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Chris Patrick makes shocking comments about his third line
Photo credit: RMNB
The Washington Capitals suffered a crushing second round exit against the Carolina Hurricanes, and GM Chris Patrick has his eyes set on making key additions to bolster his core.
Let's face it - the Capitals found themselves heavily outmatched in the second round.
That said, one of the biggest challenges Head coach Spencer Carbery faced was on the third line.
In Game 5 against the Hurricanes, Carbery made the tough decision to scratch forward Lars Eller, moving Connor McMichael to the center position from his usual spot on the wing.
While Connor McMichael made it clear in his season end press conference that he's willing to make the official switch to center, GM Chris Patrick is determined to find a more dependable solution.
Chris Patrick exploring options at the center position
According to RMNB, Head coach Spencer Carbery minimized Eller's ice time further in the playoffs, deploying him just 10:45 per game. Eller was ultimately healthy-scratched for the Capitals' Game 5 elimination loss to the Hurricanes.
«Going into next year, I think that's definitely an area that we need to look at to find ways to improve,» Patrick said. «I think we have both internally, some options with some younger players in our system, and we'll also see what else is out there externally.»
«Talking about Connor McMichael, do we use him as a wing or a center? That has an impact on what we go after,» Patrick said. «It would be great to add another skilled player to our lineup, for sure. It would be great to also have a third line that is a really dependable third line. The Dowd line is effectively a third line; it would be great to have two third lines, like Nic's line.»
During Patrick's press conference, he admitted that he'd be comfortable parting ways with his first-round draft pick this year for the right piece, and we could see a blockbuster move happen in the coming weeks.
Will it happen? Time will tell.
| POLL | ||
MAI 26 | 41 ANSWERS Chris Patrick makes shocking comments about his third line Do you think the Washington Capitals need an upgrade at the 3C position? | ||
| Yes | 38 | 92.7 % |
| No | 3 | 7.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
