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Who Are the Capitals Top Defensive Prospects?

December 4, 2020, 10:22 AM ET [1 Comments]
Brian Sickles
Washington Capitals Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Hello All,

The Washington Capitals have some GREAT defensive prospects in the pipeline to look forward to. Before we jump into prospect profiles, let’s take a brief look at the current roster structure for defensemen. Here are the defensive lines projected by dailyfaceoff.com:

Brenden Dillon - John Carlson
Orlov - Schultz
Siegenthaler – Jensen

*Not listed is Trevor Van Reimsdyk, LD, and injured Michael Kempny who is on LTIR*

How the roster got here:

August 20th, 2020 - Capitals eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs

October 6th, 2020 – Capitals announce starting defenseman Michael Kempny injured his Achilles while training in the Czech Republic and will require surgery. He will miss 6-8 months. Estimated return date is April-June 2021.

October 6th, 2020 – Minutes after the Kempny announcement, the Capitals announced they have re-signed defenseman Brendan Dillon to a four-year $15.6 million deal. This comes out to an AAV of $3.9 million per year for the next four years.

October 9th, 2020 – Free Agency Begins
October 9th, 2020 – Capitals sign former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz to a two-year $8 million deal ($4 million AAV)

October 9th, 2020 – Capitals signed former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Trevor Van Riemsdyk to one-year $800,000 deal.

October 21st, 2020 – Capitals re-sign defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler to a one-year $800,000 deal

The Capitals had five NHL-level contracts signed during free agency, four of the five contracts were for defenseman. That tells you everything you need to know about where the Capitals are seeking to improve. With seven healthy NHL caliber defensemen, there will not be much room for many prospects to get significant playing time this season. However, we will still likely see a couple guys but in a very limited fashion. Lets take a look at our notable prospect pool for defensemen:


Name: Martin Fehervary, D
Draft: 2018 WSH, 2nd rd, 15th pk (46th overall)
Age: 21
Height: 6’2
Weight: 200lbs

Martin Fehevary is probably the most “NHL ready” Defensive prospect we have in the pipeline. Fehervary got a small but decent amount of NHL action last season with six games in the regular season and two playoff games. All in all, he looked pretty solid and gained more confidence every game. He posted a 0-1-1 (-2) stat line in six games played during the regular season. He did not register a point in two playoff games. Based on raw talent and ability, Fehervary is fully capable of playing full-time NHL minutes at this time. He typically plays a lot on the right side. According to the voice of the Hersey Bears, Zach Fisch, Martin Fehervary is a smooth skater, good first pass, kills penalties, good shot blocker and can clear the net front. He had 14 points last year for the Bears and was +15 on the season. It was sort of surprising the Captials signed so many defensemen considering they have Fehervary available at only a $791k cap-hit. However, with COVID playing a factor, it is nice to have the extra guys.

Name: Alex Alexyav, D
Draft: 2018 WSH, 1st rd, 31st pk (31st overall)
Age: 21
Height: 6’4
Weight: 210lbs

Alexyav may be the most talented defensive prospect for the Capitals. What’s holding him back is has a quite a bit of injury history that has stunted his development. From 2016-2019 in the WHL, Alexyav missed 81 out of 216 eligible games as a result of injuries. In the 135 games he did play in the WHL, he had 21 goals and 80 assists. He was a dominating force on the ice, hence why he was a first-round draft selection. In his first full season with the Bears last year, Alexyav played in 58 of 62 eligible games. He posted a 3-18-21 stat line. Between his time with the Bears last season and his time in the KHL right now, it is very encouraging to see him consistently on the ice. Alexyav can skate, play phsyical, produce offense, and has a hard shot/ He is right up there as a 1st or 2nd call up if something injury or COVID occurs during the season. Alexyav's skillset compares most to Capitals defenseman, Dimitry Orlov.

Name: Lucas Johansen, D
Draft: 2016 WSH, 1st rd, 28th pk (28th overall)
Age: 23
Height: 6’2
Weight: 190

Lucas Johansen is the younger brother of Ryan Johansen of the Nashville Predators. Lucas is another highly coveted defensive prospect for the Capitals. Prior to being drafted, Johansen played for the Kelowna in the WHL. In 2014-2015 he helped lead the team to the WHL championship. Considering he was a first round draft pick, he has taken a little bit long than anticipated to develop into a consistent NHL caliber defensemen. He was passed by Martin Fehervary on the depth chart in recent years. He has lost power play and penalty kill minutes as well. There were rumors in the off-season that Capitals would not even re-sign him to a two-way contract but ultimately, they are giving him one more crack. In his first year with Hersey in 2016-2017, Johansen won Hersey’s Jack Gingrich award for rookie of the year. He posted a 6-21-27 stat line in 74 games. Johansen only played nine games last year and has been hurt a lot lately. The Capitals want to give him more time to develop. Johansen needs to find more consistency and needs to be stronger in his own zone and net front battles. He needs to prove he can be trusted on either the power play or penalty kill. He showed offensive potential in his rookie year and the WHL but has been quiet since. If he fails to produce this year, expect the Caps to cut ties with the former first rounder. This is a big year for him!

Those are the three main names to keep an eye on for now. Who are you most excited about to see develop? As always, thanks for reading!
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