Capitals' Eriks Mateiko: QMJHL winger taken in Round 3
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Mateiko was the 90th overall pick by the Capitals in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
The appeal regarding Mateiko is obvious. He's a touch taller than 6-foot-5, checks in at north of 200 pounds, and possesses above-average offensive ability for a kid his size. He also plays very hard to compensate for his lack of foot speed. Mateiko registered 23 goals and 43 points in 49 games in the QMJHL last season and played well for Latvia at the World Juniors despite managing just one assist in five contests. The hope is that the pace doesn't overwhelm Mateiko at higher levels, so he can still use his size and skill combination to generate offense.
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Capitals' Ilya Protas: Joins brother in Washington
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Protas was the 75th overall pick by the Capitals in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Protas joins his brother, Aliaksei, in the Washington system. The two play a very similar game. Ilya is 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds. Like his brother, Protas has below-average foot speed, and his game lacks pace, but he's a creative playmaker with a good shot. Aliaksei, a third-round pick in 2019, has developed into a solid depth regular for Washington. The Caps would almost certainly sign off on a similar outcome for Ilya.
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Capitals' Logan Thompson: Heads to Capital Hill in trade
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Thompson has been traded to Washington from Las Vegas in exchange for two draft picks, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Washington's 2024 third-round pick and a 2025 third-rounder head to Vegas. Gasps of horror came from fans at the 2024 Entry Draft when the deal was announced. But for Thompson, the move catapults him into, at minimum, a platoon with Charlie Lindgren. The former will be the Caps 'tender of the future.
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Capitals' Leon Muggli: Swiss import taken in Round 2
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Muggli was the 52nd overall pick by the Capitals in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Muggli was a regular in the top Swiss league this past season and made multiple appearances in international tournaments for his home country. He has given scouts plenty of looks at him over the years. Muggli is a bit of a tweener. He doesn't have enough offense to his game to project as a power-play option, and while he plays hard, he's still only about 170 pounds at the moment, making it difficult for him to log heavy defensive minutes. The hope is that Muggli can add 15-20 pounds of muscle to his frame while maintaining his elusiveness and smarts. He is likely to spend the next year or two in Switzerland.
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Capitals' Cole Hutson: American defender joins Caps
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Hutston was the 43rd overall pick by the Capitals in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
The success of Hutson's older brother Lane, first with Boston University and now with the Montreal Canadiens, enhanced Cole's draft stock. Like his brother, Huston is an offensive-minded defender, evidenced by his 14 goals and 50 points in 63 games for the US NTDP this season. Cole doesn't possess the dynamic qualities on the ice you will see from Lane at times, but he's more physical and further ahead of where Lane was defensively at the same age. Hutson will follow in his brother's footsteps and join the Terriers this fall, where he is expected to play for at least a couple of years.
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Capitals' Terik Parascak: Possible home run pick at 17
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Parascak was the 17th overall pick by the Capitals in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Parascak is a cerebral winger who put up a whopping 105 points, including 43 goals, as a rookie in the WHL. He makes up for his skating deficiencies with absolutely elite offense and smart penalty killing, and his game is only going to continue to rise. Parascak brings a lot of potential offense to the Capitals system, but he's several years from the NHL. He's a potential home run if this growth continues.
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Capitals' Andrew Mangiapane: Flipped to Washington
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Mangiapane was traded from the Flames to the Capitals on Thursday in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick.
Mangiapane has reached the 40-point mark in each of the last three seasons, though his offense has been down since his 35-goal, 55-point effort in 2021-22. The 28-year-old winger is a solid complementary piece, capable of playing on both sides while also seeing ice time in all situations. He'll likely feature in a middle-six role for the Capitals, potentially replacing someone like Max Pacioretty, who is expected to enter free agency.
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Capitals' Pierre-Luc Dubois: Moving to Washington
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Dubois was acquired by the Capitals from the Kings on Wednesday in exchange for Darcy Kuemper.
The Kings made a big bet on Dubois in the summer of 2023, trading Alex Iafallo, Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari and a 2024 second-round pick to get him from the Jets. The move also involved signing Dubois to an eight-year, $68 million contract. The idea was that the center, who provides a strong blend of grit and skill, would make the Kings deep up the middle in the short term and perhaps even be the eventual successor to Anze Kopitar. However, Dubois went from recording at least 60 points in each of his previous two campaigns to finishing with 16 goals and 40 points across 82 regular-season contests in 2023-24. Averaging 15:42 of ice time this season, down from 18:27 in 2022-23, probably didn't help his offensive production, so perhaps the move to Washington will do him some good. Nicklas Backstrom (hip) isn't expected to play at all next season, which leaves the door open for Dubois to possibly serve as the Capitals' top-line center.
