On Sunday the Washington Capitals waived Beck Malenstyn, Garrett Pilon, Gabriel Carlsson, Dylan McIlrath, Bobby Nardella and Zach Fucale from their 2022-23 training camp roster. The move was required in order to re-assign the players to AHL Hershey. All six players went unclaimed by the deadline of 2:00 PM on Wednesday and will report to Hershey for the opening of training camp.
Beck Malenstyn, Garrett Pilon, Gabriel Carlsson, Dylan McIlrath, Bobby Nardella and Zach Fucale all cleared waivers for the Capitals today and were assigned to Hershey of the AHL.
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) October 3, 2022
The Bears opened training camp on Monday and heave their first preseason game on Wednesday when they visit the Penguins in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Good news! I’m surprised. A lot of NHL talent evaluators passed on these guys. Hope the players prove them wrong.
Roger that. It’s gonna get dicey from here.
Phew! I mean I feel for the guys who are looking for an NHL opportunity, but Bears need them all.
Caps have to cut six more. 😬 Who’s it gonna be?
Wow! This is big news. Only two claims from yesterday. Pitt lost a LW and a goalie got claimed. Thankful our guys all passed. This fills a lot of holes in Hershey for a while.
Who are the next 6? Good question! Two are waiver exempt in CMM and Protas but I suspect only one goes down. Hard to speculate at this point.
I’ll be at the Red Wings game on Wednesday so will be excited to see some position battles!
Or possibly a trade? 🤔 Will be an interesting week.
I’m a little surprised that both goalies that we have sent through waivers have cleared. But it is early and all teams are in the same boat. Ok with 32 on the roster now, 3 are going to LTIR: Wilson, Hagelin and Backstrom. So that leaves 29 Last 6 cut: Clark, Stevenson, Irwin, MoJo, as CMM does not have to clear waivers he is sent down and we are left with 1 to go. Sad to say I think it comes down to AJF, Leason or Eller. Yeah I know 2 are wings and one a C but maybe they look at cap and Eller goes, thus keeping 2 younger players with an upside over an aging vet on the way down! However you cannot go into the season with only 3 centers on the roster so maybe CMM makes the roster in place of Eller and sad to say Sheary gets cut. Somehow this team has to keep its younger player now more than before as when this season ends they have 13 UFA and RFA on the current roster and that will be a lot of rebuilding. Maybe someone like Orlov gets traded mid season especially if the team does not do well and flounders around 5 place. Maybe just maybe a market opens for an Eller trade thus saving the Caps from having to cut him and getting back a mid round pick.
That is pretty good trickle down logic. The way the cap works is cutting players like Eller and Sheary doesn’t save a lot. We can bury 1.1M in hershey and the rest is a cap hit. And both come off the books at seasons end.
They could get claimed relieving salary, but you don’t cut long term productive players like that. Mojo maybe but he has looked good in camp. But Sheary had 19 goals last year and plays up and down the lineup. He is super valuable to the caps, but absolutely could be traded for value. Same with Eller who is a proven 3C and could command value.
As you noted, a lot will depend on both team and individual performance. If team is playing well, you might not want to break up the chemistry. If team is bad, a lot of stuff could happen. Lavi gets fired (or not renewed). A transformation starts before the trade deadline. We’re just going to have to see how things go. Have said this several times, but i could see an unusual trade pattern for the Caps this year with mid-season (or pre-season) trades especially when Wilson comes back and if Backstrom looks like he can play in advance of playoffs.
But yeah… your final cuts are stressful. AJF, Leason, Borgstrom, Johanssen, and Irwin are all big risks on the wire. Irwin and Johansen are both on two way contracts this year and would likely both clear. I worry about the others.
I dont think Lavi gets renewed as if it was going to happen it would have over the summer. Fired…..thats a great possibility especially if the team isnt playing well around Thanksgiving and then Christmas. At some point the Caps have to infuse the team with some youth. Eller, yes is a decent 3rd line center however at 33 has seen his better day and time to see what can be gotten for him. Sheary is 30 and the same here as he had a career year last eyar and the time to strike a trade is now not in Jan or Frb especially if the team does not do well and his stats are terrible. Will he score19 again, dont know and willing to take the chance that he doesnt and let someone else have him over youth. MoJo may be playing well in this system and with these players and because he is fighting for a job, however I dont trust that this is the MoJo we will see if he makes the team. And once again a player who is 31 and has sees his best days in the rear view mirror. People often talk about what lavi is comfortable coaching and I say BS! He is a NHL headcoach and has been one for 20 years and its about time that the best team is put on the ice not one he is comfortable coaching which would consist of all vets. Comfort is a mind set and as a HC for 20 years he should be able to coach anyone regardless of his personal preference. If he is that uncomfortable he can always resign and just walk away. I would not shed a tear as long as he takes the useless McCarthy and Forsythe with him.
Glad to hear. Malenstyn and Fucale in particular.
What is going on with Kody Clark? Has he had a strong camp?