Spencer Carbery and the Capitals’ coaching staff have a very interesting dilemma to deal with, after the team announced the signing of 2023 draftee Ryan Leonard earlier today. File this under “good problems to have”, because the team’s forward lines have been pretty well set for a bit now – so where exactly do you slot the newest Washington Capital?
First and foremost, it’s unlikely that Leonard is getting anywhere near the top-six – for many reasons, most notably that you don’t need to throw a 20-year-old rookie right into the fire when he hasn’t even played an NHL preseason game, let alone a regular NHL game (to say nothing of needing to do at least one of those things to really earn your spot). Beyond that, those six forwards are pretty well locked into their respective roles, have already built chemistry, and are producing offense on a regular basis.
Like, they’re really good.
Is having two of the top three good?
— Japers' Rink (@japersrink.bsky.social) March 27, 2025 at 8:29 AM
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Leave ’em alone (for now).
That leaves the “third” and “fourth” lines, which have become somewhat interchangeable at this point, so the easy answer is either Taylor Raddysh or Brandon Duhaime (both right wings like Leonard) coming out of the lineup. The Mangiapane-Eller-Raddysh line has actually been quite good lately, with their only issue at the moment seeming to be the ability to finish their chances:
Maybe the addition of Leonard ups the offense a bit without sacrificing too much defensively, but he’ll certainly have to prove he belongs there and is capable of doing that.
The fourth line has also been pretty good, and the same caveat applies here:
Of the bottom six, there’s probably only one “good” option to make the swap, and to find it you can just look down at the bottom of this chart…
Yeah. Sorry, Doggy.
Ultimately where Leonard slots in will, to some extent, be up to him. Whenever he makes his debut, Carbery and company will need to see that he is an upgrade over the guys who have been playing there all season long. Expect to see some line-juggling, and maybe even a shift or two with the big guys up front, just to see what the kid can do – and patience is key, as it’s possible he needs a few games (or longer) to adjust to the NHL game.
The nice thing is that the Caps have some time; the playoffs are about three weeks away, and while the Presidents’ Trophy is a nice goal and certainly still an attainable one, the focus on this last stretch of games should be on figuring out how to maximize their lineup ahead of the playoffs – a process which now includes getting their young rookie acclimated to NHL play, and finding a spot for him, as quickly as possible.