHL’s general managers will be meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, starting tomorrow (Monday) through Wednesday (19th-21st). Expect something to be put in place to deal with the great mystery that is goaltender interference and video reviews related to the rule.

Stay tuned….

By Jon Sorensen