Capitals Satisfied With Start To Offseason, But Still Keeping Eye On Available Names

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Though the offseason hasn't necessarily gone entirely the way the Washington Capitals planned, general manager Chris Patrick is happy with how it's played out so far.

So far, Washington acquired defenseman Declan Chisholm as part of a draft-day deal, and also locked down a long-term extension with Martin Fehervary.

"We addressed our defensive depth, which was a concern for me going into the offseason, so I feel better about that," Patrick said.

When free agency opened, the Capitals also parted ways with Alex Alexeyev, Taylor Raddysh, Andrew Mangiapane and Lars Eller. To fill the void and bolster the scoring, Washington had made a run at Nikolaj Ehlers, but ultimately, lost out to the Carolina Hurricanes.

In turn, the Capitals re-signed Anthony Beauvillier to a two-year extension, and Patrick is content with that move when it comes to the middle-6.

"We were able to add a veteran guy that has been in our group that we're comfortable with, so I feel good about that," Patrick said.

Washington also re-signed Hendrix Lapierre to a bridge deal and will look to its prospects to make the NHL jump and fill the vacancies up front. However, the team is keeping its eyes on the trade market and said if there's a deal to be made, it will make it.

"I feel good about the cash base we have. That'll make us a player either in the offseason or early in the season... there's always players available at the deadline. So if we have space there and we're in a spot to use it, then we'll be aggressive."