NHL Free Agents That Washington Capitals Should Be After

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Brian Gionta
A player who has overcome his diminutive size to be a very effective NHL winger and still has speed to burn. 20 goals in New Jersey could easily turn into 30 or more playing with Ovechkin and Backstrom in the Caps run and gun system. He can certainly keep up with those two.

Tomas Kopecky
One of those players that no one outside of Detroit knows about he has been used more as a spare part on the deepest team in the NHL, but possesses the skills of a top six winger, in my opinion.

Max Afinogenov
Finally we come to the part of the program where the picking are becoming really slim. Max is an incredibly skilled, but just as incredibly under achieving player who can look like the most exciting winger in the game one night and pull the invisible man act for the next ten.

I still can't help, but like him and think that he could be an interesting reclamation project for the Capitals due to their playing style and the abundance of Russians.

Due to under achieving he could also be one of those shiny things you find in a bargain bin at your local department store.

Reportedly, he's off to the KHL as well.

Miroslav Satan
Signed by Pittsburgh this past season as a possible winger for either Sidney Crosby or Yevgeniy Malkin he did not exactly work out as planned, but we saw flashes of what he can do when given more of a chance in the playoffs due to some injuries.

Miro is still a highly skilled player albeit with some motivational issues, but at this depth I would take him.

Ales Kotalik
Still relatively young and skilled. Good speed and shot.

Petr Sykora
See Miroslav Satan above.

Mark Parrish
Still has the hands to clean up the garbage around the net (hat trick in his first game for Dallas this year) might be a Filene's Basement type bargain for our first line and willing to go to the net.

Left Wing

We don't really need one, but if we could sign one of these I'm sure we could find some use for them.

Daniel Sedin
Alex Tanguay

Defense

Jay Bouwmeester
Everything that could have possibly been written about him has already been written. At least ten times.

It's highly unlikely that we could get him considering that Calgary just gave up a good roster player plus a draft pick for the sheer privilege of talking to him before anyone else gets to (frankly an insane move, in my opinion) and we already have Mike "Lambogreenie" Green.

Still, he is available and as such I have no choice, but to put him at the top of my defense list.

Michael Komisarek
Quite overrated, in my opinion, yet might be exactly what the Capitals need in terms of toughness. Yes, he did get his bootie kicked by Milan Lucic on multiple occasions, but not many non-enforcers in the NHL would even dare dropping the gloves with the Bruins man child.

Consider him an improved John Erskine-2009 model.

Dennis Seidenberg
No one ever talks about this player which, in my opinion, makes him very underrated. Dennis has good offensive skills, can skate, pass the puck, play the point on the power play and has a heavy shot. The Capitals could do a lot worse.

Johnny Oduya
An excellent offensive minded defenseman who, just as Seidenberg, doesn't get the attention he deserves.

Sergei Zubov
Zubov has been talking about retirement after missing most of this past season with injuries, which is the only reason he's so low on my list. Everyone knows what he can do when healthy.

Rob Blake
Blake was one of the best free agent signings of this past season rediscovering his offensive abilities at the ripe age of 39. He will be 40 this season, but he might still be effective in a limited role (especially on the power play).

Robert Scuderi
Scuderi was excellent in this year's playoffs. Just in time to get everyone to notice him at the end of his contract. A good defensive defenseman.

Filip Kuba
This guy can really pass the puck. Power play specialist.

Karlis Skrastins
Another underrated player, the Latvian moved his way up the pecking order in Florida and was used in all situations. Good defensively with some limited offensive skills.

Dmitriy Kalinin
A highly skilled Russian can thrive in the right situation.

Martin Skoula
Nick Boynton
Rhett Warrener
Ossi Vaananen

Goalie

Don't need one.


Some readers may roll their eyes at some of my choices, but those should mostly be my depth picks. That is to say that I would sign these players only if the Capitals couldn't get their paws on anyone I listed above them.

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