Tag: Washington Capitals

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Rasmus Sandin has returned to Toronto!

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The Toronto Maple Leafs made the decision last month to trade 22 year old defenseman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-round pick. It officially brought an end to his time with the organization who drafted him in the first round, 29th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

But now, he’s back in town! Not as a member of the Leafs of course, but simply just visiting and even taking in a recent Leafs practice session. He’s also back in town briefly in order to, as he put it, “pack my s**t.” 

Spotted alongside the former Leafs defenseman were current general manager and former forward turned executive Jason Spezza, both of whom were having a friendly chat. 

Sandin and the rest of his new Capitals teammates failed to qualify for the postseason, the first time that Washington is on the outside looking in since 2014. The Capitals organization has already made some major changes, as several members of the coaching staff will not be back next season. 

“It was very exciting coming to a new team, a new city,” he said Saturday. “I fell in love with it pretty quick. It’s been a hectic year, lot of things have happened, but it’s been a lot of fun too.”

Sandin also said that he could be active in the near future and suit up for his native Sweden in the upcoming 2023 World Championship.

“We’ve had discussions about it, so we’ll see what’s going to happen,” he said. “It would definitely be an honor to go play in the Worlds.”

Sandin played in a total of 71 games split between the Maple Leafs and Capitals this season, scoring seven goals to go with 28 assists and a plus-3 rating.

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Capitals make more big changes

Washington Capitals

This just in, days after dismissing head coach Peter Laviolette, the Washington Capitals have announced that they’ve dismissed assistant coaches Kevin McCarthy and Blaine Forsythe, as well.

While Laviolette and McCarthy had only been with the team for three years apiece, this firing marks the end of 17 seasons for Forsythe with the Capitals. He joined the team in 2006 as a video coach and has worked his way up the ladder to assistant coach since 2010. Tough news for him.

“We want to sincerely thank Kevin and Blaine for their efforts and contributions to the Capitals during their respective tenures and wish them all the best moving forward,” general manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “Blaine has been a dedicated member of our organization for 17 seasons and was instrumental in helping the franchise capture its first Stanley Cup in 2018.

With the Capitals missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, the news of these firings should really come as no surprise. In fact, I’d venture to say that this is just the start of major changes in DC. I expect GM Brian MacLellan to be very busy this offseason in re-shaping his team’s roster. So long as captain Alexander Ovechkin is upright and able to put on a Caps jersey, you just KNOW that this team won’t settle for anything less than Stanley Cup contention. Frankly, I think they’ll be a fascinating team to watch this offseason and then into next season. They could either take a step forward or a step backward based on their offseason moves. Stay tuned.

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Washington Capitals part ways with Peter Laviolette

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In a day that’s already seen massive turnover with National Hockey League coaches and executives, we’ve got yet another name to add to the list of figures who will not be back with their respective teams next season.

Minutes ago, it was announced by the Washington Capitals that they and head coach Peter Laviolette have mutually agreed to part ways, bringing an end to his tenure in the American capital city that began in September of 2020.  

The Capitals missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014 this season, racking up a record of 35-37-10. He had been paid handsomely by the Capitals, agreeing to a three year contract upon his hiring worth over $4 million per season. In his three seasons behind the Washington bench, the team went 115-78-27.

“We are grateful for Peter’s leadership and dedication to our organization for the last three seasons,” said Capitals senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan. “Peter is a first-class individual who has represented our club with integrity and guided our team through many difficult circumstances in his tenure as our head coach. We wish him all the best moving forward.” 

Laviolette, who is the winningest American-born NHL head coach of all time, has served as head coach of the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Nashville Predators prior to his time in Washington. He led the Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup championship while brining the Flyers to within two wins of the Cup in 2010. 

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Mantha’s future in Washington in doubt after shaky season.

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To say that Anthony Mantha’s time as a member of the Washington Capitals has been disappointing would be quite the understatement. Since being trade by the Detroit Red Wings back in April of 2021 Mantha has appeared in just 117 games for the Capitals over the course of 3 seasons.

Part of that has been due to the injuries that Mantha has suffered since joining the Capitals, but the veteran National Hockey League forward was also made a healthy scratch at times this season by head coach Peter Laviolette and he has never come close to the level of production he saw as a Red Wing.

This season has been Mantha’s most productive with the Capitals so far with him producing 11 goals and 16 assists for a total of 27 points over 66 games played. That however is a far cry from his most productive season in the NHL, one that saw Mantha produce 25 goals and 23 assists for a total of 48 points in just 67 games back during the 2018-19 season.

All this has led to speculation that a change of scenery could be in store for Mantha if the Capitals fail to make the playoffs this season, something that is looking more and more likely each day. In a recent article for The Hockey News, Sammi Silber questioned Mantha’s future on the team.

From Silber:

Regarding Mantha: things haven’t worked out, and he hasn’t capitalized on a fully-healthy season. He has been a healthy scratch on numerous occasions and has been inconsistent and snakebitten, unable to finish on his chances and struggling offensively and defensively. However, it’s unclear whether or not he’s still in the mix going forward, let alone what his trade value would be.

Although the Capitals may prefer to be done with Mantha, moving him won’t be so easy. His decline in production combined with his cap hit of $5.7 million for next season will make him a difficult piece to move, especially considering he is owed $6.5 million in actual cash in the final year of his deal.

Mantha, who was selected in the first round (20th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings has not looked like the dominant physical player many expected him to develop into since his time in Washington, and perhaps a change of scenery would be best for everyone involved come next season.