The Washington Capitals’ 2023-24 season came to an end on Sunday night in D.C. as the New York Rangers completed a four-game sweep in the first round. Spencer Carbery’s bunch was not expected to go far as the last team to qualify in the Eastern Conference. Despite the loss, the Caps are heading in the right direction and have graduates of the Hershey Bears to look to in the future. Making the postseason after the various ups and downs of the year is an achievement in and of itself and should be an early indicator of the direction the team goes in the summer.
It’s an odd direction this Capitals season took. Early losses of Nick Backstrom and the eventual departure of Evgeny Kuznetsov (after a short stint in Hershey) loom the largest, but it goes further with the trades of Anthony Mantha and Joel Edmundson. All of those players shed a hefty amount of salary for the Caps to play with this summer (despite some performance bonuses and other minor hits to the team’s wallet). It’ll be a good, but limited, amount of money for the team to continue their rebuild.
Then, there’s performances from Hershey graduates. Washington already promoted Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael, and Beck Malenstyn to start the season. None of those players spent time in Hershey at any point in 2023-24 and are considered to be graduates to the NHL permanently. Then, there was the recall of Mike Sgarbossa, who ultimately will not rejoin the Bears for the rest of the season due to waiver rules. Hendrix Lapierre stands out as the brightest star after scoring a slick goal in Game Four against the Rangers. Even rookie Ivan Miroshnichenko spent significant time at the NHL level, although he’s still growing as a player.
With a laundry list of players getting hurt, the Capitals got meaningful and strong performances from Lucas Johansen, Vincent Iorio, and Hershey captain Dylan McIlrath. All of the blue liners turned in admirable stretches of games to help the Capitals qualify for the postseason against some odds. Lapierre, Miroshnichenko, McIlrath, Johansen, Iorio, and Hardy Haman Aktell are the six players who should rejoin the Bears for their playoff run, which gets underway on Wednesday to further their development. That experience has proven to be invaluable towards making the next step to the NHL.
Hershey is set to be younger next season, too. Players like Zac Funk, Andrew Cristall, and Hudson Thornton are set to be centerpiece young players making their mark in the AHL for the first time. Several key players on Hershey’s current lineup, like Chase Priskie, Lucas Johansen, Matthew Phillips, and Joe Snively are set to become unrestricted free agents. Other key players like Riley Sutter, Alex Limoges, Ethen Frank, and Haman Aktell are restricted free agents and will need new contracts. That list only encompasses some of the work that will need to be done, which includes signing depth players at the AHL level and more to round out the roster.
It may be wishful thinking, but the Capitals should look to run with their youth leading the charge next season. A summer ago, the team elected to sign proven veteran talent and infuse a few aforementioned young players. This time around, with a significant group of the old guard gone and the youngsters helping the team to the postseason, it’s perhaps time the Caps lean into this bold new direction. It’ll impact the Bears, no doubt, but will help the Caps become a Stanley Cup contender perhaps even while Alex Ovechkin is in the twilight of his career. Hershey will be impacted and more players fans know and love will no doubt depart, but it’s part of the business of hockey.
The bye came at a perfect time for the Bears. Hershey was able to rest bumps and bruises from the regular season over about a week and a half since their last game. That includes the likes of Riley Sutter and Matthew Phillips, two key players dealing with nagging injuries. Not to mention the depletion of their blue line, which four players pulled up to the Capitals in recent time. Hershey’s depth has worked wonders in terms of keeping the team afloat and continuing to earn points. The postseason is a different animal, and the Bears should be set to hit the ice with an optimal lineup.
For now, enjoy seeing Lapierre don the Chocolate and White. It won’t be a sight that will last much longer. Appreciate this group that’s accomplished so much history in a single season all the more. It’s been a great ride for the Bears over the past two seasons and the team will continue to shape the future of the Capitals.
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