The Washington Capitals may turn to Connor McMichael with Alex Ovechkin day-to-day with a lower-body injury and now possibly questionable for the start of the season.
McMichael slotted in as the Capitals top line left wing at practice Sunday and skated with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson.
Martin Fehervary also looks to not only have made the team but will start the season skating next to John Carlson on the Capitals top defense pairing.
The Caps open the season in only three days against the New York Rangers.
Capitals lines during practice with no Alex Ovechkin (lower-body, day-to-day):
McMichael-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Mantha-Eller-Sprong
Sheary-Lapierre-Oshie
Hagelin-Dowd-HathawayFehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
TvR-SchultzExtras: Pilon, Malenstyn, Irwin
No Backstrom (hip)— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) October 10, 2021
The newly formed top trio obviously did not spend any time together at five-on-five last season. McMichael may even just be a placeholder if the team does not expect Ovechkin to miss any actual games. It is notable that Hendrix Lapierre has kept the third line center position which was thought to be the final spot on the team up for grabs.
Salary cap concerns must also be factored in if the Capitals do not plan on placing Nicklas Backstrom on long term injury reserve. If they do not, they do not have room for both McMichael and Lapierre on the roster.
Martin Fehervary appears to not only have cemented his spot within the top six Capitals defensemen but he is also lining up on the top pair next to John Carlson to start the season. It’s a pairing that Laviolette put together against the Flyers in the Capitals last game of the preseason.
“Marty, especially playing with John in that situation, I thought he had a real strong game, played really well,” Laviolette said of his young defensemen on Friday.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
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