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Capitals' Alexander Suzdalev: Heads to AHL
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Suzdalev was assigned to AHL Hershey on Saturday.
Suzdalev had nine goals and 25 points in 30 games with the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL this year. The 20-year-old Suzdalev, a third-round draft pick in 2022, will join AHL Hershey as the Bears continue their playoff run.
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Capitals' Ryan Leonard: Headed to World Championship
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Leonard will represent Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports.
Leonard is coming off a tremendous freshman campaign with Boston College in which he tallied 31 goals and 60 points in 41 games. The 19-year-old winger has committed to returning to the NCAA ranks for the 2024-25 season, but his all-around game projects well at the NHL level whenever he decides to turn pro.
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Capitals' Ethan Bear: Leaves Player Assistance Program
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Bear (personal) has been cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports Tuesday.
Bear logged 24 games for Washington this season in which he registered one goal and three assists while averaging a career-low 14:54 of ice time. With one year remaining on his contract, Bear should be back with Washington next season, though he may be hard-pressed to force his way into the lineup on a nightly basis.
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Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom: Will remain on LTIR next season
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Backstrom (hip) is expected to spend the 2024-25 campaign on long-term injured reserve, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports Tuesday.
Backstrom managed just eight games this year before being forced to miss the remainder of the campaign on LTIR. At this point, Backstrom's career appears to be over with the center essentially riding out the final year of his contract. That being the case, Backstrom will eventually retire having played in 1105 contests, all for the Capitals, in which he racked up 271 goals and 762 assists over the course of 17 seasons.
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Capitals' Mitchell Gibson: Assigned to minors
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Gibson was loaned to AHL Hershey on Monday.
Gibson spent most of the 2023-24 regular season with ECHL South Carolina, posting a 22-14-6 record with a 2.56 GAA and an .899 save percentage in 42 appearances. He also went 2-0-0 in two AHL outings, surrendering four goals on 47 shots. Gibson will probably serve as a depth option during Hershey's AHL playoff run.
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Capitals' Hardy Haman-Aktell: Loaned to AHL affiliate
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Haman-Aktell was sent back to AHL Hershey on Monday.
Haman-Aktell had two goals and 11 points in 55 minor-league contests during the 2023-24 regular season. The 25-year-old defender will get a chance to suit up for the Bears in the AHL playoffs following Washington's first-round loss to the Rangers.
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Capitals' Dylan McIlrath: Heads back to minors
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McIlrath was returned to AHL Hershey on Monday.
McIlrath suited up in all four games of Washington's first-round series defeat against the Rangers, posting four blocked shots, seven hits and 10 PIM. He will get to play for the Bears in the AHL playoffs after contributing nine points and 100 PIM in 58 minor-league appearances during the 2023-24 regular season.
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Capitals' Lucas Johansen: Back in AHL
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Johansen was assigned to AHL Hershey on Monday.
Johansen will get an opportunity to play for the Bears in the AHL postseason after suiting up in two playoff contests during Washington's first-round exit versus the Rangers. The 26-year-old blueliner had two goals and 12 points in 22 AHL outings during the 2023-24 regular season.
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Capitals' Vincent Iorio: Dropped to AHL
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Iorio (upper body) was loaned to AHL Hershey on Monday.
Iorio sat out three straight contests to conclude Washington's first-round series loss to the Rangers. Assuming he's healthy, which his demotion suggests, he should get a chance to play for the Bears in the AHL playoffs. The 21-year-old defender had four goals and 14 points in 60 minor-league appearances during the 2023-24 regular season.
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Capitals' Ivan Miroshnichenko: Sent down to minors
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Miroshnichenko was reassigned to AHL Hershey on Monday.
Miroshnichenko will get to play for the Bears in the AHL playoffs following Washington's first-round elimination at the hands of the Rangers on Sunday. The 20-year-old forward had nine goals and 25 points in 47 minor-league outings during the 2023-24 regular season.
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Capitals' Hendrix Lapierre: Returned to minors
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Lapierre was reassigned to AHL Hershey on Monday.
Lapierre scored just once in his last 19 outings while chipping in eight helpers and 20 shots on goal. The 22-year-old center played in 51 regular-season contests for the Capitals this year and should be a full-time NHL option heading into the 2024-25 campaign. With a full 82-game season, Lapierre is certainly capable of pushing for both the 20-goal and 40-point thresholds.
