Throughout the offseason, we’ll be tackling some questions about all things Capitals. First up, a look at who might be next to take a page out of Protas and McMichael’s book from last season.
Q: Last season we saw Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael take huge leaps forward; which (if any) of the Caps’ younger players do you think could be in line to take a similar leap in 2025-26?
J.P.: The hope (within the organization at least) would be that it’s Hendrix Lapierre. It feels like a make-or-break campaign for the 2020 first-rounder, and if he can hold down the third-line center role (which he notably could not do last fall, necessitating the trade for Lars Eller), that helps to plug one of the only obvious holes in the current roster.